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Matt Hardy recently disclosed on his podcast that Chris Jericho urged AEW to organize the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.
The tournament was established in September 2021 to pay tribute to the late Owen Hart. There were sets of qualifying, quarterfinal, and semifinal rounds for men and women, with two surprise 'Jokers.' The finals will occur at AEW Double or Nothing 2022 on May 29. The winners will receive a trophy named The Owen.
Speaking on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Matt said Jericho was the one who made the tournament a reality. He added that The Wizard served as a bridging gap for AEW and Owen's family, especially his wife, Martha:
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"I heard about it from Chris Jericho, he was kind of the guy who made this a reality in a lot of ways. He was like the inner connection between Martha, the family, and AEW. I know he talked about things they were wanting to do and it just sounded so cool, and he knew I was one of the guys who worked with Owen and knew him personally, so he was pretty excited to share that. And I thought it was a very cool detail," Hardy said. [H/T Wrestling Inc]
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Samoa Joe, Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Dax Harwood, Jeff Hardy, Darby Allin, and Rey Fenix have already qualified from the men's side. Meanwhile, Toni Storm, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Riho, Ruby Soho, Red Velvet, and Hikaru Shida advanced from the women's side.
AEW star Matt Hardy talked about Jeff Hardy's qualification in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament
Last week on Dynamite, in his first singles win in AEW, Jeff Hardy outlasted Bobby Fish in the qualifiers to advance to the tournament.
In the same podcast episode, Matt Hardy said it would be cool if Jeff wins the whole thing, given the latter's history with Hart.
Jeff wrestled Owen when he was a jobber on the December 11, 1995, episode of WWE RAW.
Here's what the elder Hardy said:
"I think it’s very cool that Jeff is in this Owen Hart Tournament and I think it’s a cool story going with that story that he’s one of the guys who worked with Owen, and Owen was like a mentor and one of his role models growing up. I think that’s a great story with Jeff having a run and winning this thing," Hardy said. [H/T Wrestling Inc]
This week on Dynamite, Jeff will face Darby Allin in the tournament's quarterfinal round. Jeff & Darby teamed up in the past few weeks, so it'll be interesting to see how they approach the bout.
What are your thoughts on Chris Jericho influencing the Owen Hart Foundation tournament? Sound off in the comments section below!
