Kenny Omega battled longtime rival Kazuchika Okada in an AEW ring for the first time at All In: Texas. The history-making bout brought exciting yet significant changes to the All Elite storylines, and now, unfortunate talk on Omega’s future is beginning to emerge after curious references by the Jacksonville-based promotion.
The Cleaner and The Rainmaker battled one-on-one for the fifth time since 2017 last Saturday at Globe Life Field in Arlington. Okada won the 31-minute showdown to unify his Continental Championship with the International Championship, previously held by Omega. AEW’s newly-crowned inaugural Unified Champion also tied his singles series with Omega, at 2-2 with one Time Limit Draw.
Omega vs. Okada had been planned for a long time, even before The Best Bout Machine took more than a year off from the ring while battling a severe case of diverticulitis. During a backstage segment with The Young Bucks on this week’s Dynamite, Don Callis referred to Omega as “dead,” and Excalibur noted on commentary that the 41-year-old was injured at All In, but no specifics were provided.
Meanwhile, Okada squashed Quintero in a non-title match on Dynamite and began a feud with Swerve Strickland. Tony Schiavone touted the Japanese legend’s “all-new presentation” before declaring a brand new era for AEW with the Unified Championship. Now, word is that this era was kicking off without its first and only Triple Crown & Grand Slam Champion.
Coming out of All In, AEW has Samoa Joe and Will Ospreay taking time off, and Adam Cole is also out indefinitely due to his ongoing health situation, which remains up in the air. With Kenny Omega also seemingly taking time off, Fightful Select reported that other top stars had planned to take some time off, but ended up staying on and factored into creative plans.
Kenny Omega Reportedly Taking Time Off
Kenny Omega wrestled 29 matches in 2023, but was put on the shelf at the end of that year with a life-threatening case of diverticulitis. He was out of action for all of 2024, but has already worked 10 matches this year, the same number he worked in 2022, down from 32 the year before that.
The Best Bout Machine was set to work his 1,300th career match this year, but the milestone will have to be delayed as Omega is expected to take time off. Fightful Select added that the EVP was not at the Dynamite and Collision tapings in Chicago this week.
.@THEDONCALLIS HAS GONE TOO FAR!
Watch #AEWAllInTexas LIVE on PPV right now!https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGjpic.twitter.com/UL1VPMNkBl
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) July 12, 2025
Sources could not elaborate on exactly why Kenny Omega was going on hiatus, or if this meant a consecutive or sporadic absence for the 41-year-old amid speculations of a lighter schedule moving forward. Omega mentioned months ago that he would need to alter his in-ring style for health reasons. However, there’s no confirmation that he was legitimately injured in the controversial All In loss to Kazuchika Okada.