As previously reported, Sareee had been medically cleared in Japan following a neck injury; however, AEW conducted a separate examination and did not clear her to compete. As a result, Sareee was replaced in her match against Skye Blue in the Women’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament by Maya World.
Initially, Sareee had brought Takumi Iroha from Japan to serve as her substitute, but World was considered a better fit for the storyline, especially since she had recently experienced a real-life death in her family and was eager to return to the ring for her own mental health.
According to the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the original plan was for Sareee to win and face Athena in the semifinals, but the outcome of that match was not specified. Instead, World won her match, and it remains unclear what the result of the match against Athena will be. However, it is generally expected that Mercedes Moné will reach the finals and likely defeat Hazuki. Given that World serves as a storyline replacement, it seems improbable that they would eliminate her right after this match.
The report also indicated that the full story will be revealed after the semifinals next week. World had been given the week off following her brother’s death in a car accident when he was struck by a passing vehicle.