AEW Gets it Right With Owen Hart Tournament Winners

And just like that, the 2026 AEW Owen Hart Cup Tournament is in the rearview mirror.

At the AEW Forbidden Door PPV event on Sunday night, both the men's and women's tournaments concluded with the finals. On the women's side of things, Mercedes Moné defeated Maya World to win. Moné is a repeat champion. She was the victor in the 2025 tournament.

Moné and World had a long match together and with each passing minute, the crowd in San Jose believed that an underdog victory from World was possible. There were near-fall and near-submissions, which kept the audience on the edge of their seat the entire time.

The CEO, @MercedesVarnado, is heading to Wembley to challenge for the AEW Women's World Championship!

Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/8HqiX8dTuC
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026

Both women exchanged Bank Statement submission holds during the match, but neither tapped. In the end, Moné connected with an inverted back stabber and then eventually did get World to tap out to her Bank Statement.

In the men's tournament final, Will Ospreay defeated Swerve Strickland to win his first Owen Hart Cup. The victory is the culmination of a long journey back from injury. Ospreay spent the end of 2025 and beginning of 2026 on the shelf recovering from a serious neck injury that required surgery.

IT'S WEMBLEY OR NOTHING!

Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/MITNeetWT4
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026

Ospreay and Strickland had an instant classic and it was bloody. Both guys kicked out of multiple finishing maneuvers from the other and both bled from the head. The Death Riders came out near the end of the match and it seemed to boost Ospreay. After a look from Moxley, Ospreay ate a House Call, but was unfazed by it. Ospreay hit a buckshot hidden blade and then a Tiger Driver 91 for the victory.

After the match, Ospreay celebrated with the audience and The Death Riders celebrated around the ringside area. Ospreay had words with Strickland and seemed appreciative of the match. The Death Riders lifted Ospreay up onto their shoulders with the Owen Hart Cup trophy in his hands. Ospreay and his wife, Alex Windsor, embraced as the show went off the air.

The 2026 Owen Hart Cup Tournament winners equal big business for AEW

Mercedes Moné — Mercedes Mone | All Elite Wrestling

With the tournament now complete, Ospreay and Moné now have a date with the world champion at All In. Like last year, The Owen winners earned a world title match at the biggest show of the year at the end of August.

When the brackets for the tournament were released, Ospreay was a standout to win. Since returning from his injury, Ospreay has been on a journey to find himself and swore he would win The Owen and main event All In. This year's All In takes place inside of Wembley Stadium in Ospreay's home country of the UK.

That's good business for AEW. With Ospreay winning the tournament, he's now on a hero's journey in AEW that will feature a comeback story and a homecoming story. Ospreay said that winning the world title in his home country is like England winning the World Cup.

He was an obvious choice, but the smartest choice because of the impact he can have for AEW overseas. Ospreay wrestling against MJF for the championship or someone else like Kenny Omega is more than a worthy main event for the AEW version of WrestleMania.

Same thing with Mercedes Moné. The CEO wasn't in this year's tournament at the start, but as soon as she took the place of Willow Nightingale, she was the instant right choice to win it.

Just like Ospreay, Moné is one of the top stars in AEW. She's also a credible main event talent and good for business.

The AEW women's division has suffered some turmoil because of injuries and other absences including that of Toni Storm. That limited the direction for top women's feuds, which forced Mone back into the title picture at the highest level.

With Storm gone, Thekla jumped to the top of the division and has held the championship now for seven different title defenses. The biggest women's match AEW can put on is with Thekla and Moné. Mercedes winning The Owen isn't a flashy or fresh choice, but it allows Tony Khan to hit go on a match that will move the needle for the company at the biggest show of the year.

AEW is where the best wrestle, but it's also where business is business. Both Ospreay and Mone as Owen winners help create money matches for Tony Khan. That matters more than the novelty of something new.

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