As happens too often nowadays, older wrestlers don’t do so well…and now we are hearing Ricky Steamboat has health issues. Plus, fans might be wondering: will Kenny Omega return to AEW soon?
Ricky Steamboat Health Issues
The downside of getting old is things start to fail, and now we are hearing that Ricky Steamboat might be having health issues.
I say “might”, because for the moment, the report is not directly from The Dragon, or anyone speaking officially on his behalf.
Instead, the report of Steamboat’s otherwise undisclosed health issues comes via one of his fiercest rivals.
Jake “The Snake” Roberts discussed Steamboat on a recent episode of his podcast.
During the episode, Roberts was reflecting on one of his matches with Steamboat.
This match involved Roberts delivering a DDT to the concrete floor, a move that he expressed regret for.
source: @ewrestlingnews, twitter, screenshot
In discussing the match, and the move specifically, Roberts mentioned that Ricky Steamboat was experiencing some health issues…and that he hoped his DDT to Steamboat was not a contributing factor.
The Snake did not elaborate on things any further. However, if Roberts is speaking truthfully about health issues…and referencing that specific move…it stands to reason that Steamboat might be one of the many wrestlers who are experiencing issues that resulted from concussions.
Back then (and, sadly, even more recently), too many wrestlers took shots to the head and got concussed…and kept working.
Numerous recent wrestling deaths have revealed a rash of stars who were suffering from dementia and other issues linked to CTE.
Now, again, this remains purely speculative. Roberts was not acting as a Steamboat family spokesman, and as of this writing, no official comment has been made.
But it sounds like another WWE Hall of Famer isn’t doing well, so we wish Ricky all the best.
Will Kenny Omega Return Soon?
After Wednesday night’s AEW gave us yet another “big announcement”, fans might be asking…will Kenny Omega return soon?
That announcement, in case you missed it, saw Tony Khan reveal that AEW and New Japan will deliver a joint PPV in June, a month after AEW Double Or Nothing.
Given Omega’s rich history of wrestling in Japan, fans might have been wondering if we’d see the former AEW Champion brought back soon.
Before we can answer that, a quick recap in case you missed it…
Omega dropped the title to Hangman Adam Page, and subsequently took time off. It was noted that Omega needed a few surgeries and the time off to recover.
So, could he return for Double or Nothing, or June’s joint Forbidden Door?
According to the Wrestling Observer…it seems unlikely for May…possibly June.
source: @attackthematpod, twitter, screenshot
The report does note, as anyone can tell, that whenever Omega does return…we can expect a feud between his side and Adam Cole’s.
Just…we probably have to wait a bit longer. Seems Omega is still recovering, and while things are progressing, his timeline for a return does not necessarily line up.
That being said…June is still a couple months off, so anything is possible
If, for example, Omega would be cleared for in-ring action by late May…it is not unreasonable to think he could make a surprise return in a non-physical role.
That would get him back involved, setting up his eventual in-ring return.
Conversely, we could head into Forbidden Door believing he wouldn’t be there…and get his return then.
It is totally like AEW to deliver some big surprises at big shows. Considering the buzz the AEW-NJPW announcement has generated…I’d expect nothing less.
