All Elite Wrestling returns to pay-per-view TODAY (June 28, 2026) with their annual interpromotional PPV — Forbidden Door! This year’s edition — the fifth — comes our way from the SAP Center in San Jose, California at 8 p.m. ET.
To get us warmed up, AEW has wrestling and talking about wrestling on The Buy In YouTube stream. You can watch that here.
Forbidden Door can be purchased on HBO Max, Amazon, YouTube, PPV.com, and DAZN, or you can buy it via NJPWWorld or on traditional PPV.
In Canada, the UK, and other international markets, it will be available on the new MyAEW.com service.
To help you get ready, we have a preview of the entire show here. We also have predictions from our staff here, if you’re interested.
Cageside Seats will provide LIVE match-by-match coverage of Forbidden Door 2026 below, beginning with the first match of the show and right on through to the main event.
Kick your off your shoes, relax, and enjoy all the action with your favorite pro wrestling website. And remember to keep refreshing!
AEW Forbidden Door QUICK RESULTS
Men’s Owen Hart Cup finals
Swerve Strickland vs. Will Ospreay
Death’s Door Steel Cage match
Team Briscoe def. Team MJF
Women’s Owen Hart Cup finals
Mercedes Mone def. Maya World
AEW Men’s World Tag Team Championship match
Cage and Cope (c) def. the Dogs
AEW Women’s World Championship match
Thekla (c) def. Starlight Kid
IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship match
AEW Continental Championship match
Jon Moxley (c) def. Bandido
Kenny Omega def. Zack Sabre, Jr.
Young Bucks def. Sky Team and Unbound Co.
AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship match
Divine Dominion (c) def. Olympia & Thunder Rosa
Survival of the Fittest qualifying match
Drilla Maloney def. Daniel Garcia
AEW Forbidden Door LIVE BLOG & MATCH COVERAGE
Jumping in late, but I did want continue Claire’s tradition of dropping some lyrics on you from the start…
I break mirrors with my face in the United States
Too many mirrors share my face
Can’t braille which mirrors my mistake
Too many mirrors wear my face
These broken mirrors take my place
I don’t care about real life
Too many mirrors share my face
Can’t braille which mirrors my mistake
I break mirrors with my face in the United States
Hey, it’s Forbidden Door time! Renee Paquette is joined by Jeff Jarrett in lieu of Mick Foley (I miss you, R.J. City), and double-J is really excited for us to get a look at the main event’s cage (it’s circular). And hey, we’ve added a pre-show match!
Daniel Garcia vs. Drilla Maloney
Marina Shafir enters with Marina Shafir as commentary explains why his former War Dog opponent stayed in New Japan and joined Unbound Company.
Excalibur, Nigel McGuinness, and Walker Stewart are on the call as Daniel Garcia gets the better of the opening exchanges, only for Drilla Moloney to flatten Garcia with a string of shoulder tackles that sends the former TNT champ scrambling to the floor.
Moloney wasn’t interested in giving him a breather, chasing Garcia outside and lighting him up with chops before tossing him into the front row. But Shafir’s presence comes into play as she distracted Garcia while blasting him with a running knee and twisting up his leg with a dragon screw on the floor.
Back in the ring, Garcia works on the knee, punctuating the attack with a long-running shotgun dropkick and even taking time to flip off Nigel before settling into the leg work. Shafir kept making herself useful with cheap shots and crowd-taunting.
Moloney eventually escaped a grapevined leg lock and nearly stole one with a roll-up, but Garcia cut that off, peppering him with punches in the corner and teasing his signature dance without fully committing to it. The pace picked up after a series of reversals, and Moloney showed he could still fly despite the damaged wheel, planting Garcia with a gorgeous dropkick.
The momentum kept swinging from there. A strike exchange ended with Garcia getting caught in a pop-up powerbomb that almost finished things, and when Moloney went upstairs, his bad knee betrayed him just enough for Garcia to slap on the Dragon Tamer. Rope break.
Both men fought for control with fireman’s carry counters until Moloney looked seconds away from connecting with the Drilla Killa. That’s when Shafir hopped onto the apron for the timely distraction. Garcia capitalized with Twist and Shout, then mocked Hiroshi Tanahashi’s air guitar to fuel interpromotional war talk.
Garcia charged in looking for the kill, but Moloney had the answer. He snatched Garcia out of mid-air, spun him into position, and absolutely drilled him with the Drilla Killa.
Drilla Moloney def. Daniel Garcia via pinfall
Without too much chatter, we’re on to the TBS title match qualifier!
We’re smartened up on the Stardom’s Crimson Empress in her AEW debut during entrances, and we’re off!
