Report: Willow Nightingale Originally Scheduled To Win AEW Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament

All Elite Wrestling's plans for the Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament have changed in 2026 due to a wrestler being ruled out of action.

According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the original plan for the AEW Women's World Title match at All In was Thekla vs. Willow Nightingale. Those plans had to be scrapped after Nightingale suffered an injury during a TBS Title defence against Red Velvet on the May 16 edition of Collision. Willow vacated the TBS Championship and withdrew from the Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament on the May 20 episode of Dynamite over the injury and she has been on the shelf ever since.

The Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament final at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door consists of two replacement wrestlers in Mercedes Moné vs. Maya World. Moné replaced Willow Nightingale in the tournament, while Maya World filled in for Sareee.

Willow Nightingale is a former Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament winner, having won the 2023 edition of the tournament by defeating Ruby Soho in the final.

NOTE: The original version of this article mentioned that Toni Storm was the original planned winner of the Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament before she was written off TV following Revolution and AEW pivoted to Willow Nightingale. Dave Meltzer has since issued a correction, writing: "Just a note regarding last night’s show, at Wembley Stadium Thekla vs. Toni Storm was not the original plan although both were scheduled for major matches on that show."