All Elite Wrestling has been hosting two tournaments in honor of the late Owen Hart over the last few weeks. The Owen Hart Men’s and Women’s Tournaments have featured some of the best talent AEW has to offer, giving fans several great matches in the lead-up to the final round at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view event. The men’s tournament came down to a match between Adam Cole and Samoa Joe, a fight that fans have been more-than-excited to see.
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As many suspected, Adam Cole won the match, becoming the first Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament. The match began with Joe handing Cole an absolute beating, but once the action moved outside the ring, Cole saw a big shift in momentum. Things went back and forth pretty evenly for the rest of the match, with hard hits and near falls keeping fans on their feet. Interference from Bobby Fish ultimately helped Adam Cole to victory, as he lowered the Boom to knock Joe out for the pin.
Both Adam Cole and Samoa Joe had a difficult road to the finals of the Owen Hart Foundation tournament. Cole opened the tournament by defeating Dax Harwood, one half tag-team FTR, before beating Jeff Hardy in the semifinals. On the other side of the bracket, Samoa Joe opened the tournament against the men’s “Joker” fighter, who turned out to be Johnny Elite (aka John Morrison). In the second round, Joe defeated Kyle O’Reilly, a close ally of Cole’s.
Samoa Joe just made his debut with AEW at the beginning of April, working in both that promotion and Ring of Honor, where he’s the current ROH Television Champion. Before making his AEW debut, Samoa Joe opened up about his decision to sign with the company.
“That’s why I’m here. I tried my bid at bettering the world of professional wrestling, but at the end of the day, I’m here in AEW and ROH to be a Unified Champion,” Joe explained. “I’m here to win the AEW Championship and Ring of Honor Championship. I’m here to win anything they put in front of me. I’m more than willing to go into the Owen Hart [Tournament] and win that,” Joe said. “This ain’t a game anymore. AEW has a lot of feel-good moments, a lot of great wrestlers who respect each other. I don’t respect nobody. Until you’re in the ring with me. I’m coming out there to smack people in the mouth and take what they have. That’s pretty much my edict when I’m here. Broadcaster, mentor, good guy — I am all those things, but not here. Not here.”
What did you think of the Owen Hart Foundation finals match at Double or Nothing? Let us know in the comments!
