AEW nixed major heel turn - Reports

AEW was planning a heel turn for one of their biggest stars, but officials changed their minds and went in another direction.

Kenny Omega previously worked as a heel during his 346-day reign with the AEW World Championship, which began in December 2020. He first teamed with Konosuke Takeshita for two multi-man bouts in April 2021, but their babyface alliance grew under Don Callis early last year.

AEW had plans for The Cleaner to turn heel in 2023, which would have seen Omega turn on Takeshita. It was noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that this would have kept the AEW Executive Vice President and Callis together.

The idea was to push Takeshita as a top star in the role of a young babyface. Plans changed and The Invisible Hand turned on Omega in the lead-up to Double Or Nothing 2023, then had Takeshita turn heel by turning on The Elite to help The Blackpool Combat Club win Anarchy In the Arena.

The turn on Omega led to the formation of The Don Callis Family. The faction currently includes Takeshita, Powerhouse Hobbs, Kyle Fletcher, and Will Ospreay.

Omega and Takeshita have worked five multi-man matches against each other since the turn, while their only singles contest came at All Out 2023. The bout ended in just over 22 minutes as the 28-year-old Japanese star got the win via pinfall.

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Kenny Omega AEW return updates

Kenny Omega announced back in December that he would be out of action indefinitely. It was then revealed that he was suffering from a near-fatal case of diverticulitis.

It was reported last week that The Cleaner is dealing with inflammation so bad that he can't have surgery. The report noted that doctors were expected to make a decision on Omega's treatment in around seven weeks and if he does undergo surgery, he would be out of action even longer than expected.

However, a backstage update was provided just this week and it was noted that Omega had to be pumped with a lot of antibiotics, but they are working. The AEW Executive Vice President still may need surgery, but as of Monday afternoon, "things are looking up" for the 40-year-old.

Omega is said to be doing a lot better and there's hope that he will make a full recovery, but it's still not 100%.

Despite the positive update, there's still no word yet on when the first-ever AEW Triple Crown Champion will be back in action. His last match went almost 13 minutes as he defeated Ethan Page on December 5 at the live Collision in Montreal.

Do you prefer Kenny Omega as a heel or babyface? How would you book Kenny Omega's return? Sound off in the comments below!