Forbidden Door 2024: Swerve and Ospreay Give AEW’s Biggest Crossover Its Best Main Event

Kyle Fletcher defeated Serpentico by pinfall. The match is framed as Singles match and runs 3:10. On the pre-show, Fletcher and Serpentico provide a short, efficient opener whose main job is to establish pace; it is competent but intentionally minor. The match does its basic job, but it sits well below the card’s strongest work in consequence, urgency or memorable execution. The 5.8 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation and the match’s role inside Forbidden Door 2024, while keeping historical importance separate from immediate match quality.

Kings of the Black Throne (Malakai Black and Brody King) defeated Tomohiro Ishii and Kyle O'Reilly, Roderick Strong and Gabe Kidd (with Gedo, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett), and Private Party (Zay and Quen) by pinfall. The match is framed as Four-way tag team match and runs 8:40. On the pre-show, The four-way tag packs contrasting teams into less than nine minutes and gets useful energy from constant changes, even if there is little room for a coherent story. The match is solid and purposeful, but its best qualities are more functional than unforgettable. The 7.3 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation and the match’s role inside Forbidden Door 2024, while keeping historical importance separate from immediate match quality.

Willow Nightingale and Tam Nakano defeated Kris Statlander and Momo Watanabe (with Stokely Hathaway) by pinfall. The match is framed as Tag team match and runs 10:20. On the pre-show, Nightingale and Nakano against Statlander and Watanabe advances Willow’s rivalry while also giving the crossover audience a Stardom presence without overextending the bout. The match is solid and purposeful, but its best qualities are more functional than unforgettable. The 7.1 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation and the match’s role inside Forbidden Door 2024, while keeping historical importance separate from immediate match quality.

Mariah May (with "Timeless" Toni Storm and Luther) defeated Saraya (with Harley Cameron) by pinfall. The match is framed as Women's Owen Hart Cup Tournament first round match and runs 8:35. On the pre-show, May and Saraya handle their Owen Cup first-round match cleanly, with May’s victory more important for the tournament and Toni Storm story than for bell-to-bell drama. The match is competent and useful in context, though it never develops the urgency or distinction needed to become essential viewing. The 6.6 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation and the match’s role inside Forbidden Door 2024, while keeping historical importance separate from immediate match quality.

Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fénix) and Místico (with Alex Abrahantes) defeated Los Ingobernables de Japón (Yota Tsuji, Titan, and Hiromu Takahashi) by submission. The match is framed as Trios match and runs 12:00. On the pre-show, The Lucha Brothers and Místico against LIJ is exactly the kind of colorful multi-promotion sprint the concept promises, with speed and style carrying the match. The work is consistently good and the match fulfills its role, even if it lacks the extra emotional or athletic peak required for the event’s top tier. The 7.7 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation and the match’s role inside Forbidden Door 2024, while keeping historical importance separate from immediate match quality.

MJF defeated Hechicero by pinfall. The match is framed as Singles match and runs 9:50. On the main card, MJF and Hechicero make a compact singles match feel different from the rest of the show by emphasizing control, counters and personality rather than pure escalation. The work is consistently good and the match fulfills its role, even if it lacks the extra emotional or athletic peak required for the event’s top tier. The 7.6 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation and the match’s role inside Forbidden Door 2024, while keeping historical importance separate from immediate match quality.

The Elite (Matthew Jackson, Nicholas Jackson, and Kazuchika Okada) defeated Scissor Ace (Anthony Bowens, Max Caster, and Hiroshi Tanahashi) by pinfall. The match is framed as Trios match and runs 13:00. On the main card, The Elite, Acclaimed and Tanahashi have star power, but the trios match feels more like a crossover attraction than one of the night’s essential competitive statements. The match is competent and useful in context, though it never develops the urgency or distinction needed to become essential viewing. The 6.8 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation and the match’s role inside Forbidden Door 2024, while keeping historical importance separate from immediate match quality.

