Top AEW star unhappy after being omitted from Owen Hart Tournament - "To add insult to injury"
AEW is currently presenting its third annual Owen Hart Foundation Tournaments. The stakes were raised this year, as the winners of the men's and women's tournaments will receive the trophy, also known as The Owen, as well as a World Championship match at All In. One top All Elite star is speaking out on being left off the brackets.
The Owen Hart Cup kicked off last week and will wrap on July 10 at Dynamite from Owen's hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The men's tournament winner will receive a shot at the AEW World Championship, while the women's tournament winner will earn a shot at the Women's World Championship, with both matches taking place at All In on August 25 at Wembley Stadium in London.
Thunder Rosa recently lost her feud with Deonna Purrazzo, and that led to Purrazzo earning a spot in The Owen Cup. She will face Hikaru Shida on Saturday's Collision episode.
La Mera Mera spoke with Busted Open Radio this week and expressed frustration over how The Virtuosa has a spot in the tournament while she was left out. Rosa declared that she does not need a tournament to earn a title shot or a spot at All In.
"To add more insult to injury, I looked at [Dynamite] this Wednesday [and] the Owen Hart [brackets], and my name wasn't even there. I'm like, 'OK, that's fine,' and then I see her damn name. She not only beat me on Saturday, but she took my place. But that's OK... I don't need a tournament to show that I can go to Wembley. One way or another, I'm going to go to Wembley. I don't need the tournament to get another opportunity for the Women's World Title, because I know I can do it again with no damn tournament. I'm above that," Thunder Rosa said. [H/T WrestlingInc]
Purrazzo defeated Rosa in their first-ever match together at TNA Slammiversary 2021 to retain the Knockouts World Championship. The 30-year-old joined AEW this year and lost to Rosa on Rampage in April. Purrazzo got the win back on the Double Or Nothing pre-show, then won a No DQ match to end the feud two weeks ago.
AEW to continue The Owen Hart Foundation Tournaments this week
The Owen Hart Foundation Tournaments kicked off on last week's AEW Dynamite. PAC defeated Claudio Castagnoli in a quarterfinal match in the men's tournament, while Kris Statlander defeated Nyla Rosa.
The women's tournament continued on Friday's Rampage with Willow Nightingale defeating Serena Deeb. Nightingale will face Statlander in the semifinals. The remaining quarterfinal women's matches are Deonna Purrazzo vs. Hikaru Shida on Collision and Mariah May vs. Saraya also set for this week.
Sunday's AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view will feature Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi in a quarterfinal match. The other opening-round men's matches set for this week are Rey Fenix vs. Jay White on Dynamite, plus Jeff Jarrett vs. a Wild Card entrant. PAC will then face Danielson or Takagi, while Fenix or White will go up against Jarrett or the Wild Card.
AEW will wrap up the tournaments on July 10 at Dynamite in Calgary. The men's finals look to be PAC, Danielson, or Takagi vs. Fenix, White, Jarrett, or the Wild Card. The potential finals for the women's division look to be Nightingale or Statlander vs. Purrazzo, Shida, Saraya, or May.