Samoa Joe qualifies for Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament in AEW debut

In his AEW debut, Samoa Joe defeated Max Caster to qualify for the Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament on Dynamite. 

Joe pinned Caster after hitting a Muscle Buster, becoming the first competitor to qualify in the men’s Owen bracket. 

Joe made a surprise appearance at last week’s ROH Supercard of Honor pay-per-view, saving undisputed ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham from an attack at the hands of Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt. ROH and AEW owner Tony Khan then announced that Joe had signed with AEW, and Joe appeared at the post-show press conference to address the media and answer questions. It was at the presser that Joe first announced his intentions to enter the Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament. 

Additional qualifying matches for the Owen will continue in the coming weeks on AEW programming. Jamie Hayter and Toni Storm became the first women to qualify for the Owen with wins on last week’s Rampage and Dynamite. Hikaru Shida faces Julia Hart in another qualifier on tonight’s Dynamite.