AEW Forbidden Door 2025 8/24/2025

AEW Forbidden Door 2025 8/24/2025

Adam Copeland and Christian Cage vs. Killswitch and Kip Sabian 

Cope pulls Kip down off the lock up. Cope makes Kip chase him. Cope lariats him on the floor. Kip takes a side slam + reverse ddt combo. Cage hits corner mounted punches on Kip. Cope hits punches on Kill then Kill superkicks him. Cope pulls Kill out and baseball slides him into the rails.

Kill powerbombs Kip into Cope outside. Kill chokeslams Cope on the apron. Kip hits chops on Cope. Cope's throat is pulled down over the top rope. Kip dropkicks Cope for 2. Kip corner sentons Cope for 2.

Cope hits punches on Kill. Kill side slams Cope. Kip's eye gets busted open somehow. Kip is on Kill's shoulders and ends up taking a doomsday device from Cope. Cage gets in and hits chops on Kill. Kill headbutts him down. Cage stands on both opponents on the 2nd rope. Cage top rope plancha's Kill outside. Kill takes a powerbomb then a top rope diving headbutt from Cage. Cope and Christian hit an impaler on Kill together.  

Cage hits a reverse ddt on Kip. Cope then spears Kill off the apron. Kip is popped up into a spear by Edge and Cage pins him.

Thoughts: It wasn't the best choice for the opener as it was a bit slower. They didn't go too long with it though at least and Cope/Cage won as expected. Cope and Cage had some nice creative double teams here.

Cope and Cage shake hands after.

AEW TNT Title - Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi

Kyle knocks him over to start. HT chops Kyle then hits a crossbody. HT then runs into Kyle's facekick. Kyle back elbows him down. Kyle kicks him in the back. Kyle hits a big slam.

KF hits chops on Kyle then is knee'd in the gut. KF backdrops him. HT flying headscissors him. HT poisonrana's Kyle over the top rope then he corner lariats him for 2. HT running lariats him then dragon screws him. Kyle half and half splexes him then HT suplexes him. Kyle michinoku drivers him.

Kyle 2nd rope spinning backdrops him. Kyle then hits a sitout last ride for 2. They go head to head and trade shots. HT sunset bombs Kyle on the floor then running lariats him inside for 2.

HT hits a death valley bomb for 2. Kyle hits a tombstone for 2. Kyle running facekicks him in the corner then brainbusters him for the win.

Thoughts: It was what I expected - them doing big moves and not really selling any of them. I was surprised this only ended with a brainbuster here. It wasn't good. 

AEW TBS Title - Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Alex Windsor vs. Persephone vs. Bozilla

Mone came out with British guards.

Mone is knocked out of the ring early and Boz hits a double lariat. Boz throws Mone into the corner then Mone boots her out of the corner. Boz gorilla press throws Mone onto the other 2.

Boz catches Pers and swinging slams her. Boz corner lariats Pers. Mone takes a double flapjack. Pers headscissors Alex then takes a Japanese armdrag. Boz double backdrops them both.

Boz powerbombs Mone. Mone hits a codebreaker. Mone dives off Boz off the apron then Alex cannonballs both off the apron. Perz topes Boz and Alex. The girls all try pin attempts. Boz bearhugs Pers.

Alex hits a 2nd rope lariat then Pers 2nd rope dropkicks Boz. Mone meteora's Boz off the buckles for 2. We get a 4 girl tower of doom spot with Mone getting the worst of it. Mone hits a double crucifix then does a double crossface. Alex hits a double sliding lariat. Alex then does a double sharpshooter. 

Boz does a moonsault off the buckles onto 2 opponents. Alex fisherman busters Mone for 2. Boz hits a german. Boz lariats Alex. Pers hits a razor's edge on Boz. Alex shaprshooters Pers. Mone then picks up the win.

Thoughts: It was the usual multi-person match with lots of creative spots. The crowd didn't react much for it and as usual with these matches, there wasn't a lot between the various spots. Mone just won a 9th title and it was obvious she was winning here over someone like Bozilla, who has never been in AEW.

We get a pre-match video of Nigel playing chess with Johnny Saint and hanging out with him. He checkmates Johnny and Johnny tells him to do it again at Forbidden Door.