Maika wastes little time trading forearms with Skye Blue, but Blue quickly shows she’s more than willing to bend the rules, yanking Maika down by the hair to seize control. That doesn’t last long. Maika shrugs off a pair of missed strikes, runs Skye over with a shoulder tackle, and strings together a corner clothesline, another shoulder block, and a lariat for an early two-count.
Blue slips out of a vertical suplex into a cradle, then fires off forearms before getting tripped into a drop toehold. Thinking faster than stronger, she dumps Maika to the floor with a low bridge, lands a kick from the apron, and tries to follow with a rana. It’s a nice idea. Maika catches her instead and powerbombs her onto the apron in one of the nastiest spots of the match. Back inside, Skye survives the cover and quickly forces a rope break after Maika latches onto an arm submission.
Blue claws her way back into control by bouncing Maika off the turnbuckles, cracking her with a running kick, and mixing in mounted punches and a little extra choking with her boot because the referee’s count is more of a suggestion than a rule. A rolling neckbreaker gets another near fall, but Maika cuts off the momentum with a suplex and another throw before flattening Skye with a series of clotheslines that gets the crowd behind her.
The Sister of Sin escapes to the apron, catches Maika charging in with punches, and heads upstairs, only for Maika to meet her there and bring her crashing back to earth with a superplex. Somehow, Blue kicks out again.
The pace only picks up from there. Blue fights off another corner attack with a superkick and plants Maika with a Liger Bomb for two. They settle into the obligatory strike exchange, first on their knees and then standing, with Skye landing a big kick and a tornado DDT that still isn’t enough. Frustration starts to creep in as she keeps looking for the finishing blow.
That hesitation proves costly. Maika absorbs another flurry, answers with a thunderous powerslam, and survives a superkick by spilling into the ropes. Blue tries to drag her back into position, but Maika blasts her with a right hand and looks to suplex her to the floor. Skye escapes to the apron, where Maika has an even better idea, drilling her with a brainbuster on the hardest part of the ring. That’s more than enough. Maika rolls Blue back inside, plants her with the Michinoku Driver, and finally puts the match away.
Maiki def. Skye Blue via pinfall to advance to Survival of the Fittest for the vacant TBS championship
And we keep on rolling with less than 30 minutes until the PPV!
Divine Dominion vs. Olympia & Thunder Rosa
Thunder Rosa comes out swinging, charging right at Kross as soon as the bell rings. It’s an admirable strategy, but Kross quickly reminds everyone about the size mismatch by running straight through her with a shoulder block. Rosa answers with chops to both opponents before scrambling over to tag in Olympia, and the pace immediately picks up. The pair hit stereo hurricanranas to clear the ring, Rosa wipes everyone out with a tornillo, and Olympia follows with a springboard dive that leaves bodies scattered on the floor.
Back inside, Rosa tries to keep Bayne grounded, but the tide turns quickly. Bayne and Kross cut the ring in half, isolating Rosa and driving her into the top turnbuckle with an electric chair. Rosa creates an opening by low-bridging Kross, but Bayne initially snuffs out the tag. Rosa slips away on the next exchange, Bayne spills to the floor, and Olympia finally gets the hot tag.
Olympia immediately changes the momentum with a shotgun dropkick that sends Kross into the corner before following with her signature headstand dropkick. A Samoan Drop—complete with a few squats because showing off is part of the move—gets two. Rosa tags back in to land a lungblower, then Olympia muscles Bayne to the mat and launches herself off Kross in the corner to crush Bayne with a moonsault. Rosa catapults off Olympia’s back into a dropkick, Olympia adds another springboard splash, and somehow Bayne still kicks out.
Bayne finally halts the barrage with a front face suplex on Rosa before bringing Kross back into the match. Kross steamrolls Rosa for a near fall while Nigel McGuinness wonders aloud whether referee Mike Posey is simply too intimidated to enforce the tag rules.
From there, the match predictably breaks down into chaos. Everyone gets a chance to land something big before Bayne levels Rosa with a flying lariat to reset the field. Kross and Olympia trade heavy shots until Bayne tags herself in and lands a wild corner hurricanrana. Rosa flies off the top with a shotgun dropkick just as Kross looks for a ripcord, but Bayne accidentally wipes out her own partner instead, giving us a little friendly fire.
Olympia capitalizes by gorilla press slamming Bayne, and Rosa follows with a top-rope double stomp that looks like it might do it. Kross dives in just in time to break up the pin. Things get a little clunky in the closing stretch, but Bayne recovers to plant Rosa with Fate’s Descent before Olympia makes the save. That only delays the inevitable. Olympia eats a shotgun dropkick and German suplex combination, leaving Rosa alone for Kross and Bayne to finish her off with From Heaven to Hell and the three-count.
