The finals of The Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament are set for AEW Double or Nothing.
On the May 25 episode of AEW Dynamite, Samoa Joe faced Kyle O’Reilly in the semifinals. O’Reilly qualified for the bracket by defeating Jungle Boy, and he defeated Rey Fenix in the quarterfinals. Joe made his AEW in-ring debut when he defeated Max Caster in a qualifying match. He then defeated Johnny Elite in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinal bout, both men went to war by trading physical strikes and showcasing their submission-based offense. O’Reilly targeted Joe’s arm, but in the end, the reigning ROH World Television champion made him tap out to the rear naked choke.
Here’s how the match broke down, courtesy of our play-by-play coverage:
KOR and Joe get down and dirty on the mat. Joe almost gets KOR in a sleeper, but he does kick KOR harshly to a big Vegas pop. Joe nails a big jumping elbow to KOR for a two count. Elbow to the shoulder followed by a snap suplex to KOR. Two count. KOR hits a rising knee and gets him with an arm wrench. KOR works on the shoulder and then hits a dragon screw over the ropes to get Joe down. He gets a two count before we head to a break.
This battle wages on. KOR escapes a Muscle Buster attempt for a Fujiwara Armbar and Joe just barely makes it to the ropes. These men kick one another’s blocks off. Joe soon catches KOR into a rear naked choke and the latter loses consciousness.
.@SamoaJoe puts @KORCombat to sleep to advance to the #OwenHart Foundation Tournament Finals this Sunday LIVE on PPV at #AEWDoN Double or Nothing! What an incredible night of action here at #AEWDynamite on @TBSNetwork! pic.twitter.com/OEpd96gZqR
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 26, 2022
After the match, Adam Cole, the man Joe will face in the tournament finals, came out to confront “The Samoan Submission Machine.”
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