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Kenny Omega walked out of AEW Revolution with the AEW World Championship belt in hand following the Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match against Jon Moxley. His reign has crossed over to other promotions and elevated the name of All Elite Wrestling. With Omega's near-two year rivalry with Moxley seemingly in the books (for now), the next challenger for "The Cleaner" becomes a lingering question.
The AEW roster is filled with a wide variety of options for Kenny Omega to meet with the gold on the line. He has already defeated Rey Fenix in an incredible encounter at New Year's Smash, but a return bout would be welcomed by most fans.
Although those rematches would be great, there are a lot of fresh match-ups out there. In this article, let's take a look at five possible new challengers for Kenny Omega following AEW Revolution.
#5 Kenny Omega vs. Lance Archer - The Murderhawk hunts down The Cleaner
Kenny Omega has made himself a few enemies since winning the AEW World Championship. One of these enemies is "The Murderhawk Monster" Lance Archer. It was Archer who aligned himself with Jon Moxley in the battle against the Bullet Club. The two men lost a wild Falls Count Anywhere Match to Omega and NJPW's KENTA on the February 10th edition of AEW Dynamite.
Archer has been gaining momentum over the past few weeks with his signature win over Rey Fenix advancing him to The Face of The Revolution Ladder Match. Despite coming up short in that match, "The Murderhawk" looked formidable and dominant in the contest. His strength and size were well spotlighted throughout.
Kenny Omega has shown a willingness to challenge himself by facing performers who give him a different style matchup. This is why Lance Archer as an option is very appealing. In his time with AEW so far, the current AEW World Champion has not tangled with the big men of the promotion. Lance Archer presents one of the biggest and baddest that the company has to offer.
Both men have similar journeys that brought them to AEW, as well. Omega and Archer both gained experience in the United States before going on to stardom with NJPW. The mutual history in the biggest promotion in Japan could be something for the two men to play off of. With all of that in mind, Lance Archer brings a totally unique obstacle for Kenny Omega to overcome.
#4 Kenny Omega vs. Penta El Zero M - Out for revenge
Playing off of a similar theme from Archer, there is another new enemy of Kenny Omega who could make an intriguing opponent. Penta El Zero M made his return to All Elite Wrestling at Revolution in the Ladder Match. He has unfinished business with "The Cleaner" as well as the IMPACT Tag Team Champions, The Good Brothers.
Kenny Omega, Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows attacked Penta prior to Beach Break, which led to him being replaced by Jon Moxley in a six-man tag team main event at the event. With Penta El Zero M now back and healthy, he may want to resume his feud with The Super Elite.
Kenny Omega and Penta El Zero M have met in the past. In AEW, the two men clashed in the semifinals of the World Title Eliminator Tournament. They also met at the first All In event in 2018. Every single time out, Omega and Penta have torn the house down and delivered quality wrestling. With the AEW World Championship on the line, it would be no question that they would steal the show.
This could make for a captivating TV main event or even a high profile PPV world championship match. Penta has been one of the more under-utilized talents in AEW and can be a huge star for them with the Latino demographic. The buildup could bring plenty of fun matchups between Death Triangle and the ex-Bullet Club members as well.
#3 Kenny Omega vs. PAC - Relentless pursuit
Another former rival of Kenny Omega's who would make a tantalizing challenger for the AEW World Championship is "The Bastard" PAC. The ongoing feud between The Super Elite and Death Triangle has been quietly bubbling underneath the surface, but the confrontations between the two sides has excited the fanbase already.
Whether it was the Omega-Fenix classic or the two sides on opposite ends in the Beach Break main event, PAC and the Lucha Brothers have been a consistent presence at the top of the card to start 2021. Unlike the other members of the Death Triangle, though, "The Bastard" owns a submission victory over Kenny Omega at All Out 2019.
The two men traded wins and went on to take part in one of the greatest AEW Dynamite matches of all time in their 30-minute Iron Man epic in February of 2020. With so much time since their last meeting, there is a lot of meat left on the bone of this feud. Adding the stakes of the AEW World Championship would add to the already extraordinary talents at play here.
Kenny Omega has shown a great deal of chemistry with the members of the Death Triangle, but it can be argued that every time "The Cleaner" and PAC share a ring, what results is in a league of its own. Omega has a keen eye on building fantastic encounters, while "The Bastard" has as versatile of a skillset as anyone in the industry. Kenny would be hard pressed to find a better challenger than PAC.
#2 Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage
Kenny Omega had a boatload of choices for a next challenger prior to AEW Revolution, but a new name has been added to the hat following the pay-per-view. The mystery "Hall of Fame worthy" signing for All Elite Wrestling turned out to be former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Christian Cage.
The addition of Christian Cage to the roster brings some dream matches of course. "Captain Charisma" has been one of the most underrated superstars of the past two decades with a laundry list of classic matches and entertaining rivalries throughout his time in WWE and TNA. However, he may have never met anyone like Kenny Omega.
The two men share the background of being from Canada and have strong connections to Chris Jericho. The ability of Christian Cage even at an advanced age would mesh so well with Kenny Omega's creative mind. He will be able to craft a powerful in-ring story that may be able to live up to the acclaimed career catalogue of "The Instant Classic."
There are a multitude of directions for them to take the build to this dream match as well. Christian Cage is not only a superb in-ring performer, but he has long been an incredible promo. Kenny Omega probably can't match Cage in that department, but Don Callis provides Christian with a refined foil to play off of on the mic.
Although Christian Cage just misses out on the top spot, he may be the most compelling next challenger for Kenny Omega and the AEW World Championship. There is a new babyface for All Elite Wrestling that plays well with the story of "The Cleaner."
#1 Kenny Omega vs. Eddie Kingston
The ending to the Exploding Barbed Wire Death Match at AEW Revolution surely did not go off as Kenny Omega planned. The lack of a final explosion left a bad taste in many fan's mouths. However, the storytelling of the actual contest was spectacular and the post match was on its way to being sublime.
Eddie Kingston coming down to the ring to save "his former friend turned enemy" Jon Moxley was high end drama and should have been a legendary moment. How AEW makes up for the botched ending remains to be seen, but they may have a bonafide top babyface on their hands in Kingston.
Whether they have Kingston align himself directly with Moxley in a fight against The Super Elite or Eddie takes the mantle against Omega, there are some paths for All Elite Wrestling to explore with this. Kenny Omega has shown immense skill in adjusting his style to his opponent, which has been seen in his anything goes matches with Mox.
Eddie Kingston gives Kenny Omega a challenger that will have a distinct experience advantage in the hardcore style, while also having the ability to mix it up with "The Cleaner" in different ways. Kingston has shown that he can get submission victories to go along with his hard strikes and signature spinning back fist.
Above all else, Kingston makes an ideal next challenger for the current AEW World Champion because he is arguably the best promo in the business today. His delivery, words and facial expressions make him among the realest characters in the wrestling industry. Eddie may be the only man able to save the finish at Revolution.
Eddie Kingston has some loose ends to tie up before getting another opportunity at the AEW World Championship. There are questions on where his relationship with Moxley stands or how The Butcher and The Blade feel about his actions. However, that would allow him to have a nice journey on the way to a title shot. Eddie Kingston would be the best next challenger for AEW World Champion Kenny Omega.