Divine Dominion (Megan Bayne & Lena Kross) def. Thunder Rosa and Olympia via pinfall (Kross on Rosa) to retain the AEW Women’s Tag Team championship
It’s PPV time! We’re starting with an interpromotional tag triple threat…
Sky Team vs. Unbound Co. vs. Young Bucks
The Young Bucks make their entrance first for AEW, followed by Shingo Takagi and Titan representing NJPW’s Unbound Co. Mistico and Mascara Dorada are out last for CMLL, bringing plenty of gold with them and even more expectations.
Titan and Mistico get things started with a respectful handshake that lasts all of about five seconds before Titan starts stomping away. Mistico answers with the kind of sequence you’d expect from him, springboarding into a crossbody before stringing together a headscissors and an apron enzuigiri into another rana. Mascara Dorada and Nick Jackson pick up the pace even further, trading evasions, flips, and synchronized kip-ups before deciding they actually do like each other after all and shaking hands.
Naturally, The Young Bucks immediately ruin the good sportsmanship. Matt Jackson tags in, the Bucks swarm Dorada with quick tags and slick double-team offense, and even manage to cut off Takagi when he tries to get involved. Dorada eventually slips free, armdragging one Buck, catching the other with an enzuigiri, and creating enough chaos for Takagi to finally enter.
Takagi immediately reminds everyone that he doesn’t really do “flippy stuff.” He shrugs off Dorada’s attempts to outmaneuver him until a rana finally knocks him off balance, prompting a tag to Titan. The NJPW duo isolates Dorada with strikes, a vertical suplex, and a big splash, but Dorada escapes a double clothesline and finally reaches Mistico.
Mistico clears house in a hurry, flying around the ring with ranas, chops, and an armdrag that seems to ignore several laws of physics. The Bucks briefly take control again, superkicking Mistico and launching Dorada with a top-rope rana, but Titan answers by dodging stereo superkicks and dropping both Jacksons with a double rana of his own. He heads upstairs looking for more, only for Mistico and Dorada to intercept him and send him crashing off the top rope onto everyone waiting outside in a spot that doesn’t exactly go according to blueprint.
Back inside, Mistico and Dorada isolate Titan with rapid-fire offense, but he survives. Dorada keeps the pressure on until Matt Jackson catches him and starts handing out Northern Lights suplexes to anyone standing nearby. Takagi breaks that up with a DDT, throws Dorada over the top rope, and teams with Titan for another near fall before Matt finally escapes long enough to tag Nick.
Business immediately picks up again. Nick storms in with a superkick and a huge double armdrag, Mistico returns with a diving crossbody, and he and Dorada connect on stereo 619s before wiping out the Bucks with consecutive springboard dives to the floor. Dorada soaks in the reaction for just a moment before dragging Titan back inside, where the match completely loses any interest in being orderly.
Superkicks start flying. Takagi bowls over just about everybody until all five of the other competitors collectively decide enough is enough and superkick him into next week. Titan gets the same treatment moments later. Then everyone starts trading Canadian Destroyers because, at a certain point, this is just what six-man tags evolve into.
The closing stretch somehow gets even wilder. Takagi fights through being surrounded with a series of running clotheslines before Mistico catches him on the top rope and lands a gorgeous Spanish Fly that nearly ends it. Matt Jackson breaks up the pin with an elbow drop, setting off another parade of top-rope attacks and near falls. Mistico eventually traps Takagi in La Mistica, but the Jacksons and Titan dive in before anyone can tap.
Takagi and Mistico resume trading bombs until Titan jumps Mistico from behind. The NJPW pair string together a kick, a clothesline, an assisted tornado DDT, and a diving stomp that looks like the finish, but Nick Jackson barely makes the save. The Bucks unload with more superkicks, Dorada catches Takagi coming in with one of his own, and the match finally reaches its inevitable conclusion when Dorada cuts off Titan on the top rope just long enough for The Young Bucks to grab the NJPW star, superkick the CMLL one and get the win with a Meltzer Driver.
The Young Bucks def. Sky Team and Unbound Company via pinfall (on Titan)
Kenny Omega vs. Zack Sabre, Jr.
The opening minutes are exactly what you’d expect from these two: less a fight than a very violent chess match. Zack Sabre Jr. repeatedly drags Kenny Omega to the mat, looking for any opening to start twisting limbs into uncomfortable shapes. Omega keeps escaping, even briefly winning a test of strength before Sabre rolls through and turns the leverage back in his favor. Eventually Zack backs Kenny into the corner, strikes a pose, and generally acts like the smartest guy in the room.
His game plan becomes obvious in a hurry. Sabre goes after Omega’s hands with stomps and holds before driving a shoulder into him in the corner. Kenny answers with a hurricanrana and immediately follows Zack to the floor with a huge dive, but trying to walk away afterward just gives Sabre another chance to attack the injured hand.
