PARKS’S TAKE: Where does Kenny Omega fit in this era of AEW?

In some ways, it feels like Kenny Omega is a vestige of a previous generation of AEW, even though the company is only six years old. Omega went from a constant presence in the main event scene to taking giant chunks of time off, reappearing here and there every now and then. His time off is certainly understandable given the mileage on his body from a very taxing in-ring style and his scary bout with diverticulitis.

On Sunday, he was a part of the unsanctioned cage match on the babyface team opposing the Death Riders. At Dynamite on Wednesday, he was present to aid longtime frienemy “Hangman” Adam Page. Hangman is the AEW World Champion and one would expect Omega to be in that line, somewhere, for a championship match at some point. Or, it could be setting up Hangman and Omega teaming up against the Don Callis Family, with whom Omega has a longtime grudge.

With Will Ospreay out indefinitely, there is a babyface spot atop the card that needs to be filled behind Hangman. Perhaps Darby Allin is that guy. Or perhaps it’s Omega. It’s hard to speculate because we simply don’t know Omega’s schedule. That and his body make it difficult to plan long-term, weekly storylines around him.

So many wrestlers, like Kyle Fletcher, Ricochet, the Hurt Syndicate, and others have entered and played major roles in AEW canon since Omega has been gone. On one hand, it gives potentially fresh matchups for Omega. On the other, it does make it seem like Omega just isn’t part of this current crew of top stars, like a square peg in a round hole.

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The Young Bucks were part of that same original group with Omega, Chris Jericho, Cody Rhodes, and others. Cody has moved on to WWE, Jericho may be following suit. And the Bucks, though they’ve also been off TV for spurts, have reinvented themselves enough times while they’ve been on TV to feel more fresh.

Can Omega do that? Does he need to? Is fighting Callis’s minions the best use of Omega at this point? AEW and Tony Khan have some options with Omega, but the hope is he doesn’t get lost in the shuffle and end up feeling like a relic of AEW days gone by.