AEW continued its build towards AEW Forbidden Door on Wednesday night’s Dynamite, with rivalries intensifying across the card and several stars gaining valuable momentum before Sunday’s pay-per-view. The Death Riders opened the evening in six-man tag team action. Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland each picked up significant victories, Zack Sabre Jr. continued his impressive run, and the International Championship was on the line in the night’s main event.
Elsewhere, two more competitors booked their places in the TBS Championship Survival of the Fittest match, backstage confrontations erupted throughout the show, and the final moments saw chaos engulf the ring as members of the Don Callis Family and Team Briscoe collided ahead of their huge 12-man Steel Cage Match at Forbidden Door.
Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta) vs. Brodido (Bandido & Brody King) & Mistico
The Death Riders wasted little time setting the tone for the evening, bringing their trademark aggression against the popular trio of Bandido, Brody King and Mistico.
Bandido and Wheeler Yuta opened the contest with an athletic exchange before Jon Moxley quickly inserted himself into the match. Claudio Castagnoli followed, immediately targeting Bandido with heavy stomps, but Mistico’s arrival shifted the momentum. The luchador’s speed initially caused problems, but Castagnoli halted him with a brutal backbreaker after catching him coming off the top rope.
Brody King entered the fray looking to overpower Castagnoli, sparking a hard-hitting exchange of punches before Moxley and Yuta swarmed him from behind, giving the Death Riders the advantage.
After the commercial break, Mistico generated momentum with a near-fall on Castagnoli, but the closing stages descended into the underhanded tactics that have become synonymous with the Death Riders. As Moxley applied a sleeper hold to King, Marina Shafir distracted the official, allowing Moxley to steal the victory with a surprise roll-up.
Winner: The Death Riders
Renee Paquette caught up with Darby Allin, The Conglomeration and Konosuke Takeshita backstage as they all addressed MJF ahead of Forbidden Door.
Kyle O’Reilly explained that Mark Briscoe intended to speak directly to the AEW audience later in the evening, while Orange Cassidy remained characteristically relaxed, simply assuring Paquette that “it’s fine.”
AEW TBS Title Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Harley Cameron vs. Marina Shafir
Marina Shafir attempted to carry the momentum from the opening contest into singles competition, but Harley Cameron had other ideas.
Shafir immediately imposed herself with heavy strikes, although Cameron responded with a Half Boston Crab before sending Shafir crashing to the floor with a dropkick through the ropes.
Shafir regained control after the break, repeatedly driving knees into Cameron’s midsection before applying a painful submission hold. Cameron refused to quit, instead countering into a sudden roll-up to steal the victory and earn a place in the Survival of the Fittest match.
Winner: Harley Cameron
El Phantasmo vs. Will Ospreay
Two of the most exciting performers in professional wrestling produced another outstanding contest as Will Ospreay continued his preparations for Forbidden Door.
The match began at a frantic pace, with El Phantasmo stunning Ospreay with a spectacular hurricanrana before both men took the fight outside the ring. Ospreay responded with his trademark athleticism, but ELP answered by driving him spine-first onto the apron before connecting with a breathtaking Asai moonsault.
Back inside the ring following the break, Ospreay began to find another gear. He rocked his opponent with rapid-fire strikes and a flipping kick, but El Phantasmo refused to stay down, answering with an enzuigiri, a diving DDT and a flipping stunner that brought the crowd to its feet.
The pair continued exchanging increasingly dangerous counters. Ospreay escaped from ELP’s shoulders to deliver a stunning standing Spanish Fly, only for El Phantasmo to respond with a reverse hurricanrana that almost ended the match.
With momentum slipping away, Ospreay reached deep into his arsenal. He planted ELP with a Styles Clash, then immediately followed up with the Hidden Blade to secure another statement victory.
Winner: Will Ospreay
Swerve Strickland vs. Daniel Garcia
Will Ospreay barely had time to celebrate before Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana made their entrance. Strickland made sure to lock eyes with Ospreay before Daniel Garcia arrived for another highly physical encounter.