Omega decides enough technical wrestling has happened for one evening and introduces Zack to the announce table instead. He bounces Sabre’s head off it, stomps away, then removes the tabletop and crushes Zack beneath it with a double foot stomp from the apron. Kenny looks ready to escalate things even further, but Sabre catches him in an octopus hold while they’re standing on the table. Both men tumble to the floor, with Omega paying the heavier price.
That only encourages Sabre. Back in the ring, he systematically tears apart Omega’s arm while soaking in a well-earned “you’re a d–khead” chant from the crowd. Zack seems genuinely flattered by the assessment and keeps stomping away at Kenny’s hand whenever the referee gives him even half a chance.
Omega has flashes of momentum, rocking Sabre with strikes before wiping him out with another dive and scoring a near fall after a missile dropkick. Every comeback, though, runs into the same problem. The moment Kenny reaches for a big move, Sabre finds the arm again.
Even when Omega strings together a knee strike and consecutive Snap Dragon suplexes, Sabre somehow survives long enough to turn another attempt into an armbar. The submissions come from every conceivable angle. Roll-throughs become armbars. Suplex attempts become armbars. Standing exchanges somehow become armbars. Omega repeatedly escapes by inches, usually with the ropes saving him from having to tap.
The damage finally starts catching up to Kenny. He tries to lift Sabre for a power move only for his arm to give out completely. Moments later, though, Omega finds another opening, blasting Zack with a V-Trigger that drives him face-first into the turnbuckles. Kenny even teases an avalanche One-Winged Angel before Sabre desperately ties him up to prevent the lift, creating an ugly crash that leaves both men hurting.
The finishing stretch is outstanding. Omega unloads with knees, Sabre counters into an ankle lock, Omega escapes into a reverse rana, and suddenly they’re trading near falls instead of holds. Sabre answers a V-Trigger with a slick cradle, slips free of a One-Winged Angel attempt, and plants Kenny with a Zack Driver that looks like it has to be enough. It isn’t.
By this point, both men are surviving almost entirely on instinct. They stagger to their feet exchanging strikes until Omega lands one more Snap Dragon and another V-Trigger. Kenny finally gets Sabre onto his shoulders, but Zack has one last escape in him, rolling into a triangle choke that comes frighteningly close to stealing the match. Omega muscles his way free with a one-armed powerbomb, lands one final V-Trigger, and this time there’s no escape. The One-Winged Angel connects, and after an amazing pure wrestling match, Omega finally puts Sabre away.
Kenny Omega def. Zack Sabre Jr. via pinfall
We ponder Kenny’s chase of another AEW World title before a video package for our first title match of the night…
Bandido wastes no time playing to the crowd, so Jon Moxley responds the only way he knows how: by repeatedly flipping him off until the bell finally rings. Even the opening exchange has personality. Moxley rolls through a monkey flip attempt, pops up celebrating like he just won the match, and the two literally draw a line in the middle of the ring before daring each other to start throwing strikes.
Naturally, it doesn’t stay in the ring for long. Moxley slips outside to avoid a dive, then immediately turns around and launches his own tope suicida. He admires his work just a little too long, though, allowing Bandido to answer with a spectacular somersault dive that swings the momentum right back.
Bandido tries to keep the pace high once they’re back inside, but Moxley has no interest in playing that game. He absolutely wipes Bandido out with a pair of boots as the luchador flies into the corner, then drags the fight outside again. After setting the steel steps in place with alarming purpose, Moxley spikes Bandido with a piledriver onto them, ripping open the mask and drawing blood almost immediately.
Back in the ring, Moxley becomes just a little too fascinated with tearing the mask apart, giving Bandido the opening he needs to fire back with a running powerbomb and reset the match.
From there, things devolve into exactly the kind of slugfest Moxley prefers. When punches aren’t enough, he simply bites Bandido in the forehead. Perfectly reasonable wrestling behavior. Bandido refuses to stay grounded, answering with a gorgeous Sky Twister Press before rocking Moxley with flying forearms. The crowd counts along for the obligatory ten punches in the corner before Bandido follows with a shotgun dropkick and a Shining Wizard for a near fall.
Bandido continues showing off ridiculous strength, hoisting Moxley into a one-armed gorilla press slam that gets an audible reaction from the crowd. Unfortunately, he can’t resist adding a little extra flair before attempting the Frog Splash, and that hesitation gives Moxley enough time to get the knees up.
The closing stretch becomes a series of momentum swings that feel like either man could win at any moment. Bandido survives a huge lariat and a Death Rider that looks decisive, then climbs to the top rope, lifts his own mask just enough to bite Moxley back, and follows with the Revolution Fly for the closest near fall of the match.
