AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door will take place in London, England for the first time ever next year, it has been confirmed. During the All In: London 2024 Zero Hour pre-show, it was confirmed that the roster of AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling will descend upon the UK capital on August 24, next year.

This news shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to some, as the event has been promoted outside Wembley Stadium in recent days. No venue has been announced for AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door 2025 as of this time.

AEW’s International 2025

Fans in the UK will get to see AEW and New Japan in action next year, but this will not be AEW’s only international event in 2025. In January, AEW will host its first Wrestle Dynasty event inside the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. The event will feature talent from AEW, STARDOM, NJPW, Ring of Honor, and CMLL.

The following month, AEW will go down under for its first Grand Slam: Australia event. This show will take place at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. News of this event was also broken during the AEW All In: London 2024 Zero Hour kick-off event.

Plans for AEW All In

While AEW has hosted two All In events in London, that won’t be the case next year. Instead, the show will take place in Arlington, Texas, marking AEW’s first stadium event in the United States. The show will return to the United Kingdom in 2026.

A challenge has been made for AEW President Tony Khan to step inside the ring at the upcoming Forbidden Door PPV next month.

The AEW owner announced on Twitter earlier this week that Konosuke Takeshita will be facing Jon Moxley in an IWGP World Title Eliminator match at the Double or Nothing PPV on May 26. If Takeshita wins this match, he will earn the right to challenge for the title currently held by Mox.

NJPW star EVIL who is set to challenge Moxley for the belt at the Dominion event on June 9 has taken an exception to this announcement. While speaking to Tokyo Sports, he questioned Tony Khan’s authority to make the bout concerning the NJPW title.

Tony Khan Challenged For Forbidden Door Showdown

The Japanese star claimed that he is the ‘highest authority’ of New Japan and suggested a ‘presidential showdown’ between the two at the upcoming PPV:

“You’re doing whatever you want, and I’m not going to stand by and watch. Don’t act like you’re an equal to me, the president of an organization that’s not that big. My company and your company are not of the same caliber. You don’t seem to know your place, so I’ll give you a lesson. You can stand in front of me (at Forbidden Door). Next time you won’t be wearing a corset. You and I are on different levels,”

EVIL is not the first NJPW star to speak against the treatment of the IWGP Title by AEW Authorities in recent times. Yota Tsuji had previously questioned NJPW management’s decision to put the belt on Moxley in the first place.

The Third Annual Forbidden Door jointly hosted by AEW and NJPW will be held on June 30 from the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.

Considering the recent remarks from NJPW talent, it appears that there will be some bitter competition between the two rosters this time around instead of the friendly warfare we have seen in the past.

The quotes in the article have been translated through Google Translate

AEW and NJPW are gearing up for another Forbidden Door pay-per-view this summer. According to Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net, popular Japanese women’s wrestler AZM will return to the US this summer and is scheduled to compete at this year’s crossover event.

Several top NJPW stars have joined All Elite Wrestling in recent months, including Kazuchika Okada and Jay White. AEW star Jon Moxley just won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, a strong indication that the two promotions have a very healthy working relationship.

The inaugural Forbidden Door pay-per-view was held in June 2022 in Chicago. The main event saw Jon Moxley defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi by pin-fall to win the interim AEW World Title.

Last year, Bryan Danielson defeating Kazuchika Okada by submission in a dream match that fans are still talking about until this day. 

This year’s AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door event will be the biggest show of its kind thanks to the influx of, and usage of talent from CMLL and STARDOM. 

AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling held its first Forbidden Door show in 2022 and hosted an equally successful sequel event last year. The name comes from the proverbial ‘forbidden door’ that wrestlers have been allowed to step through to compete for promotions other than the one they work for. 

STARDOM & CMLL At Forbidden Door

On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that STARDOM and CMLL wrestlers will be a part of this year’s Forbidden Door event. Meltzer added that he believes the ROH Supercard of Honor event on April 5 will also feature talent from STARDOM. 

Tony Khan & STARDOM

Mere hours before this week’s AEW Big Business, Tony Khan shared a photo with STARDOM President Taro Okada. Khan said it was an honor to welcome Okada to the show.

It's an honor to have @tokada_mh4e the President of @we_are_stardom here with us tonight at @tdgarden in Bosston for this evening's Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite!

We are ready for some #AEWBigBusiness,
8pm ET/7pm CT on @TBSNetwork
TONIGHT!!! pic.twitter.com/FjAEcAsWHV

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) March 13, 2024

This meet-up comes at an interesting time, as STARDOM’s previous President Rossy Ogawa was fired from the promotion earlier this year. Following Ogawa’s exit, Khan poked fun at his situation via a series of tweets.

Bye Rossy! pic.twitter.com/rF8RJSjuqS

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) February 5, 2024

On his show, Meltzer suggested that the tweet above and similar made clear that Khan’s loyalty was with STARDOM, not the ex-President that many on the all-female roster support. This loyalty has clearly paid off for Khan, who will now be able to feature several talented women at the upcoming Forbidden Door event. 

