Willow Nightingale has suffered a shoulder injury during her TBS Championship defense against Red Velvet and has relinquished the title, AEW announced. Nightingale has also withdrawn from the 2026 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, leaving the TBS Championship vacant.
The injury is a significant blow to AEW heading into Double or Nothing this Sunday, May 24. Nightingale had been scheduled to face Alex Windsor in the Owen Hart Tournament Women’s Quarter-Final on the show.
Nightingale was in her second TBS Championship reign, having won the title on December 31, 2025. She was also a two-time TBS Champion overall and made history as the first woman to simultaneously hold both the TBS Championship and the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship.
The Owen Hart Foundation Tournament loss is a particularly painful subplot. Nightingale won the tournament in 2023, defeating Athena in the finals, and was widely viewed as a favorite to become the first woman to win it twice. The winner of the 2026 tournament earns a shot at the AEW Women’s World Championship at All In. With Nightingale out, the bracket will need to be restructured.
The women’s quarter-final bracket had also included ROH Women’s World Champion Athena vs. Mina Shirakawa, Persephone vs. Hazuki, and Sareee vs. Skye Blue, with the finals scheduled for Forbidden Door in San Jose, California.
Nightingale has been one of the most popular figures in AEW since joining the company and was a crowd favorite heading into what was set to be a major summer run. The extent of the shoulder injury and a timeline for her return have not been announced.
WrestlingNews.co wishes Willow Nightingale a full and speedy recovery.
AEW Double or Nothing takes place Sunday, May 24 at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Flushing, New York. The main event is a Title vs Hair match between AEW World Champion Darby Allin and MJF. The show is available on Max, My AEW, and Amazon PPV.
Fighting champion through and through.
Unfortunately, @willowwrestles has suffered an injury and will be forced to withdraw from the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament and relinquish the TBS Title!
Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS + HBO Max pic.twitter.com/a2ntrffQCL
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 21, 2026