Bandido keeps reaching for the 21-Plex, but Moxley refuses to give him the opening. Instead, he drags the fight onto the apron and latches on with a rear naked choke. Bandido cleverly rolls backward into a Piper/Hart-style pinning combination for two, but Moxley immediately adjusts his grip into the Bulldog Choke.
Bandido refuses to quit. Even as he’s fading, he muscles his way back to his feet with Moxley hanging from his back, pauses to make the sign of the cross, then throws himself backward in one last desperate attempt to break the hold. It isn’t enough. Moxley never lets go, and Bandido finally goes limp, giving Moxley the submission victory after another characteristically brutal title defense.
Jon Moxley def. Bandido via submission to retain the AEW Continental title
Brody King arrives to stand with his Brodido, but Mox cuts him off to help the luchador to his feet and show respect.
PAC doesn’t even wait for the bell before making his intentions clear. After getting a quick show of support from the Death Riders on his way to the ring, he storms Shota Umino, drives him into the corner, and immediately turns the match into a one-sided beating. Umino spends the opening minutes getting bounced between barricades, flattened with a bodyslam on the floor, and generally wondering if he’ll ever get a chance to throw a punch. Even after PAC finally rolls him back inside, he flies off the top with a missile dropkick for an early near fall.
Eventually, Umino manages to create just enough space to get his first sustained offense. He strings together corner strikes, follows with a running elbow and a fisherman suplex, and starts looking like himself for the first time all match. A slick counter into a pinning combination nearly catches PAC before Umino dumps him onto the ring apron and follows him outside, where a running dropkick sends PAC crashing into the barricade. Not satisfied with that, Umino plants him with a DDT on the floor before dragging him back into the ring for a powerbomb that gets a long two-count.
That momentum doesn’t last. PAC catches Umino charging with an overhead throw and goes right back to kicking him while he’s down because, well… PAC. He slides under the ring looking for a table, but Umino beats him to it and sets it up at ringside instead. Naturally, PAC immediately turns the situation back in his favor, blasting Umino with a superkick before wiping him out with a springboard moonsault to the floor. Back inside, PAC muscles Umino onto the top rope and brings him crashing down with a nasty belly-to-belly superplex, but somehow only gets two.
PAC can’t resist rubbing it in, giving Umino plenty of opportunities to get back into the fight. They trade strikes, PAC wins the first exchange, and then loses the second when Umino finally drops him with a thunderous forearm. PAC answers with back-to-back release German suplexes before deciding the table still hasn’t suffered enough abuse. An Awesome Bomb sends Umino crashing through it on the outside, and a 450 Splash moments later looks like it’ll end things. It doesn’t.
PAC immediately transitions into the Brutalizer, forcing Umino to claw his way to the bottom rope before the hold can finish him. Looking to capitalize, PAC heads back upstairs, but this time Umino has him scouted. He dodges the aerial attack, cracks PAC with a forearm, follows with a headbutt, and drives a knee into him for another dramatic near fall.
The finish comes fast after that. PAC slips a lariat and spikes Umino with a poison rana before adding a superkick, but Umino refuses to stay down. He answers with a crushing clothesline, survives another close count, then puts everything together in the closing sequence. A Paradigm Shift DDT softens PAC up just enough for Umino to connect with the Northern Lights Bomb and finally score the three-count. After weathering an opening assault that would have finished most opponents, Umino survives PAC’s best shot and rallies for an impressive comeback victory.
Shota Umino def. PAC to retain the IWGP Global Heavyweight championship
Jon Moxley and Marina Shafir arrive to check on the valiant fallen Death Rider, leading to a moment between Mox and his former New Japan “young boy”. He smirks and Shooter glares at him, but the moment is interrupted by NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi, obviously enjoying not have to workout or pretend to not be in constant pain any more. The Riders scatter as President Ace raises Umino’s hand.
Thekla tries to get the jump early, but Starlight Kid isn’t having it, sending the champ to the floor almost immediately. Thekla insists she’s perfectly fine—which, in wrestling, is usually the clearest sign someone absolutely isn’t—before sneaking in a boot on the way back into the ring and taking control. She immediately starts pulling at Starlight Kid’s mask, which turns out to be a bad idea. SLK fires right back with a flurry of strikes before Thekla wisely creates some distance.
That doesn’t last. Starlight Kid dropkicks Thekla to the floor and looks ready to fly with a moonsault, only for Thekla to yank her down face-first onto the apron. From there, things get increasingly nasty. Thekla tugs at the mask again, throws the challenger into the barricade more than once, and even makes sure to do it directly in front of STARDOM President Taro Okada just so she has someone else to antagonize.
