Forbidden Door has nine matches on the card and this seems like another AEW event that could produce plenty of memorable matches. Let’s get started with the first match.
Lights Out Steel Cage match: Darby Allin, Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and Kota Ibushi vs. Jon Moxley, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Gabe Kidd, and Claudio Castagnoli
I don't know what the future lies for the Death Riders. I mentioned last month that their story didn’t feel final, so I’m not surprised to see the group around despite their expiration date being months ago. They still have something going with Kris Statlander and they’re still wrecking havoc around the mid-card.
The thing is that the Death Riders need a win. If the babyfaces win then it’ll just kill The Death Riders even further. Likely, Jon Moxley will get the pin on Allin, with the latter getting his revenge in a one-on-one match against Mox at All In. This should be an interesting match. It’ll definitely be violent. Curious to know what crazy stunts Allin and Mox pull off. Either way, the heels need to win after a major loss at All In.
Winner: Jon Moxley, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Gabe Kidd, and Claudio Castagnoli
AEW World Championship match: Adam “Hangman” Page (c) vs. MJF
Will MJF become a two-time AEW World Champion? Someday. But I don’t see MJF being the guy to take the belt off of Hangman. At least not now. It’s way too early for Page to drop the belt. The final angle of MJF threatening to set Mark on fire was a little goofy, but if the AEW World Champion can commit arson then attempted murder is fine.
Nevertheless, this should be a great match, but I just can’t see a scenario that allows MJF to win on Sunday. Maybe the whole Hurt Syndicate thing was a ruse and they help MJF win? That doesn’t make much sense, but there has to be a reason they blew off that story of MJF and The Hurt Syndicate so quickly. Anything is certainly possible, but Hangman is on a high right now and I doubt AEW is going to ruin that. Maybe, just maybe, MJF gets a win here by some screwjob and Page wins it back at All In, but that’s all I’ve got.
Winner: Hangman Page
Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Nigel McGuinness for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship
Nigel McGuinness serves two purposes; he’s put in this position because this is guaranteed to be a great match and he’s able to take a clean pinfall loss to Zack Sabre Jr. AEW has done nothing to get people excited about a possible title run. I don’t know if McGuinness could’ve worked the G1 Climax, but that would’ve been a great idea. They could’ve given him a win over Zack in the tournament and then the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion could’ve gotten his win back here.
Would it have made more fans believe that Nigel could become the next IWGP World Heavyweight Champion? Honestly, no, but it would’ve given the match more juice heading into Forbidden Door.
I don’t see Zack going into Wrestle Kingdom 20 as the world champion, but he’s definitely not losing it here.
Winner: Zack Sabre Jr.
Four-way match for the TBS Championship: Mercedes Mone (c) vs. Alex Windsor vs. Persephone vs. Bozilla
There is no way that Mone is going to drop the TBS title in a four way match situation. Ideally, it would be a singles match that should elevate the person who beats Mone. I can see Mone vs. Windsor again, but she doesn’t feel like the one to take the TBS title off of Mone. Then again, a proper build that will allow her to showcase some character and personality can easily change things.
I just don’t know who will be the one to beat Mone. It does feel like she’s gotten into a groove as her matches have been great in 2025. Maybe Willow? It would be great to see her have a long title run. Going back to the match, it should be fun, but Mone 20 belts isn’t dropping the TBS title anytime soon.
Winner: Mercedes Mone
AEW Women’s World Championship match: Toni Storm (c) vs. Athena
This is a hard match to predict. I can see Toni Storm dropping the belt. Realistically, she doesn’t need the title. Just give her feuds and Toni will be good. But you can’t deny how much she’s boosted the women’s division by being the champion. There’s still fresh opponents to face. Though the biggest are Mercedes Mone and Athena.
Athena would be the perfect person for Storm to drop the belt to. Granted, she’s not on the level of Storm character wise, but she’s really evolved as a performer throughout the years. Plus, it will finally get her out of the ROH purgatory as she’s been stuck there for WAY too long.
AEW has done everything in their power to make Athena look like a huge threat. But I’m just not getting the sense that Toni’s time is up. But there isn’t a particular heel on the roster that stands out yet to take the belt off Toni. Maybe Jamie Hayter as I still think that feud is going to happen. It would be criminal if it didn’t. I guess Thekla is also a possibility as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if Athena wins here, but I just don’t get the sense that she will.
Winner: Toni Storm
AEW World Tag Team Championships: Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin (c) vs. FTR vs. Brodido (Bandido & Brody King)
What’s the point of a tournament if it ends in a draw? Anyways, let’s eliminate Brodido now. While they’re a fun team, Bandido and Brody King feel placed in this match to take the pin. I don’t know what other directions AEW plans to go with The Hurt Syndicate. They mysteriously ended the MJF storyline quickly. They haven’t built a feud towards another tag team.
I guess they can run it back with The Outrunners. Dante & Darius Martin seem occupied in the six man tag team division. CRU seems to be stuck in random money matches. The Von Erichs are oddly placed in ROH despite being the perfect babyface team to counter The Hurt Syndicate.
I can keep listing more teams, but the point is that their story feels bigger than the division itself. In some ways, that’s a good thing, but not when the belts feel irrelevant to a certain degree. But I also don’t know where Shelton and Bobby go from here. Does Bobby challenge Hangman for the AEW World title? I guess Shelton can go for one of the mid card belts. Either way, I don’t feel that they need these titles. I get the obvious sense that they will end up around the waist of Cope & Christian soon. There’s some story between C & C and The Hurt Syndicate, but I imagine that AEW wants C & C to beat FTR for those belts. So…
Winner: FTR
AEW Unified Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Swerve Strickland
Kazuchika Okada. I actively believe that nobody is beating Okada except Kenny Omega. Konosuke Takeshita might change my tune, but I just don’t think Swerve Strickland is the guy to beat Okada. At least not at Forbidden Door. Excited to see what these two can produce, but I don’t expect any surprises here.
Winner: Kazuchika Okada
TNT Championship match: Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi
A showcase match for both men. It should be one hell of a match, but I see no reason to give it to Hiromu Takahashi.
Winner: Kyle Fletcher
Adam Copeland and Christian Cage vs. Luchasaurus and Kip Sabian
There’s a slim possibility that Luchasaurus and Kip Sabian walk out the winners. AEW somewhat covered their asses on Wednesday by stating that Cope and Christian aren’t exactly on the same page.
I actually think it would be better if they didn’t win their first match back. That way, it would allow AEW to develop their relationship better. More importantly, Christian desperately needs character development. The sickos may like the former TNT Champion, but their reunion feels cold because it doesn’t feel earned.
While I suspect that C & C will face FTR at All In, I actually hope that it’s a rematch against L & K. There’s no need to rush C & C into a title match against FTR and let them build to their first win. That’s it, I’m predicting with my heart again. Cope and Christian are likely to win, but AEW is aware that the reunion is rushed, so I hold out hope that they save that first win after a better build.
Winner: Luchasaurus and Kip Sabian