AEW Dynamite Preview: MJF and Mark Briscoe Pick Forbidden Door Teams and Meet in 12-Man Tag, HAZUKI vs. Mercedes Moné in Owen Cup Semifinal, More

AEW Dynamite is LIVE tonight in Sugar Land, Texas at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on TBS and HBO Max! AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door is just 11 days away, but there’s plenty to handle before we get there, including some big decisions and showdowns tonight.

AEW World Champion MJF and Mark Briscoe will make their selections for the 6-on-6 Steel Cage Match at Forbidden Door, where Briscoe's path to the AEW World Title hangs in the balance. And once the picks are made, we’ll see those two sides square off in a massive 12-man tag team match.

The Owen Hart Foundation Tournament will be in the spotlight, as HAZUKI and Mercedes Moné meet in one half of the women's Semifinal, with the winner earning a trip to the Finals at Forbidden Door. And the two men who have already punched their tickets to the men's Owen Cup Finals – Will Ospreay and Swerve Strickland – come face-to-face in Sugar Land tonight. 

All that and much more goes down tonight on Dynamite!

AEW Dynamite Card Tonight in Sugar Land

AEW World Champion MJF & Briscoe Pick Their Teams for Forbidden Door 6-on-6 Steel Cage Match and Meet in a 12-Man Tag!

Mark Briscoe has his path to a shot at MJF and the AEW World Title. Despite MJF’s claims that he calls the shots as AEW World Champion, Tony Khan made a 6-on-6 Steel Cage Match at Forbidden Door, and the stakes are enormous: If Briscoe's team wins, he gets his coveted shot at MJF's AEW World Title. After the match was made official last week on Dynamite Summer Blockbuster, MJF went straight to Don Callis with a briefcase full of money to buy access to the Don Callis Family. TNT Champion "The Jet" Kevin Knight made his own move, stepping up to claim a spot on Team MJF with the understanding that he’d get his own future shot at MJF’s AEW World Title.

Tonight, we’ll learn who will fill out each team when MJF and Briscoe make their selections.  But instead of waiting for Forbidden Door, we’ll get a preview of what will happen on June 28 in San Jose when the two teams meet tonight in a 12-man tag. Who might join Knight on MJF’s team? Will Briscoe go beyond The Conglomeration to assemble the crew he needs to get his AEW World Title shot? And what happens when all 12 men battle it out tonight on Dynamite?

Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament Semifinal: HAZUKI vs. Mercedes Moné

This is the first of two Semifinal matchups this week, and, much like the other, there’s history between the competitors. 

Two weeks ago on Collision, HAZUKI earned her way into the Semifinals with a victory over CMLL World Women’s Champion Persephone, but she barely had time to celebrate as Moné attacked HAZUKI, which set off a brawl between the two that saw HAZUKI take Moné down with a huge dive. Now, these two meet tonight with a spot in the Owen Cup Finals at Forbidden Door on the line.

Moné knows exactly what she’s up against, and perhaps that’s why she took it to HAZUKI so quickly. They’ve been in the ring twice before, with Moné coming away victorious to retain the IWGP Women’s Title in a three-way over AZM and HAZUKI at NJPW Sakura Genesis in April 2023, and then again in a highly-regarded one-on-one showdown that saw Moné successfully defend her NJPW Strong Women’s Title at NJPW Strong Style Evolved in December 2024. If Moné can defeat HAZUKI again, she’ll have a chance to become a back-to-back Owen Cup champion. 

The winner of this Semifinal will await the winner of ROH Women’s World Champion Athena vs. Maya World in the other Semifinal this Saturday on Collision. Will HAZUKI overcome her past, or will Moné move one step closer to repeating history?

Will Ospreay & Swerve Strickland Face-To-Face

Tonight isn’t just about a match. It’s about two men who know each other well coming face-to-face 11 days before they meet at Forbidden Door with so much on the line. 

Ospreay has made no secret of what's driving him – the main event of All In: London and becoming AEW World Champion. Swerve, meanwhile, is after power. And what better way to achieve ultimate power than by winning the AEW World Title at the last place he held it? Just over a year ago, at Summer Blockbuster, these two went to a 30-minute time limit draw, but they haven’t met since. And both are in far different places this time around, although the focus on the title remains the same. 

What will happen when Ospreay and Strickland come face-to-face tonight?

How to Watch AEW Dynamite

• Date: Wednesday, June 17, 2026

• Start Time: LIVE 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT

• Location: Smart Financial Centre – Sugar Land, Texas

• TV: TBS

• Streaming: HBO Max