Naturally, Thekla gets distracted jawing at Okada, but not for long. She cuts Starlight Kid off again, plants a boot across her throat, and settles into a methodical beatdown. Every time SLK starts building momentum, Thekla has another kick, stomp, or cheap shot waiting.
Eventually, the challenger finds an opening with a slick cartwheel escape before crashing into Thekla with a springboard crossbody. A tiger feint kick and a moonsault each earn near falls, so Starlight Kid changes the strategy altogether, zeroing in on Thekla’s leg with a stretch muffler and repeated leg attacks. Thekla answers in kind by reaching for the mask yet again before trapping SLK in the Tarantula, only releasing the hold when the referee forces the issue.
The momentum continues swinging back and forth. Starlight Kid catches Thekla coming off the top with an arm drag, but Thekla wins the ensuing battle on the turnbuckles with a spider suplex. She spends just a little too much time celebrating, allowing SLK to blast her to the floor with a springboard dropkick before following onto the apron with a knee strike and a Divine Punishment on the hardest part of the ring.
Back inside, Starlight Kid senses the opening. A Northern Lights suplex gets two, but a moonsault misses, and Thekla immediately answers with a spear. Neither woman can quite string together the knockout sequence, though, and the match settles into a slugfest that has the crowd firmly behind both competitors. Starlight Kid rocks Thekla with forearms until the champ abruptly shuts her down with one perfectly timed right hand.
Thekla keeps pressing, connecting with a diving crossbody before pausing for her signature spider pose. That confidence almost costs her. Starlight Kid dodges another spear, attacks the knee again, and cinches in Numero Dos. Thekla barely survives the submission, crawling to the ropes before SLK can fully trap the final limb.
Even that isn’t enough to slow the challenger. Another Divine Punishment gets an agonizingly close near fall, and a moonsault press somehow only earns two. At this point, Starlight Kid has thrown just about everything she’s got at Thekla.
Thekla, meanwhile, only needs one opening. She slips out of danger with an O’Connor roll that nearly steals it, survives another exchange, dodges a charging knee, and plants SLK with a spear that still isn’t enough. So she goes back to what works. After dropping the challenger with one stomp, Thekla points directly at Taro Okada before delivering a second one for emphasis. That finally keeps Starlight Kid down, allowing Thekla to retain after surviving one of her toughest defenses yet.
Thekla def. Starlight Kid via pinfall to retain the AEW Women’s World championship
The other members of the Triangle of Madness arrive, and of course the Toxic Spider isn’t done yet. Ripping the mask off her fallen challenger, Thekla exits the ring while Bryce Remsburg covers SLK’s face with a towel. The champ then goes over to jaw at her nemesis, Stardom President Taro Okada, who’s been seated ringside all night. Thekla has more than words for Okada, rubbing the spit-lined mask into his face until he was on his knees. Some folks would pay a lot of money for that, but here it’s despicable… per the announcers, anyway. The Triangle exit, as we get a video package trying to get us excited about The Dogs.
San Jose is very into Adam Copeland’s entrance. Personally, I was enthralled by his long-time partner and fellow AEW Tag champion Christian Cage’s.
Cage and Cope vs. The Dogs
David Finlay and Clark Connors make their entrance first, while Adam Copeland heads to the ring alone before Christian Cage follows separately. They may not come out together, but they’re very much on the same page once the match gets underway.
Connors jumps Christian right away, unloading with strikes in the corner before Christian slows things down with a quick roll-up and brings Copeland into the match. Finlay answers for the War Dogs, leading to a fun opening exchange with Copeland that quickly establishes neither veteran is particularly interested in giving up an inch. Christian tags back in long enough to embarrass Connors with a drop toehold into Finlay’s legs, then wisely declines Finlay’s suspicious offer of a handshake. Unfortunately, he outsmarts himself moments later by charging shoulder-first into the ring post.
From there, the War Dogs take over and stay there for a while. Finlay and Connors isolate Christian, repeatedly working over his left arm with quick tags and plenty of extra-curricular punishment. Christian keeps fighting back in short bursts, but every time he gets within arm’s reach of Copeland, one of the Dogs cuts him off.
Connors even finds time to light a match and shove it in Christian’s face while the referee is occupied elsewhere, which feels like the sort of thing that should probably be an automatic disqualification if anyone had actually seen it.
The abuse keeps escalating. Christian’s hand gets smashed against the ring steps, and the War Dogs look ready to crush his arm beneath those same steps before Copeland finally intervenes. He gets Christian back into the ring, but Finlay once again intercepts the tag attempt. Christian has exactly one counter left in the tank—a well-placed eye poke—and that’s enough to finally bring Copeland into the match.
