AEW recently announced a partnership with the Owen Hart Foundation. The partnership between AEW and the non-profit foundation meant the inclusion of Owen Hart in the upcoming AEW console video game, the reproduction of Owen Hart merchandise, and the creation of the Owen Hart Cup.
The Owen Hart Cup will be an annual tournament held by AEW to pay tribute to the late Owen Hart. Yesterday, this news was received in a positive light by most Owen Hart fans and wrestling fans as a whole.
The potential of The Owen Hart Cup is endless and fans already had a few ideas about it…
A G1-esque Tournament
Since the formation of AEW, fans of the promotion have wanted AEW to have their own version of the G1 Climax from NJPW or King of The Ring in WWE. The closest thing the promotion has done to this has been the Championship Eliminator Tournaments they held throughout the year.
The most popular idea for fans is for The Owen Hart Cup to be a round robin tournament like the G1 Climax. Considering how DEEP their roster is, a G1-esque tournament should be the way to go for this new tournament. The only thing to figure out is the dates and how each block will work in the current TV schedule of the promotion. An American version of the G1 has been something wrestling fans have clamored for many years and this is closest we’ve been to it finally happening.
A Showcase For Younger Talent
Another idea for this tournament is the idea of being like the Young Lion Cup from NJPW. The idea would be to use this tournament to feature the young wrestlers from the roster and be this as a way to push them to the next level needed.
AEW has a lot young wrestlers on their roster like MJF, Jungle Boy, Dante Martin, Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin, Private Party, Lee Moriarty, Varsity Blonds just to name a few. Featuring even more their young talent would be a great thing for AEW.
Regular Tournament-style
The other option for The Owen Hart Cup would be a single elimination tournament like The NJ Cup or the KOTR. This one would be easier to book in AEW’s TV schedule and it wouldn’t interfere with other storylines the promotion may have going on at the moment. Or it could be similar to Battle of Los Angeles (BOLA) from PWG as a template for this new tournament.
The Owen Hart Cup presents itself as a great opportunity and challenge for AEW. Not only on the wrestling side of things, but as a tribute to one of the most influential wrestlers in modern wrestling. AEW has a lot of templates they can use to make this tournament one of the most important ones in wrestling. Hopefully it will open opportunities for the women’s and tag team divisions to have their own big tournaments down the line too.
What are your thoughts on The Owen Hart Cup? Let us know in the comments below.
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I love the idea of the Owen tournament having a G-1 style to it.