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AEW FORBIDDEN DOOR PPV
JUNE 28, 2026
SAN JOSE, CALIF. AT SAP CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON PPV (including PPV.com)
Commentators: Excalibur, Nigel McGuinness, Walker Stewart
Attendance: WrestleTix reports 9,021 tickets were distributed. It was set up for 9,374. The previous visit to the arena was for the Oct. 16, 2024 Dynamite which drew 3,464.
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[PRE-SHOW]
(A) DRILLA MOLONEY vs. DANIEL GARCIA
WINNER: Moloney.
(B) MAIKA vs. SKYE BLUE – Survival of the Fittest Qualifier
WINNER: Maika to advance in the quest for the AEW TBS Title.
(C) DIVINE DOMINION (Megan Bayne & Lena Kross) vs. THUNDER ROSA & OLYMPIA – AEW Women’s Tag Team Title match
WINNER: Bayne & Kross to retain the AEW Women’s Tag Team Titles.
[MAIN PPV]
(1) THE YOUNG BUCKS (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. EL SKY TEAM (Mistico & Mascara Dorada) vs. UNBOUND CO. (Shingo Takagi & Titan)
The fans are this up one highspot after another and, no, I’m not even going to try to keep up on all the spots in the description here.
Shingo ate stereo superkicks from the Bucks. Titan leaped off the top rope but ended up in position for a springboard stuff tombstone. They both made the cover and the ref made the count.
Excalibur called it an amazing way to kick off Forbidden Door.
WINNERS: The Young Bucks in 18:00.
(2) KENNY OMEGA vs. ZACK SABRE JR.
Excalibur noted that Omega wants to beat someone of ZSJ’s caliber to prove he’s still worthy of AEW World Title contention. Tje bell rang 30 minutes into the hour. Nigel McGuinness discussed losing to ZSJ last year. Excalibur said ZSJ said his style is like jazz music, weaving and flowing, although he had made a note to improve his striking to round out his style. Nigel said he didn’t like jazz music.
They fought at ringside. Excalibur said the referee was “understandably liberal” with his ten count. They battled on top of the Spanish announce desk. ZSJ blocked Omega’s move and applied a submission hold there instead. ZSJ took over with sustained offense, focusing on Omega’s arm. Omega fired back with some chops at 9:00. ZSJ stayed in control and landed a running boot in the corner. When he went for another, Omega surged out of the corner and landed his own big boot.
Omega landed a running flip dive over the top rope to the floor. The announcers talked about ZSJ’s abdominal injury that has lingered for a while. Back in the ring, Omega landed a top rope dropkick for a two count. They battled back and forth mid-ring for a few minutes. Omega gave ZSJ a Snap Dragon suplex. Both were down and slow to get up.
ZSJ made a comeback and threw roundkicks to Omega’s chest. Omega let out a battle cry and caught ZSJ’s leg. ZSJ escaped and went back to working over Omega’s arm with his creative submission style. At 19:00, Omega exploded with a lariat that took ZSJ down hard. Omega set up a move off the second rope, but ZSJ countered with a sleeper. Omega leaped backwards and crashed ZSJ to the mat. Both landed hard and were slow to get up.
Omega landed a V-Trigger a couple minutes later, but ZSJ leveraged Omega’s shoulders down for a near fall. ZSJ gave Omega a Michinoku Driver for a dramatic near fall at 24:00. Omega set up a Snap Dragon, but ZSJ dropped down and applied a triangle. Fans reacted to that counter. Omega escaped and landed a One-Winged Angel a minute later for the win. The announcers gushed about the match, including calling it “a masterpiece.” Nigel noted Omega is looking to win the AEW World Title again.
WINNER: Omega in 26:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Excellent match. That was a really well-executed mix of two styles meshing well and telling a story that felt like a genuine battle to win the whole way. The announcers really leaned into this being an international rivalry even if they haven’t had recent singles matches, but Omega would see a win here as validation that he can chase another AEW World Title run.)
(3) JON MOXLEY vs. BANDIDO – AEW Continental Title match
The bell rang 3 minutes into the hour. As they started with a feel-out process, Nigel said he didn’t want to say Mox was being “apathetic” so he’d say he was “methodical.” Yes, that’s a good call. Mox leaped through the ropes and tackled Bandido at 4:00. When Mox threw Bandido back into the ring, before Mox could full turn around, Bandido leaped over the top rope with a dive on Mox.
Bandido threw Mox back into the ring. When he leaped at Mox in the corner, Mox lifted his boots and knocked him hard to the mat. Mox threw Bandido into the ringside steps. Bandido came up bleeding. Back in the ring, Mox tore Bandido’s mask. Excalibur said that in Mexico, that would be an automatic disqualification. Mox played to the booing fans. Excalibur said Bandido is going to have not only mount a comeback and withstand this onslaught, but he’d also need to try to keep his mask in position. (Mox really ripped it good.)
Mox mounted Bandido and threw elbows and forearms. For some reason, the ref and Walker on commentary indicated this wasn’t fair play by Mox. Mox mounted Bandido in the corner and threw right fists to his bloodied forehead. Bandido landed a released running sitout powerbomb. Mox hit at Bandido’s mask. Excalibur called him disgusting. Nigel called him a pig.
Bandido surged with a comeback and punched away at Mox in the corner as fans counted along. Bandido landed a running knee strike to a sitting Mox and scored a two count at 12:00. Bandido leaped off the to rope with a frog splash, but Mox lifted his knees. Bandido and Mox stood an exchanged kicks mid-ring.
