Willow Nightingale is on top of the AEW women’s division at last. The fan favorite dethroned Thekla to become the new AEW Women’s World Champion at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
Thekla took the early advantage and zeroed in on Nightingale’s stitched-up ear, a target she worked throughout. The two traded control, with Thekla locking in a facelock before Nightingale reached the bottom rope, and Thekla wiping her out with an outside dive. The Triangle of Madness tried to tilt things, as Skye Blue placed Thekla’s foot on the rope to break up a near-fall win for Nightingale, only for Nightingale to answer by powerbombing Blue. Back inside, Thekla connected on a spear, but when she went for a second, Nightingale avoided it and rolled her up for the three count.
The win is a long time coming for Nightingale, who has held AEW gold before but never the company’s top women’s title, and hadn’t even challenged for it in nearly two years. She’d spoken during the build about convincing herself the moment might never arrive.
Mercedes Mone, who won this year’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament, has been guaranteed a shot at the Women’s World Championship at All In. That sets up Nightingale vs. Moné for the title at Wembley Stadium on August 30, a third chapter between two rivals who have already traded classics over the TBS Championship.
