AEW Forbidden Door 2026 Card Shape-Up: Seven Potential Matches That Could Round Out the San Jose Show

AEW Forbidden Door 2026 is closing in fast, and while the San Jose card already has some big pieces in place, there’s been growing conversation about how much talent from NJPW, STARDOM, and CMLL will actually make it onto the show.

What’s confirmed so far sets a high bar. AEW World Champion MJF will team with The Don Callis Family — Kyle Fletcher, Andrade El Idolo, Jake Doyle, and Kazuchika Okada — against Team Mark Briscoe inside a Steel Cage in what’s been billed as part of a triple main event. Shota Umino is also set to put the IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship on the line against PAC of The Death Riders.

Noticeably absent from those announcements, however, is AEW National Champion Mark Davis, who has been on a strong run since capturing the title in May and would typically feature in a high-profile spot. One potential direction would be a defense against CMLL’s Templario — a clash of styles that could give the cross-promotional show more of its intended flavor.

On the junior heavyweight side, YOH recently dethroned DOUKI at NJPW Dominion 2026 to revive the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, and his profile could translate well at Forbidden Door. Speedball Mike Bailey, a Best of Super Juniors alumnus, would be a natural foil.

The women’s division offers rich possibilities too. Persephone, who holds the CMLL Women’s World Title under a dual contract with AEW, came up short in this year’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, but a three-way title defense involving Skye Blue and STARDOM’s Hazuki — who holds a prior win over her — could be a compelling addition. Syuri, the current IWGP Women’s Champion, also recently appeared at an ROH show to challenge Athena, and a Forbidden Door defense against Mina Shirakawa — given their shared history in STARDOM — would carry real emotional weight.

Meanwhile, HENARE and Great O-Khan walked out of Dominion with the IWGP Tag Team Championship after defeating The Knockout Brothers, and the new champs have already issued a Forbidden Door challenge. A four-way title match incorporating KOB, CMLL’s Volador Jr. and Hechicero, and AEW’s The Rascalz would go a long way toward addressing the criticism that the show hasn’t leaned hard enough into its multi-promotional identity.

With just days remaining before the show, the final picture for Forbidden Door 2026 is still coming into focus.