June 2026 saw an opening and closing of the Forbidden Door in AEW. Not only that, but the action ramped up for Stardom and CMLL talents vying for the AEW TBS Championship alongside members of AEW’s home roster. If that wasn’t enough, fans had the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament to cheer through. Needless to say, the month was jam-packed with moments in All Elite Wrestling. But who had the best month in AEW, June 2026?
For my money, Forbidden Door season is usually a lot of fun, but it was different this year. Visa issues forbade most talents from stepping through the doorway, but that didn’t deter industry-wide wrestlers from wrestling their butts off. So, without further ado, here are the best of the best, with some honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions for AEW June 2026
June favored the quickly popular Blackheart Lio Rush, who has been frequently added to shows, either backstage or in the ring. His captivating, surreal gimmick has captured the attention of fans everywhere, while leaving more mystery behind his lore.
The AEW TNT Champion Kevin Knight resumed his mean streak in the past month, defeating former friend “Speedball” Mike Bailey on the June 3 AEW Dynamite. Later, Myron Reed and Desmond Xavier challenged The Jet on the June 11 and 24 episodes of AEW Collision, respectively. Plus, he was featured heavily in matches involving his Don Callis Family stablemates.
Knight’s teammate, the AEW Men’s World Champion MJF, meanwhile, didn’t have many matches, but still stood out. I mean, he should; he’s the World Champ. He retained his title against RUSH on the June 3 AEW Dynamite, later forging an uneasy alliance with the Don Callis Family against Mark Briscoe’s friends, The Conglomeration, Darby Allin, and Konosuke Takeshita.
But the finalists for the Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament warrant their own place here. Former allies, Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay, have returned with a vengeance.
They’ve become ruthless, with Strickland simply reverting to past behaviors as a menace. Ospreay, meanwhile, has been forged by the Death Riders to be a killer. Their match at AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door followed up on their 2024 match at the same pay-per-view to dramatic heights.
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Persephone
She may have been under a dual contract with CMLL, but Persephone’s time in AEW, June 2026, showcased her during Forbidden Door season. Although she fell short of advancing past the quarterfinals of the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament against Hazuki on June 6’s AEW Collision, she bounced back.
Persephone made up for her loss by qualifying for the AEW TBS Championship Survival of the Fittest Match against the Triangle of Madness’s Julia Hart. As she awaited her title match, she defended her CMLL World Women’s Championship against Ring of Honor’s Billie Starkz on the June 24 episode of AEW Collision, winning in a victorious display.
Konosuke Takeshita
Opposing his former Don Callis Family allies en route to AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door 2026 saw Takeshita aligned with The Conglomeration and Darby Allin. Taking them on in a 12-Man Tag Match against his previous squad and MJF may not have ended the way he’d wished on the June 17 AEW Dynamite, but he’d rebound the next week on June 24.
His challenger, Ricochet, dominated the early portion of the bout, but quickly lost footing. With explosive suplexes and signature moves, Takeshita put away Ricochet to retain his AEW International Championship. This isn’t a matchup that happens often, but Ricochet and Takeshita clashed well together.
Takeshita later stepped into the circular steel cage at Forbidden Door, as he, Darby Allin, and the Don Callis Family won. He probably beamed at the fact that his opponents suffered a defection near the finish by Andrade El Idolo. Either way, Takeshita got his lick back on the group that excommunicated him and made some friends along the way. Isn’t that what it’s all about, friendship?
Athena
The Ring of Honor Women’s Champion came out of Global Wars Cincinnati strong after retaining against Stardom’s Syuri. However, advancing in the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament, she still had more work to do. Squashing Tiara James in a 2+ minute match, she looked lethal.
Stepping into the ring in the semi-finals, Athena would oppose former protégé Maya World in what seemed a forgone conclusion. Athena didn’t realize, however, that World bore fire fueled by something deeply personal beyond wrestling to succeed. Speaking outside of kayfabe, Athena shined World up real nice, leaving her to seem a credible threat for a returning Mercedes Moné.
Athena later teamed with Moné on June 24 to take on World and Hyan in a winning effort.
This leads me to this mini-rant: Athena deserves more. Look at the way she performs when she’s allowed to appear in AEW and on ROH pay-per-views. She’s putting her soul into her matches, hoping it will be enough to feature her more prominently. Yet she’s presented like the cool aunt in the 1990s who would have had the Sony PlayStation, Nintendo 64, AND the Sega Dreamcast, but you’d only see her one month out of the year.
