The Cautionary Tale Of Kenny Omega

By
Jim LaMotta
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Kenny Omega is one of the most athletic and influential performers of his generation. He’s also a cautionary tale.

The former All Elite Wrestling world champion was scheduled to compete in a tag team match alongside Chris Jericho at next weekend’s Worlds End pay-per-view, but he posted on social media just a few days ago that he will be out of action indefinitely. The photo that surfaced online was Omega in a hospital bed, prompting speculation about a serious health issue that landed him in the hospital. Since that time, it was reported that Kenny Omega suffered from a very series case of diverticulitis, the same aliment that put Brock Lesnar on the shelf for an extended period of time during his UFC days, and that he required emergency surgery to address the health scare so that’s why the timetable for his return to AEW isn’t clear yet.


Unfortunately, it’s the second time that “The Cleaner” will spend an undetermined amount of time on the sidelines in just two years. As we known, Kenny Omega’s stock began to rise considerably about six or seven years ago when his stellar work in New Japan, specifically an epic series of bouts against Kazuchika Okada, earned the praise of The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer. With the rave reviews from the wrestling reporter, more people took notice of Omega and he developed a dedicated following among diehard wrestling fans. Sure, Kenny was known for his work in DDT and a few stints in Ring Of Honor earlier in his career, but his tenure as a member of the Bullet Club was a peak for him as a performer. He evolved from the comedy matches of DDT to work a main event level in New Japan.

As we know, the collective buzz of Omega, the social media hype of The Young Bucks, and Cody Rhodes’ ambitious exit from WWE at the time put the pieces in place for the eventual launch of All Elite Wrestling in 2019. While ROH was an American platform for The Elite during the few years prior to that and the company drew some of its best crowds with The Elite on the card, Sinclair wasn’t going to offer or invest the type of cash to truly take ROH to the national level. Keep in mind, Sinclair is in the television business, not the wrestling business and they bought Ring Of Honor for the original programming to attempt to get better ad rates for their network. It’s ironic that Tony Khan eventually bought ROH from Sinclair.

As the name implies, The Elite faction were a part of the foundation of the organization, and despite Cody’s exit to a much bigger spot in WWE today, the remaining members of the stable are still key talent for the company. In fact, it was reported that Omega, The Young Bucks, and Adam Page all signed new deals with the company this past August, securing their future in All Elite after there was some speculation that a few of them might’ve negotiated for a potential offer from WWE. Granted, that’s smart business, not a betrayal of All Elite or Tony Khan. Remember, there’s no retirement plan for independent contractors when they hang up their boots so it only makes sense for pro wrestlers to try to get the best deal they can in an effort to obtain financial security after retirement.

But, did Tony Khan re-sign damaged goods so to speak when he inked Kenny Omega to a new deal?

Breaking into the business when he was still a teenager, the Canadian grappler has wrestled for more than half of his life and has more than twenty years of the toll of the profession on his body. One of the reasons that Omega became a polarizing figure among some pundits of the industry is his high risk and dynamic style. More specifically, the ripple effect of that style and the potential negatives it could have on the next generation of performers. Make no mistake about it, Omega’s athleticism is absolutely incredible, even his biggest detractors will probably recognize his athletic ability. A combination of fast-paced maneuvers and dangerous bumps made him one of the top guys in New Japan, a promotion often based on work rate.

Still, there’s undoubtedly a major downside to that approach to professional wrestling, and sadly, there are many performers that could’ve been considered their own cautionary tales before Omega laced up his boots. One of the most famous examples was the legendary Dynamite Kid, who revolutionized the sport, particularly with his memorable series of matches against Tiger Mask, but destroyed his body in the process. The real-life Tom Billington was confined to a wheel chair by the time he was 40. WWE Hall of Fame, Mick Foley has said on his podcast that even he didn’t anticipate quite the level of damage that he did to his body from the risky bumps he took during his in-ring career. On the other hand, Jerry “The King” Lawler worked a match at 73 this past January before he suffered a stroke earlier this year. Thankfully, Lawler is said to be recovering well from the health problems.

Kenny Omega solidified his status in Japan and that opened the door for national television exposure in the United States, but he did a lot of damage to his body in the process. I’m not sure that philosophy should be emulated or the goal for aspiring wrestlers in the future. Keep in mind, while there’s a delicate balance between the art form and the business side of the industry, the bottom line is, if a wrestler shortens their career because of dangerous bumps then it’s less money they could’ve made from their time as a performer. Again, there’s no retirement fund for pro wrestlers, when they hang up their boots, financial security has to be a priority. Furthermore, it’s difficult for a promoter or an organization to invest the time and money into a talent if they are injury prone. If a wrestler is on the shelf, they can’t draw money in the ring.

That’s not to say that every match should be a lazy approach to the performance either, with a 10-mintue headlock instead of in-ring action. There’s a difference between being boarder line reckless and giving the fans their money’s worth. Quite simply, a match with more risks doesn’t automatically translate to a better match. For example, Ricky Steamboat is one of the best in-ring workers in the history of the sport, with fast-paced moves and solid action, but he didn’t have to get dropped on his head to get a reaction. Ric Flair might’ve had a similar playbook for most of his bouts, but nobody could deny that “The Nature Boy” worked hard when the bell rang. Even without the dangerous bumps or high risk style, the wear and tear of the performance can take a toll on the body. Randy Orton worked a very safe and main event WWE style for twenty years, but required back surgery because of the physical demands of the industry.

The toll of Omega’s style already put him on the injured list for an extended period of time when he finally took time off in November 2021 to get a few different surgeries to repair various injuries from his career. He was out of action for nine months and returned last August, but the argument could be made that he isn’t quite as crisp inside the square circle as he was previously. Obviously, he didn’t get diverticulitis from taking bumps, but the point is, it’s not only more health problem for him, but also another extended hiatus from AEW. He’s considered one off their top stars so it goes without saying that he’s an asset to the company when he can be advertised for events. Who knows if the overall toll that his in-ring style took on his body will make his recovery from the illness more difficult or if it will effect his performance when he returns to the company?

Without the nine-month hiatus because of the previous injuries last year, this current illness wouldn’t seem quite as concerning, especially because at some point, his overall health will have to be taken into account as far as how many years he will continue to wrestle, specifically the style that he’s known for. At 40, Kenny Omega should theoretically have at least five more years of the prime of his career, but it remains to be seen if that’s realistically possible.

Regardless of what happens, I think it’s fair to say that as long as All Elite exists that Kenny Omega will have a job there, Tony Khan has shown that type of loyalty and empathy as a boss, but his role as an in-ring wrestler might have to be scaled down to avoid more health problems. At some point, it might become a risk to invest too much stock into him if an injury could force him off of a pay-per-view card, especially if he’s booked for the title picture again. It might be best if he retires sooner rather than later and takes a job working backstage for the company.

Since money is no object to Tony Khan, the point is mostly moot, but All Elite Wrestling has existed for just four years, and Kenny Omega spent about 25% of that time on the injured list so it’s debatable if there was a solid return on the investment of his contract. The more important point is that All Elite Wrestling on the Turner network gave Kenny Omega the biggest exposure of his career, but the various injuries have limited the spotlight so his in-ring style undoubtedly hindered his chance to maximize his star power for the company.

What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.

Until next week
-Jim LaMotta

E mail [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89

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