Kenny Omega Calls Out Recent AEW Signings: "Now It's My Job To Be a Gatekeeper"

In December, Kenny Omega wrestled Ethan Page on AEW Collision. Following that match on Dynamite the next week he addressed the fans with tag team partner Chris Jericho but something seemed off about Omega's appearance. Not long after, he was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a severe case of diverticulitis. Speaking on his newly launched Twitch channel, Omega discussed his injury and noted that he can't give an exact time table for his in-ring return because this diagnosis is much different than anything he's dealt with in the past.

"I know how I feel physically. I've been through the wringer in terms of injuries and getting banged up and all of that. I kind of know now what I feel like, and I can come back (from physical injuries). This is the first time I've ever been put out with a sickness," Omega explained. "It's hard to really know what's going on in the inside when you feel a little bit of pain, but you don't actually know the inner workings of what's going on. I would love to say, 'Hey guys, I'm on track to coming back next week, next month, a half of year.' I don't have that confidence this time. When they're explaining to me that I was 24 hours away from a terrible blood infection and possibly dying, this is like news to me. I've never heard of anything like that. 'I wasn't close to dying, are you kidding me? No way.' The doctors are there to ensure my safety and educate me as to how important this is. I don't want to talk out of my ass too much and say I'm going to for sure be back, and I'll be back at a certain date or time because I don't know."

Omega addressed the elephant in the room as well: will he need surgery or is it something he can heal on his own? He's still unsure but if he can get cleared, he's determined to come back the best he can and not anything below the high bar set for him. "Do I need surgery? I still don't know. It's been really touch and go. I was feeling great for a week or two. When you feel terrible, a week or two feels like a long time and it feels like you have momentum and you're going to push to the finish line, which is to come back. For two weeks, I was feeling great. I ran into a bit of a roadblock and I had to get some emergency treatment again. Well, I wouldn't say it's two steps forward, two steps back, but maybe it's one and a half steps back. I'm better than where I was, but I'm not sure how much improvement I made. When I see these guys, whether it be on pay-per-view or Dynamite, Raw, SmackDown, NXT, anybody. It makes me want to get back into that ring shape. I'm doing this weird balancing act of trying to manage the pain or sickness and trying to train. I'm trying to make sure things don't get too out of hand. If suddenly I'm healed and cleared, I want to hop back in. I don't want to be like, 'I haven't done a thing in four or five months' or whatever it is. I'll be disappointed, and you guys will be disappointed. The bar is so high. I don't want to come back being below that bar. I want to try the best I can."

Omega continued by calling out some of the most recent AEW signings in Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada, two of his greatest rivals in New Japan Pro Wrestling. "I will say, after watching Dynamite, and getting a feel of the lay of the land. If I can come back, I feel like I have to. We may never get an environment like that again. I don't know if I would call it fun, more of a responsibility. I have a responsibility to mix it up with these guys that call themselves the best. I used to be that guy and have confidence. Now, instead of being that guy with a chip on his shoulder, now, it's my job to be a gatekeeper. You want to call yourself the best? F--king prove it, b--ch."

Ospreay is already two matches into his career as a member of the AEW roster, first defeating Don Callis Family stablemate Konosuke Takeshita at AEW Revolution and then his United Empire stablemate Kyle Fletcher on this week's AEW Dynamite. Okada on the other hand has replaced Omega in The Elite which Matthew and Nicholas Jackson have made it clear he is no longer part of. Okada appeared on Dynamite to help the Young Bucks beat down Eddie Kingston in the center of the ring, clearly setting up a singles match between "The Rainmaker" and Kingston.

At the recent AEW Revolution post-show press conference, AEW President Tony Khan revealed that he believed it wouldn't be fair to set unrealistic expectations on an Omega return by the time the Canadian tour comes around in mid-March. "I don't think it would be fair to create the expectation that Kenny Omega would be cleared by then," Khan said. "I'm very optimistic Kenny will be coming back, but I don't know the exact date. I think that's an aggressive timetable. Kenny is one of AEW's great stars and we can't wait to have him back as soon as possible. I don't think it would be fair to create the expectation he would be cleared by then though."

H/T: Fightful