Pull Up a Barstool

Pull up a barstool and pour yourself a double of whatever cheap whiskey is on the bottom shelf. We are sitting here on July 1, 2026, and the wrestling world is still arguing over a card that looked like a hospital ward list three days ago. If you aren't scratching your head over the booking decisions from Sunday night in San Jose, check your pulse.

The internet wrestling community is currently in a state of absolute meltdown. For once, it is not about some backstage drama involving real glass or soft drink sponsorships. No, we are talking about actual in-ring wrestling, which is a miracle in itself these days.

AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2026 was a chaotic, beautiful, injury-riddled disaster that somehow ended up being one of the best shows of the year. Let's be honest, Tony Khan's booking board must have looked like a murder wall covered in red string and panic. But that is the beauty of this crazy business.

The Card That Almost Didn't Happen

The Scrapped Plans and Last-Minute Band-Aids

Let's look at the facts. As reported in the WrestleTalk analysis of the scrapped plans, several major matches had to be thrown in the trash. Visa issues, shoulder dislocations, and neck problems turned the card into a hospital ward. It felt like general manager mode on the hardest difficulty.

According to F4WOnline's update on the original NJPW plans, Callum Newman was supposed to challenge Jon Moxley for the AEW Continental Championship. Instead, Newman dislocated his shoulder losing to Yota Tsuji at Dominion. We got Bandido stepping in, which is like ordering a steak and getting a plate of ribs instead.

Then we had Gabe Kidd. He was supposed to fight Shota Umino for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship. He got stuck in visa limbo, so PAC stepped in to save the day.

Here is a quick look at the main card changes that kept the promoters awake at night:

  • Callum Newman got hurt, so Bandido stepped up to face Jon Moxley.
  • Gabe Kidd had visa issues, letting PAC take his spot against Shota Umino.
  • Tomohiro Ishii sat out with a neck injury, missing the cage match.
  • Sareee missed medical clearance, opening the door for Maya World in the tournament.

On the forums, the reaction to these changes was split down the middle. Some fans were furious that the original dream matches were canceled. A poster on the F4W boards wrote that the constant changes made the build feel disjointed and cheapened the NJPW partnership.

They argued that NJPW talent is treated like secondary props rather than equal partners. But the counter-argument is simple. The replacements delivered.

PAC and Shota Umino put on an absolute clinic. Bandido and Moxley went to war. The contrarians who wanted the original matches are ignoring the reality of the in-ring work.

The Cage of Death and Ospreay's Big Night

Let's not forget the other two main events. The 'Death's Door' 12-man steel cage match was absolute garbage-wrestling gold. It was a grueling 32-minute war.

Team Briscoe took the win over Team DCMJF after Andrade El Ídolo turned on the Don Callis Family. The crowd went bananas when Andrade walked away, leaving Kyle Fletcher to take the fall. Some critics on social media complained that the match was too chaotic.

A user on X wrote that 12 men in a cage is just sensory overload and lacks psychology. They argued that it looked like a backyard wrestling show with a million-dollar budget. They wanted to see more traditional tag team wrestling instead of guys jumping off the cage wall.

But that is a weak take. The cage match was designed to be a spectacle. The finish with Andrade turning on MJF and Fletcher sets up weeks of television.

If you cannot appreciate the sheer athleticism of Darby Allin throwing himself off the cage, you might be watching the wrong sport. Then we had the Men's Owen Hart final. Will Ospreay defeated Swerve Strickland.

This match was a physical masterpiece, but the booking has split the fanbase. Skeptics are screaming that Swerve got buried. They argue that Swerve is the franchise player and losing to Ospreay hurts his momentum ahead of the summer.

I think that is nonsense. Swerve did not get buried. He fought Ospreay to a standstill in a match that will be talked about all year.

Ospreay needed the win to solidify his path to All In. The match was a masterclass in near-falls and counter-wrestling. Both guys came out of it looking like superstars.

The Mercedes Moné vs. Maya World Masterclass

Now let's talk about the match that has everyone screaming at each other online. The Women's Owen Hart Foundation Tournament final. Mercedes Moné against Maya World.

This was not the match we were supposed to get. Mercedes was a wild card replacement for the injured Willow Nightingale. Maya World was a replacement for the injured Sareee.

Talk about a Cinderella story. Maya World had to beat her own trainer, Athena, just to get to the finals. She was wrestling with a heavy heart after the tragic loss of her brother.

The crowd in San Jose was ready to explode for her. The match went nearly 25 minutes, and the drama was off the charts.

In his detailed Forbidden Door review, Bryan Alvarez noted how the storytelling carried this match. Mercedes eventually won by submission using the Statement Maker, securing her second consecutive Owen Hart Cup. But the internet is not happy about it.

Over on Reddit, a user with the handle PuroresuFanatic wrote that Mercedes winning again is boring booking that stifles new talent. They argued that Maya World should have won to complete the ultimate babyface story. They believe AEW missed a massive opportunity to create a new superstar on the spot.

On the other hand, the enthusiasts think the match was perfect. One fan under the handle WrestleNerd99 pointed out that Mercedes winning makes the tournament feel prestigious. They wrote that giving the win to a replacement wrestler on a whim would make the tournament look like a joke.

They also noted that Maya World looked like a star in defeat, which does more for her long-term career than a rushed victory. I have to side with the enthusiasts here. Mercedes is a star for a reason.

Her winning in the 25th minute after a grueling struggle makes the All In match at Wembley feel massive. Maya World will get her moment, but Sunday night was about building the biggest possible card for London.

The Final Verdict: Who Actually Won the Night?

So where does that leave us? The internet will keep screaming, but the reality is clear. Forbidden Door 2026 proved that AEW can lose half its planned card and still deliver a show that beats almost anything else on television.

The critics who complain about the chaotic build are missing the forest for the trees. The enthusiasts have the stronger argument here. The show drew a crowd of over 11,000 fans in San Jose.

The in-ring quality was stellar, and the storylines for Wembley are locked in. Sure, it was a messy road to get there, but the destination was worth every bump along the way.

Pour another drink and let the internet nerds argue. We just watched a wrestling masterclass. And that is all that really matters.