Ranking the Forbidden Door 2026 card from worst to best

Tony Khan clearly does not care that AEW Double or Nothing is just nine days away, because he just dropped the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2026 lineup. The internet is fracturing trying to digest it. We are staring down a collision of dream matches, weird political booking, and head-scratchers thrown together just to get certain guys a payday.

I love this pay-per-view concept. Historically, it is the best pure professional wrestling show of the year. But looking at this 2026 edition, we must be brutally honest. Some matches are filler designed to appease egos. Others are legitimate match of the year contenders.

Let us completely overanalyze the booking. Here is every announced match for the Forbidden Door 2026 card, ranked strictly from worst to best.

The Filler and The Head-Scratchers

12. Chris Jericho vs. Minoru Suzuki

Can we please stop doing this? I get that these guys are certified legends with history. But we do not need to see Chris Jericho and Minoru Suzuki chop each other into dust in 2026.

Suzuki can barely walk down the ramp without wincing at this stage, and Jericho's gimmick is actively draining the life out of arenas. This is the definition of a bathroom break match.

If this goes longer than eight minutes, the crowd is going to turn on it violently. It belongs on the preshow, but you know Jericho is getting a main card slot because of politics. Let us just get it over with.

11. The Young Bucks vs. House of Torture

Who was begging for this combination? You have the entire New Japan roster at your disposal, and you bring in House of Torture for a tag match against The Elite?

The Young Bucks working their meta-heel routine against EVIL's constant referee bumps is going to be an agonizing watch. The only saving grace is the possibility of someone taking a wrench to the skull.

Otherwise, this is going to be fifteen minutes of total nonsense. The fact that the tag titles are not being defended so we can get this mess is criminal booking.

10. Hook vs. Great-O-Khan

I actually kind of like the bizarre clash of styles happening here. Hook is the silent, suplex-throwing killer. Great-O-Khan is an eccentric grappling weirdo who yells at his opponents.

But let us be real about the placement on the card. This is a five-minute cooldown match. It exists purely to give Hook a win over an established New Japan guy without sacrificing anyone important.

O-Khan will do his Mongolian chops, Hook will ignore them, lock in the Redrum, and we move on. It is harmless, but completely unessential.

The Solid Midcard Matches

9. Mercedes Moné vs. Mayu Iwatani

Before you yell at me in the comments, hear me out. On paper, this is easily a top-three match. But we have seen exactly how AEW handles Stardom talent on these crossover shows, and it is usually an afterthought.

They are going to get squeezed into the second hour and probably only get eleven minutes to work. Iwatani is a generational talent, and Moné delivers on big stages.

But the television build has been essentially non-existent. Unless they are somehow given the twenty minutes they deserve, this will end up being a massive disappointment.

8. Orange Cassidy & Darby Allin vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon

Now we are finally getting into the good stuff. This tag team match is pure chaos. Darby Allin and Hiromu Takahashi sharing the same ring is a genuinely terrifying prospect.

Both guys seem actively determined to shorten their careers for our entertainment. Add in Yota Tsuji's freakish power and Cassidy's lazy mind games, and you have a guaranteed crowd-pleaser that will wake the building up.

The only reason it ranks this low is that the stakes are non-existent. It will be a wildly entertaining exhibition match from bell to bell.

7. Samoa Joe vs. Jeff Cobb

Big meaty men slapping meat. That is the entire pitch for this match, and I am absolutely buying it. Joe has been on an absolute tear lately, and Cobb remains one of the most freakishly agile heavyweights walking the planet.

We do not need a deep storyline. Just ring the bell and let them throw heavy bombs at each other.

My only real concern is Joe's cardiovascular conditioning if they try to drag this past the twenty-minute mark. Keep it tight, keep it violent, and let Cobb hit a Tour of the Islands on a three-hundred-pounder.

6. Jon Moxley vs. Shingo Takagi

This is going to be ugly in the absolute best way possible. Moxley thrives in these gritty brawls where the rules are essentially suggestions, and Shingo is the stiffest striker in the New Japan locker room.

They have unbelievable chemistry, and they are definitely going to bleed. You already know Moxley is bringing out the skewers by the ten-minute mark, and Shingo will gladly oblige the violence.

This match is specifically for the sickos, and it will deliver on its promise of sheer brutality. I just hope the referee gets out of the way.

The Match of the Year Contenders

5. Kazuchika Okada vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Okada is the AEW guy now and Zack Sabre Jr. is defending New Japan's honor? The role reversal here is fascinating. We have seen them wrestle countless times in the G1 Climax, but the dynamic is completely flipped.

Okada is doing his arrogant heel shtick, and Sabre is the foul-mouthed babyface fighting for his home promotion. Sabre is going to tie Okada into human knots, and Okada is going to try to take his head off with the Rainmaker.

It is a technical masterpiece waiting to happen. The only flaw is knowing Okada will not do a clean job.

4. Mariah May vs. Mina Shirakawa

Tony Khan actually managed to build a coherent storyline for the women's division, and it is paying off massively. The history between the former Club Venus members is rich, and the betrayal angle has been perfectly executed on television.

Shirakawa is incredibly popular right now, and May has evolved into a vicious champion who carries herself like a star. This match has actual heat behind it, which is painfully rare for Forbidden Door builds.

I expect a brutal, emotional war that steals the middle of the show and makes everyone pay attention.

3. Will Ospreay vs. Tetsuya Naito

Naito's knees are basically dust at this point in his career, but if anyone can drag a five-star classic out of him in 2026, it is Will Ospreay. Ospreay is operating on a completely different plane of existence right now.

Naito's slow, psychological pacing is the absolute perfect counter to Ospreay's frantic offense. Naito will spit on him, stall on the outside, and frustrate the hell out of the hometown hero.

Ospreay will respond with pure athletic violence. If Naito can somehow keep up with the pace for twenty-five minutes, this will be pure magic.

2. Bryan Danielson vs. Hechicero

Yes, I am ranking a match featuring a CMLL guy on a New Japan crossover show at number two. Deal with it. Bryan Danielson is officially on his retirement tour, and he specifically requested this exact match.

Hechicero is an absolute wizard on the mat. He does things with human anatomy that straight up defy physics. Danielson loves working with guys who can match his grappling intensity, and this is going to be a clinic in submission wrestling.

No flips, just two absolute masters stretching each other for our amusement. This is what the Forbidden Door concept was created to showcase.

1. Swerve Strickland vs. Shota Umino

This is the one. This is the main event that justifies the entire price of admission. Swerve Strickland has cemented himself as the most dangerous man in AEW, and Shota Umino has finally arrived as the true ace of New Japan.

Putting the top prize on the line in an AEW ring is a massive statement of intent. Swerve's vicious, targeted strikes against Umino's relentless babyface energy is a perfect stylistic matchup.

Umino has proven he can bleed buckets and fight from underneath. Swerve absolutely loves to dissect his opponents slowly and mock them while doing it.

I do not think Umino is walking out with the win, but the journey to get there is going to be incredible. This is the kind of cross-promotional main event that actually feels important, with two guys operating at the absolute peak of their physical prime. It will definitively prove why this entire partnership still matters.