AEW Dynamite Winners, Grades and Reaction After Forbidden Door 2026

On the back of an epic Forbidden Door, the July 1 edition of Dynamite from the Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl San Diego State University in San Diego, California promised high-stakes action.

Will Ospreay and Mercedes Moné won the Owen Hart Foundation Tournaments in unforgettable battles. Both would appear to set their course for All In.

Following his victory inside the Death's Door steel cage, Mark Briscoe challenged MJF for the AEW Men's World Championship. The next TBS champion would emerge from the first-ever Survival of the Fittest on All Elite Wrestling TV.

Check out the winners, grades and reaction for all of Dynamite.

AEW Men's World Championship: MJF (c) vs. Mark Briscoe

Last Time in Action: Mark Briscoe alongside Orange Cassidy, Kyle O'Reilly, Roderick Strong, Darby Allin and Konosuke Takeshita defeated MJF alongside The Don Callis Family inside Death's Door (Forbidden Door, June 28).

MJF used early underhanded tactics to bloody Briscoe, who refused to slow down in his violent response.

A Froggy Bow could not keep The Salt of the Earth down, but Chicken kept the pressure on MJF with a dive off a steel chair. MJF avoided a table fall by tossing Briscoe onto the apron into the commercial break.

Chicken fought back with a Cactus Elbow on the exposed floor and got his table back in position for a Diving Elbow Drop to the floor, only for MJF to get his foot on the rope to survive the pin.

After managing to kick out of the Jay Driller, MJF fought back, showing his mettle to set up and execute the Heat Seeker for the victory.

After the win, MJF blasted Chicken with the Dynamite Diamond Ring and refused to let medics check on Briscoe.

Kenny Omega arrived to protect Chicken and challenged The Salt of the Earth to a match. MJF agreed to fight Omega next week at beach Break only if Omega agreed to never challenge for the title again if he lost.

While this was a non-stipulation singles match, Chicken pushed it to a hardcore edge, complete with an early crimson mask.

This set the clear story of Briscoe pushing himself over the limit to hurt MJF as much as capture the world championship. He continued to sell his exhaustion more with each passing minute of blood loss.

From the start, it never truly felt like Chicken had a chance, but MJF has made the most of these matches to showcase his opponents.

Briscoe will eventually be a world champion, but on the road to All In, MJF is unlikely to lose his gold. Omega has the best chance next week of anyone remaining.

Result

MJF def. Briscoe by pinfall to retain the AEW Men's World Championship.

Grade

A-

Notable Moments and Observations

• The show started backstage where Jon Moxley interrupted Will Ospreay celebrating with Alex Windsor and officially named him a Death Rider. He then walked into a concerned Kenny Omega and a mocking MJF.
• Backstage afterward, Renee Paquette interviewed MJF, who told Andrade El Ídolo he would deliver his revenge soon while promising victory over Omega again.
• Ospreay arrived to question The Salt of the Earth's motivations, and MJF refused to be shamed.
• Andrade met Tony Schiavone on the stage to promise he would soon be world champion before the Don Callis Family arrived to attack.

TNT Championship: Kevin Knight (c) (w/ Jake Doyle) vs. "Blackheart" Lio Rush

All Elite Wrestling

Kevin Knight vs. Lio Rush

Last Time in Action: Kevin Knight lost inside Death's Door following an explosition that sent him through a table at ringside (Forbidden Door, June 28); Lio Rush lost to Mark Briscoe (Dynamite, June 3).

The Blackheart quickly found an edge by distracting The Jet with a backpack, carrying his newly blackened ROH World Television Championship.

His speed and chaotic pace had Knight off his game throughout, luckily finding help from Jake Doyle and Don Callis.

A Springboard Stunner nearly took the win for Lio followed by a Cravate. Doyle pulled Knight to safety from the submission.

Knight finally managed to lay out Lio with The Crash Landing for the victory.

Afterward, Darby Allin arrived to demand a TNT Championship match. Knight was ready to accept, but Don Callis called The Daredevil a criminal, who would never be allowed a title match.

At no point did it ever look like The Blackheart had a chance to beat Knight, even with his obvious injury sell.

