AEW had a plan for the women’s title scene at All In, but that thing has been ripped up more than once.
According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the original idea was for Toni Storm to win the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament and challenge Thekla for the AEW Women’s World Championship at All In 2026. That plan got tossed after Storm was written off TV after Revolution, and she is expected to miss the rest of 2026 for undisclosed reasons not believed to be injury-related.
AEW then moved to Plan B, which was Thekla vs. Willow Nightingale at All In. That didn’t last either. Willow announced on the May 20 episode of Dynamite that she was vacating the TBS Championship and pulling out of the tournament due to a shoulder injury from her May 16 title defense against Red Velvet.
Now AEW is on another version of the plan. The Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament final at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door will feature Mercedes Mone against Maya World, with both women stepping in as replacements. Mercedes replaced Willow, while Maya World filled in for Sareee.
So, AEW’s road to All In has not exactly gone smoothly. What started as a Toni Storm title chase turned into a Willow Nightingale pivot, and now it is Mercedes Mone vs. Maya World for the shot at Thekla.
At the end of the day, AEW has had to keep adjusting on the fly, but the stakes are still big. Whoever wins at Forbidden Door gets the All In title match, even if the road there has been absolute chaos.
Do you think AEW landed on the right final with Mercedes Mone vs. Maya World, or should the company have gone in another direction? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.
