The first finalist in the women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament was determined on the June 17 episode of “AEW Dynamite,” and after a lengthy back-and-forth contest, Mercedes Mone punched her ticket to a second consecutive Owen Hart Cup final, defeating STARDOM’s Hazuki.
Mone kicked off proceedings with her usual confidence, but Hazuki held her own to the point where she kept Mone out of the ring as the match entered the commercial break. Hazuki attempted to build momentum but it was no use as Mone quickly got herself back in the match, countering everything that Hazuki threw at her.
Coming out of the break, Mone continued to go for the win by countering a Tilterwhirl Head Scissors into a Lungblower but only got a two count. She would take the action back to the outside by slamming Hazuki’s head into the apron before once again trying to get the win. However, Hazuki fired herself up and got back into the match with a trio of Tope Suicidas, which got the crowd firmly behind the STARDOM star. She followed up with a Shotgun Drop Kick from the top which earned a near fall, but she kept on the former AEW TBS Champion by locking in a Crossface, which Mone was able to escape from.
As Hazuki got Mone up to continue the action, Mone mustered enough strength to hit two of the Three Amigos, before countering Hazuki’s counter by trapping her in the ropes and hitting a Meteora on the entrance ramp as the match entered another commercial break. During the break, Mone hit another Meteora when the action returned to the ring, as well as a pair of knees in the corner as Hazuki struggled to distance herself from her dominant opponent. Back from the break and Mone missed with the running knees as Hazuki bought herself some time.
Mone looked to go for a third Meteora but Hazuki hit a Lungblower of her own in the corner and followed it up with a Senton from the top. Mone kicked out but got caught in another Crossface, and despite rolling into a Backslide, Hazuki kicked out and kept wrist control. A strike exchange resulted in a double down, and when both women got back to their feet, Hazuki hit a DDT and a Brainbuster but Mone rolled out of the ring to prevent a pinfall. Mone almost hit the Mone Maker but Hazuki rolled her up, leading to a series of two counts from both women, but when Hazuki went for one more roll-up, Mone caught her with a Backstabber, held on, and locked in the Statement Maker for the submission victory. Mone will head to Forbidden Door to face either Athena or Maya World in the finals.
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