Still, the crowd was hyped for the action, which always leaned toward crowd pleasing. The two athletes were flying as much as they could in the time they had.

It is nice to see Lio become such a crowd favorite despite playing out an unusual gimmick for AEW's standard in a way that has never been fully explained.

While it is hard to say how far The Blackheart can go with this gimmick, likely not more than a midcard role, he has found a reliable place in AEW for the first time.

AEW has bet big on Knight, and he has done his job well in a few different roles so far. As a heel though, he is still finding his footing in the ring.

He has slowed down to lean into the heat but not developed enough signature heel offense to draw heat like some of his comparable peers.

Result

Knight def. Lio by pinfall to retain the TNT Championship.

Grade

C+

Notable Moments and Observations

• After the attack on Andrade, Knight remained in he ring for his match while Jake Doyle backed up The Jet and Don Callis joined commentary.
• Mercedes Moné cut a pre-taped promo from a private marina, promising her next goal was to finally win the AEW Women's World Championship.
• Knight did not look like he should be cleared to compete with bandages on his head and arms after his Death's Door explosion and fall.
• The crowd was completely behind Lio in a way they had not been before his recent gimmick evolution.
• Lio terrified Don Callis into the commercial break, causing him to briefly jump the barricade.
• Allin's sinister smile after Callis refused him a title match was terrifying.

Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley (w/ Marina Shafir) vs. The Swirl (w/ Jay Lethal)

All Elite Wrestling

Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay vs. The Swirl

Last Time in Action: Blake Christian and Lee Johnson alongside Jay Lethal lost to The Elite (Collision, June 20); Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley alongside Pac defeated The Rascalz (Collision, May 30).

The Swirl attacked Mox before the bell and went right after the left knee of the Continental champion.

Mox needed to get the hot tag to The Aerial Assassin who ran over both men and laid them out with a crossbody to the floor to gain control into the commercial break.

While The Swirl continued to annoy The Death Riders, Ospreay always had

The most predictable match of the night was only ever going one way, but the result was never the real question in this match.

As Mox and Ospreay grow closer, it has been interesting to see how they work together. This was the most cohesive they have looked as a team from the opening bell.

It could easily be argued that the top guys should have looked more dominant, but neither man needed to control the action to be the center of action.

Johnson and Christian looked fantastic in the first half of this contest, pulling out athletic double teams that few others could match.

At some point, AEW needs to take the two men more seriously though if they are going to look like dangerous against two of AEW's top names.

Result

Ospreay and Mox def. Christian and Johnson by pinfall.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Chris Jericho attacked Tommaso Ciampa during an interview, and the two brawled into the parking lot where security struggles to protect either man.
• Renee Paquette found The Elite's locker room where Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson disagreed on whether The Cleaner should agree. He told them he needed to fight next week alone if he agreed to the stipulation.
• Johnson and Christian were having fun refusing to be intimidated despite facing two stars several levels above them in credibility.
• Jay Lethal helped at one point only for Marina Shafir to throw him for it.
• Ospreay was wearing his Death Riders patch for the whole match but did not walk out with them, staying in the ring to celebrate.

Jay White Questions "Who Let The Dogs Out?"

"Switchblade" Jay White celebrated his return after 459 days with the crowd. He questioned the changing of AEW in his absence including the popularity of The Death Riders.

His main focus though was The Dogs, calling David Finlay "nepo baby" and promising that revenge was coming for his long-time friend turned rival.

This was a strong statement from White, who controlled the crowd and set them up to chant against The Dogs in the future.

He looked and sounded like a star throughout while making clear that fans should see The Dogs vs. The Bang Bang Gang as a major stable war on the road to All In.

White vs. Finlay has major potential to establish both men as future top champions if done on the right stage.

In the end though, the main goal should be to build up Switchblade for a run with the AEW Men's World Championship in 2027.

Grade

B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Christian Cage questioned Adam Copeland's friendship with White before walking out on an interview with Lexy Nair.
• Switchblade was having fun playing to the crowd and getting them ready to chant what he wanted when he wanted.
• Backstage, Shane Taylor Promotions challenged The Bang Bang Gang for Collision.

