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Add FightsATW on GoogleAfter a lackluster edition of AEW Dynamite last week, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) seemed poised to make a comeback. The company made its way to the Smart Financial Center in Sugar Land, Texas, for a crucial night on the road to Forbidden Door. The event, broadcast live on TBS and available for streaming on HBO Max, featured a card with major drama.
AEW Champ Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) and Mark Briscoe chose their teams for the Steel Cage showdown at Forbidden Door, only to collide a week early in a massive 12-man tag team main event tonight. Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland faced off, setting the stage for their highly anticipated clash in the Owen Hart Cup Finals. The women’s Owen Hart Cup tournament also got its first finalist, with Hazuki and Mercedes Moné showing out in their semifinal encounter. We even got a surprise to start Dynamite! If you missed any of the action, don’t worry, we have you covered.
Stay tuned to Fights Across The World for the latest AEW news, results, analysis, and coverage from all corners of the wrestling world.
MJF PICKS HIS TEAM FOR THE MAIN EVENT
Maxwell Jacob Friedman kicked off the show surrounded by the Don Callis Family. As expected, he wasted no time reminding everyone why he’s the center of attention. While he begrudgingly acknowledged Kevin Knight’s talent and subtly criticized Kyle Fletcher, MJF unleashed a barrage of insults on Andrade El Idolo, Swerve Strickland, Will Ospreay, Kenny Omega, and Mark Briscoe. He dismissed each of them as unworthy of standing in the ring with The Champ. These insults only heightened the tension surrounding the AEW World Championship picture.
Don Callis then revealed Team DCMJF for the upcoming battle: Kevin Knight, Kyle Fletcher, Jake Doyle, Kazuchika Okada, and a surprising addition, Andrade El Idolo. However, the announcement hit a snag when Andrade expressed his disinterest in either match and questioned why he should stand alongside MJF. Callis reminded him that his opportunity would come in due time and urged him to focus on the task at hand. This incident already showed cracks in the alliance before the main event even began.
TONY NESE VS. KENNY OMEGA
Kenny Omega made easy work of the formidable Tony Nese. Nese had a strong start, but Omega quickly demonstrated his legendary style and showed what made him become one of the most complete competitors in the world. The Legend executed two beautiful Dragon suplexes before delivering a thunderous V-Trigger to Nese, securing the victory with the One-Winged Angel.
However, the celebration was interrupted by TMDK. Zack Sabre Jr., Bad Dude Tito, and Mikey Nicholls confronted the AEW star, setting the stage for their clash at Forbidden Door. With The Young Bucks and “Jungle” Jack Perry joining the fray, Omega cooled off a bit and engaged in a verbal exchange instead with his longtime rival. Both men acknowledged the high stakes and the fact that despite their teams’ support, their encounter at the pay-per-view would remain a one-on-one affair. This confrontation added another chapter to one of wrestling’s most captivating rivalries.
DEATH RIDERS (JON MOXLEY & DANIEL GARICA) VS. BRODIDO (BANDIDO & BRODY KING)
The entertaining duo of Bandido and Brody King once again proved they were far more than a thrown-together tag team tonight. They matched Daniel Garcia and Jon Moxley blow for blow in a chaotic tag-team battle that had the crowd roaring from the opening bell. Bandido and Garcia exchanged technical wizardry and mind games before Brody entered the party and immediately found himself trading heavy artillery with the Moxley. The chemistry between Bandido was on full display, mixing hard-hitting offense with their unique charisma, even finding time to mock Garcia and delight the fans before the Death Riders turned the tide. Moxley and Garcia used every advantage they could find.
Despite absorbing an incredible amount of punishment and fighting through an apparent throat injury, Brody refused to stay down and eventually made the tag that ignited the arena. Bandido exploded into action, cleaning house and delivering one of the wildest moments of the match when he lifted Marina Shafir into the air and planted her with a vertical suplex, then wiped out the Death Riders with a spectacular dive outside the ring. Brody neutralized Moxley while Bandido caught Garcia in position and delivered the decisive 21-Plex, securing a massive victory for Bandido. Later in the night, Bandido, hyped after the win, called his shot and challenged Moxley for the Continental Title at Forbidden Door.
Winner: Brodido
TOMMY BOY IS COMING FOR JERICHO
Tommaso Ciampa pulled no punches in a fiery backstage message aimed directly at Chris Jericho, admitting that while he once admired the fearless Lionheart who traveled the globe, reinvented himself time and again, and etched his name into history as AEW’s first World Champion, he could barely recognize the man standing before him today. In Ciampa’s eyes, the jokes, the desperation, and the constant need for attention had transformed a legend into something he could no longer respect. But rather than simply bury the icon, Ciampa threw down a challenge, daring Jericho to prove that the greatness which made him one of the industry’s all-time greats still existed. If “The Ocho” believed he still had one more fight left in him and considered Ciampa worthy of sharing the ring, then all he had to do was say the word. Later in the night, Jericho called for a meeting between the two on Collision this Saturday night.
GRUMPY OLD CHAMPS MAKE THEIR RETURN
The Dogs never even made it to the ring before Adam Copeland and Christian Cage got their lick back from a couple of weeks ago. With the AEW World Tag Team Champions standing tall, Christian delivered another savage verbal assault on Finlay before Copeland acknowledged The Dogs’ rise but warned that experience matters when the stakes are this high. Promising to combine old-man strength, wisdom, and plenty of grumpiness, the Rated-R Superstar vowed that when the Dogs step through the Forbidden Door, they’ll leave with a harsh lesson from two of the greatest tag-team veterans in the business.
