By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Forbidden Door Zero Hour Pre-Show
Aired live June 30, 2024 live on social media
Elmont, New York at UBS Arena
-The pre-show was hosted by Renee Paquette, Jeff Jarrett, Rocky Romero, and RJ City at a desk that was set up above the first level of seats off the main floor.
-Amanda Huber and Negative One sat in briefly to plug the new Brodie Lee tribute shoes.
-Excalibur, Nigel McGuinness, and Matt Menard were on commentary. Bobby Cruise and a New Japan ring announcer conducted introductions for the added pre-show match.
1. Kyle Fletcher vs. Serpentico. There were plenty of opening seats with fans still arriving (because who thought they would add a freaking 15th match). Fletcher dominated the match and hit a tombstone piledriver. Rather than go for the pin, he picked up Serpentico and sat him on the top turnbuckle. Fletcher stood on the middle rope and held up Serpentico before performing a brainbuster on the top turnbuckle pad.
Kyle Fletcher beat Serpentico in 3:10.
Powell’s POV: A spotlight win for Fletcher. I already miss ignoring the first 30 minutes of the needlessly long 90-minute pre-shows, which may have inspired WWE to go with even needlessly longer two-hour pre-shows.
Entrances for the four-way tag team match took place…
2. Malakai Black and Brody King vs. Tomohiro Ishii and Kyle O’Reilly vs. Gabe Kidd and Roderick Strong (w/Gedo, Matt Taven, Mike Bennett) vs. “Private Party” Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen in a four-way tag team match. Kidd got good heat from the crowd and bit the head of King, who dropped him with a punch. The crowd barked along with King.
Late in the match, Kassidy and Quen hit stereo flip dives onto a batch of opponents at ringside. Back inside the ring, King tossed Kassidy into a knee strike from Black. King hit Kassidy with a Gonzo Bomb and then pinned him…
Malakai Black & Brody King defeated Tomohiro Ishii & Kyle O’Reilly vs. Gabe Kidd & Roderick Strong, “Private Party” Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen in 8:35 in a four-way tag team match.
Powell’s POV: All action from start to finish. This is clearly a case of everyone going balls to the wall with little regard for saving things for later in the show.
Ring entrances took place for the women’s tag team match…
3. Willow Nightingale and Tam Nakano vs. Momo Watanabe and Kris Statlander (w/Stokely Hathaway). McGuinness said Momo is Japanese for peach. Statlander avoided being in the ring with Willow to start, then tagged in once Willow tagged out.
At one point, Nakano went for a hot tag, but Statlander pulled Willow off the apron to prevent it. The heels continued to isolate Nakano. Eventually, Nakano dropped Statlander with a kick and then made the tag.
Willow worked over Statlander with punches and a kick. Statlander quickly tagged out to boos. Willow put Watanabe down with a spinebuster. Statlander ran in to break up the pin. Statlander tagged in once Willow was weary and picked up a quick two count.
Willow avoided Statlander going for a move from the middle rope and then dropkicked her. Nakano tagged in and went for a top rope crossbody block that Statlander avoided. Statlander went for a rolling German suplex, but Nakano hooked her into a pin for a two count. Nakano executed a German suplex for a near fall.
Willow tagged in, but Statlander ran her into Nakano twice. Watanabe put Willow down with a backbreaker and had her pinned, but Nakano broke it up. Statlander put Watanabe on her shoulders, but she slipped away and hit Statlander with a tiger suplex.
Willow performed a Death Valley Driver from the middle rope on Watanabe for a near fall. Willow went for a Doctor Bomb, but Watanabe stuffed it. Watanabe hit a big move on Willow for a near fall.
Willow came back with the Pounce and then clotheslined Statlander to ringside. Willow tagged out and then clotheslined Statlander. Nakano hit Watanabe with a Hammerlock German Suplex and got the three count…
Willow Nightingale and Tam Nakano defeated Momo Watanabe and Kris Statlander in 10:15.
Powell’s POV: A well worked tag team match. They gave viewers a teaser of Willow vs. Statlander without giving away too much before they meet in an Owen Hart Cup tournament match on Wednesday’s Dynamite.
Entrances for the Owen Hart Cup tournament match took place…
4. Mariah May (w/Toni Storm, Luther) vs. Saraya (w/Harley Cameron) in an Owen Hart Cup tournament match. Excalibur said Storm was taking time away from her own pre-match prep work to be in May’s corner.
May hit Saraya with an early missile dropkick and covered her for a two count. May got Saraya down in the corner and teased a hip attack, but Saraya rolled under the bottom rope. Saraya pulled May into the ring post.
Saraya barked at Storm, who jawed back at her. McGuinness said Saraya called Storm a cow, then added that there’s nothing bovine about her. Hikaru Shida was shown watching the match on a backstage monitor.
May hit Saraya with a headbutt to the jaw. Both women traded punches while on their knees and then once they were back on their feet. May got the better of it and then hit Saraya with a hip attack.
Cameron climbed on the apron and distracted the referee. Storm pulled Staraya down and punched her out. Saraya took advantage of the distraction and had May pinned, but May grabbed the bottom rope at the last moment.
Saraya put May in a leg lock and tried to hook her arms, but May rolled out of it and kicked Saraya away. Saraya slammed May’s face on the mat. Saraya jawed at Storm and then went for a suplex, but May stuffed it and rolled Saraya into a pin for the three count.
Mariah May defeated Saraya in 8:30 to advance to the semifinals of the Owen Hart Cup tournament.
Afterward, May and Storm celebrated together at ringside and then headed to the statge together while Cameron comforted Saraya. Mina Shirakawa joined May and Storm on the stage. May had to keep Storm and Shirakawa apart…
Powell’s POV: A decent match with the expected outcome. The post match with May keeping Storm and Shirakawa apart was a simple, yet good way to build toward their AEW Women’s Championship match for later in the show.
Entrances for the trios match took place…
5. Hiromu Takahashi, Titan, and Yota Tsuji vs. Mistico, Penta El Zero Miedo, and Rey Fenix (w/Alex Abrahantes). The crowd chanted “holy shit” before the opening bell. Titan and Fenix has a crowd pleasing exchange to start the match.
A short time later, Penta and Fenix hit Takahashi with simultaneous kicks. Mistico followed up with a light Swanton. Takahashi came back by pulling Mistico off the apron and powerbombing him on the floor.
Later, there was a series of rapid fire spots involving all six wrestlers that was capped off by Titan dropping Fenix with a big super kick. Titan covered Fenix for a near fall. A “this is awesome” chant broke out.
Fenix launched Mistico onto two opponents on the floor. Fenix and Penta hit their stomp into a piledriver move on Takahashi, who rolled out of the ring. Misitico returned and caught Titan in an armbar and got the submission win…
Mistico, Penta El Zero Miedo, and Rey Fenix defeated Hiromu Takahashi, Titan, and Yota Tsuji in 12:00.
Powell’s POV: A crowd pleasing spot-fest. I suspect I will be typing similar words at least a few times tonight. Let the record show that AEW’s pre-show had as many matches as some of WWE’s recent PLEs. I’ll leave that up to you to decide whether that’s a positive or a negative. I’m jumping over to the main card report, but I’ll hop back in here if there’s anything worth adding from the last few minutes of the pre-show.
Join me for my live review of the AEW Forbidden Door pay-per-view card in a separate report available via the main page.
“Both men traded punches while on their knees and then once they were back on their feet.”
You may want to go back and edit this one in the May V Saraya match