The hot tag goes exactly how you’d expect. Copeland runs through both War Dogs, plants Finlay with the Impaler, and comes within seconds of ending things before Finlay narrowly escapes the Spear. The momentum swings back and forth from there. Christian neutralizes Connors long enough to help set up a splash on Finlay, but Connors quickly returns the favor outside the ring as the War Dogs nearly finish Copeland with a perfectly timed high-low combination.
The Dogs look for Full Clip, but Copeland turns their teamwork against them by suplexing Finlay straight into Connors. Christian lines Finlay up for a Spear, Copeland covers… and naturally the referee gets wiped out before anyone can count to three. Wrestling remains undefeated.
The chaos reaches its peak when Copeland and Connors somehow manage to spear each other at exactly the same time. With everyone else down, Finlay reaches for the shillelagh, cracks Christian with it, and looks ready to do the same to Copeland.
When they come back on, the Bang Bang Gang is standing in the ring, and Jay White is back. Finlay barely has time to react before eating a Blade Runner that completely changes the match. Copeland wastes no time capitalizing, drilling Finlay with a Spear just as the referee recovers. This time there’s nobody left to save the War Dogs, and the three-count gives Copeland and Christian the win while Jay White steals the final scene of the night.
Cage & Cope def. The Dogs via pinfall (Adam Copeland on David Finlay)
Maya World vs. Mercedes Mone
Maya World comes out looking to shock Mercedes Moné, stringing together a couple of quick near falls before the CEO even has a chance to settle in. Mercedes answers with a headscissors takeover, only for Maya to pop right back to her feet and mock her. It’s an early sign that the challenger isn’t intimidated in the slightest.
That confidence carries outside the ring when Maya sends Mercedes to the floor with a cannonball senton, then nearly snatches the match moments later by threatening the Statement Maker. Mercedes escapes before things get too dangerous, stomps Maya down in the corner, and begins settling into the slower, more methodical pace she prefers.
Every time Mercedes starts taking over, though, Maya has an answer. She catches a charging Meteora and flings the CEO across the ring before planting her with a suplex. Mercedes quickly regains control, introducing Maya to both the apron and the floor with consecutive Meteoras before adding another from the top rope back inside. Even that barrage only earns a two-count.
The frustration starts creeping in. Mercedes stomps on Maya’s throat, piles on more Meteoras, and even takes time to mock both her opponent and the crowd, leading a fake ten-count while the referee checks on Maya before punctuating the bit by flipping everyone off. Peak CEO behavior.
Mercedes keeps piling on the offense with a Backstabber and a series of submissions and counters, but Maya refuses to stay down. She slips out of a tombstone attempt, absorbs plenty of trash talk, and finally has enough, exploding with a flurry of strikes before flattening Mercedes with a double stomp. A twisting springboard cutter and a Shining Wizard both come agonizingly close to ending the upset.
Mercedes wisely heads for the ropes to kill Maya’s momentum before digging into the veteran playbook. Three straight vertical suplexes complete the Three Amigos, but the ensuing frog splash finds nothing but Maya’s knees. Suddenly, the challenger is back in control.
The middle portion of the match becomes a tug-of-war. Mercedes repeatedly reaches for the Statement Maker while Maya keeps escaping just long enough to string together another burst of offense. A pair of rolling fallaway suplexes send the CEO tumbling through the ropes before Maya wipes her out with a dive and follows it with a senton bomb that again only gets two.
By now, Mercedes has gone from amused to annoyed to visibly concerned. She lands a sunset flip bomb into the turnbuckles, but Maya survives. The Money Maker connects, but Maya survives that too, drawing an increasingly exasperated reaction from the CEO. Every finishing sequence seems to end with another escape, another cradle, or another reversal.
The closing stretch is wonderfully frantic. Maya counters a second Money Maker, sends Mercedes crashing to the floor with a sunset flip powerbomb from the apron, then follows with a springboard moonsault outside and another moonsault back inside. Somehow, Mercedes still kicks out.
Maya even manages to turn the tables completely, reversing a cradle into the Statement Maker. For one brief moment, it looks like Mercedes might actually tap. Instead, the CEO slips through the hold, rolls with the momentum, and traps Maya in a Statement Maker of her own.
Maya fights it every step of the way. She inches toward the ropes, briefly escapes into a pinning combination, and even reverses another pin attempt before Mercedes snatches the arm again and locks the hold in tighter than ever. This time there’s nowhere left to go. Caught in the middle of the ring, Maya World finally has no choice but to tap, but not before proving she can hang with one of the best for nearly half an hour.
Mercedes Moné def. Maya World to win the Owen Hart Cup for the second straight year, meaning she’ll also challenge for the AEW Women’s World title at All In for the second straight year.
