AEW Forbidden Door features competitive matches and strong performances

"

AEW Forbidden Door is done and dusted and in the history books for this year (Check out Stunning Sean’s liveblog right here for full details!), but “Claire,” you ask, “how was the show?” Let’s talk about it, and let’s talk about it on a bunch of different axes. If you’ve been hanging out here at Cageside Seats for a while you might remember back when I did match recommendation posts for New Japan Pro Wrestling shows and we’re gonna bring a little bit of that “on a scale of 1-5, do you need to watch this if you missed it?” energy (and remember, those aren’t star ratings, they’re not direct commentary on the quality of a match, just me casually telling you whether I think a match is worth going out of your way to check out or not), a little bit of bullet point fun, we’re gonna rank some stuff, we’re gonna compare some stuff, we’re gonna break the door down! Zero Hour First up, a quickie rapid-fire round for the pre-show matches which, as you might expect were all fun enough, fine enough, but none of them are appointment viewing. Drilla Moloney and Daniel Garcia had themselves a fun little brawl. Moloney set the tone early with hard elbows, Garcia leveraged his technical acumen and turned the tide with precision grappling, targeting Drilla’s leg, but alas even Marina Shafir couldn’t get Danny the win. Maika qualified for Survival of the Fittest on Monday in another hard-hitting brawl. Maika controlled the ring all through the early goings but Blue hung in there and put some offense together as the story developed into being one of Maika’s power against Skye’s speed. Thunder Rosa and Olympia brought the chutzpah and stood on both feet in front of the dominant Divine Dominion. A couple big high spots and tight nearfalls late in the match made this one stand out slightly relative to the other two, but the champs retaining was never really in doubt. Sky Team vs. Unbound Co. vs. Young Bucks Best Dressed: Titan’s “Venom at the beach” look sure was something! It’s a three-way tag, so you know it’s chaotic, although this is tempered somewhat by being a “two-in” tag rather than a proper “three-in” three-way. The basic outline is simple, Unbound are working heel, Sky Team are working face, the Young Bucks are the Young Bucks, and all six men step on the gas and they don’t really let up. It’s far from the first time he’s said it but every time Excalibur says “area code shots” for a 619/Tiger feint kick I laugh. .@MascaraDoradMD turns the tide with a massive Shooting Star Press! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/Gq2sj0Irtn — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 Big spot: A sequence including a shooting star press to the floor, quadruplicate Superkick Parties aimed at both Unbound guys in turn, and a springboard flip piledriver from Nick Jackson that left everybody down and out. Big spot: Titan with the absolute grodiest double stomp off the top I’ve seen in some time. What kind of door is this match? A busted screen door buffeted by just enough wind that it slams back and forth in a rhythmic pattern that gets stuck in your head and you end up writing a song about it. How forbidden is it: A three out of five– clearly interpromotional, but not like “oh wow they got those guys?!” And on the match recommendation scale?: A solid and obvious three (3). If you like fast-paced high intensity matches that are all adrenaline it’s a little bit higher, if you don’t it’s naturally lower. Kenny Omega vs. Zack Sabre, Jr. I miss Hey Scenesters as Sabre’s music. At the very least you’d think somebody would have Jimmy Hart’d the riff by now. Oh hey Zack Sabre, Jr. is cocky and controlling the match on the mat early on, what a shock. Omega takes things slightly dirty on the floor, aware that he’s gonna need to cut a few corners and grind a few eyes into barricades to keep up, and that sets up the story. Big spot: Diving double stomp off the apron and through the announce desk cover from Omega, and moments later, ZSJ got his back with an octopus hold on the desk, with bonus bird flip (Both kinds of bird, no less!) AND making sure Kenny’s face went into the floor when they tumbled off, ouch. That little exchange lead to Zack being in control, but ol’ Kenneth is a wily vet and has plenty of tricks left to keep himself in the fight. But of course, eventually Zack’s kitchen sink drains to the point where he figures out what he’s targeting, and Omega’s arm is in the crosshairs. Big spot: Sabre counters an avalanche One-Winged Angel into a sleeper hold… and has it countered by Kenny falling back into an avalanche senton! One beautiful thing about Zack Sabre, Jr.’s approach is he never quite gives up the kitchen sink entirely, as evidenced by a late ankle lock that he grabs like he means to win the match with it, knowing that Omega’s injured arm will make it harder for him to fight out. HEAD FIRST goes Sabre Jr.! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/RK5w7wqtYk — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 Big spot: An absolutely vicious short piledriver from the Best Bout Machine. What kind of door is this match? A solid familiar oak door, heavy but with a light swing to it, that leads to a safe warm place. How forbidden is it? One out of five. It’s ostensibly interpromotional but like c’mon, Kenny was a main eventer in New Japan for years and Forbidden Door is Zack Sabre, Jr.’s annual AEW spotlight. And on the match recommendation scale? Five (5) out of five instant classic no question. If you’re catching up on this show the only real reason not to check it out would be if you really don’t like either guy but even then like c’mon, give it five minutes and see if you don’t get hooked. Bandido vs. Jon Moxley (c) (AEW Continental Championship) Slow and steady early, feeling out with mat grappling, then posing for the crowd to trade reactions, then a little bit of light lucha libre to liven things up, then trading chops, and all through the early phase here the story is that the ROH and Continental champs are evenly matched. Moxley lands a dropkick to the knee and a dive and that marks a turning of the tide and Bandido on the back foot. TERRIBLE landing for @BandidoWrestler on the steel steps! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/UiM1DzR8q4 — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 Big spot: Jon lands a piledriver on the steel steps that leaves Bandido pouring blood from his forehead! Of course Moxley bites the wound. Of course he does. And he halfway tears Bandido’s damn mask off! It’s the Jon Moxley show from there for a while but of course Bandido has plenty of fight in him and, since Jon focused on the wound, the rest of him is relatively fresh and fighting frisky and manages to kick out of a Death Rider at one point. Big spot: Moonsault fallaway slam off the top from Bandido! Respect EARNED from @JonMoxley! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/jfJZQNF2IT — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 Respect earned: Mox shakes Bandido’s hand after, finding him a worthy competitor. What kind of door is this match? A basement door that wasn’t quite hung right and you gotta put your shoulder into it a little and oh hell please don’t fall down the stairs but darn it you need to go in the basement because there’s cool stuff down there. How forbidden is it? Zero out of five, the door is not forbidden, both of these guys work for AEW and it’s contested for an AEW championship. (That’s right, this particular scale goes to zero!) And on the match recommendation scale? I’m gonna go for a nice solid four (4) here– A very good, very fun match that nonetheless I felt could have found a higher gear to go into. PAC vs. Shota Umino (IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship) Aw, Shota’s all grown up and doesn’t look like a Young Lion playacting in his daddy’s wardrobe anymore. PAC is attacking Shota hard and fast in the early moments of this match! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/W75ScbWlbn — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 PAC immediately takes the action to the floor and beats the hell out of Umino like… well… like he’s a Young Lion. Oh well. Best dressed: I like Shota’s pink tights with white/silver stripes and “Shooter” written across the seat of his ass. Umino doesn’t just take a beating of course, and gets back into it with kicks and a story develops where Shota takes everything the Bastard gives him with a smile and gives it back as hard as he can. Big spot: Hanging spike DDT off the barricade from Shooter, and then PAC returns the favor when they go back inside by dropping him on his head with a belly-to-belly into the turnbuckles. Do they have mudholes in Newcastle? A fair question from Nigel McGuinness. Plunder alert: Shota brings a table into play over referee Paul Turner’s objections, but of course, the “he who smelt it, dealt it” rule of plunder comes into play and much later… …after Shota’s fighting spirit carries him as far as it can… The fighting spirit of @Shooter_us can not be so easily extinguished, but @BASTARDPAC sends him FLYING into the table below! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/nH0aPNCKRH — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 DANGERRROUS: …AND PAC PUTS HIM THROUGH THE TABLE WITH A RAZOR’S EDGE OVER THE ROPES AND TO THE FLOOR! Cool post-match plot development: Jon Moxley came to the ring to somewhat jovially stare down his one-time son, Shooter, and then Hiroshi Tanahashi showed up to put the belt on Umino’s waist and raise his hand. What kind of door is this match? A rusted, paint-stripped back door to the building where you go to work. It’s kinda grody, but it’s hung well and it swings nicely. How forbidden is it? It’s an AEW star challenging for a New Japan title held by a man who’s spent his entire career from training in the dojo to the present day in the New Japan system– It’s not a incredible dream match, but it’s a four out of five, baby! And on the match recommendation scale? A good start and a hot finishing stretch can’t make up for a sagging middle act well enough to make it past a three (3). By all means, check it out, but maybe stay ready to fast-forward a bit. Starlight Kid vs. Thekla (c) (AEW Women’s World Championship) Best Dressed: Starlight Kid’s entrance mask tribute to Jushin “Thunder” Liger. #AEW Women's World Champion @toxic_thekla has declared war on @wwr_stardom as she takes on their top star StarLight Kid! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/2P8gvmBAzq — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 Cool Entrance: Thekla’s entrance is preceded by a pair of women swinging flaming swords and breathing fire who look like they came from a time between the years when the oceans drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities and the years of the rise of the sons of Aryas. They keep saying “no relation (to Kazuchika Okada)” every time Stardom president Taro Okada is on screen, which just makes me want to see the two Okadas film some comedy bits. Kid is hot out the gates but Thekla bails and takes her time before coming back in for cheap shots and immediately tearing at her mask, but Starlight doesn’t let it turn into a rout, so the Toxic Spider takes things to the floor and escalates, including a confrontation with Taro. Starlight mounts a comeback based around working Thekla’s knee and that sets the stage for escalations. Big spot: Hanging headscissors in the ropes from the Toxic Spider! .@StarLight_Kid11 just changed the complexion of this match! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/dbWx7zlO12 — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 Big spot: A northern lights bomb on the apron from the challenger that commentary delightfully calls Black Tiger’s Divine Punishment. Me-ow! I just noticed Starlight Kid’s mask has a Forbidden Door title belt plate covering up the laces on the back, which is a lovely combination of goofy and smart. The momentum keeps building for @StarLight_Kid11 as she puts the pressure on the champion! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/3DfqSFI9vp — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 Big spot: An absolutely vicious wrist-clutch Stretch Muffler swing from the challenger! You get a final stretch full of kickouts and near-misses, Thekla becoming absolutely volcanic in her rage by the end of it. #AEW Women’s World Champion @toxic_thekla crosses the line with blatant disrespect once again toward @StarLight_Kid11 and @wwr_stardom President Okada! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/EGFfd59CiD — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 She’s a woman of her word: Post-match, Thekla cut Starlight’s mask off and took a big steaming… spit… in it and then took it to the floor to whip Taro Okada in the head with it. What kind of door is this match? A glass door to a little corner store that seems shady at first but eventually the folks behind the counter see you as a regular and get to know you and they stock all your favorites but there’s this one lady that they hate and you can’t tell why. How forbidden is it? On the upside, a Stardom wrestler is challenging for an AEW title, on the downside, Starlight Kid and Thekla have history from Stardom, so even though it’s definitely an interpromotional match, it’s at best a two out of five. And on the match recommendation scale? They set a good pace and largely kept it up, and maybe I could have wished for some higher highs but it’s a damn fine match and worth the time if you’ve got it. Gonna say four (4) out of five, but even if you do skip it, take a moment to watch the post-match. Adam Copeland & Christian Cage (c) vs. the Dogs (AEW Men’s World Tag Team Championship) Well that’s rude, the Dogs don’t even wait for the tag champs to start being people up, laying out a couple crew members on the stage. They’re surprisingly civil in the feeling out though, first Cage and Clark Connors, then Copeland and David Finlay, Dogs briefly on the back foot but Christian reinjures his forearm and they smell blood in the water! “We’ve known how ruthless [Cage] is, if for no other reason than the number of mother’s he banged.” Thanks, Nigel. GRUESOME attack to the face of @Christian4Peeps and the referee didn't see it! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/k8zSVSe5m4 — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 Playing with fire: Connors lights a match and puts it out on Christian’s head! Big spot: The Dogs put Cage’s injured arm under the steel steps and step on them to grind the steel in! At that point, Copeland recovers, makes the save, and gets the tag and things escalate as they do. Cage & Cope looked to have the match won, but @ClarkConnors shoved @Christian4Peeps into the referee! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/vodH9L2C7G — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 Ref bump! Clark breaks up an assisted spear pin on Finlay by shoving Christian into referee Stephon Smith! Big spot: Connors and Copeland spear each other at the same time! Finlay just clocks Cage in the neck with the shillelagh, it’s kinda gross. Lights out: The lights go down as David is about to hit Adam with the shillelagh, and they come up with the Bang Bang Gang on the stage! Ok. Ready? @JayWhiteNZ is back! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/bYjc6eS6gX — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 “SWITCHBLADE” JAY WHITE IS BACK! He takes Finlay out with Blade Runner! What kind of door is this match? Swinging wooden doors to an old west saloon, weathered and scratched but hanging in there. How forbidden is it? It wasn’t too long ago that the Dogs were New Japan talent, but today as it’s happening this match is two AEW teams fighting for an AEW title, for a zero out of five. And on the match recommendation scale? Honestly there’s not too much to this match. Switchblade coming back is cool, the match spot was different, but other than that and the stuff with Christian’s arm nothing really stands out. A perfectly fine match, but a two (2) out of five on our scale– non-essential and basically skippable. Maya World vs. Mercedes Mone (Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Finals) The story here is that World knows she needs to get at least a little lucky and she goes for a quick succession of pinning predicaments early and generally presses her attack and uses her speed, defeating Mone’s early attempts to pretzel her up and grind her down. Finally Mercedes finds the cheat code to cut Maya off and it turns out it’s hitting a series of Meteoras, on the floor and back inside and the match takes on a back-and-forth tenor with the veteran having the advantage but not to an overwhelming degree. .@MayaWorldd dumps @MercedesVarnado through the ropes after an impressive trio of fallaway slams! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/3n3gSNjghF — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 Big spot: Locomotion bridging fallaway slams, the third of which sends Mercedes crashing through the ropes and to the floor! Big spot: Maya reverses a Tombstone Codebreaker into a flip piledriver! MAYA KICKED OUT OF THE MONÉ MAKER! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/4yrtOA0lpX — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 World gets to kick out of a Mone Maker, which is a nice nod of approval. Big spot: World lands a sunset flip powerbomb to the floor and then an Asai moonsault! Generally this is really doing a great job of pushing Maya World as a woman who has a solid chance of beating Mercedes Mone on any given day, good stuff. Story development: Athena gets an interview where she berates Maya as not being championship material and generally sets up another match between those two, so that’ll be fun. What kind of door is this match? Automatic sliding door that hesitates for a moment when you step up to the sensor and you think “what, do I not have a soul or something?” and then it opens and you go about your business. How forbidden is it? AEW wrestlers competing in an AEW tournament for an AEW tournament championship belt. That’s a zero out of five. And on the match recommendations scale? Five (5) out of five star-making performance, it’s not the absolute best match on the show in a vacuum, but as part of the stories of World and Mone it’s a beautiful nigh-perfect slice of pro wrestling, watch it! Team Briscoe vs. Team DCMJF (Steel Cage Match) Oh, the cage is round, that’s weird. It’s huge too, it encloses a large chunk of ringside area, like Hell in a Cell. It has a special name, too– Death’s Door. Seems like the kind of thing you’d announce ahead of time but what do I know? Best Dressed: Aw, Team DCMJF are all wearing the gross shirts that Don Callis had made with the beefcake painting of him and MJF on it, that’s cute. As one would expect, this match is pure chaos from the jump with twelve guys locked in the cage. Gonna be a lot of “Big spot” callouts. Big spot: Jake Doyle powerbombs Darby Allin into the apron and then into the cage! Heels in control as things settle down, Maxwell Jacob Friedman takes special time to talk trash at and kick Mark Briscoe while he’s down because of course he does. Oh lord they get out a table with the t-shirt painting on it. Ah, “Fuck Don Callis!” chants, music to my and, apparently, Tony Schiavone’s ears. Plunder alert: Andrade el Idolo and Max get into an argument and things break down on the heel team, allowing Roderick Strong to wreak havoc with a hockey equipment bag. WHAT’S IN THE BAG?! An NES?! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/FskNX807ht — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 Plunder alert: As promised, Orange Cassidy got everybody backpacks. Kyle O’Reilley’s has a Nintendo Entertainment System in it, complete with controllers! (Bonus fun fact: Tired of blinking screens on your NES? It’s very easy to disable the lockout chip and that solves the problem. All you need to do is cut one pin on the chip, look it up!) Big spot: O’Reilly loads Donkey Kong into the NES and smashes Kyle Fletcher in the face with it, opening a wound and starting a crimson mask! Plunder alert: Briscoe’s backpack introduces thumbtacks to the match, because this match wasn’t gonna not have thumbtacks. Big spot: MJF back body drops Darby Allin hands-first into the tacks, holy ouch! Max brings a pushbroom into the ring to clear the tacks out, but all it really does is make the floor a minefield of thumbtacks and lets Orange hit him low with the handle of the broom. Steel cage war? Still gotta stay hydrated. Orange slices for the team! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/JM5LTjFj0V — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 Plunder alert: Cassidy pulls a back of orange slices out of his backpack with a “Good luck– Willow” label on them. The babyfaces enjoy some oranges and then squirt the juice into Fletcher’s headwound, always one of my top “oh no” deathmatch spots. The match then filters into a sort of grudge match section as first Konosuke Takeshita and Kazuchika Okada get into it trading elbows and the Alpha wins the exchange and pulls a middle finger out of his backpack! Fletcher joins the fight so Takeshita can get over both of his former stablemates he’s had an issue with, and then we get some Darby Allin vs. Kevin Knight action to push things along nicely. Plunder alert: I just noticed there’s a whole contraption of four tables with the Team DCMJF graphic stacked up at ringside and that’s not gonna end well. Big spot: Knight does a proper Coast 2 Coast on Darby with the chair, always nice to see. .@IamLioRush was inside the hockey bag! The @ringofhonor World TV Champion takes out Team DCMJF, but he came looking for one ring to rule them all… Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/dpkAaVXlE5 — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 Lio Rush was in the hockey bag?! He and Andrade repeat their “How you know?” / “It’s fine!” exchange and Lio takes him out with a Stunner, and everything about this rules, up to and including Knight and Doyle deciding to stuff Rush back in the hockey bag and zip him up, chain him up, and shove him back under the ring. Plunder alert: Briscoe cleans house with the ladder airplane spot! Big spot: O’Reilly puts Doyle through a table with an Olympic slam! Big spot: Takeshita puts Fletcher through a table with a Blue Thunder Driver! Guys are going down and the match is thinning out, but Cassidy steps up to defend Mark Briscoe and takes a direct shot from the Dynamite Diamond Ring, but in the process sets up a Scorpion Death Drop and a Coffin Drop from Darby. And then he misdirects Kevin into splashing Max on top of that! Ain’t teamwork great? Absolute chaos as @DarbyAllin sets off the explosive bag and takes out Team DCMJF from the top of the cage! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/7bQwN0n5hh — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 DANGERRROUS: Knight climbs atop the cage and grabs a bag… and the bag was booby trapped, exploded in his face, and sent him crashing through the table contraption and set up a Coffin Drop to boot! Speaking of star-making, certainly not to the same degree as Maya World in the last match but Jake Doyle is getting a lot of shine here and that’s great. Big spot: Andrade, having finally had enough of MJF’s shit, lays him out with the back elbow, continuing the treadmill of talent getting fed up with Don Callis that’s been a real natural story generator and great stuff. .@AndradeElIdolo has left Team DCMJF in the DUST! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/51Nz3IFmHQ — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 Best Dressed: El Idolo tears his Team DCMJF shirt off and reveals a “Fuck Don, fuck MJF” tank underneath, but unfortunately his pants stay on. And hey now Mark Briscoe gets a title match against MJF, that’s bitchin’. What kind of door is this match? This is one of those big automatic revolving doors, a lot of throughput and some awkward shuffle-steps as you overthink keeping up with the opening, but it’s there to do a job and it does it well. How forbidden is it? All AEW talent in an AEW match, I’m afraid we’re out of Forbidden Door material at this point in the show and it’s another zero out of five. And on the match recommendations scale? Five (5) out of five it’s chaotic, it’s a mess, I’m not sure it has a place on a scale of bad to good but it sure as hell is worth watching. Shane “Swerve” Strickland vs. Will Ospreay (Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Finals) In winning the #OwenCup, @SwerveConfident is looking to become "The Main Man" once again at #AEWAllIn! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/VMThz7S31N — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 Cool Entrance: Swerve drives in doing Lobo cosplay on a motorcycle, cigar in his mouth and gut hook wrapped around his neck! (I feel like I need to note for posterity that Ospreay was dressed as Bane but eh that’s less fun Bane kinda sucks sorry I said what I said.) (I’m more of a Marvel girl anyway.) (But ironically not Marvel Girl, I’m more of a Cyclops if we’re talking which mutant I relate to.) (Okay that’s enough parentheticals.) It’s almost over before it begins as they duck and dodge each other’s finishers, which I have mixed feelings about because obviously this match is going to be very good and it’d be a shame to end it early but also it is twelve fifteen in the AM and my head hurts. Anyway, Will goes a hundred miles an hour because he doesn’t know any other way to be, but Strickland starts targeting his neck and the pace slows. Ospreay’s time with Death Riders visibly pays off as he stays level-headed and lands a couple vicious elbows after Shane trash talks him. Big spot: Counters on counters lead to Swerve hitting a gosh darn satellite… I can’t decide whether I want to call it a high-angle powerslam or a Big Pressure but either way it was wicked. Death Ground gets a tap on the floor and Will keeps it in for so long that referee Paul Turner has to admonish him and you can practically see Jon Moxley standing over him coaching him. Big spot: Prince Nana throws coffee in Ospreay’s face and sets up an apron powerbomb and a catapult neck-first into the exposed turnbuckle, holy hell. Ospreay is leaking prodigiously from a head wound. Red means green baby! Amazing how a bit of claret can raise the stakes. Swerve ate the Hidden Blade from @WillOspreay and BLASTED Ospreay back with one of his own! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/5BENJWpcHw — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 Swerve eating a Hidden Blade and just ripping one off right back without even staggering was badass. Big spot: Will reverses an avalanche powerbomb into a Frankensteiner and jumps right into the corkscrew kick! Then Swerve counters OsCutter into Deadeye! And now Strickland has a fountain in his head, pooling and pouring down the steps after Will bounced his face into it and he’s at about a .8 on the Muta Scale in seconds. Wrestling is just better with blood! Styles Clash onto the unforgiving announce desk! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/9dfpx94lLZ — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 Big spot: Ospreay hits a Styles Clash off the steel steps and into the announce desk, good lord. Strickland slipped on his own blood on his way back to the ring. They’re just digging deep and finding new and interesting escalations and this isn’t my personal favorite main event style (that would be c. 2014-17 indie technical wrestling ala Evolve) but they’re kicking ass with it and making everything count. Seriously though blood is everywhere I do not envy the janitorial staff and ring crew tonight. Okay I don’t love the fighting spirit “let’s kick out of each other’s finishers at one” spot but then they immediately went to a malfunction at the junction and ended up down and out on the mat AND it was House Call and Hidden Blade, so like their striking volume finishers rather than anything that’s a one-shot win, so I can forgive it this once. Where are @SwerveConfident & @WillOspreay getting this energy!? Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/0AljhyF8fH — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 They line up on opposite sides of the ring, take off their gloves/tape, and charge at each other like it’s some kind of duel, which rules. Ref bump: Swerve shoved Will into Turner and kicked Ospreay low in the beat before Paul got himself together, nice and easy and not overwrought like a lot of ref bumps. Uh-oh, the Death Riders are at ringside to cheer Ospreay on… and it works, because Will shrugs off a House Call entirely! BUCKSHOT HIDDEN BLADE FROM OSPREAY! Watch #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on HBO Max PPV pic.twitter.com/kRBX1D3iWv — All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) June 29, 2026 Big spot: Will did a Buckshot Hidden Blade! Everybody borrowing Hangman’s moves makes me really curious to see how and when he comes back. What kind of door is this match? A blown-out doorframe after a huge explosion, the door barely hanging onto its hinges. The wall on one side is gone and the other side might be on fire. How forbidden is it? Closing the night out with a zero out of zero again, naturally. And on the match recommendations scale? It’s closer than I expected but I’m still gonna go with a five (5) out of five. Intense match that told a story well and was just barely on the good side of doing too much for me. Skip it if you’re squeamish about blood or don’t particularly like the AEW house style. Final Takeaways Was Forbidden Door a good show? Yeah, it was a great show. All In is starting to take shape, some of the matches were better than others but there wasn’t a bum in the bunch. Really my only complaint is that if you look at the matches I found most exciting and worthy of recommendation… only Omega vs. Sabre was a *Forbidden Door* match as such. But gimme a great show that could have been more on-theme over a mediocre show that was perfectly on theme any day, and Forbidden Door was very much the former. What do y’all think, Cagesiders?