[8/24/25] AEW/NJPW/CMLL Present Forbidden Door: Hangman/MJF, Lights Out Cage Match, Okada/Swerve, Storm/Athena, Nigel/ZSJ, more!

[Reality Check]

Live from London, England, home of the world's oldest hat shop, where it's illegal to import potatoes from Poland, and home of Will Ospreay, it's Forbidden Door, presented by AEW, CMLL, and NJPW! So far, here is the card:

AEW World Championship: Hangman Adam Page (c) vs. MJF


AEW Women's Championship: Timeless Toni Storm (c) vs. Athena


AEW Unified Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Swerve Strickland


AEW Tag Team Championship: The Hurt Syndicate (c) vs. FTR vs. Brody King & Bandido


AEW TNT Championship: Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi


AEW TBS Championship: Mercedes Mone vs. Alex Windsor vs. Persephone vs. Bozilla


For the first time in decades, Edge & Christian Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. Nick Wayne Killswitch & Kip Sabian


IWGP World's Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Nigel McGuinness


Lights Out Steel Cage Match: Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Gabe Kidd & The Young Bucks vs. Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Darby Allin, Will Ospreay, and Hiroshi Tanahashi

 

[TheAlbionist]

Will be in attendance for this one, naturally.

First couple of matches announced are both great... interested to see how it fills out though, because it's not feeling hugely Forbidden Doorish right now.

I wonder if they'll let Kanji get another shot at Mercedes' RevPro belt, or do that at RevPro"s Anniversary show on the Sat and someone from Japan/CMLL/UK steps up for the TBS at FD?

 

[Dylmatic]

 

[Jmare007]

Okada/Swerve gonna have that UK crowd going nuts

 

[TheNatureBoy]

Shaping up to be a solid card, especially if they add Hangman vs MJF and maybe Darby vs Mox.

The Forbidden Door aspect is though.

 

[Hey_zeus]

Unified belt looks amazing. Time to bush this FD concept for 3-5 years. He signed everybody and these famished promotions have no stars to offer anymore.

 

[TheAlbionist]

Feel like they were supposed to be putting Ospreay/Gabe Kidd on this card tbh which has been derailed by Will having a longer layoff than planned and Gabe getting injured in the G1. Gabe taking Will out at All In was the kick off but neither of them have been able to build on it since.

Tanahashi still doesn't have an opponent and has said he'll be on the card... I wonder if they give that to Will as he could probably sleepwalk a Tanahashi match at 80% fitness.

 

[Silkk]

Damn Ospreay missing it

Hopefully he can do an in ring segment or something

 

[InstantKlassik]

What a fukking nerd this dude is. I know nothing about him but the way he phrases shyt is soooo try hard and cringe

 

[MenacingMonk]

most likely gonna see ZSJ/Nigel.

 

[TheAlbionist]

Damn Ospreay missing it

Hopefully he can do an in ring segment or something

Nigel was still saying he's promising to be back in time on commentary last night, but I wonder if it'll just be a promo and/or beatdown to cover some more time off.

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

Nigel was still saying he's promising to be back in time on commentary last night, but I wonder if it'll just be a promo and/or beatdown to cover some more time off.

He really should just rest up. The card is going to be great even without him on it and they got ZSJ coming in for the home fans

 

[TheAlbionist]

He really should just rest up. The card is going to be great even without him on it and they got ZSJ coming in for the home fans

Yeah it's disappointing but a lot of that crowd will have seen Ospreay wrestle plenty already - we'll be happy with hearing the theme and showing him some love. Next year is Will's year.

I'm more cut up that Hayter is missing another August bank holiday weekend tbh

ZSJ will get a hero's reception - I was at RevPro when he brought the G1 trophy home last year and it was a fukkin' party in there.

 

[Dylmatic]

They should probably do Ospreay vs. Tanahashi seems like the perfect match for two banged up wrestlers, they will just need to control the crowd for 15 minutes doing the bare minimum and it will work. It's gonna be worth it for the entrances and the atmosphere alone.

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

I'm guessing Nigel wins? He got a hero's welcome home last year in London. Nigel vs. ZSJ would probably have the fans hanging from the rafters