Kenny Omega reveals he's finally cleared; seemingly confirms first opponent upon return

Kenny Omega has not wrestled in 352 days. The health and future of the AEW EVP have been a hot topic of discussion for months, and now he is headed back to the ring. Omega has just opened up on his big comeback and who he will lock up with first.

The Cleaner last wrestled on December 5, 2023, in a Collision win over Ethan Page. Kenny has battled health issues since then, including a serious case of diverticulitis. Amid a brewing feud with controversial NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Gabriel Kidd, Omega recently announced that he will return to the ring at NJPW Wrestle Dynasty on January 5, which is co-promoted by AEW, ROH, CMLL, and Stardom.

AEW's inaugural Triple Crown Champion recently requested more interview time with New Japan to address what's happened with Kidd and his return at Wrestle Dynasty. Omega said he didn't want this situation to cause a rift between AEW and NJPW, so he's agreed to wrestle Kidd in Tokyo in January.

"I would hate for this situation to cause a rift between AEW and NJPW. So after conversations I’ve had with President Tanahashi and other executives in NJPW, I’ve decided that if New Japan requests it, if Gabe requests it, and if the fans want it, then I will wrestle Gabe Kidd, as a professional at Wrestle Dynasty January 5," Kenny Omega said.

The Best Bout Machine continued and clarified why he was accepting the match with Kidd, noting that he wasn't even sure if he'd be medically cleared for Wrestle Dynasty.

"Look, I want to make it very clear I’m not taking this to make anything of Gabe other than an example. I wasn’t even sure I'd be medically cleared for January 5, but what Gabe did and said was enough to push me over the finish line. I might've been known as The Best Bout Machine in the past, but my goal isn’t to elevate Kidd to a world class performance, it's to show him the reality of the situation he’s in right now, and what embarrassment in front of 20-30,000, 40,000 people, and many thousands more watching around the world looks like," Kenny Omega added.

Omega acknowledged Gabriel's in-ring abilities, adding that he truly did not think he should be wrestling Kidd right now. The 41-year-old made the decision not over a lack of talent but a lack of maturity and professionalism from the 27-year-old UK star, who The Cleaner thinks will do anything to put his opponents in a hospital.

Kenny Omega reveals massive career regret

Tony Khan linked up with Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Cody Rhodes in 2019 to officially launch All Elite Wrestling. Omega and The Bucks remain Executive Vice Presidents for AEW, while Rhodes left in 2022 to return to WWE.

Omega recently spoke on the NJPW YouTube channel and admitted that bringing AEW and New Japan together was a fantasy situation. However, the AEW EVP also confessed that he wouldn't wish the balancing act he's had to do for the past five years on anyone, and he misses just being a wrestler.

"I would never wish it upon anybody in the world, trust me. I miss those days of rolling up to an arena with just my carry case that had my gear in it, focusing on that match, just that one performance, which was just about me. Instead, I’m at the arena days before, trying to figure out... how are we gonna make this work?" Kenny Omega said.

Omega continued with very curious comments on the job and some of the stressful aspects. The Cleaner also elaborated on why the gig is a terrible undertaking.