AEW served the go-home episode of Dynamite (June 24, 2026) heading into the Forbidden Door PPV. Since the card is built, there wasn’t a whole lot of story to dissect. AEW closed in typical fashion with a huge melee between the teams led by MJF and Mark Briscoe. The show also featured Will Ospreay falling on his bum, Konosuke Takeshita defending the international title, two upsets in the Survival of the Fittest qualifiers, and more from Rio Rancho Events Center in Rio Rancho, NM.
Forbidden Door melee!
In terms of PPV hype, this was a very generic show. The squeeze didn’t yield much juice. At least Dynamite closed with a bang when a melee erupted to hype the steel cage main event at Forbidden Door.
Mark Briscoe has his band of merry men focused on helping him earn a world title shot.
MJF’s idea to bring his unit together was the gift of all gifts. He presented a t-shirt with the image of MJF and Don Callis oiled up in Speedo trunks. I’m a sucker for Don’s brand of artwork over the years in AEW. I can’t help but crack a smile. I also laughed at MJF blatantly disrespecting Andrade.
After the main event match, Briscoe headed to the ring for a solo promo. He responded to MJF’s insults in setting this up as white collar versus blue collar. Briscoe reminded the world that he beat MJF last time they wrestled one-on-one, and MJF never kicked out of the Jay Driller. Briscoe had a funny line about MJF having to buy his teammates. Dat Boy doubted that the Callis Family would even bother to pee on MJF if he was burning in flames. Callis arrived on stage as a ruse for MJF to attack from behind.
This attack triggered the manufactured sequence of team members hitting the ring one by one in an orderly manner to hit their signature moves. The crowd popped each time. Briscoe had his clutches on MJF for the Jay Driller, however, Andrade made the save to clothesline Dat Boy. MJF ordered Andrade to pick up Briscoe, and that set El Idolo in an ornery mood. MJF pulled out the Dynamite Diamond Ring. Briscoe escaped, and Andrade ate the loaded punch. Briscoe planted MJF with the Jay Driller to close the night.
Last week’s massive tag team bout was a better way to build excitement for the PPV. This scene was alright, but I think it suffered from an unnecessary overrun in time. Energy is high after a rocking finish to the main event, then it dulls as Briscoe voices a slow promo. At that point in the show, everyone is waiting for action to pop off, because we assumed time was running out. Briscoe’s promo would have been better in the middle of the show, and AEW could have still done the melee at the end. It’s goofy to have them all arrive one at a time. I’d like a sneak peak to see what was happening backstage in character for each wrestler to realize they needed to run in. I can understand Orange Cassidy being lazy. What is the excuse for Jake Doyle? That man wants to hurt people, and I imagine he’d be frothing at the mouth right away to bring the ruckus. With all that said, even mediocre melees are still entertaining. They played heavy into the Jay Driller and discord between MJF and Andrade. I suspect those ideas will be relevant for the finish as Forbidden Door.
Let’s jam through the rest of Dynamite. Catch up on all the details with excellent play-by-play from Claire Elizabeth.
AEW International Championship: Konosuke Takeshita (c) defeated Ricochet to retain the title. Everyone was banned from ringside for the main event. This match oozed with athleticism. It was funny how Ricochet tossed his jacket at Takeshita to throw him off guard for a split second. That was all the time Ric needed to blitz a barrage of offense and land a springboard 450 splash, but it wasn’t enough to keep Takeshita down for three. That sequence set the tone. Takeshita was often fighting off his back foot trying to flip the momentum. The match continued as Ricochet had near falls on the Vertigo Driver and the patented Ricosault. The closing sequence was super slick. They went back and forth with defensive movement. Ricochet flipped out of an avalanche German suplex. Takeshita ducked the Spirit Gun. Takeshita caught a rana attempt to counter for a huge powerbomb. Ricochet pulled the referee in front to block Takeshita’s running knee strike. That was only temporary relief. When Ricochet charged for the Spirit Gun, Takeshita flattened him with a lariat. The Alpha’s running knee and Raging Fire sealed the deal to keep the gold. That was an electric finish and a good notch on Takeshita’s belt for his title reign.
Will Ospreay blooper. After Jon Moxley delivered a strong pep-talk to the Death Riders, Ospreay hit the blooper reel. The idea was for the Death Riders accepting Ospreay as one of their own by allowing him into their circle dance. Ospreay tripped over the tub and fell down. He couldn’t stop himself from laughing. Neither can I when watching the replay. In a backwards sort of way, it’s funny how Ospreay’s flub fits right into Mox’s promo about not staying down and this being on live TV.
Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, & Wheeler Yuta defeated Mistico, Bandido, & Brody King. The finish came when King was running wild. Marina Shafir distracted the referee, Claudio hit King with the title belt, and Moxley made the pin. Fun action with a weak finish. I wonder if AEW booked themselves into a corner with that matchmaking. Bandido and Mistico shouldn’t take the pin. That leaves King to be protected with cheap interference. I hope this sets up King for some payback in the weeks after the PPV, because any combination with King versus one of the Death Riders has my interest.
