AEW Originally Had Big Plans for The Gunns Before Colten Gunn’s Knee Injury Changed Everything

AEW had plans to spotlight The Gunns in a big way — until a real-life injury changed the script.

According to Fightful Select, Colten Gunn and his brother Austin were originally booked to compete in AEW’s new eight-team eliminator tournament, which will determine the next challengers for the AEW World Tag Team Titles. However, Colten suffered a legitimate knee injury during last weekend’s AEW Collision taping, forcing the company to pull the former champions from the bracket entirely.

AEW confirmed the injury on commentary during Dynamite, noting that Colten’s injury occurred after a jumping punch spot with Big Bill during a four-way tag team match. The match itself was supposed to be the team’s big return — their first since February — but that momentum came to a sudden halt.

AEW reportedly hoped Colten could recover in time, but it’s now clear that “it is not looking like it will happen,” according to the report. As a result, the brackets had to be adjusted on short notice. The tournament will determine who faces current AEW Tag Team Champions, The Hurt Syndicate — Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin — and the revised tournament lineup is expected to be revealed on this week’s Collision.

This is just the latest in a series of roadblocks for The Gunns, who were looking to rebuild momentum and remind fans why they once held the gold.