It is time for All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling to face off in the ring with our AEW Forbidden Door 2005 preview!
The biggest stars of AEW, NJPW, CMLL and Stardom fighting it out is always an exciting event for pro wrestling fans.
We certainly have some dream matches to enjoy this year in London. Let us learn more about the exciting fourth edition of Forbidden Door!
AEW Forbidden Door 2025
Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi
(AEW TNT Championship)
Kyle Fletcher finally won the TNT Championship on July 31st in a Chicago Street Fight. It was his first title in All Elite Wrestling. He even defended the TNT Championship against Tomohiro Ishii in recent weeks.
At Forbidden Door, Fletcher wanted to face the best from New Japan. On August 13th, the mystery partner in an eight-man tag team match was Hiromu Takahashi, one of the most accomplished Junior Heavyweights in the world. After winning the eight-man tag team match, which Fletcher was a part of, the match was on!
Can Takahashi pull off the upset on Sunday? Kyle Fletcher is certainly quite confident these days. He would overlook Takahashi at his own peril.
AEW Forbidden Door 2025
Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Nigel McGuinness
(IWGP World Heavyweight Championship)
Zack Sabre Jr. is having quite the year. He defended the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in the Tokyo Dome, lost the title at New Beginning in Osaka, regained it in June, and made it all the way to the G1 Climax Semifinals. But there is no time for rest. He will be defending the title at Forbidden Door.
His opponent is certainly a shocking one, Nigel McGuinness. Nigel won a Number One Contender’s match against Daniel Garcia, Hechicero, and Lee Moriarty. Nigel has only been in five matches since returning from a thirteen-year retirement.
Can the 49-year-old legend pull off an upset against one of the best technical wrestlers in the world? This match could be a show stealer on Sunday night.
AEW Forbidden Door 2025
Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Alex Windsor vs. Persephone vs. Bozilla
(AEW TBS Championship)
While Moné lost to Toni Storm at AEW All In, she has slowed down in her success. She recently won her ninth singles title. The Belt Collector continues to collect gold around the world.
But Mercedes will face a huge challenge at Forbidden Door. She will defend the TBS Championship against a competitor from AEW, CMLL and Stardom. Alex Windsor will represent AEW and has been a thorn in the side of Moné for weeks.
Windsor isn’t alone on Sunday night. Persephone has had some success in ROH and is looking to break through at Forbidden Door.
The wild card is the 21-year-old Bozilla. She just joined Stardom in late June. Can Moné outlast three hungry competitors and keep her most prized title?
AEW Forbidden Door 2025
Adam Copeland and Christian Cage vs. The Matriarchy (Kip Sabian and Killswitch)
At AEW All In, Christian Cage and Nick Wayne lost their match for the AEW World Tag Team titles. After the match, Cage was brutally attacked by Kip Sabian and Nick Wayne. The Patriarchy was no more.
Just as Cage was about to be attacked by FTR, Adam Copeland arrived to make the save. When it looked like the former friends were about to reunite, Copeland told Cage to “go find himself”.
Over the next few weeks, that is what Cage did. On August 13th, Dynamite, Christian Cage returned the favor and saved Copeland. The long-time friends were back together.
At AEW Forbidden Door, Copeland and Cage will team up against the newly formed Matriarchy. It will be Kip Sabian and the returning Killswitch. It will be a special moment seeing Adam Copeland and Christian Cage team up for the first time in fourteen years.
AEW Forbidden Door 2025
The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin) (c) vs. Brodido (Brody King and Bandido) vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood)
(AEW World Tag Team Championship)
The Hurt Syndicate has dominated the Tag Team Division since winning the titles on January 22nd. They have defended the titles six times since winning them and remain undefeated in that span. Who can possibly stop them from hurting people?
In the last few weeks, a tournament was held to determine their next challenger at Forbidden Door. The final of the tournament pitted the two-time champions, FTR, against the newly formed team of Brody King and Bandido. The finals of that tournament ended in a thirty-minute draw. A triple threat match was set for Forbidden Door.
This will certainly be the biggest challenge the Hurt Syndicate has faced in their title reign. FTR is one of the most decorated tag teams in the world. Brody King and Bandido are dangerous competitors in their own right. Can the Hurt Syndicate possibly survive?
AEW Forbidden Door 2025
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Swerve Strickland
(AEW Unified Championship )
At AEW All In, Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay defeated the Young Bucks. This caused the Young Bucks to lose their EVP roles. They have been thoroughly embarrassed since that night.
Kazuchika Okada didn’t appreciate what Strickland did at All In. He called out Swerve. This led to Strickland challenging Okada for the Unified Championship at Forbidden Door.
The big question mark is Strickland’s health. He told Renee Paquette that he was dealing with a knee injury heading into Sunday.
Can Strickland really overcome the odds with an injury against the seemingly unbeatable champion? It will be a tall task indeed.
AEW Forbidden Door 2025
Toni Storm (c) vs. Athena
(AEW Women’s World Championship)
At AEW All In, Athena won the Casino Gauntlet. Athena is the reigning champion of the Ring of Honor Women’s Division. She has held the Ring of Honor Women’s World Champion for 985 days. She has now set her sights on “Timeless” Toni Storm.
“Timeless” Toni Storm is coming off her huge win at AEW All In over Mercedes Moné. It seems she has few challengers left in the AEW Women’s Division.
However, as Athena has pointed out, the last time Storm wrestled in London, Toni lost the Women’s title. Will lightning strike twice in London? If it does, Athena will become a double champion.
AEW Forbidden Door 2025
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
(Lights Out Steel Cage Match)
Jon Moxley and the rest of the Death Riders want Darby Allin. Darby has been a thorn in the side of the Death Riders for months, culminating in Allin helping cost Moxley the title at All In. They finally got their hands on him on a recent Dynamite.
But they got more than they bargained for. On the August 13th Dynamite, Moxley attacked Darby Allin after a match.
That is, until a returning Will Ospreay made the save. He then challenged Moxley and his allies to a Lights Out Steel Cage Match. And Will won’t be alone. He will team with the reunited Golden Lovers, Darby Allin and NJPW legend Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Moxley will be teaming with the Young Bucks, Claudio Castagnoli and Gabe Kidd. The match is a Lights Out Steel Cage Match, which means anything goes. With ten of the best wrestlers in the world in the same ring? Expect some chaos on Sunday night.
AEW Forbidden Door 2025
Hangman Adam Page (c) vs. MJF
(AEW World Championship)
MJF has wanted his AEW World Championship back for over a year now. He got one step closer when he won the Casino Gauntlet match at AEW All In. But that wasn’t good enough for MJF.
He has a recent history of losing to Hangman Adam Page at this March’s AEW Revolution. It isn’t enough to take Page’s title; MJF wants to embarrass him. And do so without using his guaranteed title shot.
This past week, MJF and his allies threatened to set Mark Briscoe on fire. They did this to get Page to agree to three things for Sunday’s title match:
- The title could change hands via disqualification
- The title could change hands via countout
- This wouldn’t count as MJF’s guaranteed title shot.
Page had to agree to the terms. The deck seems truly stacked against the champion. Can he survive MJF and all the likely inference on Sunday? The odds seem slim indeed.
