Forbidden Door (2025)
| AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door | |||
|---|---|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Promotional poster featuring Will Ospreay and various other AEW and NJPW wrestlers | |||
| Promotion(s) | All Elite Wrestling New Japan Pro-Wrestling | ||
| Date | August 24, 2025 | ||
| City | London, England | ||
| Venue | The O2 Arena | ||
| Event chronology | |||
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| Forbidden Door chronology | |||
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| AEW in the United Kingdom chronology | |||
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The 2025 Forbidden Door, also promoted as Forbidden Door: London, is an upcoming professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event and supershow co-produced by American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Japan-based New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). It will be the fourth annual Forbidden Door event and will take place on Sunday, August 24, 2025, at The O2 Arena in London, England, coinciding with the United Kingdom's August Bank Holiday weekend, which was previously occupied by AEW's All In. This will be the first Forbidden Door to be held in August, as the first three events were all held in June, and the first to be held outside of North America.
Production
[edit]Background
[edit]Forbidden Door is an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event co-produced by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Japan-based New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Established in 2022, the event is held during the summer and features direct competition between wrestlers from the two companies.[1][2] The 2024 event also featured some wrestlers from NJPW's sister promotion World Wonder Ring Stardom and Mexico's Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL).[3] The event takes its name from the same term often used by AEW when referring to working with other professional wrestling promotions.[4]
In August 2024, advertisements outside Wembley Stadium in London, England were shown days before AEW's All In event, which was held at the venue on August 25, advertising that the 2025 Forbidden Door would emanate from London.[5] During All In's Zero Hour pre-show, the 2025 Forbidden Door was confirmed to be held in London on August 24, 2025.[5] This will mark the first Forbidden Door event held outside of North America, and AEW's fifth event overall outside the continent. This also marks the first Forbidden Door held in August, as the prior three events were held in June, and in turn will be held during the United Kingdom's August Bank Holiday weekend, which was previously occupied by AEW's All In the prior two years.[6][5] On April 15, 2025, the venue was confirmed as The O2 Arena with tickets going on sale on May 2.[7]
Storylines
[edit]Forbidden Door will feature professional wrestling matches that involve different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines.[8] Storylines are produced on AEW's weekly television programs, Dynamite and Collision, as well as NJPW, Stardom, and CMLL events.
On May 31, it was announced that Hiroshi Tanahashi would wrestle at the event, in what will be his final match in the United Kingdom, against a to be determined opponent.[9]
Matches
[edit]| No. | Matches* | Stipulations | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. TBA | TBA match[10] | ||
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See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Nason, Josh (February 4, 2021). "AEW, New Japan Pro Wrestling Established Working Relationship". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
- ^ Barrasso, Justin (April 20, 2022). "Tony Khan Announces First-Ever AEW, NJPW Joint Pay-Per View Event". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
- ^ Lee, Joseph (May 8, 2024). "Rocky Romero Confirms STARDOM Involvement in AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, CMLL 'Very Likely'". 411Mania. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (February 10, 2022). "Tony Khan Admits He Butchered His 'Forbidden Door' Definition, Which Led To Securing Jay White". Fightful. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
The term "forbidden door" has always been used in reference to companies working together and not signing exclusively with one company.
- ^ a b c Thomas, Jeremy (August 25, 2024). "AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2025 Confirmed For London". 411Mania. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ Currier, Joseph (August 25, 2024). "Date set for AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2025 in London". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Archived from the original on August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
- ^ Ucchino, Rick (April 15, 2025). "Tony Khan Announces AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door Date and Location". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
- ^ Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
- ^ Nason, Josh (May 31, 2025). "Hiroshi Tanahashi's final UK match set for AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door". F4WOnline.
- ^ Nason, Josh (May 31, 2025). "Hiroshi Tanahashi's final UK match set for AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door". F4WOnline.