Survival of the Fittest for the TBS Championship

The first-ever AEW Survival of the Fittest

Last Time in Action: Maika defeated Skye Blue to qualify (Forbidden Door, June 28). Persephone defeated Billie Starkz to defend her CMLL World Women's Championship (Collision, June 27). Harley Cameron defeated Marina Shafir while Queen Aminata defeated Red Velvet to qualify (Dynamite, June 24). Kris Statlander defeated Mina Shirakawa to qualify (Collision, June 20). Hikaru Shida defeated Zayda Steel to qualify (Collision, June 13).

Persephone and Harley found an early partnership in the ring to take down Shida and Aminata, only to catch Harley with a surprising Crucifix Bomb for the first elimination.

While Stat and Persephone clashed because of the Harley betrayal, Shida stacked up Maika to eliminate her.

Aminata had Shida on the ropes after a Headbutt and Off With Her Head, but Persephone caught her a surprise roll-up for her second elimination.

Persephone tried to reversed the Staturday Night Fever into a roll-up, but Stat reversed it into a stack-up pin for the elimination.

Shida locked in an Ankle Lock, and an angry Persephone blasted The Cosmic Killer with the TBS Championship. Shida transitioned into her new leg stretch submission to force a referee stoppage for the victory.

This was always going to be a long match, and it was nice to see the women get time. However, it still felt short, especially due to two commercial breaks.

Multiple heated clashes resolved during the breaks, which is not usual for AEW even with its standard commercial break pace.

The contest though set up for the future of this TBS Championship picture, particularly creating the two clearest heels in that scene.

Persephone was the star of the match, making the most of the opportunity to sell her turn to the dark side.

Shida was the right choice to take the title with so many interesting face challengers for the new TBS champion.

While she and Stat have unfinished business, the real story can be either Harley or Mina Shirakawa coming for their first singles gold in AEW.

While it is a shame the freshest names (Harley and Aminata) would have been worthy winners, Shida has the most story ahead of her right now.

Result

Shida won Survival of the Fittest to become the new TBS champion. (Elimination order: Harley, Maika, Aminata, Persephone, Stat.)

Grade

B

Notable Moments and Observations

• Commentary harped on this as the first-ever AEW Survival of the Fittest, likely indicating it will not be the last.
• Aminata sold the shock of her own elimination more than anyone else.
• Persephone was a menace in this match, playing the full heel throughout.
• Despite the heat though, the crowd was not happy to see Persephone eliminated.

Kenny Omega Accepts the Risks for a Rematch with MJF for the AEW Men's World Championship

Will Ospreay caught Kenny Omega before he headed to the ring and warned The Cleaner that this was a bad decision.

Omega told The Aerial Assassin that this was his "Death Ground", and he knew what he needed to do.

The Cleaner refused to back down, encouraged by a crowd that believed in him.

Omega accepted the stipulation of MJF, ready to lose out o his chance to be world champion ever again, before The Salt of the Earth attacked from behind.

As Omega turned the tide, security arrived en masse to separate the two with limited luck.

This was a solid speedy push to the MJF vs. Omega rematch, though it showed that AEW could have done more to set up this angle earlier.

While the two men fought at Dynasty, Omega's push to a rematch has not been smooth, including heavy time off TV.

Even if it is to protect The Cleaner for one last run, AEW could have kept him appearing on TV in at least pre-taped segment, rebuilding himself from the Dynasty loss.

Still, at the end of the day, Omega cut a strong promo on MJF and sold why fans need to see these men fight again.

Beach Break looks like a pay-per-view level event all its own next week, and the main event is certain to be a talking point for months to come no matter the outcome.

Grade

B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Before the final segment, Excalibur and Tony Schiavone ran down a wild Beach Break card including Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kyle Fletcher and a chaotic Collision card with NJPW, Stardom and CMLL representation.
• Omega pointed out that he has been doing this for 30 years, which really makes it easy to feel old as a fan of The Cleaner back to his early days.
• No one held back in mentioning Cody Rhodes during this show since his legacy is linked to this stipulation forever.
• Security arrived way faster to save MJF from Omega than they did to save Mark Briscoe from MJF earlier.