A recent All Elite Wrestling pay-per-view event saw an unconventional weapon introduced into the ring: a Nintendo Entertainment System. During a 12-man steel cage match at Forbidden Door, wrestler Kyle O'Reilly utilized a classic NES console to strike opponent Kyle Fletcher.
The segment unfolded as part of a chaotic multi-person match featuring teams comprised of various wrestling stables. O'Reilly, alongside his tag team partners Mark Briscoe and Orange Cassidy, faced off against Kyle Fletcher, Kazuchika Okada, and Kevin Knight. Orange Cassidy, known for bringing a backpack to the ring, appeared to have encouraged his teammates to stock theirs with various items for the match.
Briscoe contributed a bag of thumb tacks, while O'Reilly brought the NES, complete with controllers and a cartridge. In a moment captured by commentators, O'Reilly handed a controller to Briscoe before using the second controller to hit Okada. He then proceeded to load a cartridge, labeled "AEW" and possibly depicting the game "Pro Wrestling," into the console. After a brief moment of appearing to prepare the cartridge, O'Reilly struck Fletcher with the NES.
Commentary from Tony Schiavone noted the potential monetary value of the console, while Don Callis derisively referred to O'Reilly as a "nerd." Later in the sequence, Briscoe and O'Reilly used a controller cable as a makeshift weapon, clotheslining Fletcher onto the NES. O'Reilly then used the console itself as a blunt instrument.
The inclusion of video game consoles and references is not uncommon in AEW, with fans often displaying video game-themed signs at events. This particular instance, however, elevated the game hardware to an active role in the in-ring action.