Wrestling Gold Secured
Will Ospreay Wins Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, Securing AEW World Title Match at Wembley
Will Ospreay has won the 2026 Owen Hart Foundation Men's Tournament, defeating Swerve Strickland at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door on June 28 in Chicago. The victory earns the British wrestler an AEW World Championship match at All In: London on August 30 at Wembley Stadium, one of the biggest stages in professional wrestling. Wrestling Noticias reported both men finished the 34-minute bout heavily bloodied.
The match is already being called a modern classic. Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer awarded it a preliminary 5.75-star rating, saying the violence "surpassed their 2024 encounter" and felt "less like a wrestling match and more like a fight for professional survival." Strickland needed 12 stitches above his right eye. Ospreay needed 8 to the forehead.
How Ospreay Fought Through Four Grueling Rounds
Ospreay's path to the trophy was not easy. The tournament launched May 20 when AEW president Tony Khan and Dr. Martha Hart announced the full 32-man field on AEW Dynamite. Ospreay then beat Samoa Joe in a 25-minute match on June 3, with Joe leaving the bout with a storyline neck injury, according to Yardbarker.
Ospreay survived the semi-finals on June 17 against international competitor Strichich, while Swerve Strickland beat Jay White on the other side of the bracket. Ospreay logged 112 total minutes across his four tournament matches. Strickland logged 98. The finals capped a grueling five-week schedule for both men.
Ospreay Wins With Hidden Blade and Stormbreaker Combo
Ospreay sealed the win at 11:22 PM CST with a "Hidden Blade" strike followed by his finishing move, the "Stormbreaker." After the match, Dr. Martha Hart presented Ospreay with the commemorative belt and trophy. She said Ospreay "embodies the spirit of Owen — tenacity, world-class skill, and a heart for the fans," according to SI.
Ospreay then addressed the crowd directly. "This isn't just a trophy," he said. "This is Owen's legacy, and it's my ticket back to the backyard I built. Wembley, I'm coming home to take what's mine." Strickland, despite the loss, told his podcast audience: "Blood was spilled, but the mission doesn't change. The house always wins in the end."
Wembley Title Shot Sets Up AEW's Biggest Annual Gate
For the first time in tournament history, AEW guaranteed the winner a World Title match specifically at All In: London. The policy change was made in late 2025 to boost the prestige of the Owen Hart Cup and create a major draw for the UK market. Tony Khan called Ospreay vs. Strickland at Forbidden Door "a generational clash," per SI.
Industry analysts project that Ospreay headlining Wembley could push the gate past $12 million USD, with 80,000-plus seats expected to sell out. Forbidden Door 2026 itself already saw a 14% rise in international PPV buys compared to 2025. AEW views Ospreay as the face of its European expansion, according to Yardbarker.
Critics Debate Blood, Predictability, and Owen Hart's Legacy
Not everyone was thrilled with how the tournament played out. Some veteran analysts, including voices on Jim Cornette's platform, argued the heavy bleeding was out of step with Owen Hart's technical, less hardcore wrestling style. The tournament is named in Owen's honor and also raises money for charitable causes, per TPWW.
Others took issue with predictability. Commentators on Busted Open Radio said Ospreay winning felt inevitable the moment the brackets dropped, arguing it hurt the "sporting" feel of the competition. Supporters fired back, calling it a win for meritocracy. Ospreay, they argued, is simply the best in-ring performer in the world right now — and Wembley proves it.
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