Mercedes Mone
The CEO’s return came at just the right time. With Toni Storm being out of action and Willow Nightingale shelved due to injury, AEW needs the big names for its women’s roster. And boy, did she supply the goods!
Immediately slotted into the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament, she’d topple Alex Windsor in a shock return on the June 3 episode of AEW Dynamite in Virginia. Two weeks later, she’d surpass Stardom’s Hazuki in a stunning rematch of their 2024 clash at NJPW’s Strong Style Evolved.
But once she and Athena crushed Maya World and Hyan on the June 24 edition of AEW Collision, the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament Finals were all that mattered.
Mone went into AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door 2026 with a chip on her shoulder, as she qualified for the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament Finals. Her opponent? None other than Maya World. I’ll get into World in a moment, but I must express profound kudos to the CEO for her performance.
A natural at big match feels, Mone took a rising star in World to ensure she’d walk out ten times bigger than she went in, win or lose. And win Mone did, but after almost 25 minutes of nail-biting nearfalls and pulse-pounding moves. When all was said and done, the Monémaker put away the hopeful underdog.
Mone’s path to the AEW Women’s World Championship at AEW All In is clear. She will face either the current champion, Thekla, or the Toxic Spider’s AEW Redemption challenger, Willow Nightingale. An impactful return month for Mone, for sure.
Maya World
Hyan and Maya World in 2026 are the definition of making the most out of opportunities. What two previous free agents passed up on due to creative differences, these two picked up on.
From there on, Hyan and World consistently showed up to put on matches that have kept talent on the higher end of the card looking like a million bucks. But when would it be their turn?
For World, not too long. Independent Japanese freelancer Sareee had been positioned to face Skye Blue in the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament, when a litany of injuries forbade her the opportunity. Wouldn’t you know it, this came at the coincidental time of a tragedy.
Losing her younger brother, the person who paved the way for her to fall in love with pro wrestling, she poured her heart out into a match against Blue that stole the hearts of fans. Everyone was locked in to see how far she’d go.
Insanely enough, World surpassed not only Blue but her former mentor, Athena. The Fallen Goddess cut World off at every angle, yet it was a roll-up that saw World off to the Finals. Both of these matches and the tag team match with Hyan against Athena and Mercedes Moné increased the intrigue, with her blossoming following and spirited performances.
Yet, her match with Mone brought forth an amazing bout that, hopefully, leapfrogs her further up the card, with or without Hyan. Sure, Mone made World look like a bajillion bucks, but the young wrestler’s comebacks were so fiery, and her escapes were so gripping, like she knew who to be and where to be at the right times. For but a moment, that near-quarter of an hour, World didn’t seem like an underdog, but an equal.
While she didn’t pick up the pinfall or submission, her heartbreaking loss added more investment, rather than disappointment. World, at 23 years old, hit what may be her breakout year. She’s got a long road to go to surpass this. Let’s hope the booking involving her reflects this.
What’s Next for July 2026?
I believe that, while it still has a ways to go, the booking in the women’s division has improved tremendously. Granted, that could have been due in part to CMLL and Stardom during Forbidden Door season.
I fully expect Athena to be banished to the ROH paywall soon after her annual obligatory team-up with Mercedes Moné has finished. But Maya World and Mone were perhaps the biggest highlights, and my favorite part of tuning in. And Persephone finding her way in? The more the merrier.
Since this article will follow the events of AEW Dynamite Beach Break, things are already shaking up on the way to AEW Redemption.
As of writing, Kenny Omega is the new AEW Men’s World Champion. Kyle Fletcher sadly dethroned the only male entry to this month’s edition of “Which Star Had the Best Month in AEW?” while also seemingly setting up a potential feud with Kevin Knight. Meanwhile, Jack Perry re-signed to AEW, while Willow Nightingale, Hangman Adam Page, and Mick Foley returned.
The roster may face a shake-up soon, too. Motor City Machine Guns are likely to debut as active signed talent, their first time on AEW programming since 2022, once their 90-day no-compete clause from WWE elapses. Of course, New Day, also fresh off their WWE tenure, are plausible additions to the roster—it seems that AEW talent are very receptive to their inclusion.
Aside from that? Tommaso Ciampa’s off to a good start, defeating Chris Jericho, while Blackheart Lio Rush continues to connect with fans. MJF, I predict, will try to worm his way back to the top, unless someone gets in his way. It’s been a long road, but June has set up months of storylines from June to September.
Autumn approaches, and with it, a change in AEW’s current setting.
