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Welcome to my ongoing thoughts on AEW's Forbidden Door 2025!
The SAP Center looks to be packed.
They unveiled a new circular cage for the main event between Team Briscoe and Team MJF. It looked pretty impressive just hanging at the top of the venue and we'll see how it comes into play.
fast-paced, crowd-pleasing, big spot opener. Mistico was the most over guy in the match, but the fans cheered for everyone and all the wild spots. Under different circumstances, I’d question whether they did too many big spots in the opening match, but I think this show appeals to a lot of fans who enjoy the balls-to-the-wall approach from start to finish.
Drilla Moloney vs. Daniel Garcia (with Marina Shafir) was first, an unannounced addition. Walker Stewart joined the usual AEW crew and it seemed to throw off the usual flow at first. This was a solid bout. Moloney getting the win had to be seen as a minor surprise.
Skye Blue vs. Maika was a good debut for Maika. I had no idea she was trained by the great TAKA Michonoku. You could see the crowd getting more into her over the course of the match. Maika paid tribute to TAKA with a Michinoku Driver. Short but fun.
Divine Dominion vs. Thunder Rosa & Olympia. This was a fast-paced, action-packed tag team match that benefited from not being the usual five minute deal with the Tag Champions. This was probably one of the better showings for Rosa in a bit and Olympia was very good. Very enjoyable from bell to bell.
The PPV proper opened with The Young Bucks vs. Shingo Takagi & Titan vs. the new ROH Tag Team Champions Sky Team, Mistico & Mascara Dorada. You knew what you were getting here before the bell rang and it delivered those expectations, being more of an unannounced Tornado Tag match than a traditional tag bout. This was fast-paced, crowd-pleasing spectacle packed with creative sequences and high-impact spots, plus, I know this will shock you, LOTS of superkicks. Mistico was easily the most popular wrestler here but the crowd enthusiastically reacted to and seemed to love everyone involves. Under different circumstances, the amount of big offense in an opener might have felt excessive, but it suited the tone of a product built around nonstop, high-energy action. Even with Sky Team coming off their ROH Tag Team Championship victory, the non-title nature of the match made The Young Bucks the clear favorites, so this wasn't a surprise to see them win.
Kenny Omega vs. Zack Sabre Jr. was next. They gave this a lot of time and presented it like it was a chess match between two wrestling wizards and it was excellent in that regard from bell to bell. In fact, this may have been one of the better Omega matches in recent years. It was a slower, more methodical style after the opener with lots of strikes and reversals as they took the fight to each other, wearing the other down. It was a phenomenal showcase of professional wrestling at a high level, with Kenny Omega pushed into a serious challenge as he continues his “redemption” narrative. I'd be shocked if he's not challenging for the AEW title in the very near future. Sabre as always is extremely entertaining just by being this unique, fluid technical professional wrestler who stands out against the endless onslaught of flying talents by being a modern day adaption of the ground and pound style. This was just a fun match that rewarded you for paying attention as it played out before Omega scored the win. This was a terrific battle of different styles.
Next was Continental Champion Jon Moxley vs. Bandido. Moxley bullied Bandido for a good part of the early bout, bloodying him, ripping his mask so far apart that his entire face was exposed for a moment, and generally being a destructive jerk. This allowed Bandido to make a comeback to a big reaction. The story highlighted Bandido's fighting spirit and resilience when he kicked out of Moxley's double underhook DDT, which rarely ever happens. By the time Moxley choked Bandido out, it was a hell of a match, built around sustained back and forth action and a series of believable near falls that kept the outcome in doubt throughout. Following the Omega vs. Sabre Jr. level performance is no easy task, but both competitors managed to match that intensity while putting together a different style of bout. The crowd really wanted Bandido to win, so Moxley played a great devil to make him the angel. The last bout felt like a great wrestling bout. This felt like a fight.
Next was Shota Umino vs. Pac for the IWGP Global Heavyweight Title. This was the first bout that didn't sustain the crowd's energy live, likely as the audience wasn't familiar with Umino and they were following three big bouts. At one point, Pac hit an insanely perfect springboard moonsault to the floor. Umino and Pac faced off at one point, suggesting Umino had enough and was firing back. However, his forearms lacked impact until he finally drilled Pac. Commentary spent a lot of time making it clear Umino was once Jon Moxley's protege. The Death Riders teased something was going to happen with Umino after the match but Hiroshi Tanahashi, now the NJPW President came out. Boy, he looked like he was having trouble walking. It reminded me of watching Great Muta walk around, just years of wear and tear radiated with each step.
