Jon Moxley’s reign as AEW Continental Champion has survived yet another big challenge.
Moxley took down ROH champ Bandido on Sunday night, putting him to sleep after a close 18-minute battle. The title bout took place as part of Sunday evening’s AEW Forbidden Door pay-per-view in San Diego, California.
Moxley escaped a 21-Plex attempt late against Bandido, countering the finisher into a sleeper hold. While Bandido attempted to escape the choke by slamming Moxley back-first onto the mat, the champ didn’t let go. Moments later, Bandido was put unconscious, causing the match to end.
Moxley and Bandido’s showdown was bloody, with the luchador sporting a ripped mask and a cut near the hairline early on. Moxley also suffered a cut later in the contest.
Bandido scored a near fall late in the match, hitting a Revolution Fly slam off the top rope. Moxley, similarly, nearly put away the bout a minute earlier when he connected with a Death Rider.
Moxley has carried the Continental title through all of 2026 thus far. The Death Riders leader first earned the title late last year, winning the Continental Classic and ending Kazuchika Okada’s lengthy run with the belt. He has overcome many big names along the way, beating Kyle O’Reilly, Will Ospreay, and Konosuke Takeshita in recent months.
Bandido was chasing double champ status in AEW on Sunday night. He has held the ROH World Championship for over 400 days, defending the title nearly a dozen times since he first captured it at Dynasty 2025.
