AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door: Wrestlers Use NES Console as Weapon in Cage Match

Weaponizing Nostalgia: The Forbidden Door Cage Match

The spectacle, which took place during the latest All Elite Wrestling pay-per-view, saw a 12-man steel cage match devolve into a display of retro-gaming hardware. According to Kotaku, the match featured two teams of six, with competitors including Kyle Fletcher, Kazuchika Okada, Kevin Knight, Kyle O’Reilly, Mark Briscoe, and Orange Cassidy.

While Orange Cassidy is known for utilizing a Jansport backpack to store championship belts, the entire team coordinated to bring bags filled with improvised weaponry. The cache included orange slices, thumb tacks, and a classic Nintendo Entertainment System complete with controllers and a game cartridge. The use of the console marked a departure from standard wrestling tropes, though the participants appeared to embrace the theme with genuine enthusiasm. The Forbidden Door event itself is structured as a cross-promotional showcase, designed to bring together the rosters of All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, often resulting in high-intensity, stipulation-heavy matches intended to bridge the stylistic differences between American and Japanese wrestling traditions.

How the NES Became a Match Highlight

The sequence involving the console began when O’Reilly and Briscoe retrieved the device from their bags. As reported by Fightful, the pair first used the controllers as blunt instruments before stretching a controller cable between them to clothesline Kyle Fletcher.

For more on this story, see Natalya Responds to AEW Star’s Forbidden Door Tribute.

The physicality escalated when O’Reilly prepared the console for a final strike. In a moment that resonated with retro-gaming enthusiasts, O’Reilly blew on the game cartridge—labeled simply as “AEW”—before loading it into the system. The culmination of the sequence saw O’Reilly strike Fletcher in the head with the console, an action that resulted in Fletcher being busted open. The act of blowing into a cartridge is a widely recognized cultural artifact of the 8-bit gaming era, often performed by users in the 1980s and 90s in an attempt to clear dust from the internal pins to improve connectivity, a practice that hardware historians note was technically unnecessary and potentially damaging to the contacts over time.

Commentary and Reaction to the Retro Tech

The inclusion of the console drew immediate reactions from the broadcast team. Tony Schiavone remarked on the potential value of the vintage hardware, though the state of the machine following the match likely rendered it a collector’s loss. In contrast, Don Callis, acting in his villainous capacity on commentary, dismissed the device entirely.

The incident highlights a recurring trend within the professional wrestling community, where video game culture and wrestling frequently intersect. Fans often bring game-themed signs to events, and the performers themselves have demonstrated a clear affinity for gaming history. While the NES was clearly intended for impact, the specific choice of hardware sparked debate regarding its effectiveness as a weapon compared to more modern consoles like the GameCube. The GameCube, released by Nintendo in 2001, is frequently cited in pop culture and internet discourse for its dense, brick-like build quality and handle, leading to a long-running meme status regarding its durability compared to the flatter, more brittle plastic housing of the original 1985 NES.

Technical Context and Match Logistics

The match was part of the broader Forbidden Door event, which serves as a recurring collaboration between AEW and NJPW. The logistical decision to allow items like an NES into a steel cage match added a layer of unpredictability to the 12-man format. In professional wrestling, the introduction of foreign objects—often referred to as “hardcore” elements—is a standard method to raise the stakes of a match, particularly when the confines of a steel cage limit the mobility of the participants.

This follows our earlier report, AEW Results: Athena vs. Maya, Young Bucks & Jack Perry in Action (June 20, 2026).

• Orange slices: Provided by Willow as a snack.
• Thumb tacks: Brought by Mark Briscoe.
• Nintendo Entertainment System: Used by O’Reilly and Briscoe as a primary weapon.
• Controller cables: Utilized for a coordinated clothesline against Kyle Fletcher.

Despite the violent nature of the exchange, the segment underscored the creative freedom often associated with AEW’s high-stakes cage matches. Steel cage matches, a staple of the industry since the mid-20th century, are traditionally designed to prevent interference or escape, but in modern iterations, they frequently serve as the venue for the most extreme escalations in a rivalry. The integration of such pop-culture artifacts remains a distinct signature of the promotion’s approach to entertainment, blending legitimate athletic competition with scripted, spectacle-driven sequences.

Find more reporting in our Tech section.