The AEW Forbidden Door 2025 event featured a total of 13 matches, with eight championship bouts held on the main card. The Zero Hour pre-show saw Paragon, El Desperado, and Yuya Uemura secure a victory over The Don Callis Family and Gates of Agony, while Ricochet triumphed against JetSpeed and Michael Oku.
Additional preliminary contests featured Triangle of Madness and Megan Bayne defeating a group including Harley Cameron, Kris Statlander, Queen Aminata, and Willow Nightingale. The Opps then successfully defended the AEW World Trios Championship against the Bullet Club War Dogs, setting the stage for the intense evening ahead.
Tag Team Contest: Adam Copeland and Christian Cage Against Killswitch and Kip Sabian
The match started with Adam Copeland and Kip Sabian in the ring, where Copeland quickly demonstrated his veteran savvy to gain the upper hand. When Christian Cage and Killswitch were tagged in, Cage avoided direct confrontation with Sabian, tagging Copeland back instead. Killswitch and Sabian took turns relentlessly assaulting Copeland before momentary discord appeared between the challengers themselves.
In an unexpected twist, Killswitch turned on Sabian, joining Copeland and Cage in overwhelming the opposition. The pair utilized coordinated tag team maneuvers, including a powerful spear from Copeland on Killswitch that sent both men outside the ring. Finally, Copeland and Cage teamed up to spear Sabian, leading to Cage’s pinfall victory.
Result: Adam Copeland and Christian Cage defeated Killswitch and Kip Sabian.
AEW TNT Championship Showdown: Kyle Fletcher Retains Versus Hiromu Takahashi
Kyle Fletcher began the bout treating Hiromu Takahashi dismissively, only for Takahashi to mount a spirited comeback. Fletcher responded with assertive offense and attempted submission holds, but Takahashi demonstrated resilience, repeatedly breaking holds and launching counterattacks including a hurricanrana.
The competitors traded momentum evenly throughout, with Fletcher at one point delivering a devastating tombstone piledriver and ultimately a Sheer Drop Brainbuster for the successful pin. Fletcher’s control and relentless pressure secured his retention of the AEW TNT Championship in a hard-fought battle.
Result: Kyle Fletcher retained the AEW TNT Championship.
Four-Way Battle for the AEW TBS Championship: Mercedes Mone’s Resilience
The AEW TBS Championship was defended in a chaotic four-way match involving champion Mercedes Mone, Alex Windsor, Persephone, and Bozilla. The match opened with Windsor, Persephone, and Bozilla teaming to shove Mone outside the ring. Bozilla initially used her imposing strength to dominate, but multiple wrestlers traded control as the match unfolded.
All competitors exchanged powerful maneuvers, including double suplexes and moonsaults, with Bozilla sustaining a prominent role before being subdued by the others. Mone demonstrated experience by weathering multiple assaults and utilized a double statement maker hold on Persephone and Windsor. Despite intense action and several pin attempts, Mone cleverly secured the win after a razor’s edge from Persephone appeared to position her for victory.
Result: Mercedes Mone retained the AEW TBS Championship.
Technical Wrestling Masterclass: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Nigel McGuinness for IWGP World Heavyweight Title
Zack Sabre Jr. and Nigel McGuinness, both celebrated English technical wrestlers, delivered an intricate match filled with precision chain wrestling. The audience strongly supported McGuinness as he struggled to establish control, but Sabre’s reputation as a master technician was evident throughout.
Both wrestlers targeted joints and executed flawless submissions, with the back-and-forth battle punctuated by uppercuts and near falls. Blood was drawn, and Daniel Garcia accompanied McGuinness with animated reactions outside the ring. After a gruelling sequence, Sabre managed a sly pin to retain his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, concluding with a sportsmanlike handshake with McGuinness.
Result: Zack Sabre Jr. retained the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
Three-Way AEW World Tag Team Championship Match: Brodido Emerges Victorious
The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin) defended against Brodido (Brody King and Bandido) and FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) in a highly physical three-way tag team bout. The match was marked by brutal suplexes and dynamic exchanges between the teams.
After initial chaos and a fierce back-and-forth, two mysterious masked assailants appeared, intervening on Brodido’s behalf. They were later unmasked as Ricochet and Gates of Agony, whose interference stalled Lashley and Benjamin’s momentum, leading to their exit from the match. Brodido capitalized, executing a signature tag team maneuver to pin Cash Wheeler and claim the AEW World Tag Team Championships.
