Andrade El Idolo Turns on MJF, Securing Mark Briscoe's AEW Title Shot in 12-Man Cage Match

Q: After Andrade's shocking betrayal, how will the battle lines be redrawn for Wednesday's AEW World Championship match?

The immediate divide is now clear: MJF goes into Wednesday isolated and under pressure, while Mark Briscoe arrives with momentum and a broader anti-MJF coalition behind him. At Forbidden Door, Andrade El Idolo’s turn shattered MJF’s side at the decisive moment, costing Jake Doyle the fall and handing Briscoe the title shot. That betrayal also exposed how fragile MJF’s alliance was. Even if Andrade does not formally stand in Briscoe’s corner on Wednesday, he has effectively moved out of MJF’s camp and into the champion’s growing circle of enemies. For Briscoe, the win did more than secure the match. It reinforced that he has credible support around him after surviving the 12-man cage war with allies including Darby Allin, Orange Cassidy, Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong and Konosuke Takeshita. That matters because MJF has repeatedly relied on numbers, outside help and faction politics to control the title picture. The key question for Dynamite is whether Andrade becomes an active factor again. His attack on MJF strongly suggests a new feud is opening alongside Briscoe’s title challenge, giving MJF two immediate problems: the scheduled championship defense and a former ally who now has reason to target him. So Wednesday’s match is no longer just Briscoe versus MJF. It is Briscoe representing the side that just beat MJF’s machine, while MJF must defend the title with his trust broken and his support structure suddenly far less reliable.

Q: Did Forbidden Door's main event undermine its cross-promotional purpose by focusing solely on an internal AEW title feud?

Yes. The steel-cage main event largely shifted Forbidden Door away from its cross-promotional identity and toward an internal AEW storyline. The match’s stakes were entirely AEW-based: Mark Briscoe earned an AEW World Championship shot against MJF on Wednesday’s “Dynamite.” The decisive angle was also rooted in AEW television, with Andrade El Idolo turning on MJF after weeks of tension. That made the bout feel less like a showcase of AEW’s partner promotions and more like a vehicle to advance AEW’s own title program. That criticism fits the broader reaction to Forbidden Door 2026. Reviews described the show as too AEW-heavy, with the event’s signature “forbidden” concept diluted by familiar AEW-centric feuds and outcomes. Even though the card included genuine inter-promotional attractions such as Kenny Omega vs. Zack Sabre Jr., Shota Umino vs. PAC, and Thekla vs. Starlight Kid, the closing focus matters most symbolically. Ending on an AEW title-angle reinforced the sense that the pay-per-view was functioning more as a major AEW supercard than as a balanced crossover event. That said, it did not erase the event’s cross-promotional purpose entirely. The match itself included non-AEW-linked names such as Okada and Takeshita, and the full card still featured NJPW, Stardom and CMLL representation. But by making the headline payoff an AEW world-title feud, Forbidden Door undercut the distinct identity that originally made the event special.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 29

Mark Briscoe earned an AEW World Championship match for Wednesday's "Dynamite" after his six-man side won Forbidden Door's 12-man steel cage main event.
Andrade El Idolo swung the result by refusing MJF's orders, ripping off his Team DCMJF shirt, revealing anti-MJF and Don Callis gear, and blasting the champion with his backfist.
Jake Doyle then took a low blow from Andrade and a Jay Driller from Briscoe, who scored the pin for a team that also included Kyle O'Reilly, Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, Darby Allin and Konosuke Takeshita.
The circular cage match featured thumbtacks, a Nintendo Entertainment System used as a weapon, Kevin Knight crashing from the cage through tables, and a cameo from Lio Rush.