Last night’s AEW Collision brought us more declarations than a tax season and twice the drama. In what could only be described as a very pro-wrestling Hunger Games, six of AEW’s fiercest femmes announced their entry into the 2025 Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament—because nothing says “tribute” like beating each other senseless for a shot at gold.
At stake? A title shot at AEW All In on July 12, and the chance to stare longingly into Toni Storm’s eyes while ripping the Women’s Championship from her cold, theatrical hands.
🇲🇽Mercedes Mone: TBS Champ, Title Collector, Aspirational Dragon Queen
Mercedes Mone kicked off the tournament declarations with the kind of energy usually reserved for corporate ladder climbers and Game of Thrones villains. After defending her TBS Championship, she let the world know she’s coming for more gold, because apparently belts are the new Birkin bags.
When Tony Schiavone (who, bless him, still tries to maintain order in this chaos) warned her about the competition, he specifically name-dropped Billie Starkz—who may or may not be legally allowed to rent a car yet.
👊Billie Starkz: Teen Titan with a Mean Right Hook
Fresh off a match with Mone, Starkz jumped into the tournament like it was a TikTok challenge. Will she rise to the occasion or get TikTok’d right back to developmental? Only time and a few moonsaults will tell.
👑Athena: ROH Women’s Champion, Mood = Vengeful
Athena, reigning ROH champ and walking warpath, also declared for the tournament. In a backstage segment with Starkz, she warned Mone to “keep our names out your mouth,” which is honestly just good dental advice. Athena is coming in hot, and not even the fire department can stop her.
💥Jamie Hayter: Return of the Queen (with Vengeance and Bangs)
Jamie Hayter, the former champ and possessor of the most lethal lariat this side of Liverpool, has thrown her hat back into the ring. After returning at last year’s All In, she’s now gunning to win back the title and possibly decapitate someone in the process. Nothing says “closure” like powerbombs and poetic justice.
🐯Thunder Rosa & 🚀Kris Statlander: Friendly Fire Incoming?
Rounding out the field are Thunder Rosa and Kris Statlander, who ended their dual backstage promos with a handshake—which, in wrestling, is the equivalent of handing someone a loaded Nerf gun before the purge. Statlander boldly claimed no one in the locker room could stop her, to which Rosa replied, “Hold my war paint.”
Both women are walking into the tournament as friends. Whether they leave as such is something we’ll find out the moment one tries to cave the other’s chest in with a running dropkick.
The official brackets for the Owen Hart Foundation Tournaments (both men’s and women’s) will be revealed on the April 2 edition of AEW Dynamite. Expect suspense. Expect surprises. Expect Schiavone’s voice to crack at least once under the pressure.