Result: Brodido won the AEW World Tag Team Championship.
AEW Unified Championship Battle: Kazuchika Okada Overcomes Swerve Strickland
This clash featured Kazuchika Okada defending against Swerve Strickland in a match filled with hard strikes and tactical counters. Strickland initially controlled the contest, targeting Okada’s movement and showcasing high-impact offense.
Okada endured significant punishment, including a neckbreaker and repeated uppercuts, but rallied by reversing a potential piledriver into a DDT. The fight escalated with brutal sequences outside the ring, including a tombstone piledriver on concrete and an intense struggle over the “Rainmaker” finisher. Okada ultimately secured victory after a rainmaker strike, though the ruthless assault continued post-finish until Prince Nana’s intervention.
The aftermath saw Wardlow return with a violent encounter on Nana and Strickland, revealing his alliance with The Don Callis Family, setting up further storyline development.
Result: Kazuchika Okada retained the AEW Unified Championship.
AEW Women’s World Championship: “Timeless” Toni Storm Defends Against Athena
Toni Storm faced tough challenge from Athena, who aggressively targeted the champion early with head strikes and ring post attacks. Storm suffered visible punishment but managed to counter and execute her own powerful maneuvers, including a tiger driver and a crossface chicken wing submission.
Athena applied pressure with a back suplex, liger bomb, and elbow strikes, at one point nearly forcing Storm to submit. The match took a chaotic turn when Billie Starkz interfered but was repelled by Mina Shirakawa. In the climax, Storm locked in her submission hold, forcing Athena to surrender, retaining her championship.
Result: Toni Storm retained the AEW Women’s World Championship.
AEW World Championship Classic: Hangman Adam Page vs. MJF
Former and current champions Adam Page and MJF battled in a fiercely competitive match filled with psychological tactics and brutal moves. MJF started by employing mind games and classic heel maneuvers, while Page responded with powerful suplexes, moonsaults, and a pop-up powerbomb.
Despite MJF’s attempts to cheat using weapons including the Casino Gauntlet contract and the dynamite diamond ring, Page showed remarkable resilience. In a dramatic finish, after multiple near falls and a display of sheer will and athleticism, Page delivered his signature deadeye and buckshot lariat, pinning MJF to retain the AEW World Championship.
Result: Hangman Adam Page retained the AEW World Championship.
Final Showdown: Golden Lovers and Allies Prevail in Epic Steel Cage Match
The evening culminated in a brutal Lights Out Steel Cage match pitting the team of Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi), Darby Allin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Will Ospreay against Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Moxley), The Young Bucks, and Gabe Kidd. From the outset, the match descended into chaos, featuring kendo sticks, ladder spots, and barbed wire tables.
High-risk maneuvers and brutal assaults were frequent. Darby Allin bravely fought through brutal punishment, enduring taped chairs and ear piercings. Tanahashi showed bursts of his classic fighting spirit, executing slingblades and a High Fly Flow from the top of the cage. Amid chaos, Ospreay displayed aerial excellence with a moonsault from the cage’s apex, stunning the crowd.
The faces worked in synchronization to neutralize the heels, though the match was marked by vicious attacks and near-falls. The conclusion came when Tanahashi hit the High Fly Flow on Matt Jackson, securing the victory for his team.
However, the celebration was cut short as Death Riders launched a vicious assault on Will Ospreay, with Jon Moxley appearing to inflict a serious neck injury on the English star. The Opps arrived to push the heels away, but the severity of Ospreay’s condition suggested a lengthy recovery ahead.
Result: Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi), Darby Allin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Will Ospreay defeated Death Riders, The Young Bucks, and Gabe Kidd in the steel cage match.
Implications of the Chaotic Finale and Will Ospreay’s Fate
The brutal conclusion to AEW Forbidden Door 2025, capped by the violent attack on Will Ospreay, has immediate storyline and real-world consequences. The severity of Ospreay’s injury threatens to sideline a key international star for months, impacting upcoming cross-promotional schedules involving AEW and NJPW talent.
This attack not only deepens the ongoing feud between the factions involved but also underscores the physical risks inherent in such high-stakes matches. Fans and insiders eagerly await updates on Ospreay’s condition, while the event itself will be remembered as one of AEW’s most intense and storied crossover shows.
