Willow Nightingale Beats Former Friend To Advance To AEW Women's Owen Hart Cup Finals
Willow Nightingale defeated Kris Statlander on "AEW Dynamite" on Wednesday to advance to the finals of the Owen Hart Cup next week in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The former TBS Champion defeated her ex-friend on her mission to become a two-time, back-to-back winner of the Owen Cup. Nightingale will face the winner of Hikaru Shida and Mariah May, a match that will take place Friday night on "AEW Rampage." The winner will go on to face AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm at All In at Wembley Stadium on August 25.
Statlander, who turned her back on Nightingale after she lost the TBS Championship to Mercedes Mone at AEW Double or Nothing, tried to get the jump on Nightingale, charging up the ramp before the bell even rang. Nightingale hit a snap suplex on the floor, and rolled Statlander into the ring to officially start the match. An emotional Nightingale bashed her former friend's face off the top turnbuckle multiple times. She also hit a canonball off the apron onto Statlander on the floor.
The two traded pinfall attempts before Stokely Hathaway, who was ringside in Statlander's corner, put a chain on the apron. Statlander rolled it up around her wrist and went to punch Nightingale, who moved out of the way. Statlander almost took out Hathaway, and Nightingale got the surprise rollup pin to score the victory off the distraction.