Willow Nightingale vacates the TBS Championship

The special episode of Dynamite and Collision aired last night at the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine, brought unfortunate news: Willow Nightingale announced that she will miss AEW Double or Nothing due to injury. This implies her withdrawal from the Owen Hart tournament, as well as relinquishing her TBS Championship.

"I was looking forward to wrestling at Double or Nothing in front of my family, in my home, New York, against Alex Windsor. I wanted to enter the Owen (Hart) tournament and win it, and become the AEW World Champion. But unfortunately, I have to withdraw from the Owen Hart Cup. Additionally, I have to relinquish the TBS Championship," Willow said in a backstage promo.

Nightingale expressed pride in having held the championship and having achieved ten successful title defenses. Willow resigned from the title with a big smile on her face, the same one she will return with once recovered. "I will return. I don't know when, but I tell you one thing: I will climb back to the top. So, thank you all", she said before leaving.

With this resignation, Willow ends her second reign as TBS Champion. A title she took from Mercedes Moné in the last AEW show of 2025. Nightingale held the belt for 140 days, with a total of ten title defenses. Her last match was against Red Velvet in the most recent episode of AEW Collision.

At the moment, the type and extent of the injury Nightingale is dealing with are unknown. The former TBS champion was scheduled to face Alex Windsor in a quarter-final match of the Owen Hart Foundation tournament at Double or Nothing. Willow will be replaced by a talent whose identity will not be revealed until the match (Wild Card). The company has also not announced how the next TBS Champion will be determined.