The biggest crossover event in professional wrestling is here. AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door returned on June 28, 2026, drawing fans from across the globe to the SAP Center in San Jose, California, for a night packed with championship gold, dream matches, and career-defining moments. The fifth annual edition of Forbidden Door is also the most ambitious yet — now officially co-promoted by four major wrestling organizations: All Elite Wrestling, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), and World Wonder Ring Stardom. With five titles on the line, the Owen Hart Cup finals taking center stage, and a 12-man Steel Cage match that could reshape the AEW World Championship picture entirely, Forbidden Door 2026 delivered an unmissable event for fans of wrestling around the world.
What Is Forbidden Door? A Quick History
Forbidden Door was first established in 2022 as an annual co-promotional pay-per-view between AEW and NJPW, held during the northern hemisphere summer and designed specifically to deliver interpromotional dream matches that fans could not see anywhere else. The concept quickly became one of the most anticipated events on the wrestling calendar, drawing critical acclaim for its ability to blend different wrestling styles under one roof. After CMLL and Stardom became involved in the 2024 and 2025 editions, AEW president Tony Khan officially elevated both organizations to full co-promoter status beginning with the 2026 event — a historic first for the series. San Jose also marked another milestone, becoming the first West Coast city in the United States to host a Forbidden Door show.
Date, Venue, and How to Watch Forbidden Door 2026
Forbidden Door 2026 took place on Sunday, June 28, at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. The Zero Hour pre-show began at 7 p.m. ET, with the main card kicking off at 8 p.m. ET. The event was available to watch live on HBO Max, Prime Video, PPV.com, Fubo, Sling TV, Triller, and Fite TV in the United States. International fans could stream via DAZN and MyAEW.com, while the Buy-In pre-show was also available on YouTube.
Full Match Card: Forbidden Door 2026
Zero Hour Pre-Show Matches
The pre-show opened with a TBS Championship Survival of the Fittest qualifying match between Skye Blue and STARDOM’s Maika. A win for either woman meant a chance to compete for the vacant TBS Championship. Also featured on the Buy-In was the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship, as Divine Dominion — Megan Bayne and Lena Kross — defended their titles against the team of Thunder Rosa and CMLL’s Olympia, giving the pre-show a genuine international flavor before the main card got underway.
Main Card Matches
The nine-match main card at Forbidden Door 2026 featured an extraordinary range of styles and storylines. Below is a breakdown of every match and the buildup behind each one.
AEW World Tag Team Championship: Adam Copeland and Christian Cage (c) vs. David Finlay and Clark Connors
Cope and Cage brought their championships into hostile territory, defending against The Dogs — David Finlay and Clark Connors — in a hard-hitting clash with NJPW ties running through it. Finlay and Connors sought to become the first team to take the AEW World Tag titles back to Japan, adding an extra layer of stakes to the bout.
Three-Way Tag Team Match: The Young Bucks vs. Mistico and Mascara Dorada vs. Shingo Takagi and Titán
This explosive three-way match, added to the card during the June 24 episode of Dynamite, showcased the true spirit of Forbidden Door by placing teams from three separate promotions in the ring at once. The Young Bucks, three-time former AEW tag team champions, squared off against CMLL’s Mistico and Mascara Dorada — who entered the match as the newly crowned ROH World Tag Team Champions — and NJPW’s Shingo Takagi and Titán of the Unbound Co. stable. Bragging rights and the Bucks’ push toward reclaiming the AEW tag titles were very much on the line.
IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship: Shota Umino (c) vs. PAC
One of the most intriguing title matches on the card saw NJPW’s Shota Umino travel stateside to defend his IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship against AEW’s PAC of the Death Riders. The history between these two men runs deep — Umino was mentored by Death Riders leader Jon Moxley during his young lion days in NJPW, making this match one steeped in personal history. PAC challenged just days after Umino’s title win at NJPW Dominion 6.14, sensing an opening against a freshly crowned champion.
AEW Continental Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Bandido
Jon Moxley brought his Continental Championship to Forbidden Door in another interpromotional title defense, this time facing ROH World Champion Bandido. The two had no prior singles history, but had crossed paths in tag team action in the weeks leading up to the event, with the tension between them building steadily. Bandido, who was representing both himself and the ROH lineage, came into the match as a dangerous challenger capable of pulling off the upset.
Kenny Omega vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Perhaps the most technically anticipated bout on the entire card, this non-title dream match between Kenny Omega and Zack Sabre Jr. was the first singles encounter between the two in an AEW ring. Their only previous one-on-one meeting came during the 2018 NJPW G1 Climax tournament, when Omega defeated Sabre — a result that Sabre has not forgotten in eight years. Sabre issued the challenge on the June 10 episode of Dynamite: Summer BlockBuster, declaring himself the best technical wrestler in the world and publicly questioning whether Omega still deserved that same reputation. Omega accepted immediately, viewing a win over Sabre as exactly the kind of statement needed to get back in the AEW World Championship conversation with MJF. Both men also hold the distinction of being the only two foreigners to ever win the NJPW G1 Climax, adding another layer of prestige to the showdown.
AEW Women’s World Championship: Thekla (c) vs. Starlight Kid
Thekla had been on a dominant title run heading into Forbidden Door, with victories over Kris Statlander, Thunder Rosa, Mina Shirakawa, Jamie Hayter, Alex Windsor, and Hikaru Shida all recorded during her reign. But the Forbidden Door season brought out a different side of the AEW Women’s World Champion, as Thekla declared war on her former promotion — going as far as flying to Japan and publicly disrespecting STARDOM’s leadership. Starlight Kid, a former Wonder of Stardom Champion, stepped up to defend her promotion’s honor. Adding to the drama: the two women had met twice before in singles action, with Starlight Kid winning both encounters in 2022 and 2023.
Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament Final: Mercedes Moné vs. Maya World
For the first time in Forbidden Door history, the finals of both the Owen Hart Cup tournaments were held on the same show. On the women’s side, the returning Mercedes Moné — who won the tournament in 2025 — advanced once again through the bracket before meeting rising star Maya World in the final. Maya World had been on a tremendous run of momentum, making her a genuine threat to pull off the major upset. The stakes could not have been higher: the winner earned an AEW Women’s World Championship match at All In on August 30.
Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament Final: Will Ospreay vs. Swerve Strickland
The men’s final brought together two of AEW’s biggest stars in a match that the wrestling world had been eagerly anticipating. Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland share a long and storied history — from their time on the independent circuit to clashing for the AEW World Championship at the 2024 Forbidden Door — and the resentment that had built between them in recent months gave this match an added edge. Ospreay advanced through the tournament by defeating Samoa Joe and Mark Davis, while Strickland punched his ticket to the final by beating Bandido and Brody King. The winner of this match would headline AEW All In in London with a shot at MJF’s AEW World Championship.
12-Man Steel Cage Match: Team MJF vs. Team Briscoe
The main event of Forbidden Door 2026 saw a 12-man Steel Cage match with enormous championship implications. AEW World Champion MJF captained a team consisting of TNT Champion Kevin Knight, Kyle Fletcher, Jake Doyle, Kazuchika Okada, and Andrade El Idolo against a team led by Mark Briscoe, alongside AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita, Darby Allin, and the AEW World Trios Champions — Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O’Reilly of the Conglomeration. The stipulation was simple but significant: if Briscoe’s team won, Mark Briscoe would earn a shot at MJF’s AEW World Championship. AEW used a circular steel cage structure for the match, giving the bout a unique visual that set it apart from traditional cage matches. The road to this confrontation had been building since MJF won the title at Double or Nothing in May, repeatedly refusing to grant Briscoe a title shot before Lethal Twist’s attack on Briscoe triggered the massive team warfare that culminated in this historic Forbidden Door main event.
Storylines and Feuds Heading Into Forbidden Door 2026
The backdrop to Forbidden Door 2026 was dominated by MJF’s AEW World Championship reign. Having defeated Darby Allin at Double or Nothing on May 24, MJF immediately found himself in a war of words and bodies with Mark Briscoe, a collision that eventually expanded to involve two full factions. Meanwhile, Will Ospreay’s return from injury brought renewed intensity to his relationship with Swerve Strickland — the two had previously teamed to defeat the Young Bucks at AEW All In Texas, but old rivalries die hard when world title opportunities are on the table. The Thekla vs. Stardom narrative gave Forbidden Door a genuine international intrigue storyline, with the champion disrespecting an entire promotion’s legacy to generate the heat for her clash with Starlight Kid.
Why Forbidden Door 2026 Matters for AEW’s Future
Forbidden Door has always served a dual purpose — it delivers marquee dream matches while also acting as a launching pad for AEW’s biggest summer stories. The Owen Hart Cup finals at Forbidden Door set up the main event for All In on August 30, while the Steel Cage result would determine who stands at the front of the AEW World Championship line heading into AEW Redemption in July. With four promotions now officially co-promoting the show, Forbidden Door has cemented itself as the premier international crossover event in professional wrestling — a distinction no other company can replicate. The 2026 edition, featuring competitors from the United States, Japan, and Mexico all competing under one roof, represented the most globally diverse Forbidden Door card ever assembled.
Frequently Asked Questions About Forbidden Door 2026
When and where did Forbidden Door 2026 take place? Forbidden Door 2026 took place on June 28, 2026, at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. The main card began at 8 p.m. ET.
How many promotions were involved in Forbidden Door 2026? Four promotions officially co-produced the event: AEW, NJPW, CMLL, and World Wonder Ring Stardom — the first time all four organizations shared co-promoter status.
How could fans watch Forbidden Door 2026? The event aired on HBO Max, Prime Video, PPV.com, Fubo, Sling TV, Triller, and Fite TV in the U.S., and on DAZN and MyAEW.com internationally.
What were the stakes in the Owen Hart Cup finals? Both the men’s and women’s Owen Hart Cup finals were contested at Forbidden Door for the first time. The winners earned AEW World Championship and AEW Women’s World Championship matches, respectively, at All In on August 30.
What was the stipulation for the Steel Cage main event? If Team Briscoe defeated Team MJF inside the steel cage, Mark Briscoe would earn an AEW World Championship match against MJF.
Is Forbidden Door 2026 the first to be held in San Jose? Yes. San Jose became the first West Coast city in the United States to host a Forbidden Door event.
Who was Kenny Omega’s opponent at Forbidden Door 2026? Kenny Omega faced NJPW’s Zack Sabre Jr. in a highly anticipated non-title dream match — their first singles encounter in an AEW ring and only their second ever singles bout after an NJPW G1 Climax 2018 meeting.
What was the significance of Zack Sabre Jr. at this year’s event? Sabre Jr. became the first NJPW wrestler to appear on every single Forbidden Door card since the event’s inception in 2022.
Bold as the night in San Jose was, the best is yet to come — drop your thoughts in the comments and let us know who your MVP of Forbidden Door 2026 was, and stay tuned for all the fallout heading into All In!