Going in, the thing that the AEW Forbidden Door PPV event had working against it was the certainty of virtually every match outcome on the card. Because of where storylines are going and the “forbidden door” concept matches between companies, it was hard for the matches to build drama. Many of the winners needed to be who they were and fans knew it.
That fact was realized as the match outcomes went exactly the way the stories have been leaning. However, the work in the matches — like, all of them — was able to build a little bit of doubt around the certain outcome that ended up coming to fruition. That’s a huge task and a massive testament to the quality of the performers and the matches they had.
Here are my Brass Ring Ratings for the event and here’s how they work … I call it like I see it and grade accordingly. Period.
The Young Bucks vs. Unbound Co. vs. Sky Team
Insane athleticism to start the show. This was exactly what you think it was. Action, energy, spots, and not much psychology or tagging. Didn’t matter. The crowd loved every second and The Young Bucks got a nice win ahead of what is sure to be a showdown with Adam Copeland and Christian Cage later this summer.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO 1/4
Kenny Omega vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
If you don’t know Zack Sabre Jr. or aren’t a fan, this probably dragged a bit. Alas, that’s not me. The ZSJ style matches need time to build and marinate. This had plenty of time to do that. It was long, but it needed to be long in order to tell the story they did. Kenny Omega was a damn chameleon in there. His ability to mesh his style into others is unmatched worldwide. He does a lot right, but that may be his true A+ trait.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO 1/4
Jon Moxley vs. Bandido - AEW Continental Championship
Bandido doesn’t have bad matches. The dude is out of his mind. This built to two different near falls — one on Moxley and one on Bandido. Crowd bit for each one. I had doubts that Bandido could get the rotation he needed while carrying Moxley for the top rope moonsault fall away slam. He did. Silly me.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO
Shota Umino vs. PAC - IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship
Not a ton of drama in this one. Umino was always going to be the winner and he was. Outside of that, the action was strong. Umino bumped his ass off for the entire match and took a damn Awesome Bomb through a table. Umino and Moxley crossing paths after the match was a nice throwback to their past partnership. That would be a helluva match on Dynamite next week.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO 1/2
Thekla vs. Starlight Kid - AEW Women’s World Championship
Excellent. It wasn’t reasonable to think Thekla would really lose her title in this one, but they were able to pull in drama around the Thekla vs. Stardom storyline they wove throughout the build. They used the Stardom President to meet that goal and it worked very well. Highlight of the match was an insane submission that Starlight Kid had in on Thekla. Twisted her up like a pretzel, but then swung her around Cesaro-style. After the match, it appeared like Thekla might shake Starlight Kid’s hand, which would have literally ruined everything they did in the match. Luckily, Thekla cut Starlight Kid’s mask off, spit it in it, and then threw it at the Stardom President. Ahhh, a refreshing heel heat angle. Great stuff.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO 1/4
Adam Copeland and Christian Cage vs. The Dogs - AEW Men’s World Tag Team Championships
A fine match that stands out more than it ordinarily would because of the return of Jay White. That was cool. White being back in the fold is a nice depth piece for AEW to add ahead of All In. The tag match itself had it’s moments, but was simply a building block for the Copeland and Cage title run. With The Young Bucks winning earlier in the night, that’s the match you go to next.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO
Mercedes Mone vs. Maya World - Women’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament Finals
Just fantastic. Maya World kept up and did her thing, but Mercedes Mone carried a lot of the load in that match. She took a lot of bumps and drove much of the offense too. This match benefitted from going long. The length added to it’s epic feel and allowed for the audience to come around to the notion that Maya World might win. Some great near-falls and near-submissions in this one. The crowd ate it up and were fully invested in the underdog achieving the impossible. Mone needed the win. Mone vs. Thekla at All In? Hell yeah.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO 1/2
Team MJF (MJF, Kazuchika Okada, Kyle Fletcher, Andrade El Idolo, Jake Doyle, and Kevin Knight) vs. Team Mark Briscoe (The Conglomeration, Darby Allin, and Konosuke Takeshita) - Death’s Door Cage Match and if Team Briscoe wins, Mark Briscoe earns a world title match
A total spot fest, but a good one. This had blood, tacks, tables, and lots of falling from high places. I can’t believe Darby Allin has both of his eyes after landing face first in a pile of metal tacks thanks to MJF. There was enough action in this to keep the audience’s attention and the circular cage was a fresh twist on the cage stipulation. If you watch Dynamite on a regular basis, you knew that Andrade El Idolo would factor into the finish somehow. The spot in the match where he turns on MJF made sense given that history. The hidden t-shirt he was wearing? That made a lot less sense. Why did he wait all match to turn? Why wear the shirt unless you knew you were going to?
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO
Will Ospreay vs. Swerve Strickland - Men’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament Finals
Goodness. An epic clash and the match of the night. Ospreay and Strickland packed so much into this and it all landed. The intensity was high from the beginning and never slowed down once. Even when the action was slow, the drama was high, and both men took their time to let it breathe. They then bottled it and used it for big crescendos and high impact moments. All the moves were crisp and the execution was essentially flawless. You almost always don’t need blood in pro wrestling matches, but when used properly it can help deliver the story. Ospreay and Strickland bled everywhere, but it felt earned because the stakes of the match were so high and the rest of the bout was so expertly crafted together.
Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOOO
What did you think of AEW Forbidden Door 2026? Let us know in the comments!
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