IWGP World Title - Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Nigel McGuinness 

Daniel Garcia is with Nigel. Nigel snapmares him then Zack snapmres him. Nigel takes him down from the headlock. Zack gets out of a wristlock then takes him down by the wrist. They escape hammerlocks and Zack pulls on Nigel's wrist and hand.

Nigel flips off Zack then knee drops his arm. Nigel pulls back on both arms and tries to pin Zack off of it. Nigel boots the arm away with his feet. Zack pele kicks the arm. Zack twists Nigel's neck with his feet.

Zack stomps the arm. Nigel ddt's Zack then Zack stomps on his arm. Nigel throws Zack down by the arm. Zack charges into the buckle then Nigel lariats him down. Nigel running euros Zack. Zack runs at him and is hit with a sharp lariat. Nigel does the london dungeon and Zack ropebreaks. 

Nigel runs into Zack's facekick, rebounds off the ropes and is caught an armbar. Nigel ropebreaks. They trade euros. Zack's nose is busted open. Nigel backslides him for 2. They run into each other then Nigel rebounds off the ropes and lariats Zack for 2.

Nigel whips Zack down by the arm. Nigel triangles him.  Zack and Garcia go face to face outside. Nigel hits a bridging cutter for 2. Zack tries a bridge pin. Zack then grabs a pin soon after.

Thoughts: There wasn't much of a story to it and no obvious heels or faces here. They had about an okay technical match with nothing too noteworthy about it. Nigel was never winning here due to him not being an NJPW regular.

Nigel and Garcia hug after. Tony Schiavone comes in. Tony says they are part of the biggest wrestling crowd ever at this arena with 18,992.

We cut to the back and Thekla and Queen Aminata are fighting. Thek's head is banged off a box. They fight in the aisle and Queen is rolled down it. Queen headbutts her down. Skye Blue and Julia Hart then help out and nail Queen.

Thek does her spider walk in the aisle while queen is held. Jamie Hayter then returns and nails Skye and Hart. The heels then back up and Jamie yells at them.  

AEW Tag Titles - The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin) (c) vs. Brodido (Brody King and Bandido) vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood)

The Hurt's and FTR go at it. They go outside. Casha is suplexed on the floor then Shelton slams Band on the floor. Shelton is put on a chair near the rails, King misses a crossbody and goes into the rails. Bobby is sent into the steps.

Band does his gun pose at Dax after a handspring. Band corkscrew headscissors him. Band backslides Fax then Dax chops him. Band takes a double hiptoss. Bobby double shoulders FTR over then double lariats them.

Bobby delay suplexes Dax. Dax hits chops on Shelton in the corner. Shelton throws him. Band flips out of a snapmare and snapmares Shelton out. Band topes Shelton outside. Shelton pop-up drops Band. Bobby twisting drops Band off his shoulder for 2.   

Band is sent into the rails and ring apron. Shelton then throws Band for 2. Shelton hits corner spears on Band. Band superkicks Shelton. Band goes for the tag but FTR get off the apron.

Band superkicks Shelton out of the corner then tornillo's him off the top. King comes in and cleans house then he black hole slams Cash. King sit out double arm chokeslams Dax. King corner splashes FTR. King corner splashes Shelton then corner cannonballs both FTR members. 

King and Bobby square off. They trade forearms. King back elbows him out of the corner then Bobby spinebusters him. King no sells it then spinning lariats Bobby. King lariats Bobby over the top. Shelton germans Dax then Cash. Shelton step up knees Band in the corner then germans King three times. 

King and Cash do a hatter machine on Shelton. King chops down Cash. Cash ducks a King lariat. Cash's tope is caught by The Hurt's then King topes all of them over. Band top rope moonsault slams Dax onto people outside.

Bobby spears Cash outside and Shelton flying knees King. Shelton step up knees King in the corner then Bobby rolling spears King. Two guys in masks and NJPW jackets come down. They beat up Shelton and Bobby. Stoke gives Dax a chair. Band springboards and Cash powerslams him.

Cash comes off the top and takes a forearm from King. Dax chairs King in the head for 2. The masked guys are revealed to be The Gates of Agony. The Hurt's are taken to the back. Cash is pushed off the top. Dax superpelxes King and Band top rope splashes Cash. King monkey flips Band onto a splash on Dax. Band slips on the pin attempt but gets the win.

