AEW Forbidden Door 2025: Historic Night at London’s O2 Arena

August 24, 2025 - All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) put on an amazing night at London’s O2 Arena. This was the fourth Forbidden Door event and the first one outside North America. The event happened on Sunday during the UK’s August Bank Holiday. It had seven championship matches and many surprise moments.

Event Overview and Historic Significance

The 2025 edition of Forbidden Door made history. It was the first event held in August and the first one outside North America. The show took place at The O2 Arena and attracted over 17,500 fans. It may also set attendance records for wrestling events there. This was AEW’s fifth big event outside the continent. It kept up the tradition of working together with NJPW, World Wonder Ring Stardom, and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL).

The event started with a Zero Hour pre-show at 11:30 a.m. ET (4:30 p.m. BST). Then, the main card began at 1:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. BST). This timing offered UK fans a perfect prime-time experience.

Championship Results and Key Matches

Pre-Show Results

The Zero Hour pre-show showcased several thrilling matches. The first match featured Paragon (Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong), El Desperado, and Yuya Uemura. They defeated CRU (Action Andretti and Lio Rush) and the Don Callis Family (Hechicero and Josh Alexander) in an eight-man tag team clash. The victory came when Yuya Uemura pinned Lio Rush with a bridge suplex after 12 minutes and 5 seconds.

Following this, Ricochet and Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona) defeated JetSpeed (Kevin Knight and “Speedball” Mike Bailey) and Michael Oku in a trios match. Ricochet won the match by using sneaky moves. He gouged Michael Oku’s eyes and then got the pinfall with help from his partners.

Main Card Championship Bouts

The main card featured an impressive lineup of title matches across multiple promotions. Hangman Adam Page defended the AEW World Championship against MJF in the main event. The match had special rules. Page could lose the title by count-out or disqualification.

Kazuchika Okada defended the AEW Unified Championship against Swerve Strickland. This match was important as it featured a clash between former allies. The feud began over Strickland’s part in The Young Bucks losing their Executive Vice President titles at All In: Texas.

Toni Storm faced Athena for the AEW Women’s World Championship. Athena was ready, using her Casino Gauntlet contract from All In: Texas. This match mattered a lot. Athena, the ROH Women’s World Champion, was close to hitting 1,000 days as champion. She wanted to grab the AEW title, too.

International Championship Showcase

The event showcased NJPW’s IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Zack Sabre Jr. defended his title against Nigel McGuinness, who returned to the ring after a long break. McGuinness earned his title shot by winning a wrestling match on the August 16 episode of Collision.

Kyle Fletcher defended the AEW TNT Championship. He faced Hiromu Takahashi, who represented NJPW on the card. Fletcher kept his title by defeating Tomohiro Ishii. He then challenged NJPW to send their best. This resulted in Takahashi’s surprise appearance and a title match being arranged.

Special Attraction Matches

Lights Out Steel Cage Match

One of the night’s big events was the Lights Out Steel Cage Match. It featured Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi (The Golden Lovers), Will Ospreay, Darby Allin, and Hiroshi Tanahashi. They faced Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli (Death Riders), The Young Bucks, and Gabe Kidd./strong>. This match carried a lot of emotion. It was Hiroshi Tanahashi’s last match in the United Kingdom.

The fight marked the peak of months of stories. It showcased the Death Riders’ rule and the wrestlers’ efforts to put an end to their terror. The Golden Lovers reunited Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi for the first time in years. This reunion added a lot of emotional depth to the match.

Reunion Match

Adam Copeland and Christian Cage teamed up for the first time since 2011. They faced Kip Sabian and Killswitch, who stepped in for Nick Wayne due to injury./strong>. Copeland’s surprise return sparked this reunion. He saved Cage from a post-match beating by The Patriarchy. Their long-standing feud finally came to an end.

Multi-Promotional Championship Matches

The event showcased AEW’s international partnerships through several multi-promotional championship matches. Mercedes Moné defended her AEW TBS Championship in a fatal four-way match. She faced Alex Windsor (AEW), Persephone (CMLL), and Bozilla (Stardom)./strong>. This match format demonstrated the continued collaboration between the partnering promotions.

The Hurt Syndicate, made up of Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin, defended the AEW World Tag Team Championship. They faced FTR, with Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood, and Brodido, featuring Brody King and Bandido, in a three-way elimination match./strong>. This match came from an eliminator tournament. It ended in a time-limit draw between FTR and Brodido. Both teams advanced to face the champions.

Surprise Appearances and Returns

The event had some surprising moments. Tomohiro Ishii made a surprise appearance in the opening pre-show match. Ishii made a stunning return to save the winners of the eight-man tag team match. He laid out Lance Archer, much to the delight of the London crowd. This came right after the Don Callis Family’s attack.

Production and Broadcast Details

Forbidden Door 2025 was on many platforms. You could watch it on Amazon Prime Video, PPV.com, YouTube, and regular cable providers. The event came after the “Countdown to Forbidden Door” special. It aired on TNT and HBO Max right after the Collision episode on August 23.

Excalibur and Ian Riccaboni provided commentary for the main card. For the pre-show, Renee Paquette, RJ City, Jeff Jarrett, and Madison Rayne stepped in for Bryan Danielson. The event had a team of skilled referees. They included Aubrey Edwards, Bryce Remsburg, and Rick Knox.

Looking Forward

Forbidden Door 2025 was a big milestone for AEW’s global reach. It showcased the strong bond between AEW and NJPW. The London crowd’s excitement and high attendance show that international expansion is a good strategy for both promotions in the future.

The event showcased talent from several promotions. It also pushed current storylines and introduced new rivalries. These rivalries are expected to continue in the weeks and months to come. Forbidden Door 2025 featured seven championship matches and many high-profile bouts. It truly lived up to its reputation as one of the year’s biggest wrestling events.

This developing story will be updated as final match results become available.