Will Ospreay defeated El Phantasmo. Cool action in this one. Ospreay had a level of intensity that Moxley would approve. The finish came when Ospreay escaped ELP’s to counter for the Styles Clash. The Hidden Blade sealed the deal. Dissecting this from a story aspect, I’d say that Ospreay is peaking at the right time for the Owen Hart Cup final. ELP scored lots of offense, because entertainment is the AEW style in the ring. Ospreay was never in real trouble against a quality opponent. That closing sequence was very smooth. The pop upon contact was loud to sound extra vicious.
Swerve Strickland defeated Daniel Garcia. Garcia was aggressive, but Swerve was even more aggressive. Garcia worked the left leg often. I’m curious if Swerve will have any lingering effects in leg pain for the Owen Hart Cup final. He collapsed when running for a House Call kick. Garcia took advantage for the Styles Clash. Swerve kept his composure to come back for the House Call in the end. Swerve sent a statement to Ospreay for the Hidden Blade to win.
Afterward, Swerve tried to snap Garcia’s arm. Ospreay returned for the save. Prince Nana hooked Ospreay’s foot as a distraction, and Swerve connected with a House Call. Garcia saved Ospreay from the vertebreaker, so Swerve hit the vertebreaker on Garcia.
Ospreay’s interactions with the Death Riders were intriguing in building a bond. There was the dance earlier, then Garcia returning the favor to on the save. A couple things crossed my mind. That trios win was dirty. Will the Death Riders try to butt in to cheat at Forbidden Door? Would Ospreay accept help in the heat of the moment? Swerve hitting the Hidden Blade was a nice touch of gamesmanship. Will that come into play for the PPV? I’m very curious what happens if Swerve hits the vertebreaker. That maneuver fits into Ospreay’s arc to test his neck health.
Survival of the Fittest qualifier: Harley Cameron defeated Marina Shafir. Harley dressed in style inspired by Supergirl. She rallied, and Shafir felt the wrath. On the finish, Shafir snatched Harley for a rear naked choke. Harley rolled over the top to stack Shafir for the pin. The pin looked pretty slick by trapping Shafir’s leg to prevent escape. Even though Harley has more star power, that result is an upset in my book.
Survival of the Fittest qualifier: Queen Aminata defeated Red Velvet. Down the stretch, Velvet rallied for a cazadora bomb off the turnbuckles, then she landed a frog splash to the spine. Aminata kicked out. She ducked a head kick and delivered a headbutt to win. I don’t like this result. Nothing against Aminata. She hasn’t been built up at all on TV since returning from injury. Velvet is on a strong run as TV champion in ROH. Why not reward her for that with the Survival of the Fittest showcase? It seems weak to job her out in a qualifying match. ROH better build this into a feud for their TV title now.
Five of the six spots in Survival of the Fittest for the vacant TBS Championship have been earned by Hikaru Shida, Persephone, Kris Statlander, Harley Cameron, and Queen Aminata. That match is scheduled for Dynamite on July 1.
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Jack Perry. Sabre demonstrated his technical prowess by targeting the left arm of Perry. Jungle Man scored plenty of offense in his own right, and he even locked Sabre in the Snare Trap submission. Sabre kept his composure to bait Perry into an escape method. In the end, Sabre outsmarted Perry on the mat to crank the arm for victory. Sabre’s skills were impressive. He has a game plan and doesn’t lose focus from it. The way Sabre slows it down to set up submissions makes his movement easy to appreciate.
Young Bucks defeated Bad Dude Tito & Mikey Nicholls. In another battle between the Elite and The Mighty Don’t Kneel, the Young Bucks stood tall on a Meltzer Driver to pin Nicholls. This match offered the flash you would expect from the Young Bucks.
Afterward, Sabre attacked, so Kenny Omega and Perry ran in for the save. Omega hit a snap dragon suplex on Sabre. The tactician was saved by Tito from the V-Trigger. Omega hyped the PPV bout to see who the best man is. When Omega wins, he’ll move on to redemption. Hint hint, he’s coming for MJF and the world title.
The Bucks weren’t done for the night. They have momentum back to the top of the tag team division. The backstage promo was hijacked by brawling between C&C and the Dogs. David Finlay got the upper hand with hairspray to the eyes. The Dogs choked out the old men with cables.
Notes: Mercedes Moné mocked the idea that the Owen Hart cup final is a dream match for Maya World. It will not be a Cinderella story at Forbidden Door. I like the background desert landscape for Mone’s promo.
Thekla warned Starlight Kid that Stardom doesn’t care about her. She knows this, because Stardom chose Kid to be her opponent. The Toxic Spider will spit her out.
Stud of the Show: Brody King
How about this maneuver from the big man! King broke out his lucha libre offense for a double takedown.
Match of the Night: Will Ospreay vs. El Phantasmo
I thought this was the coolest match on the show, and the finish popped.
Grade: C+
AEW delivered great action in the ring, but things felt flat hyping the PPV. There wasn’t much drama in this episode. Nor were there any great hooks to care.
Share your thoughts about AEW Dynamite. How do you rate it? What were your favorite moments from the show? Who impressed you the most?
