AEW’s plans for the 2026 Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament reportedly underwent several major changes throughout the year due to injuries and other unforeseen absences.
According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the company’s original vision for the AEW Women’s World Championship match at All In looked very different from what fans are seeing now.
The initial plan reportedly called for Toni Storm to win the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament and challenge AEW Women’s World Champion Thekla at All In.
However, those plans were abandoned after Storm was written off television during the post-Revolution episode of Dynamite.
While the exact reason for Storm’s absence has not been publicly disclosed, reports have indicated that it is not injury-related. Meltzer noted that Storm is expected to remain out of action for the rest of 2026.
With Storm unavailable, AEW reportedly shifted its focus to a championship match between Thekla and Willow Nightingale.
That plan was also derailed.
On the May 20 edition of Dynamite, Nightingale announced that she was vacating the TBS Championship and withdrawing from the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament after suffering a shoulder injury during her TBS Title defense against Red Velvet on May 16.
The injury forced AEW to once again adjust its plans heading into Forbidden Door and All In.
As a result, the current Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament final features two wrestlers who were not originally slated to be in that position.
Mercedes Moné stepped into the tournament following Nightingale’s withdrawal, while Maya World entered the field after Sareee became unavailable.
The two competitors will now meet in the tournament final at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, with the winner earning an AEW Women’s World Championship opportunity at All In.
Nightingale is no stranger to success in the tournament. She captured the 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament by defeating Ruby Soho in the finals and was reportedly in line for another major spotlight before her injury forced a change in plans.
Despite the numerous adjustments, AEW has successfully kept the tournament on track, although the path to the final appears to have looked much different behind the scenes than what ultimately played out on television.
The winner of Mercedes Moné vs. Maya World will move on to challenge Thekla for the AEW Women’s World Championship at All In, bringing an end to a tournament that has undergone several significant creative revisions throughout 2026.
