Massive hint at Kenny Omega's AEW return; blockbuster reunion on the cards
The AEW status of Kenny Omega has been up in the air for months. After dealing with significant health issues, the All Elite Wrestling EVP recently began training again, but his return date is still unknown. However, a major tease and potential return storyline for Omega has just been revealed.
The Cleaner has not wrestled since defeating Ethan Page on the December 5 edition of Collision. Omega announced that he'd be out indefinitely with a very serious bout of diverticulitis.
The EVP appeared on Dynamite in May, noting that he was lucky to be alive but still needed major surgery. He was also attacked by his former faction, The Elite. In August, word came down that Omega was recovering from surgery. He started light training but was in pain and still unable to bump.
Kota Ibushi is another major injured All Elite Wrestling name that fans are waiting patiently for. It was reported last month that The Hard Hit Prince would be brought back to AEW when Omega was ready to return. Ibushi was out of action from January 2 until July 1 with complex ankle injuries.
While the long-time friends are set to return around the same time, it still isn't clear if there's a date for Omega's comeback at this point, but it's believed that he will be back sooner than later as his condition is improving.
The Golden Lovers have just sparked major buzz on their future returns. Ibushi took to Instagram this morning and shared two photos with Omega. After an apparent in-ring training session, the former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions shared a few beverages. Ibushi captioned the photos with a major tease for their All Elite returns.
"World domination is just days away!! Had a golden practice after a long time.We are still far from done! Next AEW!!!," Kota Ibushi wrote with the photos below.
The Best Bout Machine reportedly signed a four-year contract extension last year, while Ibushi inked a multi-year deal in November. They worked four multi-man matches in All Elite Wrestling, but their last standard tag team bout came on December 15, 2018, at an NJPW event in Tokyo, where they defeated Will Ospreay and Hiroshi Tanahashi.
AEW reportedly nixed major Kenny Omega plans
Kenny Omega has worked as a heel in All Elite Wrestling for the most part. His 346-day reign as AEW World Champion included a partnership with Konosuke Takeshita, under Don Callis, which grew into a babyface alliance.
AEW had plans to turn The Cleaner heel last year, according to the Wrestling Observer. The turn would have seen Omega go up against Takeshita, but remain with Callis. Officials wanted to push Takeshita as a top star, the new young babyface of the company, but plans changed and Takeshita became the villain.
Omega defeated Takeshita in 2012 and 2013 in two DDT matches in Japan. Their only other singles bout took place at AEW All Out 2023, which saw Takeshita win in 22 minutes.