AEW Delay Huge Announcement Due To WWE Clause [REPORTS]

AEW was set to make a major announcement for one of its top shows. However, a report hinted that it was delayed due to a significant reason pertaining to their rival promotion, WWE.

The Jacksonville-based promotion has collaborated with other top companies, such as NJPW, CMLL, and STARDOM, to present the Forbidden Door pay-per-view over the years. The event has featured crossover matches between some of the greatest in-ring competitors and has been well-received by fans at every edition.

Furthermore, the 2026 edition of the Forbidden Door event has been announced to take place at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, on June 28. However, Bodyslam.net reported that All Elite Wrestling had to hold off the announcement until after the April 10 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, which was hosted by WWE. It could be a clause WWE has with arenas that prevents other companies from announcing their shows until the WWE event is over.

AEW President Tony Khan issued a statement on an absent star

While Tony Khan’s promotion has been thriving with successful shows and is looking forward to more events, there are major names who have been absent from the company for a long time. One of them is top star Britt Baker. Khan recently stated that the absence of stars is on a case-by-case basis and also due to limited TV time.

“Well, I think, again, each wrestler is a case-by-case basis, but the people you named—I really liked having them in AEW, and in Britt’s case, she is a part of AEW. In Ricky’s case, he’s someone that wrestled here in the past… One thing you guys know very well—there’s a limited amount of hours. And one thing that’s been really good, that I think there’s been a real focus on, that the fans have noticed in AEW in the last year—there have been people that have come and gone—but I think the shows have had a really great flow.”

Despite some top names missing from the company, Tony Khan and his creative regime are moving ahead, with Forbidden Door a significant show for them this year. So it remains to be seen how the match card will shape up for this year’s event.