AEW Forbidden Door 2026 is in the books, and Tim and Dug are running on fumes after a six-hour night of wrestling that somehow still left them mostly saying: yeah, that ruled.
This week on Elite Heat, we break down AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door from San Jose, including Will Ospreay vs. Swerve Strickland in the men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Final, Mercedes Moné vs. Maya World in the women’s Owen Final, Kenny Omega vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Jon Moxley vs. Bandido, Shota Umino vs. PAC, Thekla vs. Starlight Kid, Cope & Cage vs. The Dogs, the 12-man steel cage match, and the return of Switchblade Jay White.
We also talk about why the build to Forbidden Door may have been shaky, why the show itself absolutely delivered, the problem with AEW pay-per-views ending so late on a Sunday night, Maya World’s breakout performance, the brilliance of Christian Cage, the chaos of the round steel cage, Mark Briscoe earning his shot at MJF, and why Ospreay vs. Swerve belongs in the match-of-the-year conversation.
Plus: Death Riders continuity questions, Gabe Kidd confusion, commentary getting spicy, Lio Rush popping out of a bag, Kevin Knight taking a terrifying table bump, Andrade making his split official, and whether AEW has its own iconic crimson mask image after Swerve’s bloody main event.
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- (00:00) - : Match of the night nominees and immediate Forbidden Door reaction
- (00:45) - : AEW Forbidden Door 2026 from San Jose
- (01:14) - : Heat Check: almost everything ruled
- (02:23) - : The problem with six-hour Sunday pay-per-views
- (04:35) - : Buy-In thoughts: Drilla Moloney, Danny Garcia, Skye Blue, and Divine Dominion
- (05:47) - : Megan Bayne, Lena Kross, and how AEW is booking Divine Dominion
- (07:54) - : Young Bucks vs. Unbound Co. vs. El Sky Team
- (09:26) - : Forbidden Door match of the night contenders
- (11:00) - : Kenny Omega vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
- (11:54) - : Jon Moxley vs. Bandido and Mox working heel
- (14:15) - : Shota Umino vs. PAC and Gabe Kidd/Death Riders confusion
- (17:01) - : Thekla vs. Starlight Kid
- (18:14) - : Cope & Cage vs. The Dogs
- (18:39) - : Switchblade Jay White returns
- (20:31) - : Mercedes Moné vs. Maya World
- (21:40) - : Maya World nearly steals the show
- (23:09) - : Commentary rooting for Maya World
- (24:49) - : The round steel cage
- (25:49) - : Team Briscoe vs. Team DCMJF
- (26:25) - : Lio Rush, Nintendo weapons, Kevin Knight’s scary table bump, and Andrade’s split
- (27:43) - : Mark Briscoe earns an AEW World Title shot
- (30:05) - : Swerve Strickland vs. Will Ospreay
- (31:23) - : Swerve’s crimson mask and AEW’s iconic blood shot
- (32:34) - : Ospreay’s Bane gear and possible Moxley reference
- (34:59) - : Why Swerve vs. Ospreay was match of the night
- (35:17) - : Death Riders help Ospreay find his edge
- (36:05) - : Ospreay, Wembley, MJF, Kenny Omega, and All In
- (36:44) - : Mercedes/Maya and Swerve/Ospreay created real doubt
- (38:09) - : Why the show flew by despite being six hours
- (38:57) - : Jericho/Ciampa and AEW moving past weaker stories
- (40:14) - : What’s next for Hangman, Swerve, and All In?
- (41:20) - : Final thoughts on Forbidden Door 2026
- (42:20) - : Match of the year talk and “where the best wrestle”
- (43:41) - : Looking ahead to AEW Dynamite
- (44:31) - : Closing plugs and five-star roasts
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