Reported Injury Recovery Timeline for AEW's Willow Nightingale

Willow Nightingale is working her way back to an AEW ring after having to relinquish her TBS Championship.

Willow Nightingale | All Elite Wrestling

Good news wrestling fans, Willow Nightingale is on her way back to AEW.

The two-time TBS Champion was forced to relinquish her title and withdraw from the Women's Owen Hart Tournament back in May after she suffered a right shoulder injury while defending the championship against ROH Women's TV Champion Red Velvet.

It was heartbreaking news to hear as Nightingale was in the midst of a 140-day TBS Championship reign that had only served to solidify her as one of the top women's stars in All Elite Wrestling. At the time she made her announcement, there was no set timeline for her recovery, but we now have a better idea of when she will be back in action.

Willow Nightingale is expected to return in July

Fighting champion through and through.

Unfortunately, @willowwrestles has suffered an injury and will be forced to withdraw from the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament and relinquish the TBS Title!

Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS + HBO Max pic.twitter.com/a2ntrffQCL

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 21, 2026

"The current plan is for Wlilow Nightingale to come back in July. We're told there have always been big plans for her this year," Sean Ross Sapp noted in his AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door scoops thread on Fightful Select.

Those reported big plans for Willow, at one point in time, apparently included her winning the Women's Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer initially reported that "Timeless" Toni Storm was originally planned to win the tournament, but then a pivot was made to Nightingale after Storm was written off of television. Meltzer later recanted that story, but Ross Sapp has now corroborated it.

Willow Nightingale | All Elite Wrestling - Lee South

Regardless the specifics, both Storm and Nightingale being sidelined caused significant creative changes, starting with the Women's Owen Hart Tournament.

Both Mercedes Moné and Maya World were inserted into the bracket as injury replacements, and they will now be facing each other in the finals on Sunday night. The winner will move on to challenge for the AEW Women's World Championship at AEW All In: London at the end of August.

Sean Ross Sapp did not mention a specific date for Willow's return to AEW, but with the calendar set to flip to July this coming Wednesday, the countdown clock has now started ticking.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for "Timeless" Toni Storm. It's still not clear why she was attacked and written off television following AEW Revolution back in March. Multiple outlets have said that her hiatus is not injury related, but she's not expected back until 2027 at the earliest.

The future of the TBS Championship has also yet to be determined. Six woman are set to face each other this Wednesday night on AEW Dynamite in a Survival of the Fittest Match.

Kris Statlander, Hikaru Shida, Harley Cameron, Queen Aminata and CMLL Women's Champion Persephone have all qualified thus far. The final participant will be determined at Forbidden Door when Skye Blue takes on Stardom’s Maika.