For Owen

Owen Hart was one of the most beloved professional wrestlers in the history of the industry. He died tragically in 1999 at a WWE pay-per-view after his equipment malfunctioned while he was rappelling from the rafters during his entrance. His widow, Martha Hart, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against WWE weeks later. Some of the money she was awarded in the settlement was used to start The Owen Hart Foundation, a charity that does a lot of good for people in need.

She has been fiercely protective of his image, and has maintained through the years that she would not allow WWE to use it, even to honor him with something like a Hall of Fame induction. That has been a divisive decision within the industry, among fans and performers alike, but considering the circumstances one would hope the majority would be understanding of it, at the very least.

When AEW rose to prominence, it created an opportunity for the industry to celebrate Owen’s life and legacy. Martha worked with Tony Khan and co. and struck up a partnership, one that resulted in the creation of The Owen Hart Foundation Tournaments, a men’s and a women’s showcase featuring eight wrestlers competing to win a trophy called “The Owen.”

The men’s:

Samoa Joe defeated Johnny Elite and Kyle O’Reilly to book a date in the final while Adam Cole went through Dax Harwood and Jeff Hardy. This will be the first time the two meet in AEW. Joe enters as ROH television champion while Cole has promised to be a franchise player for the company for years to come, and it will start with this accolade right here.

The women’s:

Britt Baker defeated Maki Itoh and Toni Storm to book her ticket to the final while Ruby Soho went through Riho and Kris Statlander. This will be a rematch from the AEW Dynamite “Grand Slam” special where Soho lost in her bid to defeat Baker for the women’s championship. She promised this is where she’ll deliver the receipt for that match.

It all goes down at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view (PPV) tomorrow night (Sun., May 29, 2022) at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.