Former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega has revealed that he has been suffering with vertigo since before he signed with AEW.
While 2021 has been a year of almost unparalleled success in the ring, it appears that it’s success that has come at a cost. After it was revealed that Kenny Omega has been struggling with a shoulder injury, the man himself has now disclosed his long running issues with vertigo.
On November 13th at Full Gear Omega lost the AEW World Championship to “Hangman” Adam Page in a typically full-throttle affair. In the days after the match it has come to light that the now former champion has been dealing with a shoulder injury, significantly affecting his strength and ability to lift weights.
Speaking in a new video while undergoing chiropractic adjustment with Dr. Beau Hightower, Omega opened up about his struggles with vertigo. Furthermore, the ‘Best Bout Machine’ explained that he had been dealing with the problem since 2018.
Yeah, it’s been an issue since 2018. I just get really bad vertigo. I get dizzy in the ring. I can’t — the room spins. It’s been a new skill I’ve had to inherit is wrestling in a spinning ring. So to make sure I get that straightened out as much as I can, as often as I can is really paramount for my performances.”
“Yeah, there’s a myriad of issues with professional wrestling and you can work as safely as you can, But you can’t avoid everything. There’s always something that could go wrong.”
Later in the video, Omega explains how the treatment has improved the mobility in his arm, confirming his shoulder injury in the process.
“Yeah, I mean, one thing that I can say is I have a lot of difficulty just doing a straight side [arm] raise because of my shoulder injury. I would have to really sort of deviate to [a diagonal raise] to do anything. So to be able to go perfectly sideways is great. That was great. Yeah, my range of motion for looking is great. My neck is feeling good.”
Aside from Kenny Omega, it has also been reported that two other AEW stars suffered injuries during the Full Gear special. The day after the show, both Eddie Kingston and Malakai Black missed The Big Event convention in New York City despite being advertised. It was noted that that their absences were linked to injuries suffered at Full Gear.
H/t to Fightful for the transcription.