Thoughts: As I said in my Dynamite review, this being a 3-way guaranteed The Hurt's were losing. There were rumors of The Hurt's losing and it happened here. I don't think FTR needs to be champs again right now but there's no big plan for King and Bandido. The match was fine and they did okay with incorporating all 3 teams in. Bobby and King going at it was the best part here. King took an unprotected chair shot to the head and we had a wild moonsault slam spot off the top to the outside. The Hurt's being taken out by The Gates of Agony should lead to a match.

AEW Unified Title - Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Swerve Strickland

I would think Swerve wins here as this title reign is doing nothing for Okada and Swerve doesn't need a loss. 

They lock up. Okada clean breaks him on the ropes and is hit. SS clubs on him. Okada shoulders him over. SS hiptosses him. SS kips down, kips up and dropkicks Okada. SS kicks Okada from the apron. SS fosbury flops him outside.

SS neckbreakers Okada in the ring. SS 2nd rope diving euros Okada's back. SS drops Okada face first on the buckles. Okada catapults out. SS tries to handstand flip off the apron but hurts his knee going down. Okada then hits a nasty looking baseball slide into SS's face.

Okada is sent into the steps. SS drops Okada on the apron. Okada ddt's SS on the steps. SS is sent hard into the buckles. SS back elbows Okada then rolls and is caught with an over the back neckbreaker on the knee.

They trade forearms. SS rolls into a flatliner then suplexes him. They fight up top. SS top rope olympic slams him. Okada tombstones SS on the floor. Okada slams him then hits a top rope elbow drop.

Okada hits lariats. SS house call kicks him. SS hits short arm lariats. Okada hits 2 dropkicks. SS powerslams him. SS hits a top rope double stomp for 2. Swerve is crotched up top.

Swerve is dropped knee first up on the top buckle. Okada armdrags him and dropkicks him. SS then hits a house call kick. Okada rainmakers him for the win.

Thoughts: I thought it was an average match and slower paced. They pushed hard that Swerve's knee was injured all match yet Okada never really worked it. It was the usual Okada big match style match but it never became great.

Swerve's leg is trapped between the post and steps after. Okada then chairs it. Prince Nana comes out with a pipe and Okada backs off.

Wardlow then makes his return and lariats Prince Nana. Wardlow pounds on Nana. Security grabs Wardlow. Wardlow beats up on security. Wardlow then hugs Don Callis and shakes hands with Okada. The whole Don Callis Family is there then Takeshita comes out. Takeshita stares down Wardlow and The Family poses.

AEW Women's Title - "Timeless" Toni Storm (c) vs. Athena

Toni is wearing white face paint here. Ath misses a dropkick. Toni hits forearms on her. Toni dropkicks her then hip attacks her off the apron. Toni pushes Billie Starkz outside and hits a storm zero on her on the floor. Ath dropkicks Toni into the rails. Toni is then thrown into the rails. 

Ath hits forearms on Toni then superkicks her in the side of the head for 2. Ath cranks on Toni's head. Toni's head is banged off the buckles. Ath throws her down backwards and flatliners her. Toni jawbreakers her. Ath corner forearms her.

Ath bangs Toni's head off the post. Ath cravates her. Ath throws her down backwards. Ath clubs on Toni's neck over the 2nd rope. Toni rolls her up for 2. Ath rolls her into the 2nd buckle. Toni hits lariats and a fisherman's suplex for 2. 

Ath underhook suplexes her. Toni hits a sky high for 2 on Ath. Ath backdrops her. Toni tornado ddt's her. Toni then tiger drivers her for 2. They trade forearms. Toni mongolian chops her down. Ath superkicks her for 2.

Toni boots her out of the corner. Billie distracts Toni. Toni gets dropkicked then Ath hurricanrana's her off the buckles. Ath sitout powerbombs Toni for 2. Ath then hits ataxia and turns it into a koji clutch.

Toni rolls out of the ring then Ath topes her. Ath gets on the steps. Toni bites her leg and pulls Ath face first down on the steps. Ath is then sent into the rails. Toni headbutts her then hits a storm zero for 2. Billie tripes up Toni on the apron. Ath then diving o-face's Toni over the top rope.

Mina Shirakawa comes out and grabs a chair from Billie. Shethen chases her to the back with it. Ath and Toni cradle each other. Ath euros her. Toni grounded chickenwings her and Ath taps out.

Thoughts: They got a lot of time but I didn't think it was anything more than average. This was a lose-lose booking wise as neither girl needed the loss and Athena lost yet again as ROH champ. Both will definitely be going in new directions after this and I expect Athena to either go back to ROH or slide down the card after losing to both Toni and Mone.

