Top AEW star who last wrestled 294 days back teases blockbuster return

AEW has several top stars on the shelf. Adam Copeland, Eddie Kingston, Julia Hart, and Riho are a few of the many All Elite Wrestling and Ring of Honor talents out of action. One of the Jacksonville-based promotion's biggest names has just offered another return teaser as his hiatus approaches the 300-day mark.

Kenny Omega last wrestled on December 5 at the Collision tapings, where he defeated Ethan Page. The AEW EVP announced a serious case of diverticulitis weeks later and has since been recovering from surgery. While progress was slow, Omega resumed light training, but as of late August was still unable to take bumps due to pain. The 40-year-old went viral for a massive teaser with another top star in Japan, fueling rumors of a late 2024 return.

The Best Bout Machine himself recently confirmed that he's not medically cleared to compete. Omega is still in The Land Of The Rising Sun as a user on X (fka Twitter) apologized today for "being a creepy fan" when they spotted him out and about in Funabashi, Japan, which is less than an hour from Tokyo. He responded and teased that he was at the LaLaport shopping center for new wrestling attire.

"Don't worry! I was happy that Japanese fans remembered me. It wasn't really a trip, I just needed to buy some clothes for work😅," Kenny Omega wrote in Japanese, traslated via X.

Omega appeared on Dynamite in May and revealed that he was lucky to be alive from diverticulitis. While there's no concrete word on his return, Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer recently predicted the 25-year industry veteran will be back in the ring before the end of this year.

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Updated plans for AEW Grand Slam 2024

All Elite Wrestling will host its fourth annual Grand Slam edition of Dynamite this Wednesday and will tape the inaugural Collision: Grand Slam. The taping will be held at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, NYC.

AEW has confirmed the following Lumberjacks for the Strap Match between Jeff Jarrett and Adam Page: Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh, Evil Uno, Alex Reynolds, John Silver, Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy, Kyle O'Reilly, Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn, and Juice Robinson.

While there's still some uncertainty over which matches are airing on Dynamite and Collision, AEW has eleven matches and segments confirmed. Below is the updated lineup:

1. Non-Title Match: World Champion Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuinness (if Danielson is medically cleared)
2. World Trios Championship: PAC, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta will defend in an Open Challenge
3. Women's World Championship: Mariah May (c) vs. Yuka Sakazaki
4. World Tag Team Championship: The Young Bucks (c) vs. Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher
5. FTW Rules Championship Match: HOOK (c) vs. Roderick Strong
6. Jon Moxley vs. Darby Allin (Allin's guaranteed World Championship shot will be on the line)
7. Lumberjack Strap Match: Jeff Jarrett vs. Adam Page
8. Eliminator Match: Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. Sammy Guevara (if Guevara wins, he receives a title shot at Dynamite's 5th Anniversary. If Guevara loses, he can't challenge as long as Okada is champion)
9. Saraya's Rules Match: Saraya vs. Jamie Hayter (Collision)
10. Tornado Match: Chris Jericho, Big Bill, and Bryan Keith vs. Mark Briscoe, Kyle O'Reilly, and Orange Cassidy (Collision)
11. MxM Collection reveals makeover to Max Caster's jacket (Collision)

AEW has confirmed the WrestleDream main event for October 12. The winner of Moxley vs. Allin at Grand Slam will advance to challenge Danielson for the World Championship.