AEW, All Elite Wrestling’s self-proclaimed slogan, “Where the Best Wrestle,” was on full display at SAP Center, home of the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks, as its Forbidden Door professional wrestling collaboration event enthralled fans for more than five hours on Sunday, June 28.
While a partnership event with top professional wrestling company World Wrestling Entertainment remains unlikely, AEW’s Forbidden Door showcases diverse international wrestling styles from Japan and Mexico. Japan’s leading men’s and women’s promotions, New Japan Pro Wrestling and World Wonder Ring Stardom, respectively, along with Mexico’s oldest promotion, CMLL (Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre), featured talent competing against AEW wrestlers.
Founded in 2019 by Jacksonville Jaguars Chief Football Strategy Officer Tony Khan, AEW began operations with former New Japan Pro Wrestling “gaijin,” or foreign, talent Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and Matt and Nick Jackson. Over the years, former IWGP Heavyweight champions Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, and Kota Ibushi, among others, left NJPW to wrestle for AEW. The promotion currently airs two weekly television shows on TBS and hosts several pay-per-view events each year.
Professional wrestling in Japan traces its roots to the late 1800s but did not experience its first major boom in popularity until the 1950s with star Rikidozan. Over the years, Antonio Inoki, Giant Baba, and Keiji Muto became cultural icons. Women’s wrestling, known as “joshi” wrestling, experienced a major boom in Japan during the 1980s with stars Aja Kong, Manami Toyota and The Crush Gals. The Crush Gals also performed as music idols, helping attract large numbers of teenage girls to their matches.
The night began with a three-match “Buy In” preshow. In the second contest, former Stardom champion Maika faced AEW’s Skye Blue. Maika’s strength and power overwhelmed Skye Blue, leading to a victory that qualified her for an upcoming six-woman match for the recently vacated AEW TBS Championship.
New Japan Makes First Appearance at AEW
New Japan made its first appearance in the opening match of the main card, a three-way tag team contest featuring NJPW Unbound Co. stable members Shingo Takagi and Titán, AEW’s The Young Bucks and CMLL’s El Sky Team. Takagi and Titán’s power offense contrasted sharply with the high-flying style of the other teams, with Mexican star Místico drawing cheers from the crowd with a variety of aerial attacks. The Young Bucks secured the victory after delivering a spike piledriver to Titán.
The next match demonstrated why the Forbidden Door event exists as Zack Sabre Jr., who has participated in all five Forbidden Door events for NJPW, faced former NJPW star Omega. Both wrestlers have had decorated careers and rank among professional wrestling’s elite performers, making the matchup one of the most anticipated on the card. The contest delivered with creative sequences, reversals, and several near falls. Omega’s One-Winged Angel finishing move ended the match after 26 minutes.
Championship on the Line
One of New Japan’s championships was also on the line as IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Shota Umino successfully defended his title against AEW’s PAC. It marked Umino’s first title defense since winning the belt on June 14 in Osaka. The announced crowd of 9,080 was relatively quiet early in the match but later rallied behind Umino as he secured the victory.
Stardom’s popular masked wrestler Starlight Kid challenged AEW Women’s World Champion and former Stardom member Thekla. Kid came to San Jose to defend Stardom’s honor as “The Toxic Spider” had launched a vendetta against the promotion following her dismissal in 2024 and repeated attacks on Stardom President Taro Okada. With Okada in attendance, Thekla retained her title by pinning Kid at the 18-minute mark. Following the match, Thekla used scissors to cut off part of Kid’s mask in a major sign of disrespect toward masked wrestlers before attacking Okada once again.
Chaos, Conflict, Comedy
Konosuke Takeshita, who currently wrestles for both NJPW and AEW, competed in the penultimate match, a 12-man steel cage contest. As expected, the match unfolded in chaotic fashion, with competitors using multiple objects as weapons, including tables, ladders, chairs, thumbtacks, an exploding backpack, and a vintage 1980s Nintendo Entertainment System complete with controllers. The match shifted between bloody brutality and comedic moments, including a brief pause in which one team enjoyed orange slices. In the end, Takeshita’s team secured the victory.
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