THEKLA HYPES HER MATCH WITH STARLIGHT KID
The war of words between Starlight Kid and Thekla went from heated rivalry to full-on high school drama. Starlight Kid made it clear that she and STARDOM have not forgotten Thekla’s disrespect toward the STARDOM logo, and she promised to drag the AEW Women’s World Championship back to Japan as payback. Thekla, however, was not backing down from anybody. The champion fired back by reminding everyone that she survived the same brutal dojo system, but while Starlight Kid became the beloved hero, Thekla was pushed aside and forced to claw her way into the spotlight.
She made it clear that cheers, approval, and fairy-tale endings mean nothing to her. The only thing that matters is the championship around her waist. Then she turned the knife even deeper, warning that embarrassing Starlight Kid at Forbidden Door would not be the end of the story, but the beginning of something much uglier. With pride, legacy, national bragging rights, and the biggest prize in the division all on the line, this feud is starting to feel less like a title match and more like a personal war waiting to explode.
WOMEN’S OWEN HART TOURNAMENT MATCH: HAZUKI VS. MERCEDES MONÉ
Mercedes Moné and Hazuki delivered another instant classic in the Women’s Owen Hart Cup. Hazuki stormed out of the gates with aggression, keeping The CEO on the defensive with a relentless pace that seemed to come from every angle. But Moné, never one to be rattled, fired back with the veteran cunning and ruthless precision that have made her one of the most decorated stars in the business. As the intensity skyrocketed, both women pushed each other to the absolute brink, swinging momentum back and forth in a thrilling battle where neither competitor was willing to surrender an inch.
With everything on the line, the contest turned into an all-out war, packed with dramatic near-falls, thunderous strikes, and edge-of-your-seat moments that had fans roaring in disbelief. Time and again, Hazuki looked seconds away from scoring the biggest win of her career, only for Moné to dig deep and showcase the championship pedigree that has defined her career. After a dizzying sequence of counters left both competitors scrambling for the decisive blow, The CEO finally seized her moment, locking in a vicious Bank Statement that left Hazuki with nowhere to go. Forced to submit, Hazuki’s incredible run came to an end as Mercedes Moné punched her ticket to the Owen Hart Cup Finals.
Winner: Moné
SWERVE AND OSPREAY MEET FACE TO FACE
The tension ahead of the Owen Hart Cup Finals reached Knicks-type hot when Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland came face-to-face in a personal confrontation that peeled back months of frustration and unanswered questions. After thanking fans for their well-wishes following his wedding weekend, Ospreay found himself immediately challenged by Swerve, who accused his former ally of changing and questioned his surprising association with the Death Riders.
Ospreay fired back, insisting he hadn’t forgotten what Moxley’s crew had done to him and then turned the spotlight on Swerve, questioning why the man he considered a brother wasn’t there when he needed him most. As old wounds were reopened and accusations flew, Ospreay declared that Wembley Stadium represented the dream he’d been chasing since childhood and made it clear that he wouldn’t allow anyone to stand between him and that destiny.
Strickland refused to back down, reminding Ospreay that he had spent far too long watching others seize opportunities he believed were his, and vowed never again to sacrifice his own ambitions for someone else’s moment. Confidently declaring that he had owned Ospreay for the better part of a decade, Swerve promised history would repeat itself, pushing the Aerial Assassin past his breaking point.
Ospreay responded with a shot at Swerve, sparking chaos, as Prince Nana armed Swerve with a chain before the Death Riders rushed in to prevent an all-out war. Even backstage, emotions remained high until Jon Moxley stepped in, reminding Ospreay that words are only weapons if you let them become weapons. With pride, dreams, and a trip to Wembley hanging in the balance, one of AEW’s greatest rivalries had officially become more personal than ever. LET’S GO!!!!
TEN-MAN TAG MATCH: DARBY ALLIN, KONOSUKE & THE CONGLOMERATION (KYLE O’REILLY, MARK BRISCOE, ORANGE CASSIDY & RODERICK STRONG) VS. DON CALLIS FAMILY (ANDRADE EL IDOLO, JACK DOYLE, KAZUCHIKA OKADA, KYLE FLETCHER & KEVIN KNIGHT) & AEW CHAMP MJF
AEW Dynamite closed with absolute mayhem as Maxwell Jacob Friedman led the Don Callis Family into a star-studded 12-man tag team war against Mark Briscoe, Darby Allin, Konosuke Takeshita, and the Conglomeration, with the added stipulation that any disqualification would cost the offending wrestler their spot at Forbidden Door.
Before the action began, Briscoe fired back at MJF’s insults and embraced the doubters who claimed he wasn’t world championship material, using their criticism as fuel to shatter the glass ceiling once and for all. Once the bell rang, chaos reigned supreme as everyone exploded across the ring and into the crowd. Tensions within the Callis Family also began to surface as Kevin Knight and Kyle Fletcher nearly came to blows, adding another layer of intrigue to the already combustible situation.
As bodies flew and momentum shifted by the minute, the match descended into a sprint that was hard to keep your eyes on everything. Mark Briscoe appeared to have MJF beaten with the Jay Driller, only for Don Callis to save Moneybag by distracting referee Bryce Remsburg. That opening proved to be all MJF needed, as the self-proclaimed best wrestler in the world trapped Roderick Strong in the Salt of the Earth to steal the victory for his side.
The chaos didn’t end there, however, as the victorious heels launched a post-match assault. With MJF fixated on delivering another message to Briscoe with the Dynamite Diamond Ring, Andrade El Idolo demanded a future title opportunity before agreeing to help. After Don Callis ordered him to comply, Andrade reluctantly held Briscoe in place, allowing MJF to blast his future opponent with the ring. Forbidden Door very well could open the door to more problems for both The Don Callis Family and MJF.
Winners: MJF & The Don Callis Family
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