Former All Elite Wrestling World Champion Kenny Omega is reportedly close to returning from injury.
AEW talent and staff have reportedly been notified that "Omega is nearing a return," according to Fightful Select's Sean Ross Sapp.
Omega has been out of action since losing the AEW World Heavyweight Championship to 'Hangman' Adam Page -- who later lost to CM Punk prior to Punk being sidelines due to an injury -- at the 'Full Gear' pay-per-view event in November 2021.
Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reported that Omega was scheduled to undergo "surgeries on his shoulder, knee, and abdomen and is evaluating a septum surgery as well" shortly after his departure.
The report also specified that Omega wrestled through "a torn labrum and an abdominal hernia for months."
“So far, five procedures have taken place to attempt to make me a better, healthier athlete,” Omega said. “These are injuries that have compiled over years. They’re ones I can’t neglect, and I’ve needed this time to start to heal. That’s what I’ve been doing during this time off—I’m trying to buy time back onto my wrestling clock. I would like to have a longer career, so I’ve looked at this time after losing the belt as an opportunity to start to fix what’s hurting me."
Omega was one of New Japan Pro Wrestling's brightest stars and a major factor in the brand's popularity in North America, having served as the brand's IWGP Heavyweight Champion for 209 days.
Omega was instrumental in AEW's launch in 2019 as both an in-ring competitor and executive and is the company's longest-reigning World Champion with a 346-day run from December 2020 to November 2021.
The Winnipeg native is among several of AEW's top stars that are currently recovering from injuries, with CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole, and others having been absent from AEW programming in recent weeks.
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