SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The brackets for the Owen Hart Cup tournament were announced this week. With top stars from AEW, ROH, Stardom, and CMLL all in the mix, we’re guaranteed terrific in-ring action. Though some names seem like more of a lock to take home the cup than others, it’s not unrealistic to foresee any of these eight wrestlers qualifying to challenge Thekla for the AEW championship at All In.
As exciting as it is to see names like Sareee and Hazuki pop up here, and while AEW has shown an appreciation for incredible Japanese talent in the past, with neither name holding a contract with the company, their appearances feel more like showcase material than those of potential world title challengers.
Both Mina Shirakawa and Skye Blue winning the tournament would make for engaging stories in their own right, but both are currently tied to tag teams and the storylines that go with them. A title shot for Blue would mean turmoil within the Triangle of Madness, which is the last thing I want to see right now. For Shirakawa, while I’ve been high on her being given an opportunity to sub in at the top while Toni Storm is away, AEW seems to like her better in the midcard. Right now, she’s at the start of a tag-team storyline with Harley Cameron, too, so it feels unlikely she’d be leaving that behind any time soon.
Here’s a look at the four names I believe have the best shot at taking home the Owen Cup:
Willow Nightingale
The odds on favorite to win the whole thing once again, Willow has been booked incredibly strong as of late. Her path would most likely see her scoring victories over Alex Windsor, Persephone, and Athena. It’s a tall order, but when you think of All In-worthy opponents for Thekla, there are few that fit the bill better than Willow.
That said, Nightingale is already the TBS champion. AEW has not shown an over-eager tendency towards having the two champs compete against one another. By keeping them separate, we’d be guaranteed two major title matches at the biggest show of the year.
Athena
The woman never loses. It’s quite realistic that she steamrolls her way through both Mina Shirakawa and Sareee before taking out Willow in a dream match finale.
Doing so, however, would mean Athena having an increased presence on AEW TV as well as international travel, when she prefers to run the show in ROH and keep things close to home with her promotion in Texas. It would also mean a heel vs. heel matchup at All In, which seems unlikely.
Persephone
When I said there are few who fit the bill better than Willow, this is the “few” I was referring to. I don’t think she has the best odds, but Persephone would absolutely be my choice here. She is a superstar in waiting. Taking out an excellent competitor in Hazuki to advance to a revenge matchup of sorts against Willow and defeating Athena in the finals would be a phenomenal run designed to establish the CMLL Champion as a major name going into All In. A matchup there against Thekla could make for a MOTY candidate and instant classic, while providing Persephone an opportunity at revenge for the black mist she ate at the hands of Thekla’s partner, Julia Hart.
I don’t have much in the way of explaining why she shouldn’t or couldn’t win this thing. Perhaps a conflict with her schedule as CMLL Champion? That’s the best I can do.
Alex Windsor
A victory over Willow in the quarterfinals would be huge. If she could then get past Persephone and Athena, we’d be looking at a hometown hero set to conquer Thekla in a rematch at All In. Those opportunities don’t line up often and Windsor has proven she is more than up for the task. If injuries or schedule were an obstacle for Persephone, Windsor would be my fallback choice.
With that in mind, a run for the title would seem to take away from tag opportunities with Jamie Hayter, and that’s a bad thing. The Brawling Birds appear to be on a collision course with Divine Dominion and that matchup has “save for biggest show of the year” written all over it.
STRAY OBSERVATIONS
WWE Raw
In-ring segment: Brie Bella & Paige and Raquel Rodriguez & Roxanne Perez
-Roxanne and Raquel were really good on the mic here. Roxanne’s line about Brie setting the bar so low when she told a young Roxanne she would one day carry on the Bella legacy was a nice burn… and also kinda true. Raquel hasn’t had a ton of opportunities on the mic, but came across as really smooth and natural here.
-While I’m not sure whether or not Brie is super dialed into the current product (you know, the one she’s a champion on), I also don’t think she mispronounced Judgement Day because she’s unfamiliar with the name. It felt like a flubbed line, nothing more. Honestly, she seems so focused on coming across as self-assured and tough, I think it occasionally prevents her from landing proper delivery.
