5 potential matches for Kevin Owens in AEW

#2 Kevin Owens vs Kenny Omega

The potential arrival of Kevin Owens in AEW is yet another example of how different AEW may be when Kenny Omega finally returns. In fact, when he returns, The Elite itself may be unrecognizable.

Adam Cole reunited with The Elite and his SuperKliq team-mates the Young Bucks earlier this year, and has assumed leadership in Omega's absence. We've already seen Cole bring Undisputed Era stablemate Bobby Fish into the fold, could we also see Cole and the Bucks add their Mount Rushmore ally Kevin Owens to the stable?

If this is the timeline in which we live, where Mount Rushmore and the Undisputed Era merge with The Elite, then Kenny's return may well be as a babyface against those who moved on without him. This would open the idea up for Kevin Owens vs Kenny Omega to serve as a benchmark feud for AEW's "crisis on infinite factions."

Kenny Omega has produced some of his best work as the heel champion this past year, but it's going to be hard to boo him when he returns. Kevin Owens produces his best work when he can be the spiteful heel with his physically intense wrestling style, and he could benefit from being immediately positioned as a main event heel.

Beyond the storyline implications and possibilities, Kenny Omega vs Kevin Owens has the potential to steal the show no matter the competition. The Best Bout Machine versus Kevin Steen, unbound by the WWE style and ready for war.

#1 Kevin Owens vs CM Punk

If his current feud against MJF and his past war with Eddie Kingston has shown anything, it's that CM Punk is still a man very capable both on the mic and in-the-ring. We have seen glimpses of the classic CM Punk since his return to the sport, but Eddie Kingston and MJF appear to have reignited the fire we came to love from the voice of the voiceless.

CM Punk has every reason to be happy, he has returned and fallen back in love with professional wrestling and the fans have more than shown their appreciation for the cult of personality.

But when someone goes out of their way to deliberately provoke the beast inside him, he makes a return to the form that saw him lambast everyone in WWE and take the WWE Championship by force at Money in the Bank 2011.

It's evident that bringing the best out of CM Punk requires a suitable antithesis, someone who can challenge him verbally and physically and provide the moral antagonist in their feud. Enter Kevin Owens, vindictive and spiteful with a chip on his shoulder and an undying hunger to assert himself at the top of the industry.

KO has mastered the art of weaponising the truth in his venomous and scathing promos, and in many ways echoes the version of CM Punk we saw running rings around John Cena, The Rock and Triple H.

In this respect, Kevin Owens vs CM Punk could well be the next intensely personal feud that brings the best out of both performers. We have seen the best Punk when he is pushed out of his comfort zone by his opponent, and a returning Kevin Steen will surely do just that.