AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2025 Preview: Confirmed Matches, Start Time and How to Watch

The AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door event is finally upon us, and AEW has made sure to book a card that will ensure fans will be entertained from start to finish.

Lights Out Steel Cage Match: Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Darby Allin, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Will Ospreay vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley, The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) & Gabe Kidd

Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Darby Allin, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Will Ospreay will be duking it out with the Death Riders and The Young Bucks in a Lights Out Steel Cage match. Expect the match to be incredibly physical and absolute chaos, considering the number of competitors in the match. Therefore, it remains to be seen who will ultimately prevail in the match, as no one will really walk out unscathed either way.

AEW World Championship (Title Can Change Hands via DQ or Count-Out): “Hangman” Adam Page (c) vs. MJF

Adam Page will be defending his AEW World Championship against MJF at Forbidden Door. The match has been building for quite a long time now. The title can change hands via DQ or count-out after MJF forced Adam Page to accept the stipulation after MJF threatened to burn Mark Briscoe alive. So we’ll have to see how Adam Page will fare against the Salt of the Earth, as he’s clearly at a huge disadvantage now.

AEW Unified Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Swerve Strickland

Kazuchika Okada will be defending the AEW Unified Championship against Swerve Strickland at Forbidden Door. Fans believe this will be a show stealer but considering the fact that Strickland is hurt, there’s concern over how he will perform in the match. No matter what, fans are excited to see how the match will play out.

AEW Women’s World Championship: “Timeless” Toni Storm (c) vs. Athena

Toni Storm will be defending the AEW Women’s World Championship against Athena at Forbidden Door. Athena has been a thorn in Storm’s side for the past few weeks, especially thanks to Mercedes Moné helping her out. Thankfully, Storm has Alex Windsor in her corner as well, so fans are excited to see how the title match will turn out in the end.

TBS Championship 4-Way Match: Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Alex Windsor vs. Persephone vs. Bozilla

Mercedes Moné has her work cut out for her as she will be defending her TBS Championship against Alex Windsor, Persephone and Bozilla in a four-way match. This is one of the biggest crossover matches on the card and there’s bound to be a ton of solid in-ring action, so it remains to be seen whether the CEO of AEW will somehow manage to retain her title once the dust settles.

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Nigel McGuinness

In another highly anticipated match, Zack Sabre Jr. will be defending his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Nigel McGuinness. Considering the in-ring abilities of both, it’ll definitely be a technical masterpiece, so we’ll have to see if McGuinness can somehow pull off the upset win when all is said and done.

TNT Championship: Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi

NJPW legend Hiromu Takahashi will challenge Kyle Fletcher for the TNT Championship at Forbidden Door. Fletcher’s been on a roll as the champion and Takahashi is determined to bag a title for NJPW, so fans are looking forward to seeing who’ll win in the end.

AEW Tag Team Championship: The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin) (c) vs. Brodido (Brody King and Bandido) vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood)

Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin will defend their Tag Team Championships against FTR and Bandido & Brody King in an elimination match. While backstage resistance did lead to this match in the first place, there’s no doubt the match will surpass expectations and so we will have to see who will walk out as the champions.

Other Matches

Adam Copeland and Christian Cage will team up to take on Kip Sabian and Killswitch. Killswitch returned on AEW Dynamite and destroyed Copeland and Cage, so Sabian and Killswitch have the advantage.

In the Zero Hour pre-show, Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, Yuya Uemura and El Desperado will be taking on Hechicero, Josh Alexander, and CRU. Triangle of Madness joins forces with Megan Bayne to duke it out with Harley Cameron, Kris Statlander, Willow Nightingale, and Queen Aminata.

That’s not all as The Opps defend their AEW World Trios Championship against Bullet Club War Dogs. Finally, Michael Oku & JetSpeed vs. Ricochet & Gates Of Agony.

AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2025 Lineup:

• Lights Out Steel Cage Match: Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Darby Allin, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Will Ospreay vs. Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley, The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) & Gabe Kidd
• AEW World Championship (Title Can Change Hands via DQ or Count-Out): “Hangman” Adam Page (c) vs. MJF
• AEW Unified Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Swerve Strickland
• AEW Women’s World Championship: “Timeless” Toni Storm (c) vs. Athena
• TBS Championship 4-Way Match: Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Alex Windsor vs. Persephone vs. Bozilla
• IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Nigel McGuinness
• TNT Championship: Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi
• AEW Tag Team Championship: The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin) (c) vs. Brodido (Brody King and Bandido) vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood)
• Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. Kip Sabian and Killswitch
• AEW Trios Championships: The Opps (c) vs. Bullet Club War Dogs (Pre-show)
• Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, Yuya Uemura and El Desperado vs. Hechicero, Josh Alexander, and CRU (Pre-show)
• Triangle of Madness & Megan Bayne vs. Harley Cameron, Kris Statlander, Willow Nightingale, and Queen Aminata (Pre-show)
• Michael Oku & JetSpeed vs. Ricochet & Gates Of Agony (Pre-show)

Final Thoughts on AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2025

The AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2025 pay-per-view promises to deliver high drama, incredible matchups, and storylines. With solid matches such as the Lights Out Steel Cage Match, Adam Page vs. MJF and many more matches, it’s definitely a show that fans shouldn’t miss. As a reminder, Ringside News will have live play-by-play coverage of the event over in our AEW Forbidden Door section.

Where to Watch AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2025

AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2025 will be taking place on August 24 at The O2 Arena in London. The Zero Hour pre-show will begin at 11:30 AM ET, and the main show will start at 1 PM ET and fans all over the world can watch the event on Amazon Prime, PPV.com, YouTube and traditional cable and satellite providers.