-Brie clearly had the line memorized in advance, but it’s still funny to hear someone land a “your mom” joke on TV like that.
-Liv arrives with the sneak attack and all three Judgement Day women pose with the belts. Not a stitch of dissension between Liv and Roxanne, which is exactly how it should be. I would love for that sort of thing to surface only once every few weeks at most for now.
-I can’t think of a better faction leader in wrestling right now than Liv Morgan. I love the smarmy confidence and swagger.
Asuka and Iyo backstage
-I know they were forced to adjust this storyline following Kairi’s release, but the shift to mutual admiration, respect, and now deep affection between Iyo and Asuka has been jarring. That we were nowhere near this point even a week ago makes it difficult to fully buy into. Instead, we’re watching two incredible wrestlers attempt to act their way towards closure.
-It seems the company was caught off guard by Asuka’s decision to step back from a full time career, but her departure deserves so much more than a quick backstage goodbye. I mean, even Goldberg got a whole SNME send off.
-Michael Cole promises to tell us more about “the Asuka situation” later in the show. When he finally does, it’s nothing more than things are “up in the air,” and “who knows?” Thanks, Michael.
Iyo Sky defeats Sol Ruca
-Watching the show on a slight delay, I had to rewind and comb through twice before confirming Iyo and Sol even got televised entrances. They were both buried and chopped up between packages and ads. Such an odd choice.
-That surfboard spot by Ruca got me thinking about what a good heel she’ll be one day.
-Ruca’s agility is awesome. The handstand walk into a backflip and leg scissors is such a cool visual. I even loved that she established it successfully once before getting caught the second time. Iyo’s disruption via dropkick got a nice reaction from the crowd.
-Iyo’s signature missile dropkick/kip up/roll through/double point will never not make me smile. It’s far and away the most electrifying routine in all of wrestling and you have a cold, dead heart if you disagree even in the slightest.
-For Sol being as exciting as she is, it says so much about Iyo’s popularity that she would get this crowd chanting her name at a seemingly random spot mid-match. It’s making Ruca have to work that much harder to keep up.
-I think I’m realizing over the course of this match that Ruca isn’t just being placed with some of the best wrestlers in the company as a way of helping her grow. I’m sure that’s partially the idea, but I also feel WWE rightfully doesn’t fully trust Sol’s move set against just anyone. It takes wrestlers on the level of Iyo and Becky Lynch to make some of the flashier aspects of her repertoire look good.
-The Sol Snatcher is a particularly difficult move to pull off believably. Sol’s had some difficulty connecting after coming off the ropes and opponents have a challenge not looking unnatural in lining up to take it. I like that the finish here involved Iyo thwarting the attempt and think it might be cool if that came up a few more times before Ruca finally lands it successfully.
Maxxine development
-Did anyone else notice Maxxine riding shotgun in Austin Theory’s car? I was worried their brief interaction backstage last month was a dropped thread, but apparently things are headed somewhere. She’s been putting in the work, as was evident on last week’s Main Event. I think we’re one tag title opportunity for Alpha Academy away from having a new member of the Vision.
ROH Youtube Special #7
Deonna Purrazzo defeats Haven Harris
-Harris is a student of Seth Rollins’ Black and Brave Wrestling Academy and has been wrestling in the midwest independents for the past four years, where she’s held a couple championships. Most recently, she appeared on Collision in March, on the losing side of a six-person match against the Brawling Birds and Mina Shirakawa. With those credentials out of the way, she doesn’t seem to stand much of a chance against Purrazzo.
-This was a quick tune up for Deonna as she heads into Supercard of Honor later this week. She was her usual fluid self while giving Harris room to showcase some of her signature spots, including an agile weave through the ropes by the ring post and later a cool looking half-corkscrew shoulder tackle. The latter missed and led to the tap out via Fujiwara armbar.
