Andrew Ravens
Callum Newman was reportedly set to compete on the Forbidden Door card before an injury forced him off, with the bout believed to have been against Jon Moxley. The information was discussed on Wrestling Observer Radio, where Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez confirmed details about the planned matchup.
“Callum Newman was gonna be on the show, but injured. I don’t know the match,” Meltzer said. Alvarez followed up with his own understanding of the situation. “I believe it was the Moxley match.” Meltzer then confirmed that the info aligned with what he had separately been told. “Okay, well that confirms what I was pretty much told too by other people, but not him.”
Moxley ultimately defended the AEW Continental Championship against Bandido at the June 28 event at SAP Center in San Jose, California, suggesting Bandido stepped into the slot originally intended for Newman following the injury. Forbidden Door 2026 marked the fifth installment of the event and the first to be officially co-promoted by CMLL and Stardom alongside AEW and NJPW. The card also featured the finals of both the men’s and women’s Owen Hart Foundation
Tournament for the first time in the event’s history, with Will Ospreay defeating Swerve Strickland to win the men’s tournament and Mercedes Mone defeating Maya World to win the women’s tournament for the second consecutive year, making her the first wrestler in the tournament’s history to win it twice and back-to-back. Now, the shift in AEW’s focus goes directly to its All In event.
Mone is expected to challenge for the AEW Women’s World Title, a championship she has yet to hold. On the flip side, Ospreay is expected to challenge MJF for the World Heavyweight Title at the same show.
