Ranking Kenny Omega's Top 7 Feuds After AEW Return

All Elite Wrestling is missing one of its biggest stars in Kenny Omega at the moment with his absence being felt for the entirety of 2024.

The former AEW world champion was sidelined with a bout of diverticulitis late last year and has sparingly appeared on programming since then. He was officially written out of storylines when he was attacked by The Elite on the May 1 edition of Dynamite.

Although there is no exact timetable for when he'll be cleared to compete, his recent reemergence in New Japan Pro-Wrestling is a significant indicator that it could be imminent, starting with a match against NJPW standout Gabe Kidd sometime in January.

If Omega does resurface on AEW TV around the turn of the year, there is no shortage of exciting opponents for him to work with.

His history with much of the AEW roster makes it easy to set up several storylines for his first match back. Regardless of who he faces, it's bound to be an attraction thanks to The Cleaner's innate ability to bring the best out of everyone he shares the squared circle with.

The following are Omega's top seven feuds for his AEW return.

Creatively, Chris Jericho has never been less interesting in AEW than he is currently, but he must be mentioned as a potential opponent for Omega given what The Best Bout Machine was doing prior to his hiatus.

The Winnipeg natives formed an unlikely alliance in late 2023 to conquer common enemies in The Don Callis Family. They feuded with the faction in the final few months of the year before setting their sights on the AEW World Tag Team Championship.

The duo were forced to give up their opportunity at the twin titles due to Omega's condition, and it's safe to assume they won't be rekindling their kinship once he resurfaces now that Jericho has found other friends in Big Bill and Bryan Keith.

Omega and Jericho both own victories over each other. Omega bested Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom 18 to retain the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship before Jericho avenged the loss in the main event of Double or Nothing 2019.

A rubber match can't be ruled out in 2025, if only so Omega can be eased back into the ring with a quick filler feud and end that chapter with the veteran once and for all.

There has been undeniable underlying tension between Omega and Adam Cole as far back as 2017, yet their bad blood has never been resolved.

Omega was responsible for kicking Cole out of Bullet Club ahead of the latter's NXT debut. When Cole made his shocking AEW debut at Full Gear 2021, he initially teased opposing Omega because of their checkered past before aligning with him and the rest of The Elite.

When Omega took time off to rehab multiple nagging injuries after being dethroned as AEW world champion, Cole slid into his spot as the unofficial leader of The Elite. In The Cleaner's absence, Cole betrayed The Young Bucks with help from Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish.

Unfortunately, there was never a payoff to the angle as a result of Cole and O'Reilly getting injured and Fish departing the company. The Elite also moved on to other storylines and haven't interacted with Cole since.

The former Undisputed Era waging war with The Elite doesn't have the same juice it once did, but Omega and Cole should settle their score one-on-one at some point next year.

Unlike everyone else listed, Omega has zero history with Swerve Strickland, which is what makes a match between them so appealing.

In the time that Omega's been gone from AEW TV, Strickland has risen to prominence as an incredibly popular performer and top-tier talent.

After a successful feud with "Hangman" Adam Page that propelled him into the main event scene, he quickly captured the AEW World Championship from Samoa Joe and enjoyed a terrific four-month run with the belt.

He's been out of the title picture since losing the championship to Bryan Danielson at All In, but he's maintained his momentum as part of a program with the reunited Hurt Syndicate. His bout with Bobby Lashley at Full Gear is guaranteed to be great, regardless of the outcome.

Once Strickland gets past them, he should be looking to regain the gold. The only person standing in his way of doing so could be Omega, who will have world championship aspirations of his own.

Both warriors would have something to prove in such a high-profile match, making them the perfect match for each other in the new year.

MJF's last year in AEW has been nothing short of tumultuous, but it hasn't been without its fair share of highlights.

One of his most memorable moments came when he defeated Omega to retain the AEW World Championship in a thrilling affair on an October 2023 episode of Collision.

The handshake they shared afterward served as a nice endorsement of MJF, who went on to break Omega's record as AEW's longest-reigning men's world champ days later.

MJF has since returned to his heel roots, won (and lost) the International Championship and rekindled his rivalries with Daniel Garcia and Adam Cole. Although he has his hands full at the moment, there's no reason he and Omega can't run it back at some point.

This time, they can have a full-fledged feud instead of just a one-off.

Omega has beaten the best AEW has to offer, except for MJF. They've established they have excellent in-ring chemistry together, not to mention the magic they can make on the mic.

This is a program that has real potential.

Omega's long-running rivalry with "Hangman" Adam Page will go down as one of the greatest stories AEW has ever told.

From the tremendous tag team they formed to Page's downfall to Omega dropping the AEW World Championship to him one full year removed from their original encounter, everything about their angle was brilliantly crafted.

The only time they've revisited it was when The Elite—Omega, Page and The Young Bucks—reunited as babyfaces in the spring of 2023. The reunion was short-lived, so Page and Omega didn't get the chance to fully bury the hatchet from their feud two years prior.

Between embracing the dark side and going off the deep end, so much has changed with Page as a character since then that it would be fascinating for the two to cross paths again.

Omega will be a beloved babyface when he's ready to return, so the dynamic would be even more compelling compared to their previous program.

If Hangman is targeting talent that the crowd has come to cheer despite their nefarious past, Omega would make more sense than anyone.

Konosuke Takeshita was Omega's last true rival prior to the diverticulitis diagnosis, having pinned The Cleaner on back-to-back pay-per-views.

Amazingly, AEW did nothing to capitalize on those massive victories for Takeshita in the months that followed.

Only now has he managed to find his footing by becoming the international champion. He has a regular role on Dynamite and is the crown jewel of The Don Callis Family.

That sets him up perfectly for a program with Omega should the former AEW world champ return while Takeshita is still in possession of the coveted title.

Their sole singles match at All Out 2023 was a phenomenal piece of business. Considering Omega wasn't 100 percent at that time, a contest between them now would be even better.

Takeshita's title reign is off to a solid start, but picking up where he left off with Omega would give him the direction he desperately needs right now.

As for Omega, he may not be able to move forward or focus on anything else unless he puts his rivalry to rest with his former friend by beating him decisively and simultaneously giving Callis his long-awaited comeuppance.

In many ways, it was the spectacular series of matches that Omega had with Kazuchika Omega across 2017 and 2018 that put The Cleaner on the map.

Dethroning The Rainmaker for his one and only IWGP Heavyweight Championship solidified Omega as a headliner and led to him becoming such a sought-after free agent in early 2019.

Ultimately ending up in AEW, Omega has been on an absolute tear, but there was a strong chance of him and Okada never facing off again if they both stayed put.

In an unexpected turn of events, Okada made the jump to AEW in early 2024 and immediately joined The Elite. He, The Young Bucks and Jack Perry subsequently exiled Omega, planting the seeds for another round of Omega vs. Okada down the road.

It's one of the biggest bouts AEW can do with the roster available to it and should be treated like a marquee matchup. Omega feuding with the Bucks for the umpteenth time or even Perry pales in comparison to what he and Okada are capable of when they collide.

Ideally, that's the main event of AEW's next PPV at Wembley Stadium in London, but odds are it will come to fruition sooner rather than later. And when it does, sparks will fly.

Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.