Forbidden Door 2025: Hangman-MJF and a Violent Cage Main Event Carry the Crossover

El Desperado, Yuya Uemura, and Paragon (Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly) defeated CRU (Action Andretti and Lio Rush) and The Don Callis Family (Hechicero and Josh Alexander) (with Lance Archer and Rocky Romero) by pinfall. The match is framed as Eight-man tag team match and runs 12:05. As a pre-show match, it has to create momentum before the pay-per-view proper while still feeling worthwhile on its own. The match is solid and useful, but it lacks the urgency or escalation needed to reach the top tier. The result does not rely on a championship change for its importance. At 6.6 out of 10, the rating reflects how the match works inside Forbidden Door 2025 as a complete show rather than treating historical importance and immediate match quality as the same thing.

Ricochet and GOA (Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona) defeated Michael Oku and JetSpeed ("Speedball" Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight) (with Amira Blair) by pinfall. The match is framed as Trios match and runs 9:55. As a pre-show match, it has to create momentum before the pay-per-view proper while still feeling worthwhile on its own. The match is solid and useful, but it lacks the urgency or escalation needed to reach the top tier. The result does not rely on a championship change for its importance. At 6.4 out of 10, the rating reflects how the match works inside Forbidden Door 2025 as a complete show rather than treating historical importance and immediate match quality as the same thing.

Megan Bayne and Triangle of Madness (Julia Hart, Skye Blue, and Thekla) (with Penelope Ford) defeated Harley Cameron, Kris Statlander, Queen Aminata, and Willow Nightingale by pinfall. The match is framed as Eight-woman tag team match and runs 11:15. As a pre-show match, it has to create momentum before the pay-per-view proper while still feeling worthwhile on its own. The match is solid and useful, but it lacks the urgency or escalation needed to reach the top tier. The result does not rely on a championship change for its importance. At 6.5 out of 10, the rating reflects how the match works inside Forbidden Door 2025 as a complete show rather than treating historical importance and immediate match quality as the same thing.

The Opps (Samoa Joe, Katsuyori Shibata, and Powerhouse Hobbs) (c) defeated Bullet Club War Dogs (Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, and Robbie X) (with Gedo) by pinfall. The match is framed as Trios match for the AEW World Trios Championship and runs 7:20. As a pre-show match, it has to create momentum before the pay-per-view proper while still feeling worthwhile on its own. The match is solid and useful, but it lacks the urgency or escalation needed to reach the top tier. The result does not rely on a championship change for its importance. At 6.8 out of 10, the rating reflects how the match works inside Forbidden Door 2025 as a complete show rather than treating historical importance and immediate match quality as the same thing.

Adam Copeland and Christian Cage defeated Killswitch and Kip Sabian (with Mother Wayne) by pinfall. The match is framed as Tag team match and runs 13:45. On the main card, its value comes from how well the wrestling, stakes and finish support the larger rhythm of the night. The match is strong rather than transcendent: its structure is convincing and its flaws never take over. The result does not rely on a championship change for its importance. At 7.7 out of 10, the rating reflects how the match works inside Forbidden Door 2025 as a complete show rather than treating historical importance and immediate match quality as the same thing.

Kyle Fletcher (c) (with Don Callis and Lance Archer) defeated Hiromu Takahashi by pinfall. The match is framed as Singles match for the AEW TNT Championship and runs 14:40. On the main card, its value comes from how well the wrestling, stakes and finish support the larger rhythm of the night. The score reflects an excellent performance whose central idea lands cleanly and whose finish gives the surrounding story useful weight. The result does not rely on a championship change for its importance. At 8 out of 10, the rating reflects how the match works inside Forbidden Door 2025 as a complete show rather than treating historical importance and immediate match quality as the same thing.

Mercedes Moné (c) defeated Alex Windsor, Bozilla, and Persephone by pinfall. The match is framed as Four-way match for the AEW TBS Championship and runs 15:30. On the main card, its value comes from how well the wrestling, stakes and finish support the larger rhythm of the night. The match is strong rather than transcendent: its structure is convincing and its flaws never take over. The result does not rely on a championship change for its importance. At 7.5 out of 10, the rating reflects how the match works inside Forbidden Door 2025 as a complete show rather than treating historical importance and immediate match quality as the same thing.

