The Owen Hart tournaments are set! Our men’s and women’s brackets have been finalized and it’s time for some speculation!!! Game Over Guesses is back to wrongly predict the Owen hart Tournament! Who’s going to win both tournaments?! Who are the two Jokers? Why are there Jokers?! What do the winners get!? Soooo many questions! Let’s talk about it.
The tournament will commence this Wednesday on Dynamite in Long Island, with three matches to start off our festivities. Everything culminates at Double or Nothing as both final matches take place.
Since AEW likes putting them on the back burner, let’s take a look at the women’s bracket first.
Women’s Bracket
There’s a lot going on here and I love it! Riho returned last Friday to be the last qualifier, Toni Storm and Jaime Hayter have been teasing their bout for weeks, Hikaru Shida might be favoring her hurt knee, AND Britt Baker gets the debuting Joker card in the first round! I love all of these matchups! The possibilities are endless.
First Round:
- Toni Storm shouldn’t be losing this quickly after debuting. She’s had one Dynamite match, which makes me believe her tournament run will be long. She defeats Jaime Hayter.
- Riho and Ruby Soho is a tossup. A former champ against someone who should be on our screens more. My heart says Ruby Soho will also make a long tournament run, but my head says that AEW loves Riho. And for good reason. She showed why she’s amazing this past Friday on Rampage. My heart is going to win out here. I’m taking the ‘Runaway’, Ruby Soho.
- Red Velvet taking on Hikaru Shida is another intriguing matchup. AEW did a great job at pairing the women together. Shida hasn’t been seen since her blood feud with Serena Deeb finished with that awesome street fight. Is her knee still screwed up? It should be. Deeb targeted it repeatedly. Ever since joining up with Jade Cargill, Velvet has a dark personality. I think she uses her newfound character change to target Shida’s knee and pull off the upset for the Jade Brand.
- Here’s where things get really interesting. Dr. Britt Baker DMD faces off against the unknown Joker card. Who could it be?! I’ve narrowed it down to four people: Athena (FKA Ember Moon), Nixon Newell (FKA Tegan Nox), Taya Valkyrie, or Chelsea Green. All four could make intriguing opponents for the good doctor, but who’s the most likely to come in and win? You’d assume they would, right? AEW wouldn’t debut someone for a loss. I’m going with Nixon Newell to pull of the upset of the Dentist. Maybe here’s the Jaime Hayter turn in frustration of losing again.
Semi-Finals:
- Now we have the previous two Women’s Joker cards battling it out for a spot at Double or Nothing and the Owen finals. Toni Storm taking on Nixon Newell in a battle of former NXT roster members. I believe Toni Storm is destined to win this, so I’m taking her to move on to Double or Nothing.
- The other side of the bracket is also interesting. Ruby Soho taking on Red Velvet would be a double swerve to conventional AEW booking of their division. Both Riho and Shida losing would be a shock. I think Ruby wins here to set up a match with her current tag partner, Toni Storm.
Finals!
This match should be a great one! Ruby Soho picking up two wins against a former champ and newfound badass to reach Double or Nothing. Toni Storm making a run for glory in her first AEW Pay Per View appearance. That match should be a great one to add to the Double or Nothing card.
Who wins?
I think the moment Toni Storm was signed, she was destined for this tournament. Toni Storm beats her friend in a fantastic bout. Hopefully they don’t relegate it to the pre-show…
Men’s Bracket
The women’s bracket has a lot going on and multiple storylines that could determine how it plays out. On the other hand, I see the men’s bracket playing out one way. That includes the Joker card!
First Round:
- I cannot wait for a Rey Fenix versus Kyle O’Reilly match. Those styles couldn’t be any different, which usually means a match to not miss. Especially with two guys as skilled as they are. As much as I’d love to see a Rey Fenix Owen Hart tournament run, I believe he’s due for a Death Triangle run against House of Black at Double or Nothing. Kyle O’Reilly wins this one.
- Jeff Hardy squaring off against Darby Allin should be fascinating as well. Darby has always been compared to Jeff and now we get to see what happens when they fight. Should be a great one. Darby beats Jeff to advance.
- 2022 has been the year of FTR. They are on an unprecedented roll recently with multiple title wins! Does that mean Dax, who idolizes the Harts, takes this match against Adam Cole? Unfortunately I don’t think so. This match is the biggest tossup for me. I believe Adam Cole wins here by some nefarious means, but we could absolutely see an Owen Hart tournament victory by Dax Harwood. Cole advances to face Darby Allin.
- And finally it’s Samoa Joe versus the surprise Joker card. Unlike the women, it’s pretty clear who this person is. Cesaro or CSRO or Claudio, whatever we’re calling him now, is going to debut and beat Samoa Joe in this opening match. Jay Lethal, Sanjay Dutt, or Satnam Singh will probably get involved at some point to cause the distraction loss for Joe.
Semi-Finals:
- The Semi-Finals kick off with a crazy matchup between Kyle O’Reilly and CSRO. Not exactly sure how to book this one, but I believe Kyle O’Reilly wins to set up a match at Double or Nothing. Obviously AEW is perfect at building people up in defeat, so they’ll have to do that here. I don’t believe either Joker card wins their respective tournaments.
- The other side of the bracket pits Adam Cole and Darby Allin against each other in another crazy clash of styles. This matchup should be a great one, as both can tell phenomenal stories in the ring. I do believe that Adam Cole prevails in a long, drawn out battle to set up a Double or Nothing clash against his teammate, Kyle O’Reilly.
Finals!
Adam Cole was the chalk pick after the Men’s bracket was released. It would be a major upset if Cole were to lose at some point during the tournament. I believe that the Owen Hart tournament is another turning point in the Elite storyline. I’m very much aware that Dax Harwood could completely screw up this booking, but I believe AEW puts a storied history match of Kyle O’Reilly and Adam Cole on Double or Nothing.
Well…who wins?
Saying Adam Cole prevails is too easy. It would be a perfect shot in the arm for KOR if he pulls off the upset and wins the Owen Hart tournament. It would also be an intriguing story beat for the Elite. How does this happen? Does someone get involved to screw Adam Cole? How does Cole react to losing to his friend? Are there any references to their NXT feud?
Should be a great bout to culminate a great tournament. But the most important part!
Kyle O’Reilly is the Owen Hart champion!
Final Thoughts
I cannot wait for this Owen Hart tournament to kick off this Wednesday on Dynamite. There are countless stories to tell and awesome matchups to be had. I have one small issue with the whole setup though:
Joker cards in a tournament….
I love how AEW uses their Joker card surprises. It’s a well that constantly replenishes with fun surprises and interest. Unfortunately, it seems AEW used Joker cards to build interest for the Owen tournament, rather than let the tournament do the talking. There’s a little loophole here where these Joker cards got entry into the tournament without qualifying.
Why?
I hope there’s an explanation because these rosters are loaded. There’s a lot of people sitting at catering waiting for television time. That’s my lone issue with this whole thing. Hopefully it’s not set on the back burner and forgotten about. It’s a small issue that becomes a big story burn for me.
Rant over!
Share with me your thoughts! Who do you think is going to win! How do you think they do it!? Do you like the Joker card being used here?
Let me know!