Wardlow Returns To AEW, Joins DCF, Attacks Swerve Strickland After Forbidden Door Loss

Swerve Strickland might have taken inspiration from Mr. Terrific's gear, but Kazuchika Okada was the terrific one during his AEW Unified Championship defense at Forbidden Door. After an intense battle that saw Strickland's knee issues exacerbated, Prince Nana laid to waste, and the return of Wardlow, Okada walked out of London, still the AEW Unified Champion.

Okada made his disdain for Strickland known with a chop fake-out in the match's opening lock-up. Swerve responded with a barrage of strikes onto the champion before the match went underway with a back-and-forth. Strickland initially edged Okada out with his signature agility, but a launch to the outside saw Strickland's knee slip from underneath him. Like a hunter, Okada zeroed in on Strickland's weakness.

Champion and challenger continued to go blow-for-blow, with Swerve Stomp attempts, Piledrivers, and targeted knee strikes weakening Strickland at every turn. Despite his best efforts, however, Okada continuously failed to connect with a Rainmaker, and Strickland stayed in the fight with surprise House Call after surprise House Call. Things finally unraveled when one of Strickland's House Calls finally missed the mark. The champion capitalized on the mistake to land his fabled Rainmaker for the win.

The match was over, but Okada was not done. The contempt-filled champion dragged Strickland to the corner of the ring, and trapped his knee in the steel steps before assaulting him with a steel chair. Prince Nana, who had been absent from ringside thus far, appeared with a metal pipe to chase a disinterested Okada off. Nana attempted to comfort his fallen friend before Wardlow appeared behind him. A series of blows from Wardlow to Nana (and, eventually, AEW security) left Strickland anguished. Wardlow left the ring officially aligned with the Don Callis family to end the segment, but not before briefly facing off with Konosuke Takeshita.