Zack Sabre Jr. (c) defeated Nigel McGuinness (with Daniel Garcia) by pinfall. The match is framed as Singles match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and runs 17:00. On the main card, its value comes from how well the wrestling, stakes and finish support the larger rhythm of the night. Sabre and McGuinness make the IWGP title match feel distinct from the rest of the card. The appeal is less about speed than about control, positioning and the significance of McGuinness working this kind of stage against an elite technical champion. The result does not rely on a championship change for its importance. At 8.7 out of 10, the rating reflects how the match works inside Forbidden Door 2025 as a complete show rather than treating historical importance and immediate match quality as the same thing.

Brodido (Brody King and Bandido) defeated The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin) (c) and FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) (with Stokely) by pinfall. The match is framed as Three-way tag team match for the AEW World Tag Team Championship and runs 15:30. On the main card, its value comes from how well the wrestling, stakes and finish support the larger rhythm of the night. The score reflects an excellent performance whose central idea lands cleanly and whose finish gives the surrounding story useful weight. The result does not rely on a championship change for its importance. At 8.2 out of 10, the rating reflects how the match works inside Forbidden Door 2025 as a complete show rather than treating historical importance and immediate match quality as the same thing.

Kazuchika Okada (c) (with Don Callis) defeated Swerve Strickland by pinfall. The match is framed as Singles match for the AEW Unified Championship and runs 16:30. On the main card, its value comes from how well the wrestling, stakes and finish support the larger rhythm of the night. The score reflects an excellent performance whose central idea lands cleanly and whose finish gives the surrounding story useful weight. The result does not rely on a championship change for its importance. At 8.5 out of 10, the rating reflects how the match works inside Forbidden Door 2025 as a complete show rather than treating historical importance and immediate match quality as the same thing.

"Timeless" Toni Storm (c) defeated Athena (with Billie Starkz) by submission. The match is framed as Singles match for the AEW Women's World Championship; This was Athena's Casino Gauntlet championship contract match. and runs 15:15. On the main card, its value comes from how well the wrestling, stakes and finish support the larger rhythm of the night. Storm and Athena treat the Gauntlet contract as a serious championship mechanism rather than a shortcut. Athena enters as a legitimate threat, and the submission finish gives Storm another meaningful defense without reducing the challenger to a one-night novelty. The result does not rely on a championship change for its importance. At 8.9 out of 10, the rating reflects how the match works inside Forbidden Door 2025 as a complete show rather than treating historical importance and immediate match quality as the same thing.

"Hangman" Adam Page (c) defeated MJF by pinfall. The match is framed as Singles match for the AEW World Championship; Had Page been counted out or disqualified, he would have lost the title. and runs 31:40. On the main card, its value comes from how well the wrestling, stakes and finish support the larger rhythm of the night. Page and MJF build the world-title defense around pressure and consequence. The stipulation punishes the champion for any loss of control, which makes the long match feel strategic instead of simply lengthy. Page's retention establishes his reign against a protected opponent. The result does not rely on a championship change for its importance. At 9.2 out of 10, the rating reflects how the match works inside Forbidden Door 2025 as a complete show rather than treating historical importance and immediate match quality as the same thing.

Will Ospreay, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Darby Allin, and Golden☆Lovers (Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi) defeated Gabe Kidd, Death Riders (Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli), and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) (with Marina Shafir and Wheeler Yuta) by pinfall. The match is framed as Lights Out Steel Cage match and runs 32:30. On the main card, its value comes from how well the wrestling, stakes and finish support the larger rhythm of the night. The Lights Out Steel Cage match embraces spectacle, but the lineup gives the chaos recognizable stakes. Ospreay, Tanahashi, Allin and the Golden Lovers on one side create a remarkable coalition, while the opposing team connects several ongoing rivalries into one violent conclusion. The result does not rely on a championship change for its importance. At 9.4 out of 10, the rating reflects how the match works inside Forbidden Door 2025 as a complete show rather than treating historical importance and immediate match quality as the same thing.