Garcia immediately got under Strickland’s skin, and the pair traded strikes before taking the fight to ringside. Garcia trapped Strickland’s leg in the ring skirt and viciously attacked it with a Dragon Screw, then drove him into a chair with a running shotgun dropkick.
Strickland weathered the early storm and answered with a perfectly timed House Call before the action headed into the break.
Both men emptied the tank during the closing stages. Garcia targeted Strickland’s injured leg throughout, repeatedly looking for the Dragon Tamer while also scoring several convincing near falls.
Strickland attempted another House Call, but his damaged knee buckled underneath him, allowing Garcia to capitalise with a Neutraliser that almost earned the upset.
The former AEW World Champion fought through the pain, delivering a rolling flatliner before finally connecting with another House Call. Garcia somehow kicked out, forcing Strickland to finish matters with a devastating Hidden Blade for the hard-fought victory.
Winner: Swerve Strickland
The rivalry did not end there.
Immediately after the bell, Strickland continued attacking Garcia until Will Ospreay sprinted back to the ring to make the save. Garcia recovered to help Ospreay fend off Strickland, who eventually backed away after Ospreay grabbed a steel chair.
The Don Callis Family then addressed Team Briscoe from backstage alongside MJF.
The group boasted about its superiority ahead of Sunday’s Steel Cage Match, while MJF singled out Mark Briscoe. He insisted that he had been born into privilege, while Briscoe had spent his life fighting from the bottom, before reminding his rival that he had never successfully delivered the J-Driller when the AEW World Championship was on the line.
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jack Perry
Jack Perry looked to build momentum ahead of Forbidden Door against one of the world’s premier technical wrestlers in Zack Sabre Jr.
Sabre immediately targeted Perry’s arm, repeatedly twisting joints and manipulating limbs in trademark fashion. Perry found brief success by driving Sabre into the ring post and following with a double kick from the apron, but Sabre quickly resumed dismantling his opponent’s left arm.
Following the commercial break, Sabre trapped Perry in a relentless armbar, forcing Perry to desperately scramble for an escape. Perry briefly regained hope after applying the Snare Trap and following with a sit-out powerbomb, but Sabre remained composed.
The New Japan star eventually trapped Perry in another submission, leaving Perry with no choice but to tap out.
Winner: Zack Sabre Jr.
The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) vs. TMDK (Bad Dude Tito & Mikey Nicholls)
The action resumed with a tag-team match as The Young Bucks looked to build momentum before Forbidden Door against TMDK.
Matt and Nick Jackson came flying out of the gates with tandem offence, but TMDK quickly slowed the pace and isolated Matt. Mikey Nicholls repeatedly targeted his back, while Bad Dude Tito took advantage of frequent tags to wear down the former AEW World Tag Team Champion.
Matt eventually created just enough separation to bring Nick into the match, and the pace immediately increased. Nick exploded into the contest with a double Escalara before knocking Tito from the apron. Moments later, The Young Bucks connected with the Meltzer Driver on Nicholls, scoring another impressive victory.
Winner: The Young Bucks
The celebration proved short-lived.
Zack Sabre Jr. returned alongside TMDK to assault Matt and Nick after the bell, but Kenny Omega raced to the ring to even the odds. Omega stood face-to-face with Sabre before planting him with a Snap Dragon Suplex and preparing for a V-Trigger. Tito pulled Sabre to safety before Omega grabbed a microphone.
Omega vowed to find redemption at Forbidden Door and promised Sabre that the better man would win on Sunday. Sabre responded by warning Omega to stay out of the hospital, adding another layer of intensity to one of the weekend’s most anticipated matches.
AEW TBS Title Survival Of The Fittest Qualifying Match: Queen Aminata vs. Red Velvet
Another TBS Championship Survival of the Fittest match was on the line as Queen Aminata faced Red Velvet.
The two competitors traded momentum throughout an evenly contested encounter. Aminata showcased her power with a German suplex, while Velvet answered with a Scissors Kick for a close near fall.
Following the commercial break, Aminata connected with a springboard Sliced Bread, then drove both feet into Velvet’s midsection. Velvet refused to stay down, responding with an impressive hurricanrana from the ropes before following with a Frog Splash that almost secured victory.
