Forbidden Door 2025 was another fantastic pay-per-view put on by Tony Khan and AEW. Here are the 10 key takeaways from the AEW/NJPW cross-promotional event that will impact the company’s direction in the coming months and years.
10. A Night of Returns
Forbidden Door had a trio of returns on Sunday afternoon that had the entire AEW fanbase shaken in disbelief. Jamie Hayter made her long-awaited return from injury, helping Queen Aminata fend off the Triangle of Madness. Her return signifies that her feud with Thekla will resume where she left off before her injury. Hayter vs Thekla will be a hard-hitting program that should raise the profile of both women..
After missing out on the last 19 months–his last match being on March 13, 2024– Wardlow is finally back in an AEW ring and has joined forces with Don Callis and his family. The former TNT champion is the 11th member of the DCF. Wardlow’s rehabilitation tour will now begin under the tutelage of Don Callis, as he will try to push Wardlow back to the heights he was in during the early part of his AEW run. The Don Callis Family seems to be the perfect way to reignite that fire.
Although he made his first TV appearance on Wednesday night, it was good to see Luchasaurus/Killswitch back in a ring, almost a year to the date since his last match– August 28, 2024, in the Casino Gauntlet he handed over to Christian at All In.
It’s good to see the Dinosaurs back in AEW after battling what many considered a life-threatening battle with pneumonia. He is going to play a significant part in the plans in that program.
9. First Match (And Win) for Cope and Christian Since 2011
Speaking of Luchasaurus/Killswitch, he and Kip Sabian were Christian and Adam Copeland’s first tag opponents in nearly 15 years. Cope and Christian win against the Matriarchy, which shows their commitment as a tag team. FTR’s inability to win the title suggests that the rivalry between the Matriarchy, FTR, and Cope/Christian is still full steam ahead.
The plans have always been to reunite the legendary tag team, and the trajectory they have been on feels the most organic and natural. Having them tag team too early would have felt inorganic and shoehorned.
Will the legends win tag team gold as a team in AEW? It would be the first time legends would be strapped with the title. Sting went out with one-half of the tag titles when he retired, so it wouldn’t be out of the question to have Cope and Christian have one last tag-team championship run in them.
The crowd seems to love it, and the crowd’s reaction when Christian initiates or reciprocates the hug is going to be an all-time moment. Copeland and Christian are in a good spot right now, and the rest of their run should be fun.
8. Brodido Are the Neeeewwww Tag Team Champions
Will Christian and Cope be the next opponents for the NEW AEW World Tag Team champion, Brodido? In what many fans saw as an unexpected result of the triple way tag team match for the AEW tag belts, Brody King and Bandido pulled off the upset and are now the 17th ever holders of the best tag teams championship of the world.
The ending was a little off, as it did not seem well-executed. The finish looked like it was botched and as though Dax Hardwood did not kick out when they were supposed to, but at last, the finish, while messy, was the right call. It took the crowd a few seconds to figure out what was going on. Once they did, the London crowd loved the result and was completely bought in for a Brodido tag team championship reign.
Brodido has been a shot in the arm for the AEW tag team division, and has organically found a way to be over with the crowd, already being one of the most loved acts in the company. King and Bandido will now have to navigate a tag team division that will have a rebounding Young Bucks, a vengeful Hurt Syndicate, a spiteful FTR, and perhaps down the line, a hopeful Christian and Cope.
7. The Protostar Has Arrived
Unlike The Hurt Syndicate, who were unable to retain their titles, “The Protostar” Kyle Fletcher did. He defeated Hiromo Takahashi from New Japan Pro-Wrestling in an entertaining TNT Title match. In his second defense of the TNT title, Fletcher showed us why Tony Khan and creative think so highly of him, hanging with and showing out against one of the best in the world, Takahashi.
Fletcher will look to give the title a new and fresh restart with its hot new young star. It will be interesting to see where the TNT title goes from here. The issue the title has had for a while now is the lack of direction it has towards a convincing or linear story to tell. Fletcher — with the help of Dustin Rhodes– has brought some life back into the title, so it would be a shame for it to fall back to an afterthought title.
A mini-feud with someone from the Don Callis family could be fun, as it doesn’t break up the family, but shows some cracks that can be exploited in the future, not right now, as the Don Callis Family is working on getting a sound foundation for some of the talent on the roster.</p>
6. A Turn Is Coming
Nigel McGuinness and Zack Sabre Jr. were a technical wonder. It provided all British fans with a dream match of two of their most decorated and beloved countrymen. While the IWGP Heavyweight title was never in jeopardy, this match showcased McGuiness’s skill and proved that he needs to be an in-ring talent more often.
While fantastic as a commentator, Forbidden Door proved that the former Ring of Honor World Champion still has some gas left in the tank and can go with anyone in the world.
That opportunity seems to be looming over the horizon. The inevitable turn from Daniel Garcia, who was at his side during the match against ZSJ, is set to come sooner rather than later. With Bryan Danielson out of the picture– at least as a full-time in-ring performer–someone needs to step up and become the dangerous technical wrestler that the roster fears.
Garcia has been waiting for something like this since his re-signing with the company last year. A rivalry against McGuinness could bring out the best of Garcia.
There is no doubt that if structured well enough, both men can knock the program out of the park. The only question that remains is WHEN does Garcia turn his back on McGuinness?