I get it, but I’m still bummed. Well done, all involved on achieving that I guess.
Renee Paquette catches up with Athena, who cuts a good promo about her loss to Maya in the Owen, teeing up more for them down the line.
“Main event #2” is next, and they’ve given Jarrett’s beloved round cage a name… Devil’s Door!
Team Briscoe vs. Team MJF
Team MJF enter to the AEW World champion’s music, because subtlety has never really been Max’s thing. Across from them are Darby Allin, Konosuke Takeshita, and the Conglomeration led by Mark Briscoe. Twelve men, one cage, and a match that’s basically designed to make recappers question their life choices.
Everyone starts fighting immediately. Takeshita introduces Kyle Fletcher to the steel, Briscoe chases MJF until the champ wisely bails, and the heels quickly establish control by throwing bodies into the cage and setting up tables all around ringside. At one point they’re setting up so many tables it feels like they’re getting ready for a furniture convention. MJF and Andrade even find time to argue over who’s getting the spotlight while their teammates do the actual work.
Then the Conglomeration starts unpacking.
Roderick Strong produces an equipment bag and uses it as a weapon. Kyle O’Reilly somehow has an original Nintendo Entertainment System in his backpack, thoughtfully blows on the cartridge before inserting it, and clocks Fletcher with it. Yes, really. Briscoe dumps out a bag of thumbtacks, Fletcher gets busted open courtesy of vintage gaming hardware, and before long O’Reilly is trying to choke him with an NES controller cord because apparently it’s 1989 again.
Darby eventually returns swinging his skateboard, only for MJF to reverse an attempt to send him into the tacks and instead plant Allin face-first into them. After a near fall, Max decides enough is enough and literally starts sweeping the thumbtacks out of the ring with a push broom.
Which naturally brings Orange Cassidy into the picture.
Cassidy uses the broom in the least OSHA-approved way imaginable before opening his backpack to reveal orange slices from Willow Nightingale. The Conglomeration pauses the violence for a team snack, then collectively squeezes orange juice into Fletcher’s open wounds after he interrupts. Wrestling.
Meanwhile, Okada and Takeshita finally get around to reminding everyone they’re two of the best wrestlers on the planet by beating the hell out of each other. Takeshita’s backpack contains nothing more than a giant middle finger for Okada, which feels on brand. Fletcher accidentally superkicks his own teammate, Takeshita German suplexes both of them, and the chaos somehow keeps escalating.
Kevin Knight and Darby trade strikes before Jake Doyle gets involved with a chair-assisted Coast-to-Coast setup that nearly finishes Allin. MJF cracks Briscoe in the face with a thrown chair, digs at the cut after opening it up, then breaks out the Dynamite Diamond Ring.
Except Okada opens another equipment bag…
…and Lio Rush climbs out.
Rush immediately starts causing problems and tries to swipe Max’s ring before Okada finally puts him down with a Rainmaker. Doyle and Knight stuff Rush back into the bag and shove it under the ring, because apparently that’s an acceptable solution.
Briscoe eventually clears house with a ladder spinning over his head like he’s auditioning for a cartoon before finally getting his hands on MJF. The Jay Driller is interrupted, bodies continue flying through tables, O’Reilly and Andrade both get busted open somewhere in the madness, and Takeshita plants Fletcher with a Blue Thunder Bomb off the apron through the pile of tables everyone thoughtfully assembled earlier.
The finish somehow gets even crazier.
MJF steals another opening with a low blow on Briscoe before Cassidy absorbs a Diamond Ring punch with his hands in his pockets. Darby drops MJF with a Scorpion Death Drop and Coffin Drop, only for Kevin Knight to accidentally splash the champion while trying to break up the pin.
Knight then climbs to the top of the cage and discovers Darby’s backpack has been booby-trapped. It explodes, sending Knight crashing through the tables below, and Darby follows with a Coffin Drop from the top of the cage onto the pile of humanity beneath him.
Finally, Briscoe connects with the Jay Driller on MJF, but Doyle saves the match. MJF orders Andrade to hold Briscoe in place for another cheap shot. Andrade reluctantly agrees… then blasts Max with a spinning back elbow instead.
The reveal? Andrade tears away his shirt to unveil one reading, “Fuck Don, Fuck MJF.”
The distraction is all Briscoe needs. One more Jay Driller puts Doyle away for the three-count, earning Briscoe an AEW World Championship match while Team MJF literally and figuratively falls apart around the champion.
Team Briscoe def. Team DCMJF, earning Mark Briscoe a shot at MJF’s World title
That was fun. Less fun is the bad audio on Chicken’s interview with Lexi Nair backstage. Excalibur and I both think Mark was issuing a challenge for this Wednesday’s Dynamite, though.