New AEW TBS Champion After Title Vacated

AEW

To the shock of fans, Willow Nightingale announced that she has suffered a serious shoulder injury that forced her to remove herself from the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament and relinquish the AEW TBS Championship.

With Nightingale now on the sidelines, there should be a ton of different names from the AEW women’s division who step up to win the TBS Title.

Whether it be former champions or rising stars finally winning the big one, the next TBS Champion should be quite interesting to see who can fill the shoes left behind Willow.

Here are eight new potential AEW TBS Champions after the title has now been vacated.

8. Kris Statlander

Throughout her time in All Elite Wrestling, Kris Statlander has been closely tied to her best friend Willow Nightingale.

Whether it be as a tag team partner or a rival, Statlander and Nightingale have followed similar paths throughout their time in AEW.

Statlander is a former TBS Champion and AEW Women’s World Champion who is looking to regain her lost momentum.

With Nightingale now out with an injury, Statlander could be the one to step up in her place and become a two-time TBS Champion.

7. Hikaru Shida

On the April 11 edition of AEW Collision, Hikaru Shida made her in-ring return to the company for the first time in a year and a half.

Shida faced Willow Nightingale for the TBS Championship on that evening, but she came up short in this bout.

Since then, fans have been seeing an interesting character develop with Shida being disingenuous and showing heel tendencies at times.

While she will challenge for the AEW Women’s World Championship at Double Or Nothing 2026, Shida could redirect her focus to the TBS Title now that Nightingale has been sidelined.

6. Alex Windsor

In recent months, Alex Windsor has formed a tag team with Jamie Hayter known as The Brawling Birds.

Windsor and Hayter have become one of the hottest pairings in the AEW women’s tag team division.

While Hayter has been in pursuit of the AEW Women’s World Championship since returning in 2024, Windsor could have her sights on the TBS Championship.

Windsor trying to become a singles champion would be intriguing to watch and see if she might step up to win some gold on the road to her home country at AEW All In: London 2026.

5. Megan Bayne

Since signing with All Elite Wrestling in 2025, Megan Bayne has been one of the most dominant forces in the entire women’s division.

With her combination of size, strength and intensity in the ring, Bayne feels like someone who can always have gold around her waist.

Currently, Bayne is one half of the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions alongside Lena Kross as Divine Dominion.

Becoming the second woman to hold two titles at once, Bayne feels like the perfect star to step in Willow Nightingale’s place to become the new TBS Champion.

4. Harley Cameron

In December 2025, Willow Nightingale teamed with Harley Cameron to form The Babes of Wrath and became the inaugural AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions.

Over the next four months, Nightingale and Cameron did a fine job in establishing the new titles for the AEW women’s division.

Then at AEW Revolution 2026, Divine Dominion defeated Babes of Wrath to win the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championships. Following a loss in the rematch, Willow and Harley decided to go their separate ways.

Looking for her pursuit as a singles star, Cameron could use this injury to Willow as her chance to finally win singles gold in AEW and become the new TBS Champion.

3. Mina Shirakawa

Following AEW Revolution 2026, “Timeless” Toni Storm was found brutally attacked and in a pool of her blood backstage.

This led to Mina Shirakawa being on her own with her best friend and tag team partner now being sidelined.

Since then, Shirakawa has struggled to find her footing despite receiving some big opportunities in the past few months.

Shirakawa stepping up to the plate to win the TBS Champion would be a great way to show her growth and what she can do on her own without Storm.

2. Athena

Over the past four years, no one has been more dominant in all of women’s wrestling today quite like Athena.

For over 1,250 days, “The Fallen Goddess” has reigned as the “Forever” Ring of Honor Women’s World Champion.

While dominating ROH, Athena has not always received a ton of opportunities on AEW television.

Athena finally winning a singles title in AEW should be a high priority to see what she can do with another championship in a similar vein to her iconic reign as the ROH Women’s World Champion.

1. Mercedes Moné

In her first match in All Elite Wrestling, Mercedes Monè made history by winning the TBS Championship from Willow Nightingale.

This run proved to cement her as one of the biggest female stars in AEW history with a 584-day reign.

However, this reign came to an end at the hands of Willow Nightingale, who defeated “The CEO” on the December 31 New Year’s Smash special of AEW Dynamite.

Despite being absent from AEW TV since the beginning of 2026, it feels like the right time for Mone to make her return and could put in line to become a two-time TBS Champion now that Willow is on the shelf.

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• AEW
• AEW TBS Championship
• Willow Nightingale

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