All Elite Wrestling is looking to make a statement this year as they look to host three stadium shows. Andrew Zarian reported on February 9 that the company planned to add another stadium show to its 2024 live event schedule.

 In a new report from Zarian, AEW could potentially hold two events at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York. 

On Twitter, Zarian revealed that AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling will collaborate for another Forbidden Door show. However, the event will occur at Arthur Ashe Stadium in June instead of in an arena. 

It’s worth noting that AEW has not officially announced the location and date for AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door. That said, the event has occurred in June for the last two years, so it seems possible. AEW has also tried to host shows in bigger venues over the previous year, and it is not surprising that they would try to add a third stadium event to their schedule. 

AEW To Host Two Events At Arthur Ashe Stadium?

The announcement to have AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door at Arthur Ashe Stadium is surprising as they have held AEW Grand Slam at the venue for three years. However, the annual September event could be moved to a different location this year. 

Zarian had shared information on AEW Grand Slam on Twitter but deleted the post, citing that it was “…Too soon to announce the location.” 

An hour later, he confirmed plans were being changed and didn’t share where AEW Grand Slam would be held. 

AEW Live Attendance Struggles 

The decision to have potentially three stadium events is ambitious, as the company struggles with live attendance. On February 21, AEW held their weekly live episode, AEW Dynamite, at the BOK Center in Tusla, Oklahoma. WrestleTix reported on Twitter the show had a low attendance, with less than 3,300 tickets in a venue that can hold over 10,000. 

Although the AEW may struggle in attendance weekly, they have been able to do well for their pay-per-views. On March 3, the company will host AEW Revolution at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, North Carolina. WrestleTix shared on Twitter recently that close to 17,000 tickets have been sold in a venue that can hold over 20,000 in attendance.

AEW also has AEW All In at Wembley Stadium in London, England, on August 25, which is doing well. WrestleTix noted on Twitter, February 17 that 39,190 tickets had been distributed, and the company had yet to announce a match. 

The decision to have AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door could be lucrative based on their PPV trends. However, it is unclear if potentially two Arthur Ashe Stadium shows guarantee the same success. 

AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door will return for a third show, which could also feature talent from CMLL judging by recent comments from Tony Khan. 

AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling hosted their first Forbidden Door event in 2022. The show proved to be a massive success and a second show was hosted last year. AEW and New Japan have also worked together outside of these Forbidden Door events, with several AEW stars appearing at NJPW’s annual Wrestle Kingdom event. 

Forbidden Door III Confirmed

With the success of the Forbidden Door shows thus far, fans are eager to see AEW and NJPW talent lock horns again. Speaking recently to Sportsgrid, Tony Khan confirmed that a third show is in the works. Khan also praised the efforts of Hiroshi Tanahashi, who was recently appointed NJPW President. 

“There will be a Forbidden Door III. The AEW/New Japan partnership is 100% here to stay. Shota [Umino]’s tremendous. NJPW’s got a great young roster right now. President Tanahashi is a perfect leader for the organization at the right time.”

Tony Khan on CMLL

New Japan isn’t the only company AEW has worked with. Recently, CMLL talent began competing on AEW shows, and there was a faceoff between AEW and CMLL rosters on this week’s Dynamite. In the interview, Khan was delighted to be working with CMLL and is hopeful for more involvement between the two sides. 

“It’s great working with New Japan and CMLL. I definitely want CMLL involved in practically anything we do, they’re such a great partner already. It’s been great.”

Tony Khan has taken note of WWE’s lucrative new agreement with Netflix… 

This Sunday, All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling will team to put on Forbidden Door 2022 at the United Center, in Chicago, Illinois.

The event will be the first crossover show of this magnitude for both promotions, and Tony Khan has said he has plans for future Forbidden Door shows.

Final Match Card

With this week’s AEW Dynamite and Rampage being taped, here is the final match card for the highly-anticipated show.

• Interim AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
• IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Jay White (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada vs. Adam Cole vs. “Hangman” Adam Page
• AEW Women’s World Championship: Thunder Rosa (c) vs. Toni Storm
• AEW All-Atlantic Championship: PAC vs. Miro vs. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Malakai Black
• IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Orange Cassidy
• ROH & IWGP Tag Team Championship: FTR vs. United Empire vs. Roppongi Vice
• Zack Sabre Jr. vs Replacement for Bryan Danielson
• Bullet Club (Young Bucks, El Phantasmo, Hikuleo) vs. Dudes with Attitudes (Sting, Darby Allin, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi)
• Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Minoru Suzuki v. Eddie Kingston, Wheeler Yuta, Shota Umino
• Gunn Club & Max Caster vs. NJPW Dojo (Buy-In Show)

Notable Absences

While Forbidden Door will be a stacked show, featuring major stars from both promotions it will go ahead without some top names.

AEW World Champion CM Punk is out of action, with no timeline for when he will be back, and Bryan Danielson confirmed on this week’s Dynamite that he is not medically cleared to compete.

Kenny Omega is still recovering from multiple injuries, that have kept him out since November 2021.