AEW’s star-packed roster helped fill the void created by Kenny Omega’s absence

All Elite Wrestling is roaring behind a wave of momentum. With AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door, Double or Nothing, and just the excitement of big matches on Dynamite and Rampage, there’s a lot for fans of the promotion to look forward to each week. However, it’s been nearly six months since Kenny Omega has performed for the company that he led through much of the pandemic. There were times when his absence felt heavy, but the roster stepped up big to keep the energy going.

Fans of team sports are too familiar with the situation. A star player goes down, and the season seems like it is completely lost. But the rest of the roster comes together to fill the void and perhaps exceed the expectations that were there with the star in place. Did the AEW roster fill the void that was created when Omega stepped away to deal with mounting injuries? That’s another conversation for another day, but the point still remains that the promotion hasn’t lost momentum.

After a strong start in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to stall out any force the company built. Omega was at the helm, and his eventual rise to the AEW World Championship was one of the central stories told. But along the way the Day One crew of The Young Bucks, “Hangman” Adam Page, Chris Jericho, Scorpio Sky, Britt Baker, and others were joined by some key signings during the pandemic like Eddie Kingston, Thunder Rosa, Ricky Starks, FTR and more. By the end of 2021 acquisitions like Adam Cole, Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, and others set this roster over the top.

After dropping the title to Page at AEW Full Gear, it was time for Omega to go away to nurse multiple injuries. According to reports, he was dealing with a torn labrum, hernia, and issues with his knees. Those are more than enough to put even the top athletes on the sideline but at 38-years old Omega did the work of carrying much of wrestling on his back. He deserves this extended vacation.

With Omega gone, AEW went full bore into building a roster that’s among the best in the industry. The action has been so fast-paced and of high quality, that fans haven’t had the opportunity to truly “miss” Omega. Imagine if the WWE lost Roman Reigns for six months. The shows in that promotion would be in dire straits because of the lack of star power. However, the absence of AEW’s biggest star created opportunities for multiple names to take a larger portion of the spotlight to carry the load together and it worked.

With AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door on the horizon, fans are creating prayer circles that Omega will be involved in some fashion. He’s been away for a while, but AEW has done an exceptional job filling the void created by the absence of the Best Bout Machine. His return is a long way off, but when it does happen, he’s going to have so many fresh faces to work with that weren’t there before.