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Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks have been instrumental in the creation of AEW. The EVPs played a huge part in getting the company off the ground alongside Cody Rhodes and All Elite President Tony Khan.
Over the past three years, The Cleaner has also gone on to win the AEW World Championship, while Matt and Nick Jackson have captured the AEW Tag Team Titles a couple of times. The Elite truly ruled the roost in the Jacksonville-based Promotion.
The signing of CM Punk in 2021 was a game-changer for the company. The former WWE Champion was a star on another level for Tony Khan's promotion. He was the biggest free agent in pro wrestling up to this point, and with good reason.
The Second City Saint has proven his worth, with AEW drawing their biggest box office gate when CM Punk was in the main event, winning the company's top prize.
But cracks were starting to show between the promotion's biggest star and its founding members. Things came to a head at the AEW All Out media scrum when CM Punk unleashed a verbal tirade on the EVPs. This led to the now-infamous backstage brawl, which led to all parties being suspended and removed from television for several months.
Last week on AEW Dynamite, a cryptic video package was played featuring The Elite's greatest moments with the company before they faded into dust ala Thanos. Is Tony Khan trying to erase the memory of The Elite or is this signaling the return of Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks?
Below are five possible ways The Elite could return to AEW.
#5. Challenge Death Triangle for Trios Titles
Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks became the inaugural AEW Trios Champions at All Out. However, The Elite was stripped of those titles barely a week later following an alleged backstage brawl with CM Punk.
The AEW Trios Title is currently in the hands of the Death Triangle. Upon The Elite's return, they might go after the championships they never lost. Both factions are no strangers to each other.
The Young Bucks and The Lucha Brothers have battled each other across the United States and Mexico, while Kenny Omega and Pac have been opponents in AEW multiple times.
A matchup between the trios would absolutely be a Dave Meltzer 5-star contest. Kenny Omega might not be exactly 100% as he was recovering from a serious injury that kept him out of competition for nearly a year. Therefore, the trios division is the perfect role for him upon his return.
#4. The Young Bucks challenges The Acclaimed for the AEW Tag Team Championship
The Acclaimed is the current AEW tag team champion and the most popular tandem in the company thanks to their 'scissoring' gimmick. However, they are still a relatively young duo and will need to defeat a few more established teams to prove their worth. There's no better measuring stick than The Young Bucks.
The former AEW tag team champions will be a great test for Max Caster and Anthony Bowens. Caster has expressed his desire for his team to face The Young Bucks once again.
Back in December 17, 2020, Dynamite, The Acclaimed faced the Bucks for the AEW World Tag Team Championships. However, the then-upstart team was unsuccessful after Matt and Nick Jackson hit the BTE Trigger on Caster to retain their titles.
In an interview with PWInsider, Caster emphasized that he wants to face the EVPs to show that they are a different team now than they were two years ago.
"I will say it’s been a year and a half since we’ve wrestled the Young Bucks and I would really like to get my hands on those guys again, and prove that from the team they wrestled back in 2020 when we were 10 matches in, we’re a completely different team now," Caster said.
Once the Young Bucks potentially return, they will be eager to get back on top of the tag team mountain. It would be an outstanding contest between the two teams.
#3. Turn heel on the company and form a splinter group similar to NWO
The comparisons between The Elite and the New World Order have been endless. With Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks on the outs with Tony Khan and AEW right now, they could be motivated to carve their own path away from the rest of the roster.
There has been a precedent in the past when the NWO formed a splinter company from WCW. Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash were the biggest stars in the promotion and outshone the rest of the roster.
With the heat that Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks have gotten from the wrestling industry, it makes sense for them to lean into it and become a renegade faction that tries to destroy everything Tony Khan has sought to build with AEW. It could be a long drawn-out war that fuels the next year's worth of storylines.
#2. Kenny Omega challenges for AEW World Championship
During the main event of AEW Dynamite, Kenny Omega defeated Jon Moxley to become the AEW World Champion. They have also faced each other in a Death Match at Revolution 2021.
Both The Cleaner and Mox are fierce rivals and it's only a matter of time before both stars cross paths once again. With the Blackpool Combat Club member, the reigning AEW World Champion and Omega working towards a potential return, a big rematch could be on the horizon.
Whether Kenny Omega will return as a heel or a babyface is anyone's guess. But regardless of the dynamic, it promises to be an outstanding matchup.
#1. The Elite calls out CM Punk
Upon Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks' return to AEW, they will have to eventually address the elephant in the room and acknowledge their beef with CM Punk.
It's the only way they can appease AEW fans clamoring for new developments in the story while also moving forward with new storylines. If the two parties can work out their issues, they can absolutely draw money together as on-screen rivals.
The Elite should immediately call out the Second City Saint on AEW Dynamite and challenge him to confront the trio. Whenever that happens, it will be an engrossing television for sure.
