Forbidden Door 2025: A preview of Crossover Chaos
Table of Contents
Well, hey there, Sickos, and welcome back to the preview of all previews, my sit-down discussion about all things AEW! And this time, I will be discussing the now annual event known as Forbidden Door, where matches can happen between companies that have strong working relations, and you see things that frankly, you may have thoght you never would.
Forbidden Door 2025, taking place from the O2 in London, England this year, will be nothing short of a great show, as is to be expected not just from AEW events, but also what passes as a crossover event these days.Despite the genesis of the event being about crossover matches, there is still a lot of AEW laden matches that will dominate this card. Case in point, the AEW World Heavyweight Championship, where Champion Hangman Page will defend the gold against former champion MJF. The AEW Unified championship will be on the line, as Kazuchika Okada will look to defend against Swerve Strickland. The AEW Tag Team Titles will be on the line, as The Hurt Syndicate will defend against FTR and Brodido.TIMELESS Toni Storm will defend her AEW Women’s Title against the ROH Women’s Champion,Athena,and in a match where no titles are on the line,yet the level of excitement will remain high,Adam Copeland and Christian Cage will team again for the first time since 2011,when they take on former members of the Patriarchy in Killswitch and Kip Sabian.
it wouldn’t be Forbidden Door without the matches that transcend companies, and rest assured, we have that. Kyle Fletcher will defend the TNT Championship against Hiromu Takahashi, the IWGP World Heavyweight Title will be on the line, as Zack Sabre Jr. will defend against Nigel McGuinness, and Mercedes Mone will defend the TBS Title in a 4-company 4-way match. The coup de grace, however, will be the 10-man Lights Out Steel Cage Match, pitting the Young Bucks, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Gabe Kidd against Will Ospreay, darby Allin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kenny omega, and Kota Ibushi. And I don’t know about you, but the latter team sounds like quite the dream team, but we’ll have to see how it effectively works out in the ring.
So, enough with talking about the card, and let’s dissect the matches, shall we?
[image Credit: AEW]
The year was 2011, and a lot has changed since then in the world. It was 14 years ago that Cage and Copeland last competed as a tag team in a match in the ring. Unfortunately for us, Adam had to retire, only to return nine years later, to the Royal Rumble in 2020.Certain events have happened between Cage and copeland as Adam arrived in AEW, and so we have arrived at the much anticipated reunion between the former kazoo playing best friends.
But the surprise in this match is not just the reunion of the former E&C,but also the return of one Killswitch into the mix. This past week on Dynamite, we saw a vignette with someone working on a concoction to wake up the big dinosaur, and he arrived in Glasgow to wreck both Adam and Christian. And, as Nick Wayne is currently out with an ankle injury, he will now sub in for his former Patriarchy mate and team with England’s own, Kip Sabian.
Killswitch returning to AEW after many months off due to health related issues would be a big story if it were the only progress going in this match. But, after a decade and a half of being apart, Cage and Copeland will once again stand on the same side of the ring. And,while I think that Killswitch gives his team a better chance to win their match,I also can see his blinding rage for Cage costing his team the match and allowing Cage and copeland to be prosperous in their reunion. Now, if only we coudl get a beat on that person who was## Forbidden Door Predictions: Mone Retains, FTR Rise, and Okada’s Reign Continues
MERCEDES MONE vs. WILLOW NIGHTINGALE
Mercedes Mone has been on a roll since arriving in AEW, and while Willow Nightingale is a fantastic competitor, this match feels like a showcase for “The CEO.” Nightingale has proven she can hang with the best,but Mone’s experience and momentum are undeniable. Expect a hard-fought battle, but ultimately, Mone will overcome the challenge and retain one of her eight title belts.
WINNER: Mercedes Mone (STILL AEW TBS Champion)
When the AEW World Tag team Title Elimination Tourney was set up, the goal was to find the next set of contenders for the Almighty Bobby Lashley and the Gold Standard Shelton Benjamin. Throughout the entire way, FTR and the new best friends of brody King and Bandido were slated for the finals this past week on Dynamite. Though, due to the match reaching an inconclusive ending thanks to that annoying time limit, Tony Khan has made it so BOTH teams in the finals move on to challenge the Hurt Syndicate at Forbidden Door.
It’s just me, but I feel like you can make the argument for any of these teams to win the titles (or retain them, in the case of THS). on the one hand, we have the sudden explosion of a team that is as much exciting as it is tactful in brodido, the mishmash team name for King and the ROH World Champion, Bandido. And let’s be honest hear, it’s never smart to bet against a singles champion and a man like King.
on the other hand, we have Dax Harwood and cash Wheeler, collectively known as FTR, who, as turning heel and having big Stoke as their manager, have gotten back to the level of brutality and aggression that laid dormant during their good guys’ run. Also adding to the intrigue for FTR is the possibility of winning the tag team titles for a third time, which would tie The Young Bucks for most tag team title reigns in AEW history.
we have the champions, who, while they have been on a months long reign as tag team champions, have started to feel like an afterthought considering the whole MJF being voted out of the Syndicate situation. It would behoove the champions to remind their opponents in this match exactly what they are capable of when they are in the ring.