AEW World Title - Adam Page (c) vs MJF

Page loses the title if he is DQ'd or counted out here. MJF stalls outside to start. Page punches MJF in the corner. MJF goes out and Page punches him. MJF is sent into the rails then dropped throat first on them twice.

MJF is lariated over the rail. Page backdrops him and MJF goes out again. Page running facekicks MJF outside. Page is sent into the post. MJF rakes his eyes then chinlocks him. MJF piledrivers Page for 2.

Page is sent into the buckles. MJF takes forearms from Page. They fight on the buckles. Page top rope diving lariats him then hits punches. Page fallaway slams MJF. Page lariats MJF over the top. Page top rope moonsaults him outside.

Page pop-up sitout powerbombs him for 2. Page misses a buckshot lariat and is put in an armbar. Page rolls him up then crossfaces MJF. MJF sleepers him. MJF slingshots Page in for a cutter then lifting hammerlock ddt's him for 2.

MJF brings a table out. MJF eye rakes Page on the apron. Page moonsaults him off the apron then turns it into a piledriver on the floor. Page hits dead eye off the apron on MJF through a table. Page is tripped into a chair outside. Page is sent into the steps. Page is bused open and MJF rakes the cut. MJF tombstones Page onto a broken table. Page then beats the count in.

MJF gets busted open and bleeds a ton. They trade punches. They then spinning forearm each other down at the same time. They try pin attempts on each other for ab it. Page hits dead eye for 2.

MJF spits at him. Pge threatens to punch him then spits back at him. MJF's throat is pulled over the top. Page is pushed into the ref. MJF low blows Page then heatseeker piledrivers him over the middle rope. The ref counts 3 but Page's foot is clearly on the ropes.

Mark Briscoe comes out and security stops him. The ref sees Page's foot on the ropes and calls off the pin. Page lariats MJF. MJF grabs the ref and low blows Page. MJF rolls up Page for 2.

MJF hits Page with the contract holder for 2. MJF grabs the Dynamite Diamond Ring. The ref stops him from using it. Page hits him with the contract case. Page buckshot lariats MJF for the win.

Thoughts: I didn't get this one. MJF should have harassed Page all match, got him fired up and tried to get him to get DQ'd or counted out. MJF didn't try that much at all. They had every reason for MJF to sneak a win out here and he ended up losing. There was a lot of shenanigans and lots of people getting driven into tables and the floor. It's not like the work was bad but I didn't think this was that good. I also have to wonder how you ever get DQ'd in match where people are allowed to be sent through tables without punishment.

Lights Out Steel Cage Match - Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi), Darby Allin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Will Ospreay vs. Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley), The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson), and Gabe Kidd

They have an open cage around all of ringside for this one, which should give everyone room to move around. It's not too high so you know people will jumping off of it. Will had a video with his wife basically writing him a love letter.

Everyone fights to start. Darby hits Mox with a kendo stick the nchokes him with it. Tana fights off corner attacks and dragon screws CC. Gabe and Will trade chops. Gabe bites him. Will step up enzugiri's him. Will flying space tiger drops Gabe outside.

Darby springboard double back elbows CC and Mox. Darby tope con hilos them into the cage. Kenny/Kota and The Bucks fight in the ring. A Buck hits a pop-up double dropkick. Kenny and Kota hit stereo hurricanrana's. They then do stereo moonsaults outside off the 2nd rope.

Mox and Darby are handcuffed together (even the announcers don't know how). Darby hits a code red on CC and knocks both over. Kenny finlay rolls Gabe and misses a 2nd rope trash can moonsault. Kota takes a double team shiranui from The Bucks then a running knee.

The Bucks try to pour tacks out in the ring but just pour gummy bears out. Will springboard forearms Mox. A Buck takes a bulldog into gummy bears. Kenny then shoves them in the other Buck's mouth. Kota high kicks a Buck and the gummy bears come out. A Buck is then lifted for a german from Kota.

CC double stomps Kota and Kenny. Will is knocked off the apron with a ladder to the head. Kenny is clotheslined with a ladder as is Kota. Darby is powerbombed onto a ladder. Darby is bridged on a ladder and takes a top rope swanton.