5. The Alpha Is Back
After winning the most prestigious wrestling tournament in the world– the G1 in NJPW– Konosuke Takeshita made his triumphant return to AEW. Takeshita was presented as the lead dog of the Don Callis family. Or will Kyle Fletcher take umbrage with that, and will he believe he is the leader of the group? Those are the types of stories building up within the Don Callis Family.
After being introduced as a member of the Don Callis family, Wardlow was then met with a staredown from the 2025 G1 winner, which was then immediately followed by an approving smile. It will be interesting to see how AEW uses Takeshita after winning the G1. Will he be showcased more in New Japan? Or, will he be the next opponent for Hangman or MJF, for the AEW World Heavyweight title?
This will be the ultimate test for the partnership, as Takeshita is technically signed to both companies. If he is showcased in both companies, how will that work, and how can that relationship be balanced between the two sister companies? Fascinating stuff. Takeshita has always been a star in the making, and now, after a successful International title reign and the G1 crown, the sky is the limit for the Japanese superstar. A future world champion, regardless of company.
4. Swerve Sent to His Swerve Home</strong>
Swerve Strickland could not overcome one of the greatest wrestlers of all time in Kazuchika Okada and lost his bid to become the second-ever AEW Unified Champion. It’s not for lack of effort, as Swerve put on a hell of a match against the Unified Champion. The match was a back-and-forth effort that saw both men prove why they are at the top of one of the most loaded wrestling rosters of all time.
Throughout the match, Strickland played up his “hurt knee,” which ultimately proved his downfall. After the match, not only was Okada, who took Swerve out, but the aforementioned Wardlow also joined in. That now sets up a Wardlow/Okada vs Strickland program when he returns from injury. Swerve is now set to take some time off to recover from a torn meniscus repair surgery. A meniscus isn’t career-ending, but it will relieve the former AEW World Champion from some significant pain.
Hopefully, Swerve can return better than ever after his surgery. In the meantime, someone from the AEW men’s locker room will have to step up and try to fill the void left by one of the tentpole wrestlers in the company. This would be a good time for someone to get a push that they might not have had in the past.
3. 18,992
Forbidden Door 2025 officially set the record for the most attended wrestling event at the O2 ever. 18,992 fans were reported to have been present for the record-breaking event. This topped the previous mark set by WWE of 17,617 wrestling fans in the O2. The attendance mark signifies an increased number of fans who are attending the live events. This backs the claims that the wrestling company “has restored the feeling.”
This was AEW’s first-ever event at the O2. All 60 previous wrestling events held there were from WWE. So for AEW, it’s a great sign of the foothold they have carved out not only in North America, but in Europe. Creatively, All Elite Wrestling is on a hot streak, and fans are buying into the wrestling company once again. Numbers like these will only encourage Tony Khan to continue to push the boundary and WWE.
As reported by multiple outlets, WWE appears concerned about the traction AEW has gained in the wrestling market. TKO has fought back with counterprogramming and booking events in the same venue, just days before. If the efforts from TKO to counter AEW from all angles had already been ratcheted up, news of the attendance figures would only have continued that trend.
2. Both World Champions Retain
Hangman” Adam Page and “Timeless” Toni Storm took care of business in London, defeating MJF and Athena, respectively, to retain their AEW World Championships. While most believed Hangman would retain, it came as a shock to a lot of AEW fans that Toni Storm beat Athena, as the Fallen Goddess seemed poised to be the new women’s champion.
Both matches were also structured very differently. Athena was the aggressor all match long, until she wasn’t at the very end of the match. Storm continues to eek through her title defenses, and one would think it is eventually going to catch up. For Hangman, the battle was much more even, and the champion hero fought through and evaded all the dastardly actions from the challenger.
Page and Storm are on two different trajectories after their successful title defenses. The Hangman is going to face MJF again, as the former World Champion still has his guaranteed title shot. Storm, on the other hand, has no clear next opponent.
Everyone she has faced since retaining the title for the fourth time at Grand Slam: Australia has been beaten. Mariah May, Megan Bayane, Mina Shirakawa, Mercedes Mone, and now, Athena have all fallen by the wayside. Who will be the woman to finally defeat the timeless one?
1. Ospreay Goes Out on His Shield
Just like Swerve Strickland, Will Ospreay is planning to take a break from AEW to recover from an injury. Unlike Strickland, Ospreay’s injury is reported to be much more severe, a neck injury that will sideline him for the foreseeable future. Tony Khan and creative gave the Aerial Assassin his flowers in what very well could be his last match.
Before the match started, a video package exploring the road traveled by Ospreay to Forbidden Door 2025, voiced over by real-life partner Alex Windsor, didn’t leave a single dry eye at the O2, giving us the feeling as though this realistically can be Ospreay’s last match ever.
The entire entrance set the table for what would be a very violent match. And a violent match it was. Ospreay, Kenny Omega, Darby Allin, Kota Ibushi, and Hirsoshi Tanahashi took it to The Death Riders (Moxley and Castagnoli), The Young Bucks, and Gabe Kidd.
After the match, in only an angle AEW could pull off, instead of getting the happy farewell, Ospreay was beaten down and taken out by Jon Moxley and the Deathriders to officially write him off television, signaling the start of Ospreay’s recovery. The former AEW International champion, going out on his shield, beat the Death Riders.
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