AEW is holding Survival of the Fittest on July 1 to crown the new TBS champion, which was vacated due to injury to Willow Nightingale. Two of the six competitors advanced by winning qualifiers on Collision (June 13, 2026). Hikaru Shida used a new submission finisher, and Persephone outsmarted black mist.
AEW is whittling down the field with qualifying matches. Last week, promos were cut by Shida, Kris Statlander, Mina Shirakawa, Harley Cameron, Queen Aminata, and Zayda Steel to express their motivation.
Shida was the first to punch her ticket with a victory over Steel. The Shining Samurai unveiled a new submission finisher to stretch the leg. Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness were stymied on commentary to offer description of the hold. When consulting the moves maven on staff, Claire Elizabeth suggested an inverted bow and arrow style of submission.
Persephone served a bit of revenge to Julia Hart in the second qualifier. The CMLL women’s world champion was still suffering effects from black mist. She would not be fooled twice. On the finish, Hart went back to the well of madness, however, Perse slapped the mist out of Hart’s mouth. Persephone beat Hart on the Razor’s Edge.
The rest of the qualifying matchups have not been revealed yet.
Share your thoughts on Hikaru Shida’s new finisher and Persephone’s defensive tactics to stifle black mist. What odds do you give either wrestler of winning the TBS Championship in Survival of the Fittest?