Will is bleeding a Buck punches him. Will does a handspring pele kick onto a ladder The Bucks are holding. Will chairs Mox. Gabe piledrivers Will. Kenny hits forearms on Gabe and is headbutted. Kenny is bridged on the top rope, top rope double stomped and takes a sitout powerbomb. CC giant swings Kenny.

A Buck wlaks up the ropes and does a corkscrew flip outside. Darby is gorilla pressed into the cage from the ring by CC. Tana twists and shouts CC then Mox ddt's Tana.  Darby is taped to a chair in the ring. Mox sticks a fork in Darby's ear. Darby spits in Mox's face. CC slams Darby while he's in the chair.

Mox sends Kota into the cage and rakes his face on it. CC climbs a ladder with Darby on his shoulders. A 2x2 stack of tables is set up in the aisle. CC is sent into the cage and he lays on a table. Tana avoids being sent into a barbed wire table in the corner. Mox gets his head put in it. 

Tana slingblades Gabe and Mox. CC neutralizers Tana. Tana then takes a BTE trigger for 2. Will drives Mox into a barbed wire table in the corner. Kenny dragon suplexes everyone but Mox.

Kenny and Kota hit stereo dragon suplexes him. Kota plancha's out onto The Bucks. Kenny tope con hilos CC and a Buck. Tana climbs a ladder. Will and Kota stop him. Will gets on top of the cage and moonsaults onto the heels.

Kenny and Gabe trade forearms. Kenny pumping knees Gabe and running knees him. Kenny takes a double superkick. Tana dragon screws a Buck. CC suplexes Tana. Kota pele kicks CC. Mox cutters Kota. Darby reverse ddt's Mox. Will hits hidden blades on The Bucks. Will does a styles clash on Gabe. Gabe takes a hidden blade + pumping knee combo for 2.

A Buck ddt's Kota on the apron. Wills os cutters a Buck on the apron. Darby coffin drops CC on the apron. Mox and Kenny lariat each other. Kenny pumping knees him then does it on the ropes. Kenny hits an OWA on Mox for 2. Mox climbs the cage while Yuta climbs the other side of it. Darby bites Yuta on top of the cage, knocks him off and sends him onto the commentary table without breaking it. Darby and Mox both escape the cage and Darby chases him outside.

Darby kendo stick shots Mox. Mox is sent into the rails. Mox is put between the 2x2 table stack. Darby climbs on top for the cage. Mox is moved. Gabe low blows Darby up top. Darby then jumps off the cage with Gabe on him and they go through the 2x2 stack of tables. 

CC and Kota trade forearms in the ring. Kota half-nelson suplexes him. Kenny pumping knees CC. Will stormbreakers CC. A Buck takes an EVP trigger. Will hidden blades the other Buck. A Buck takes a hidden blade + owa combo. Tana then high fly flows a Buck and pins him.

Thoughts: We've seen these before in AEW and it was what you would expect. We got some dives. Will jumped off the cage. Yuta got knocked off the cage. Darby and Gabe both fell off the cage through a 2x2 stack of tables and we got blood. We also got some comedy with gummy bears. It was good and delivered as promised. You can't really fail with these matches. It was a half-random match though with people like Tanahashi being in there for no reason.

Will celebrates after. He's the last one on his team in the cage. CC nails him with a euro. The Death Riders beat up Will. Mox hits many double arm ddt's on Will. Will has a chair put around his neck. The Opps try to enter. Mox curbstomps the chair. The cage is raied and Will is left laying. The faces and security check on him. b

Overall thoughts: It was a different AEW PPV than usual. The only match where I really felt they went crazy and over the top was the main. Maybe AEW is learning after all of the injuries from past PPV's. The show went 4.5 hours, but the show started at 1pm so it didn't matter as much.

The opener wasn't the best and was a slower match but had some creative double team spots. HT and Kyle had a bad indy style match as expected. The four-way women's match was okay for what it was. Zack vs Nigel was okay. I liked the 3-way tag title match. Okada/Swerve was average as was Toni/Athena. I liked the main but you really can't have a bad team vs team cage match unless nobody tries.

This may not be the end of the Forbidden Door concept, but the show only exists in name only at this point. The card had very little NJPW influence and was the usual AEW show with a few outside names. The concept brought ratings down and now that they are out of NJPW/AEW dream matches, there's not much left to do with it.

I'd give the show a 6 out of 10. There was a lot of average stuff on here and this was not AEW's best effort.