Kenny Omega recently made his AEW Dynamite return.
In the closing segments of the 8th January episode of Dynamite, ‘The Cleaner’ made his much-awaited return. A few days after his successful in-ring return against Gabe Kidd in the Tokyo Dome at Wrestle Dynasty, Omega came back home at the Jacksonville-based promotion.
While this was Omega’s Dynamite return, his AEW return was at the Worlds End PPV when he came out to hand the Continental Championship to Kazuchika Okada.
After delivering an emotional promo on his diverticulitis recovery, Omega was involved in a physical segment against his former manager, Don Callis, Brian Cage, Lance Archer, and Kyle Fletcher. However, soon enough, The Aerial Assassin, Will Ospreay made the save. Ospreay and Omega share an intense rivalry from their NJPW days, including the 2023 IWGP United States championship rivalry.
The two closed the show with a staredown, exciting fans about a possible future clash. The former World Champion is now scheduled to face Brian Cage on the Maximum Carnage edition of Dynamite.
However, not only did Omega’s return excite the fans, but it also brought forward a positive change in the company’s viewership and rankings.
Kenny Omega’s AEW Return Significantly Improves Viewership
The viewership and ratings report is now out for the 8th January episode of Dynamite. According to Wrestlenomics, Dynamite 01/08 drew 615,000 viewers on TBS, which is significantly higher than last week’s 588,000.
Wednesday’s episode scored a 0.17 rating in the 18 to 49 demographic, up from the 0.16 rating from 1st January 2025. The show was also up against the NBA matchup between Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Cleveland Cavaliers game on ESPN, where NBA scored 1.87 million viewers. The above-stated viewership does not include the simulcast Max viewers.
The 08/01 January episode also featured a fast-paced match between Ospreay and Buddy Matthews, and a Casino Gauntlet match, which was ultimately won by Powerhouse Hobbs.
In other news: Vince McMahon believed WWE’s fate with Saudi Arabia depended on this one particular match.