AEW Sets 5 Title Matches for Forbidden Door 2026 as Owen Hart Finals Close Card

Q: Is AEW's partnership with Stardom in jeopardy after champion Thekla's controversial 'death to Stardom' storyline?

No. Based on the available reporting, AEW’s relationship with Stardom does not appear to be in jeopardy. The strongest evidence is operational, not rhetorical: Stardom was officially part of Forbidden Door 2026 as a co-promoter alongside AEW, NJPW and CMLL, and Stardom talent was prominently featured on the card. Thekla defended the AEW Women’s World Championship against Starlight Kid, and Maika also appeared on the Buy-In. That level of involvement points to an active working partnership, not a collapsing one. The controversy around Thekla’s “death to Stardom” comments appears to be a storyline device. Coverage consistently describes it as an angle designed to build heat around her title reign and her match with Stardom-linked opponents. Stardom president Taro Okada’s public condemnation was sharp, but there is no concrete indication in the reporting that it reflected a real business break between the companies. If anything, the angle seems to have been folded into promotion for Forbidden Door rather than treated as a reason to pull back. Thekla herself has suggested AEW may have needed to smooth things over, which implies sensitivity around the storyline, but not a severed relationship. Absent any announcement from AEW, Stardom or NJPW about changed business terms, the evidence supports a simpler reading: the storyline was controversial, but the partnership remains intact and commercially important to both sides.

Q: Can Will Ospreay's comeback from career-threatening surgery lead him to AEW's ultimate prize at Wembley?

Yes. Ospreay’s win over Swerve Strickland in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament final at Forbidden Door gives him the clearest possible route to AEW’s top prize: an AEW World Championship match at All In at Wembley Stadium. What makes this especially significant is the context of his return. Ospreay came back in 2026 after double fusion neck surgery in September 2025, a procedure widely viewed as career-threatening for a wrestler with his style. He returned in roughly six months, adjusted parts of his offense, and quickly re-established himself as a main-event talent. That alone has strengthened the sense that AEW sees him as a credible world-title centerpiece. The timing also favors him. AEW has positioned the Owen Hart winners directly into world-title matches at All In, and Ospreay has now cashed in that pathway. His victory over Swerve, after losing the 2025 Owen final, gives his Wembley challenge both sporting legitimacy and a strong redemption arc. Whether he actually leaves Wembley as champion will depend on the champion and AEW’s booking, especially with MJF still central to the world-title picture and Mark Briscoe also owed a future shot. But Ospreay is no longer just a sentimental favorite returning from injury. He has momentum, a guaranteed title opportunity, and a home-country stage that fits AEW’s biggest possible coronation. In practical terms, his comeback has already led him to the doorstep of AEW’s ultimate prize.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 28

Five championship bouts headline AEW’s Forbidden Door 2026 card, which starts Sunday at 7 p.m. ET in San Jose with a Buy In before the 8 p.m. main show.
Two Owen Hart Foundation tournament finals add the event’s biggest stakes: Mercedes Moné faces Maya World for a women’s title shot at All In, while Will Ospreay meets Swerve Strickland with a Wembley main-event dream in play.
Cross-promotional matchups drive the show, with AEW sharing the card with CMLL, NJPW and Stardom in bouts including Jon Moxley vs. Bandido, Shota Umino vs. Pac and Thekla vs. Starlight Kid.
A vacated TBS title also shapes the undercard, as Skye Blue and Maika fight on the Buy In for entry into a Survival of the Fittest match after Willow Nightingale’s injury.