The Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, also known as the Owen Hart Cup, is a series of professional wrestling tournaments produced annually by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in partnership with The Owen Hart Foundation. It consists of two single-elimination tournaments, one each for men and women, and the respective winners receive a trophy called "The Owen" as well as a commemorative championship belt, and beginning in 2024, matches for AEW's men's and women's world championships. Established in September 2021, the inaugural tournaments concluded at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view in May 2022 where Adam Cole and Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. won the men's and women's tournaments, respectively. It is named in honor of Owen Hart, who wrestled primarily in Stampede Wrestling, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF; renamed WWE in 2002), and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) from 1986 until his death in 1999.
In September 2021, the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) announced the establishment of the Owen Hart Cup, an annual tournament to honor the legacy of Owen Hart, a prominent wrestler during the 1980s and 1990s who died at the World Wrestling Federation's (WWF, now WWE) Over the Edge pay-per-view in 1999. The tournament was established in collaboration with The Owen Hart Foundation.[1] On December 17, AEW revealed that there would be both a men's and women's version of the tournament,[2] and the respective winners would receive a trophy called "The Owen Cup"[1] as well as championship belts modeled after the old Stampede Wrestling North American Championship. Based on the Hart Family pink and black, the Women's winner receives a pink belt while the Men's winner receives a black belt. It was also confirmed that the tournaments would begin in May, culminating with the finals at Double or Nothing.[3] In deciding why there would be both a men's and women's tournament, Tony Khan likened it to Wimbledon, which also has both men's and women's tournaments.[4]
On the April 26, 2023, episode of Dynamite, Khan announced that the 2023 tournament's opening ceremony would occur at that year's Double or Nothing PPV. He also said that tournament matches would happen in Owen's home country of Canada at the Forbidden Door PPV, and the tournament would conclude in Owen's hometown of Calgary, Alberta, on the fifth episode of Collision on July 15.[5] For 2023, both the men's and women's tournaments featured an eight wrestler field, and wrestlers from AEW partner promotion New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) also participated.[6]
On the Double or Nothing Buy-In, Khan announced that the 2024 tournament would take place and the tournament would conclude in Owen's hometown of Calgary, Alberta, on Dynamite on July 10. The winners of both tournaments would receive a match for the respective world championship in their division (the AEW World Championship for the men, and the AEW Women's World Championship for the women) at All In.[7][8]
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