7 Surprises At AEW Forbidden Door 2026

AEW

AEW will attempt to continue their pay-per-view hot streak with the upcoming Forbidden Door 2026 event.

This pay-per-view will offer another huge night of stellar matches, but it may also offer some surprises from the promotion.

Whether it be new champions being crowned or notable returns, these moments will leave the fans shocked and stay long in their memories.

Here are seven potential surprises at AEW Forbidden Door 2026.

7. The Dogs Dethrone Adam Copeland & Christian Cage For AEW World Tag Team Championships

At AEW Double Or Nothing 2026, Adam Copeland and Christian Cage defeated FTR in an I Quit Match to win the AEW World Tag Team Championships.

To celebrate this win, Cope and Cage planned their first five-second pose in two decades, but they were attacked by The Dogs, who laid out the new champions.

Now, David Finlay and Clark Connors are scheduled to face The Young Bucks to determine the number one contenders for the AEW World Tag Team Championships.

After getting the win in this bout, The Dogs could go on to score the biggest win of their AEW run by dethroning Cage and Cope for the gold at Forbidden Door 2026.

6. Darby Allin Is Back For Revenge On Kevin Knight

Darby Allin’s whirlwind run as AEW World Champion came to an abrupt end when MJF defeated him to become a three-time world champ.

However, that was not the end of Darby’s night as he was strapped to a gurney and about to be stretchered out when his “friend” Kevin Knight delivered the UFO Splash to the former AEW World Champion to turn heel.

Betraying Allin and the AEW fanbase, Knight has added insult to injury by also turning his back on Speedball Mike Bailey and then joining The Don Callis Family.

After the decisions that “The Jet” has made, it would be a surprise if Allin made his return to AEW at Forbidden Door 2026, looking to get some revenge on the current TNT Champion.

5. Saya Kamitani Wins The AEW Women’s World Championship From Thekla

Thekla has made it abundantly clear that she has a heightened level of disdain for STARDOM, especially their presence at the upcoming Forbidden Door 2026 event.

On the June 3 episode of AEW Dynamite, Thekla alongside Sisters of Sin announced that she is declaring death to STARDOM before spitting on the logo for the promotion.

Considering that STARDOM will play a pivotal role in the upcoming pay-per-view, it would mean a lot if the company decides to send one of their top stars like Saya Kamitani to represent them against “The Toxic Spider.”

Kamitani could prove herself to be too tough of a task for Thekla to overcome, leading to her winning the AEW Women’s World Championship in a shocking title change at Forbidden Door in San Jose.

4. Jay White Comes Back To Reunite With The Bang Bang Gang

For over a year now, Jay White has been on the sidelines with a broken hand and a shoulder injury.

Undergoing surgery to repair his shoulder, White has gone through some setbacks, which has led to a lengthy hiatus from in-ring action.

“Switchblade” has been sorely missed, especially for his stablemates in the Bang Bang Gang.

With the faction getting more of a spotlight on AEW Collision as of late, it would make for an emotional reunion if White made his return at Forbidden Door to link back up with Juice Robinson, Ace Austin and The Gunns.

3. Keith Lee Makes His Return To All Elite Wrestling

One of the longest runs on the shelf of anyone on the AEW roster right now has been Keith Lee.

Having not been seen on AEW TV since December 2023, many fans and pundits have been asking about the status of Lee in the company.

A recent report from Fightful Select indicated that “The Limitless One” was recently brought up for potential plans for his return.

AEW Forbidden Door 2026 feels like the perfect setting to thrust Keith Lee right back into the forefront of the company and give him a prominent role where he can be in the spotlight once again.

2. Athena Upsets Mercedes Moné To Win Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament Finals

On the June 3 edition of AEW Dynamite, Mercedes Moné made her return to the company to defeat Alex Windsor in the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament Quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Athena picked up a win over Mina Shirakawa to advance in the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Semifinals at AEW Double Or Nothing 2026.

Last year, Moné defeated Athena in the 2025 Owen Hart Cup Women’s Tournament before winning the cup at Double Or Nothing.

Now with these two ladies on opposite sides of the bracket, it feels like “The Fallen Goddess” might be more motivated than ever to finally defeat “The CEO” to win the Owen Cup this year at Forbidden Door 2026.

1. United Empire Turns On Will Ospreay After He Wins The Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament

Will Ospreay has been in multiple directions as of late depending on if he appears on AEW TV or in New Japan Pro Wrestling.

In All Elite Wrestling, Ospreay has found himself aligning with Jon Moxley and The Death Riders in an effort to rebuild himself after neck surgery, while “The Aerial Assassin” has reunited with United Empire in NJPW.

While Ospreay was right by the side of his protegè Callum Newman upon his IWGP Heavyweight Title win, there has been a ton of tension between the two over the current direction and tactics of United Empire.

After Newman made it clear that he wasn’t pleased with his mentor’s association with The Death Riders, fans could see the group Ospreay created in United Empire turn on him following his Owen Hart Cup win at AEW Forbidden Door 2026 in San Jose.

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• AEW
• Forbidden Door

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