All eyes are on the upcoming September 24 episode of AEW Dynamite, where President Tony Khan is scheduled to make a “big announcement,” fueling speculation that the company is finally ready to introduce its Women’s Tag Team Championships.
The timing of this tease is raising eyebrows, coming just hours after the women’s division experienced a major shakeup. At All Out last night, Kris Statlander captured the AEW Women’s World Championship in a chaotic four-way match, pinning Toni Storm to end her 217-day reign.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, both Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer suggested the impending news is the long-awaited tag titles. Alvarez pointed to a social media post from Mina Shirakawa, who shared a picture with a defeated Storm after the match, as a potential clue building to a new storyline. Meltzer added weight to the theory, confirming that Tony Khan has had the physical belts manufactured for a long time and was simply waiting for the women’s roster to be healthy enough to support a new division.
Khan himself has never been shy about his plans. In a previous interview, he directly addressed the status of the championships, making his intentions clear.
“I have the belts. I made the belts. They exist. But I will put them into play when we are able to put the very best, full roster forward.”
That “full roster” has been the biggest obstacle, with Khan once citing that 25% of the competitors in a single women’s Casino Gauntlet match were battling injuries.
Statlander’s victory in Toronto last night over Storm, Jamie Hayter, and Thekla marks her first run with the AEW Women’s World Championship. The win also makes her the first woman in AEW to have held both the TBS and AEW Women’s World titles.
With a new top babyface champion crowned and the roster seemingly returning to full strength, it appears the stage is finally set. Fans will be tuning into Dynamite this Wednesday to see if Khan will finally pull the trigger and introduce new gold for the women of All Elite Wrestling.