AEW Women's Champion Thekla vs. Starlight Kid was next. This was a fantastic performance from Thekla, who has shined as the slimy rock and roll heel in recent months. Kid delivered a performance that exceeded expectations in her debut and President Okada's hammy facial expressions added to this as he was once again tormented by Thekla.. This may have been the absolute best Thekla has looked in AEW thus far. Beyond the in-ring performance, her confidence and ability to generate genuine heat made the match feel more significant than a standard showcase against someone at least a portion of the audience hadn't seen before. The clean victory further strengthened Thekla credibility. Unmasking Kid will mean more in Japan than it might here and that's OK if it helps STARDOM business when Thekla heads over there. You have to help your partner.
AEW Tag Team Champions Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. The Dogs was up next. I don't think anyone truly expected a title change here, so the early going just felt like a solid bout with relatively little true drama, but they kept building good suspense. I enjoyed Edge and Connors having the spear-off. The crowd reaction to Jay White’s return was easily among the loudest of the night, and was well down from a theatrical standpoint. This overachieved in my opinion.
Maya World vs. Mercedes Mone was just a great, strong match built on real drama, with a crowd response that matched the work Maya and Mercedes put into this from bell to bell. World’s entrance initially drew a somewhat muted reaction, but as the match progressed, the crowd steadily bought in and became firmly behind her near falls and comeback moments.They delivered at a high level, producing what was easily World’s best AEW performance to date and something that had great emotion as fans wanted to see World overcome Mone. By the finish, there was a genuine sense of frustration among fans that Mercedes Mone secured the win. This was a classic case of someone getting over and that being far more important than going over. Everyone played their role perfectly here and it seemed like World's next chapter will be chasing Athena for the ROH title.
The unveiling of the rules and the name of Death's Door instantly gave AEW a new franchise match for which to settle feuds with. I thought the presentation and all the camera angles for this were great and felt original and fresh.
The match itself was absolute chaos, and for the most part, it was chaos in the best possible way. Whenever AEW announces one of these multi-man cage spectacles, there's always some skepticism about whether it can live up to the concept, but once again, the company managed to make it feel distinct. The crowd was fully invested from the opening bell, and despite the lengthy runtime, the match rarely lost momentum. It was a nonstop spectacle filled with one memorable sequence after another, balancing high-risk action with well-timed comedy that clearly resonated with the live audience. While the comedic elements with Lio Rush won't appeal to everyone, it received a strong reaction live and man, he plays the hell out of the gimmick. You can't ever accuse the man of not being creative. Not that this is news, but Darby Allin is certifiable. That face-first bump into the tacks was insane. Kevin Knight taking a pyro explosion at the top of the cage and then crashing through tables was no less insane. There were a few moments where I was worried for the safety of some taking crazy shots but the positives far outweighed the negatives and this was a hell of a spectacle. I hate to admit this but the sight of Kyle Fletcher getting clotheslined with the NES controller wire popped me. The Andrade turn, which had been brewing for some time, was well done and got a nice reaction. Plus. Mark Briscoe achieved his goal and who the hell doesn't love Mark? It was promised to be a war and it was.
Nice DC crossover with the main event entrances as Ospreay was inspired by Bane while Swerve was Lobo. I've always been a DC guy over Marvel, so this made me smile.
AEW is always an epicenter for debate on the product, but one thing that is impossible to argue against is the work ethic of the crew as they always seem to go complete batsh** nuts on the PPV shows. Will Ospreay vs. Swerve Strickland is no exception to that description. They put together an exceptional main event that was likely in the top percentage of anything the company has produced. It was pro wrestling aimed at and produced for an adult audience, just a brutal, athletic, bloody bout that saw the intensity level rise and rise as they got deeper into the match. Even after so many hours of wrestling I can't even remember as I type this, the crowd was completely enraptured in this. I don't know how to describe it beyond electric. If there was any real issue going in, it would be that a big portion of the audience "knew" in their hearts there was no way Will Ospreay wasn't going to win when the victory meant main eventing Wembley Stadium. So, rather pulling some swerve to make fans think that wasn't going to happen, they just focused on executing the best match they could and they relentlessly dove into that with crazy and dramatic near falls, physicality and callbacks to their match a few years back. This delivered.
So did the show. AEW gave anyone who paid for the show a ton of quality pro wrestling for their time and financial investment and really put on a hell of show tonight.
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