Bryan Danielson defeated Shingo Takagi by submission. The match is framed as Men's Owen Hart Cup Tournament First Round match and runs 20:20. On the main card, Danielson and Shingo deliver the hard, escalating singles match expected from their reputations, and the Owen Cup stakes keep the violence attached to a clear purpose. The match reaches the event’s top tier because its execution, stakes and finish all reinforce one another. The 9.0 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation and the match’s role inside Forbidden Door 2024, while keeping historical importance separate from immediate match quality.

"Timeless" Toni Storm (c) (with Luther) defeated Mina Shirakawa by pinfall. The match is framed as Singles match for the AEW Women's World Championship; Mariah May was at ringside in support of both participants. and runs 11:40. On the main card, Storm and Shirakawa turn Mariah May’s divided loyalty into the emotional center, giving the championship match character texture beyond a straightforward defense. The match is clearly above the card’s baseline, combining strong execution with enough story or championship meaning to matter beyond the bell. The 8.0 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation and the match’s role inside Forbidden Door 2024, while keeping historical importance separate from immediate match quality.

Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Orange Cassidy by submission. The match is framed as Singles match and runs 16:20. On the main card, Sabre and Cassidy build a technical chess match around incompatible rhythms, and the submission finish gives Sabre the decisive singles win their prior history needed. It falls just short of the absolute top tier, but the match has enough urgency, clarity and consequence to stand among the show’s essential bouts. The 8.7 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation and the match’s role inside Forbidden Door 2024, while keeping historical importance separate from immediate match quality.

Samoa Joe, Hook, and Katsuyori Shibata defeated The Learning Tree (Chris Jericho and Big Bill) and Jeff Cobb (with Bryan Keith) by pinfall. The match is framed as Trios match and runs 14:00. On the main card, Joe, Hook and Shibata against the Learning Tree and Cobb is energetic enough, but six recognizable personalities cannot fully hide that the match is connective tissue. The match is competent and useful in context, though it never develops the urgency or distinction needed to become essential viewing. The 6.6 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation and the match’s role inside Forbidden Door 2024, while keeping historical importance separate from immediate match quality.

Jack Perry defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Mark Briscoe, Dante Martin, Lio Rush, and El Phantasmo. The match is framed as Ladder match for the vacant AEW TNT Championship and runs 16:55. On the main card, The TNT ladder match uses six wrestlers and an open championship to create urgent chaos, with Perry’s win directly serving the Elite’s larger power story. The match is clearly above the card’s baseline, combining strong execution with enough story or championship meaning to matter beyond the bell. The 8.2 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation and the match’s role inside Forbidden Door 2024, while keeping historical importance separate from immediate match quality.

Mercedes Moné (AEW) defeated Stephanie Vaquer (NJPW) by submission. The match is framed as Winner Takes All match for the AEW TBS Championship and NJPW Strong Women's Championship and runs 16:50. On the main card, Moné and Vaquer make the winner-takes-all stipulation feel worthy of the crossover, combining sharp exchanges with a finish that leaves Moné carrying two championships. It falls just short of the absolute top tier, but the match has enough urgency, clarity and consequence to stand among the show’s essential bouts. The 8.8 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation and the match’s role inside Forbidden Door 2024, while keeping historical importance separate from immediate match quality.

Tetsuya Naito defeated Jon Moxley (c) by pinfall. The match is framed as Singles match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and runs 17:05. On the main card, Moxley and Naito have enormous championship stakes, but the match never develops the urgency or chemistry suggested by the rematch and the IWGP title. The match is competent and useful in context, though it never develops the urgency or distinction needed to become essential viewing. The 6.9 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation and the match’s role inside Forbidden Door 2024, while keeping historical importance separate from immediate match quality.

Swerve Strickland (c) (with Prince Nana) defeated Will Ospreay by pinfall. The match is framed as Singles match for the AEW World Championship and runs 27:05. On the main card, Swerve and Ospreay wrestle like the world championship matters more than promotional novelty, escalating from athletic brilliance into a finish that makes Swerve look unquestionably elite. The match reaches the event’s top tier because its execution, stakes and finish all reinforce one another. The 9.4 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation and the match’s role inside Forbidden Door 2024, while keeping historical importance separate from immediate match quality.