NXT
Tatum Paxley & Lizzy Rain defeat Zaria & Nikkita Lyons
-It’s funny. If you were unfamiliar with NXT heading into this match, you would know from watching the entrances alone that Paxley and Zaria are the two biggest stars here.
-NXT is choosing caricature over character in establishing Lizzy Rain, and I worry about it backfiring. The heavy metal gimmick seems over with the NXT audience for now, but was used as more of an accent on her already solid heel persona in the UK. Now, it’s the beginning and end of who she is. This, ironically, gives her more of a one-dimensional “indie” feel than she had while actually working the indies.
-I feel as though the directive to have Vic Joseph constantly working in references to 40-year old glam rock songs (which are not metal, btw) while Lizzy is in the ring is not nearly as clever or funny as the old men writing the material think it is.
-Here’s to hoping Nikkita can stay healthy this year. She’s developed more of a character and knows it well. Getting busted by the ref as she was preparing to cheat and explaining “I was dancing” was hilarious.
-Tatum Paxley is so good. Even during casual spots in the match, she feels as though she’s on a level above everyone around her.
-While a heel turning on another heel might typically be a questionable move, especially when there doesn’t seem to be any inclination towards turning Lyons face, it works here with Zaria’s platform of being “done with partners.”
Backstage: Natalya and Jaida
-The entire scene was an “outtake” from an LFG plug. It seems we’re headed towards a match between these two prior to them working together. Natalya feels like she’s leaning into the Charlotte style of softening herself with dry wit delivery.
Kendal Grey vs. Kelani Jordan
-We don’t get enough of Wren Sinclair and Kendal Grey together these days. I’m betting they didn’t even need to practice their double “Hola, Lola” delivery. They’re so fun in tandem.
-It’s great to see a main event between two wrestlers of this caliber starting up with a good 20 minutes left in the show.
-My wrestling brain was a little concerned when Wren brought up not wanting her friendship with Kendal to play out similarly to that of Zaria and Sol Ruca. With Booker and Joseph discussing how common that end result is with so many teams, it weirdly reassures me that we won’t be seeing it happen with these two. EDIT: I was wrong to feel that way. I’m worried all over again.
-I assume Grey wears the shoulder straps simply so they can eventually come down and signal the start of her kicking into high gear. It’s awesome.
-I could watch ten straight minutes of Kelani attempting to escape a Grey ankle lock. Such great movement there.
-A brawl senselessly spilling out to ringside and playing into the finish is not my preferred way for such a match to end, but it gets us closer to the four-way that now feels inevitable.
-If one of them were to turn, it would have to be Kendal, right? Wren might be too likable for a heel run to make sense, though we’ve been surprised before.
1FW Rumble In Rome
Harley Cameron & Orange Cassidy defeat Valentina Rossi & Rosario Grillo
-Anytime you get a chance to catch Harley perform outside of AEW, you gotta do it. As fun as she is there, there’s an extra looseness to her when she’s working an indie date that brings out even more of her personality.
-Rossi (and Grillo) were clearly having fun here as well. They are proof that you can do campy, over the top heel work without totally insulting the intelligence of the audience. I wish TNA would take note and adjust the Elegance Brand’s routine in a similar fashion.
-The ballerina background of Rossi, as always, was on full display in terms of her insane limberness.
-Rossi and Cameron have wrestled numerous times over the years and the chemistry between them, both in-ring, and during the backstage skit beforehand, is terrific.
-The 1FW promotion was founded by QT Marshall in 2017 and operates out of the Atlanta area. Their weekly show has only been running since late 2025 and the production value is super palatable for an indie show, with solid audio and video quality. They don’t boast a huge women’s roster at this time, but if they keep bringing in the likes of Rossi and Cameron, I’ll be checking them out far more often.
AEW Dynamite
Brawling Birds & Hikaru Shida defeat Triangle of Madness by DQ
-The visual was initially kind of cool, but Skye Blue was clearly having some issues balancing on top of the guard rail. I’m pretty sure she even broke for a second to laugh about it.
-I was really pumped for this match, but all the group choreography in the opening minutes is taking the fight feel out of it.
