All Elite Wrestling has enjoyed a creatively wonderful 2026, highlighted by its strong efforts on pay-per-view. For its next big show, it invited promotional partners New Japan Pro Wrestling, World Wonder Ring STARDOM, and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre to the party for the latest installment of AEW Forbidden Door.
Between the four aforementioned feds and AEW’s sister promotion, Ring of Honor, they gave us nine matches on the main card, including the men’s and women’s finals of the Owen Hart Cup and a massive steel cage bout. So, let’s talk about what worked on this show and what didn’t.
Hits for AEW Forbidden Door 2026
Will Ospreay vs. Swerve Strickland
Every time Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay face off in the ring, they set off fireworks, and it was no different at Forbidden Door. We got another classic from these two superstars. You can quibble with the match length or some of the spots, but it all worked in the context of this high-stakes, personal match.
Plus, the right guy went over in the end. Ospreay’s win continues his hero’s journey to winning the world title at Wembley Stadium. On the other end, it will be interesting to see where Strickland goes from here, as he doesn’t have a clear creative direction in the wake of his runner-up finish in the Owen Cup.
Mercedes Moné vs. Maya World
The distaff finals of the Owen Hart Tournament gave us one of the best women’s matches in AEW history. Moné continues to grow her résumé as the go-to superstar in the division for high-caliber showcase matches, and in the process, imparts some of her star equity onto a potential new one in Maya World.
Going into this match, World seemed like an obvious candidate for a big push, especially in the wake of several key injuries to some big names (though Willow Nightingale is nearing a return). That recommendation has only strengthened after this performance against Moné.
Steel Cage Match/Andrade El Idolo turns on the Don Callis Family
The second leg of the supposed “triple main event” delivered on the sort of mayhem you would expect from a big AEW multi-person gimmick match. We saw plenty of wacky, violent spots (including Mark Briscoe’s team using an NES as a weapon). There was another Lio Rush sighting. Jake Doyle got to be a peak MEAN MAN (™). Good times all around!
In the end, Andrade El Idolo had enough of Maxwell Jacob Friedman’s condescension, as he attacked the AEW World Champion, revealed his handmade “F— DON CALLIS AND MJF” shirt that he apparently had ready for this moment, and gave way to Briscoe pinning Doyle to win the match.
The turn worked with the crowd, as it culminated months of Andrade’s frustration with getting the workaround by Callis and Friedman. Like Takeshita, he will have a litany of opponents to work through in the Don Callis Family. Plus, he gives MJF another credible challenger.
Thekla vs. Starlight Kid
Despite most of this feud consisting of Thekla cutting solo promos stateside on STARDOM (there were a couple of big angles that happened in Japan, to be fair), the crowd responded well to this heated women’s title match. That speaks to how great these two women are.
Starlight Kid shined (no pun intended) in her AEW debut, matching the champion’s intensity and elevating this to a low-key Match of the Night contender. Of course, AEW fans are familiar with Thekla’s exploits, and they saw more of the same in this one. The post-match angle hinted at a rematch between these two (perhaps title vs. mask?). If so, the fans will rush to sign up for that.
Kenny Omega vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
The clash of these disparate styles made for an excellent match. It kept the story easy to follow — Omega tried to get to his signature offense, but ZSJ had different escape hatches for those occasions — and it was compelling. It’s great any time you get to see Sabre on U.S. soil, and hopefully, there’s more to come. But this was about Omega getting a win over a big name to catapult himself back into title contention, and with the next PPV taking place in Montréal, his next crack at MJF could happen there.
Jay White returns and costs The Dogs the tag titles
The tag title match between Cope & Cage and The Dogs was good but not great. That’s a byproduct of the champions’ advanced age (though they are still good for their age) and the fans not quite buying into David Finlay and Clark Connors as threats to win the belts.
Fortunately, we got a great moment in the form of the returning Jay White. “The Switchblade” surprised the man who usurped him as Bullet Club’s leader in NJPW and dropped him with a Blade Runner, leading to a title retention for the future Hall of Famers. Obviously, it was nice to see White after his lengthy injury, and his attack should catalyze a long-awaited program between The Dogs and The Bang Bang Gang.
Bandido vs. Jon Moxley
Aside from MJF, no men’s wrestler has been more valuable to AEW’s product in 2026 than Jon Moxley, and he proved it again against Bandido. The pro wrestling chameleon that he is, Moxley worked as the heel against the beloved Ring of Honor World Champion, and that dynamic accentuated Bandido’s strengths as a babyface.
Shota Umino vs. PAC
Like Starlight Kid, the San Jose crowd didn’t quite know what to do with Shota Umino at the beginning, but by the end of his match with PAC, the IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion won them over. NJPW sees Umino as a key part of their rebuild (as evidenced by the post-match endorsement he received from Hiroshi Tanahashi), and his performance in this “litmus test” match with the steady veteran was a good sign for his future.
The Young Bucks vs. Sky Team vs. Unbound Co.
A fun way to kick off the main show. It’s hard to have a bad match with The Young Bucks, Máscara Dorada, and Shingo Takagi involved, but everyone brought it here. Also, it’s always great to see lucha libre legend Místico.
Misses for AEW Forbidden Door 2026
“Triple Main Event” billing
This isn’t to suggest ill intent from Tony Khan or anyone else in employing this promotional tactic, but this nebulous tagline has gotten annoying. At best, it makes it seem like you’re avoiding criticism for not placing certain matches in the main event (specifically, a women’s match) or not ending the show with a world title match, so you turn to this branding to soften the blow. But it doesn’t fool anyone, so why bother?
It’s not the end of the world, and it’s mostly here because something had to go in this spot, but the orange isn’t worth the squeeze when it comes to this strategy.
If you would like even more AEW Coverage from Chris Jeter, check out more of his articles right here on Let Them Wrestle.