Bandido set up a 21 Plex, but Mox landed a hard lariat and a Death Rider and scored a dramatic near fall. Mox climbed to the top rope. Bandido fought back to try to block whatever Mox was setting up. Bandido bit Moxley’s forehead and then landed a top rope backflip powerslam for a near fall. Fans chanted, “This is awesome!” Bandido set up a 21 Plex, but he slipped and Mox then put him in a sleeper. Bandido rolled through and leveraged Mox’s shoulders down for a near fall. Mox held on and shifted to a Bulldog Choke. Eventually the ref determined Bandido was out and called for the bell.
Mox celebrated by doing some push-ups. Mox then helped lift Bandido afterward and offered a handshake. Bandido shook his hand.
WINNER: Moxley in 18:00 to retain the AEW Continental Title.
(Keller’s Analysis: Another stellar match. The first three PPV matches could easily be the show-closing three matches on an excellent event. I don’t like that Bandido shook the hand of the man who ripped his mask nearly off in the match and whose team member Claudio Castagnoli violently hit his partner Brody King in the head with a title belt just four days ago. It just makes it seem that nothing really matters even if it seems it should because they just “do stuff for the sake of doing stuff.”)
(4) SHOTA UMINO vs. PAC – IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship match
The bell rang 28 minutes into the hour. They had an intense back and forth battle. Pac eventually pulled a table out from under the ring. Umino went after Pac at ringside and then looked to the fans for approval as he looked at the table. He set up the table as fans chanted, “We Want Tables!”
Pac took over again and went back into the ring. Pac landed an overhead toss off the top rope and then scored a near fall. A few minutes later, Pac tossed Umino over the top rope and through the table with a released Razor’s Edge. Pac threw Umino into the ring and landed a top rope 450 splash for a near fall. He then applied a Brutalizer immediately. Umino draped his boot over the bottom rope.
Umino then made a comeback and scored several near falls. He hit a Paradigm Shift and a Northern Lights Bomb for the clean win. Hiroshi Tanahashi came out and put the belt around his waist.
WINNER: Umino in 19:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Another really good match, but perhaps a bit too similar in key ways including length the previous matches. A buffer match of a different style match between this and the previous matches might’ve been better.)
Commentary Note: Tony Schiavone joined the commentary team
(5) THEKLA vs. STARLIGHT KID – AEW Women’s Title match
The bell rang 57 minutes into the hour. They fought to ringside a few minutes in. Thekla harassed Stardom President Taro Okada.
Starlight Kid focused on Thekla’s leg including a stretch muffler. Thekla fought back and delivered Spider Suplex out of the corner, then hung up side down by her legs afterward. Starlight slammed Thekla onto the ring apron at 11:00. Excalibur noted that move was a tribute to Dynamite Kid and his battles with Black Tiger.
Starlight threw Thekla back into the ring. She went for a top rope moonsault, but Thekla moved and then speared Starlight. She went for a stomp, but Starlight moved an then dropkicked Thekla in the back.
Starlight applied a stretch muffler and spun Thekla around and slammed her to the mat at 16:00. Thekla rolled to the bottom rope to force a break. They battled back and forth from there with several near falls as fans chanted “This is awesome!” Thekla eventually landed a stomp for the win.
Afterward, Skye Blue and Julia Hart came out. They yanked off Starlight Kid’s mask and then Thekla fulfilled her promise and spit in Starlight Kid’s mask. She then shoved it at Stardom President Taro Okada.
WINNER: Thekla in 19:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: There was a lot of anticipation for this match-up, and I don’t think anyone would be disappointed. Thekla still leans on her spider gimmick but in a much more integrated way with being a badass wrestler. She plays to the crowd to get heat without it seeming to take away from her being focused on winning a big stakes fight. She’s really rising to a legitimate centerpiece act in AEW. Starlight Kid shined here.)
(6) ADAM COPELAND & CHRISTIAN CAGE vs. THE DOGS (David Finlay & Clark Connors) – AEW World Tag Team Title match
The bell rang 26 minutes into the hour. At 5:00 Christian charged at Finley, who side-stepped him. Christian crashed to the floor and favored his prior injured wrist. The Dogs isolated Christian in their corner.
Copeland knocked Finlay off the ring apron as he was running and planning to leap onto Christian. He threw Christian into the ring and then reached for the tag. Finley yanked Christian by his boot, but Christian thumbed his eyes and then hot-tagged in Copeland. Copeland landed an Impaler for a near fall at 12:00.
Finlay leapfrogged Copeland during a spear attempt. The Dogs then took over against Copeland. They gave him a High/Low for a near fall.
Finlay hit Christian with a shillelagh. When he wound up to hit Copeland with it, the lights went out. When they came back on, The Bang Bang Gang were standing under a spotlight. Then in the ring, “Switchblade” Jay White stood. He gave Finley his finisher. Excalibur said he was away from the ring more than a year. Copeland then speared Finlay for a three count. Excalibur wondered if White did that out of respect for Copeland and Christian or just out of animosity toward The Dogs.
WINNERS: Christian & Copeland in 18:00 to retain the AEW Tag Team Titles.
(Keller’s Analysis: A hard-hitting cage. A little more formulaic, and that’s not a bad thing. At first, I think fans groaned a bit at The Bang Bang Gang being the “reveal” after the lights went out, so Jay White was a nice upgrade from there.)
(7) MERCEDES MONE vs. MAYA WORLD – Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Final
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