-Not only does Thekla’s conditioning make her incredible to watch, it feels like it provides her opponents with that “night off” vibe as well. She just moves so effortlessly.
-Skye and Julia go offensive line in an attempt to block the Birds breaking up a pin attempt. That failed about as rapidly as you’d expect.
-Blue selling the Windsor headbutt and subsequent Birds double team was excellently done.
-Shida’s untrustworthy character is hilarious. The Birds are under attack post-match? She’s out of here. I actually really like that Statlander wasn’t a part of the babyface brigade that ran in for the save. It helps keep her and Shida on a similar page.
GCW Guilty Conscience
Vipress defeats Allysin Kay
-Two things of note regarding my wrestling preferences: First, I don’t care much for hardcore matches. If the weapons are too gimmicked, it becomes a distraction. If things are super bloody and gory, I grow concerned for the participants and the whole thing becomes more than I signed on for as a wrestling fan. So it’s really difficult for me to win with those.
Second, to paraphrase Sami Zayn, I am an Allysin Kay Ride-or-Die. During a time when I barely paid attention to TNA, I never missed a Sienna match. Later, I watched her ascend to the top of the Shine promotion in-person when they regularly ran in NYC. From there, she served as centerpiece of the women’s division in the early days of NWA Powerrr, where she once again reigns as a tag-champion with her forever frenemy, Marti Belle. When I saw she would be wrestling in a hardcore-style match for GCW, the latter preference won out over the former.
This was 15-minutes of fun violence that never crossed the line into turn-off territory. The biggest gimmick was the sugar-glass, which both Kay and Vipress took turns getting slammed through. It exploded spectacularly, which popped the crowd and made for a cool visual. The toughest part of the match to watch was Kay getting FU’d into a door propped up in the corner of the ring that WOULD. NOT. BREAK. She was dumped on her head twice during the attempts, which made for audible wincing in this house. Allysin got her revenge on the door later, with a series of punches and middle fingers.
If either of my stated preferences resonate with you, particularly the latter, I’d give this a recommend.
AEW Collision
Willow Nightingale defeats Red Velvet
-The premise for this match was that Velvet defeated Willow in an Owen Cup qualifying match four years ago. More than anything, this just makes me think about the fact that no one qualifies for that tournament anymore. They just get placed there.
-Is Willow aware of how much she regularly condescends to her opponents? I feel as though she’s going for self-depreciation or at the very least an attempt to play humble, but it’s not how it comes off. Taking a moment to tell the person smashing your face in that you “see the hustle” will never make either of you look good. It’s like a John Cena impression she does or something.
-If you’ve been keeping an eye on ROH over the past year, you’ve seen how much Velvet has grown in the ring. It’s a treat to get her back on “main roster” programming and she’s making the most of this opportunity.
-The final two minutes of this match shifted to a higher level, and that was fun. There’s nothing to be lost by taking the pin against Willow here.
Divine Dominion defeat Allie Katch & Kaia McKenna
-I love these eliminator matches. It provides some awesome indy talent with a national spotlight while allowing Bayne and Kross to further establish themselves in a squash format. Win-win.
-Hilarious to watch the challengers posture during their introduction. Katch is hitting a sultry pose while McKenna behind her, smiling and giving a silly wave to the crowd.
-Crazy that Dominion is only 8-0. It feels like they’ve been dominating for far longer.
-The true eliminator measure: It took McGuinness only 0:51 to start blubbering about Kross being “statuesque.”
-The twin offense Divine Dominion employs in the go-home portion of their matches is always a must-watch.
-I don’t think the indy wrestlers chosen for these spots are products of some random lottery. Katch, specifically, is a 10+ year veteran who wrestles more often than most main roster talents from either of the big two companies. Her seasoning really showed here and made Dominion look that much better. Excellent opponent.
Thanks so much for reading and, of course, for supporting women’s wrestling. Feel free to leave a comment or drop a line via email at jeffp.rush@gmail.com or on Twitter/X @nottherightjeff.
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