The San Jose Showdown

Grab a stool, order a cold one, and let’s talk about how AEW and New Japan just tore the roof off the SAP Arena in San Jose. If you missed Forbidden Door on June 28, 2026, you missed one of the wildest nights of the year. The place was absolutely packed with 9,082 screaming fans who wanted to see if the crossover magic was still alive.

You could feel the electricity through the screen, but if you want proof of how rowdy it got, check out the Forbidden Door photo gallery on BodySlam. Amber Nico captured the sweat, the flying chairs, and the absolute chaos of the evening. It was a visual reminder that wrestling is at its best when it feels like a glorious car wreck.

People love to complain that these crossover shows have lost their luster. They say the novelty has worn off and it is just another pay-per-view.

But when you put two promotions in the same building and let their best talent fight for survival, things get real in a hurry. This card had everything from high-flying cruiserweights to a steel cage match that looked like a bar fight.

The real story, though, was the main event matches. We had the finals of the Owen Hart Cup, a massive IWGP Global Title defense, and a dream match that fans have been begging for since the Obama administration.

Omega vs Sabre Jr: A Technical Masterpiece

Let's get right to the meat of the sandwich: Kenny Omega against Zack Sabre Jr. This was the first time these two met on American soil, and they treated it like a battle for the soul of the business. Zack Sabre Jr started this fire back on June 10, 2026, when he stood on the Dynamite ramp and openly questioned if Omega still had the right to call himself the best in the world.

Omega did not just show up; he brought history with him. He wore the same gear design he used against Bryan Danielson back in 2021. That was a direct message to Zack that Omega viewed him as a peer in technical wrestling.

The match went nearly 30 minutes, and it was an absolute clinic. Zack spent the first ten minutes trying to tear Omega’s arm out of its socket.

He hit a brutal bridging Fujiwara armbar that had the fans in the front row biting their fingernails. Every time Kenny tried to build momentum, Zack caught him in another joint lock.

But Omega is a different breed of athlete. He fought out of a double wristlock and delivered a snap dragon suplex that rattled Zack's teeth.

Then came the V-Triggers, which sounded like gunshots echoing through the arena. Kenny finally hit the One Winged Angel to secure the pinfall victory.

Now, let's be honest about the finish. Kenny winning was the safe choice, but was it the right one?

Zack Sabre Jr is the guy who stays in Japan and carries that banner, and a win here would have been a career-defining moment for him on US soil. Having Omega win, while predictable, felt like a missed opportunity to truly elevate Zack to the next tier of international stardom.

The Owen Hart Cup Drama

Next up, let’s look at the Owen Hart Foundation Tournaments. The men's final was an absolute track meet between Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland. These two went at it like they had a personal grudge, swapping high-impact moves at a blistering pace.

Ospreay ended up winning the tournament, securing his ticket to AEW All In: London for the world title match. He hit a hidden blade and followed it with a stormbreaker to pin Swerve.

It was an athletic showcase, but let's call a spade a spade: Swerve looked like he was holding back in the middle section. There was a slow spot around the 15-minute mark where they seemed to lose their footing on the ropes.

On the women's side, Mercedes Moné defeated Maya World to win her second consecutive Owen Hart Cup. Mercedes is the first wrestler to win the tournament in back-to-back years. The match itself was solid, but the booking is where we need to have a serious conversation.

Why does Mercedes need this win? She is already treated like royalty, and having her beat Maya World feels like a waste of a rocket ship.

Maya World has been on a tear, and a victory here would have cemented her as a top player. Instead, she gets pinned after a Moné Maker, and we go back to the status quo. It is this kind of safe booking that makes fans roll their eyes at Tony Khan's decision-making.

If you look at the exclusive event photos, you can see the mixed reactions in the crowd during the trophy presentation. Fans want new stars, not the same established names winning every single tournament.

The Global Title Mess and Gabe Kidd's Takeover

Let's talk about the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship. Shota Umino defended the title against PAC in a match that went 18 minutes. Umino retained the title, but the match itself was a struggle.

PAC did everything he could to pull a classic out of Umino, but the chemistry was just not there. Umino looked sluggish, missing a couple of cues during a sequence of exchange suplexes. The crowd was flat for most of it, which is a bad sign for a guy New Japan wants to build its future around.

And clearly, New Japan management saw the same things we did. Because just eight days later, on July 6, 2026, everything changed. Gabe Kidd stepped into Korakuen Hall and absolutely destroyed Shota Umino to win the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship.

This was a mercy killing for Umino's reign. Kidd brings a level of unhinged, violent energy that New Japan desperately needs right now.

Umino is a nice guy, but nice guys do not draw money in a wrestling ring when they look lost against guys like PAC. Kidd's victory at the Road to G1 Climax event was the correction the division needed.

Let's look at the rest of the Forbidden Door card. The 12-man steel cage match, which they called "Death's Door", was a chaotic mess. Team Briscoe got the win over Team DCMJF, but it was impossible to follow.

With twelve guys in a cage, it looked less like a wrestling match and more like a riot in a department store. The highlight was Andrade turning on the Don Callis Family, which at least gives us some storyline progression.

We also had the Young Bucks defeating David Finlay and Clark Connors to retain the tag titles. It was fine, but we have seen the Bucks do this match a hundred times. It is time for some fresh blood in the tag division before fans start tuning out completely.

In the end, Forbidden Door delivered some incredible moments, but it also exposed some major flaws in how both companies book their champions. Let's hope they learn from these mistakes before the next big show.