Aminata dug deep during the closing moments and caught Velvet flush with a kick to the head, earning the decisive three-count and securing her place in the Survival of the Fittest match.
Winner: Queen Aminata
Renee Paquette attempted to interview The Young Bucks backstage, but events quickly spiralled out of control.
Adam Copeland and Christian Cage stormed into the area and immediately brawled with The Dogs. The fight spilled down a staircase before Copeland and Cage drove David Finlay into a wall using a wheelchair.
The momentum shifted moments later when Clark Connors grabbed a nearby make-up artist as a human shield. Finlay then rammed Copeland face-first into a wall while both Copeland and Cage were simultaneously choked with television cables as security struggled to restore order.
AEW International Championship: Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Ricochet
The AEW International Championship was defended in the night’s featured bout as Konosuke Takeshita put the title on the line against Ricochet.
Ricochet exploded out of the blocks, using his trademark speed to overwhelm the champion. He launched himself over the top rope before adding a top-rope dropkick and spectacular moonsault to leave Takeshita reeling around ringside.
Back inside the ring, Ricochet continued to pile on the offence with a 450 Splash, a standing Shooting Star Press, and a series of lightning-quick kicks, but Takeshita repeatedly refused to stay down.
After the break, Ricochet attempted another breathtaking aerial attack from the apron, only for Takeshita to intercept him and drive him hard onto the floor. The champion slowly wrested momentum back in his favour with a belly-to-back piledriver, a German suplex, and a crushing powerbomb.
Ricochet continued producing spectacular counters, including Vertigo, a roundhouse kick, the Rico-sault and a moonsault after exposing his knee pad, but every near fall only increased the champion’s determination.
With the challenger throwing everything he had at him, Takeshita finally ended the contest with his devastating Raging Fire finisher, retaining the AEW International Championship in an outstanding main event.
Winner: Konosuke Takeshita
Following the championship match, Mark Briscoe headed to the ring to address Sunday’s 12-man Steel Cage Match at Forbidden Door.
Briscoe described the bout as the biggest opportunity of his career, explaining that victory would earn him an AEW World Championship match. He acknowledged MJF’s comments about their differences, proudly embracing his blue-collar background while accusing MJF of being privileged, entitled, and soft.
Briscoe reminded everyone that he had already defeated MJF once before and insisted that, unlike his rival, he would enter Forbidden Door alongside brothers who genuinely had his back. He questioned the loyalty of The Don Callis Family, claiming they would abandon MJF the moment things became difficult.
Don Callis interrupted from the entrance stage before MJF blindsided Briscoe from behind. The pair traded punches before Kyle Fletcher sprinted to the ring and dropped Briscoe with a huge Brainbuster.
The chaos quickly escalated.
Konosuke Takeshita rushed back to the ring and levelled Fletcher with Raging Fire, only for Kazuchika Okada to answer with a Rainmaker. Kyle O’Reilly immediately trapped Okada in an Ankle Lock before Kevin Knight flew in with a top-rope lariat.
Darby Allin followed by planting Knight with a Scorpion Death Drop and climbing to the top rope for a Coffin Drop, but Jake Doyle intercepted him with a thunderous slam. Roderick Strong then unloaded with chops on Doyle before Orange Cassidy connected with consecutive Orange Punches.
MJF once again resorted to underhanded tactics, dropping Cassidy with a low blow as bodies continued flying around the ring.
Briscoe finally regained control and looked to finish MJF with the J-Driller, but Andrade El Idolo raced to ringside to save his teammate. Andrade restrained Briscoe so MJF could use the Dynamite Diamond Ring, but Briscoe ducked at the last possible moment.
Instead, MJF accidentally struck Andrade with the ring.
Sensing his opportunity, Briscoe planted MJF with a thunderous J-Driller before spotting the AEW World Championship lying in the ring.
With his Forbidden Door teammates surrounding him, Briscoe raised the championship high above his head as Dynamite came to a close, sending one final message to MJF before Sunday’s pay-per-view.