So, who wins? Well, as I stated at the vrey top of this entry, I feel like this match is very tough to call, and the toughest on the card in my mind. ending the suddenly lackluster title reign of the Syndicate makes sense,but are we running the entire ten yards with Brodido? Or will FTR somehow find a way to manipulate and cheat their opponents,taking the easy way out by using the suddenly ballsy and brazen Big Stoke and his sling and hidden pipe behind the ref’s back?
as it is indeed officially an elimination match,I have The Syndicate eliminating Brodido,but FTR eliminating The Syndicate,whether due to Big Stoke interfering,or perhaps a bit of a revenge scheme from MJF.
WINNER: FTR (NEW AEW World Tag Team Champions)
Boy,talk about a match that I never thought about before,but now that it has been made official,it is one of those matches that should be off the charts. Okada, fresh from his title unification victory over Kenny Omega at All-In Texas, defending his newly minted title against Swerve, a former AEW World Champion and the self-professed Most Risky Man in Wrestling? Sign me up!
At one point, Okada was drifting in limbo when the other members of The Elite went MIA. Even though he was, at the time, the Continental Champion, okada didn’t feel like he had a real sense of purpose, or a real story
Forbidden Door Predictions: Storm & MJF – Will Time and Loyalty Prevail?
Deonna Purrazzo is pressing on (if she hasn’t already) 1,000 days as the ROH Women’s Champion. A reign so long that,I am guessing,most people don’t remember who she even beat to win the title in the first place.
Spoiler Alert: It was Mercedes Martinez.
But, when it comes to all things AEW, you’re not going to find anyone who has personified the will to adjust, adapt, and continue to grow (even within her TIMELESS gimmick) like Toni Storm has. The woman with all the clever and borderline sexual innuendos is in her fourth title reign as Women’s Champion, a run that started back in February in Australia. So, does that mean that it is indeed time for a change, and is Athena the one to put an end to her run?
It is quite an fascinating situation, isn’t it? It seemed like an adamant conclusion that Mone was going to take the title from Storm at All-In Texas, only for her to come up short in the end. And, considering that, like fellow ROH champion Bandido, Athena has been a more prominent part of the AEW roster over the past few months, the time might be right for the Forever Champion to earn herself a second title belt. That is, until you realize that she is going up against the TIMELESS one, and Storm usually ends up on top even though, I’m sure, she will tell you that she is all right getting down and dirty and being the bottom. If my mind wasn’t already polluted and perverted, then Storm would have done the deal.WINNER: TIMELESS Toni Storm (STILL AEW Women’s World Champion)[Image of AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door WT with caption:
[ImageofAEWxNJPWForbiddenDoorWTwithcaption:Image Credit: AEW]It might be a bit obtuse to not have this match be in the “main event” slot of my preview (least it is on the actual card itself this Sunday), but when you see men involved in the last match and the fact that it does abide by the crossover concept of the show, it will make more sense.However, when it comes to AEW centered stories and developments, you could do a lot worse than the ever persistent and annoying MJF and the redemption story of the World Champion, Hangman Page.
Much like Athena did at All-In Texas, MJF was able to win the Men’s Casino Gauntlet Match to secure himself a future World Title match. Despite being adamant that he would not use the contract to get a title shot against Hangman, the Cowboy managed to back MJF into the proverbial corner, to the point that MJF unwittingly agreed to use it. Given the recent events on Dynamite,which has since been overturned,and now,the World Title can change hands on a count out or a DQ,you would think that this all becomes a great benefit to MJF,right?
not exactly. Do recall that, in a storyline that has been an undercurrent to the present one that MJF is in, that MJF was voted out of the Hurt Syndicate by both Shelton and Bobby. There is going to be some development in the situation to come Forbidden Door, especially considering MJF tried to get Ricochet and the GOA to help him out with the Mark Briscoe situation (which they did). Would it be far-fetched to assume that MJF might ask ricky and the GOA to stick it to the Syndicate, ensuring that they lose the tag team titles, and the Syndicate would return the favor, screwing MJF over in his title match?
Even if all of that doesn’t happen, consider also what Hangman had to go thru at All-In Texas to defeat Jon Moxley and rescue the World Title from captivity in its briefcase. I am sure that a title change on a count out doesn’t mean too much, although a title change on a DQ is smarter because, let’s face it, Hanger is still a loose cannon. Des
NJPW & AEW: Forbidden Door PPV Set for Sunday with Special Start Time
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and All Elite Wrestling (AEW) are set to present Forbidden Door this Sunday, june 30th, with a special start time of 1:00 PM EST (10:00 AM PST). The event features a highly anticipated card bringing together stars from both promotions.
Roundtable update & Viewing Options
The show’s producers acknowledged interest from many fans hoping to participate in a roundtable discussion for this event, but it wasn’t feasible for this particular broadcast. They plan to revisit the idea for future events, perhaps making roundtable discussions a bi-monthly feature to avoid overexposure.
Fans can watch Forbidden Door through a variety of avenues, including:
Cable and Satellite: Available on all standard cable and satellite providers.
Amazon Prime Video: stream the event via Amazon Prime Video. https://www.amazon.com/
Triller: The event will also be available on the Triller platform.https://triller.tv/
Dave & Buster’s: Select dave & Buster’s locations across the United States will be showing the pay-per-view. https://www.daveandbusters.com/
This event continues the collaborative partnership between NJPW and AEW, offering fans a unique blend of wrestling styles and talent.