Kenny Omega has opened up about how close he came to walking away from in-ring competition during his battle with diverticulitis. In an interview with CBC News Manitoba, the AEW star revealed he had made peace with the possibility that his wrestling career might be over.
Omega's diverticulitis previously forced him to miss matches and left major questions about his long-term future. He explained that accepting the possibility of transitioning to a backstage role helped him focus on recovery without panicking.
Omega Was Ready for Office Role
"I think a big part of it too which I think helped me a lot in this journey was that I was at peace with being able to take a huge step back if I needed to," Omega said. "If I needed to have a complete non-physical role within the company and just be you know an office guy in the back that's never seen but is still contributing. I was happy to just been involved with this project that is AEW with this company with its wonderful fans its athletes."
Staying Calm Through Recovery
Omega credited his calm mindset with allowing him to make better decisions about his recovery. Rather than rushing into treatments without guidance, he focused on carefully trying different methods and staying honest with himself about the outcomes.
"I think that having that sense of calmness and being able to accept the current situation actually helped me put forward more of an effort in the pursuit of getting back what I lost," he explained. "Cuz I feel like if I was in a panic mode I would have kind of run around like a chicken with its head cut off not knowing whether to go left whether to go right should I try something new or should I keep really doubling down on what I'm currently doing."
The wrestler emphasized that knowing he tried every available option mattered just as much as the results. "I think just being honest with yourself in this in this case or honest with myself in this case and just being very open-minded to not only the fact that things may work if I try something new but if they don't work to be able to accept that okay I've tried everything that I could. I can't say that I didn't try."
Omega has since returned to in-ring competition after his recovery. He will challenge MJF for the AEW World Title at AEW Dynasty.
