AEW Forbidden Door (June 30, 2024) emanated from UBS Arena in Long Island, NY. The PPV event featured a Match of the Year contender, New Japan’s top belt changing hands, a new double-champ being confronted by a returning star, more gold for The Elite, and much more.
Get caught up on all the Forbidden Door details with the excellent play-by-play from Claire Elizabeth.
Swerve Strickland & Will Ospreay deliver Match of the Year contender
Holy shit. What a match. Expectations were high for Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay in the Forbidden Door main event, and they delivered strong to produce a contender for Match of the Year in AEW.
A big fight feel was in the air for the AEW World Championship bout. Swerve entered as champion, and Ospreay entered as challenger. The action started with an athletic stalemate then turned into aggressive gamesmanship.
The first near fall came when Ospreay caught Swerve for a powerbomb and followed for the Styles Clash. Swerve’s first serious chance at victory came from an avalanche slam. It was a true ‘what a maneuver’ spot.
All the way up and all the way down!
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https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj@WillOspreay | @swerveconfident pic.twitter.com/EZWx8tr2Ux
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) July 1, 2024
The story of the match was Swerve embracing his killer instinct and whether Ospreay would do the same. Swerve didn’t hold back when he leaped for a flying stomp onto Ospreay leaning against the commentary table. Swerve went the extra step of piledriving Ospreay on top of the barricade.
Onto the announcers table!
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https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj@WillOspreay | @swerveconfident pic.twitter.com/tLHTG3t294
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) July 1, 2024
Later in the match, Ospreay would have an opportunity to do whatever it takes to win. Instead of a Tiger Driver ‘91, he executed the Stormbreaker. Swerve kicked out with high drama on the three-count. Ospreay had enough and called for the Tiger Driver ‘91. Swerve was able to escape and countered with a Hidden Blade.
Ref bump! Ospreay cracked the Hidden Blade, Swerve ducked, and referee Paul Turner got whacked. Ospreay didn’t hesitate to continue the action. A reverse rana and a Hidden Blade to the back of the head had Swerve laid out. Unfortunately, there was no referee to make the count. Don Callis ran in to hand a screwdriver to Ospreay. The gears turned in Ospreay’s head about embracing the dark side. An outside altercation took his focus off Swerve. Upon seeing Prince Nana shove Callis, Ospreay grabbed Nana to do some stabbing. However, Ospreay’s conscience kicked in to drop the foreign object.
Ospreay re-entered the ring into a House Call kick from Swerve. Things looked bleak for Ospreay after a flying stomp from Swerve. 1, 2, Ospreay kicked out! The crowd went wild. Swerve snapped Ospreay’s arm and hit another House Call. 1, 2, Ospreay kicked out again! The crowd was insane with enthusiasm. Ospreay rose to his feet, but his mental clarity was cloudy. He threw a half-assed Hidden Blade out of desperation, which Swerve easily blocked. The champion put Ospreay out of his misery with a JML Driver to win.
Swerve and Ospreay put on a fantastic show. The athleticism and chemistry speak for themselves. All the drama from the ref bump to the finish was extremely engaging. Up to that point, it still wasn’t clear which wrestler would emerge victorious. I thought AEW did a great job of shielding who would win in the build up, and that strategy carried over well through the match. We’ve all watched enough wrestling to witness superhero levels of survival, so it couldn’t be counted out that Ospreay would somehow recuperate for victory. It wasn’t until Ospreay was out cold on his feet at the very end that the direction was clear.
With that win, Swerve becomes a made man in AEW. All the talk of an underwhelming world title run is now baloney. He just proved that he is the best wrestler in the world. Sure, there was a bit of funny business at the end, but I like how the picture was a chain of events. It wasn’t a simple case of interference to leave fans unsatisfied. Swerve won without a doubt. Ospreay was so tough in that closing sequence that I immediately want to see a rematch for the sake of entertainment. And that’s what makes this an instant money feud. I want to pay to see the rematch, which would likely lead to a rubber match. AEW just developed a hot trilogy on their hands that is worthy to main event each time out.
Let’s run down the rest of the card from top to bottom.
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Tetsuya Naito defeated Jon Moxley to win the title. Naito made it his mission to infuriate Mox to throw him off his game. It was actually Naito’s toughness that frustrated Moxley the most. After Naito kicked out of a Death Rider, Moxley retrieved a chair with the intent to get creative without blatantly breaking rules. The NJPW referee was having none of it. He turned out to be more of a nuisance than Naito was by stealing the chair away from Moxley. That fooling around gave Naito time to recover, and he rallied with a lifting cradle slam and a somersault reverse DDT for victory.
This is what Forbidden Door is all about. Top star from AEW versus top star from NJPW. Speaking as someone who doesn’t watch a lot of NJPW, I’m familiar with Naito, but I haven’t seen many of his matches. This bout offered exposure to a wider audience, and beating Moxley locked him in as a big deal whenever returning to AEW. Aside from the obvious charisma, Naito embraced the Ingobernables style to maximum effectiveness. Naito backed it up with bark when it mattered most.
Title vs. Title: Mercedes Moné defeated Stephanie Vaquer for the TBS Championship and the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship. Mercedes hit the Moné Maker and transitioned to a crossface submission to win.
Excellent match. Don’t be fooled by the lack of descriptive detail. It was a straight-up wrestling match without relying on cool moves to pop the crowd. The grappling sequences had an attitude about them. Vaquer shined in a breakthrough performance for fresh eyes. She savaged Mercedes for much of the match until the eventual babyface rally. Funny thing is that the crowd turned on Mercedes to root for Vaquer. I’m not really sure why. It had nothing to do with the story in the ring. I think part was newfound appreciation for Vaquer and a touch of Boston hatred from the New York crowd.
Oh, one more major thing. DMD! Britt Baker returned to stake her claim at Mercedes.
Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. is BACK!
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https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj@MercedesVarnado | @RealBrittBaker pic.twitter.com/YqPwUw6afT
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) July 1, 2024
TNT Championship: Jack Perry defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Mark Briscoe, Dante Martin, Lio Rush, and El Phantasmo to win the vacant title in a ladder match. Perry played the opportunist staying away from the fray and picking clear paths to try to climb. That strategy paid off when crazy spots took out the field. It came down to Perry and Briscoe. Perry bashed Dat Boy viciously with ladders and chairs for an easy ascension to victory.
This match was violent. I don’t mean in the blood and guts sense. It was more about brutal impact, such as a brainbuster to Martin on a ladder and a powerbomb to Rush on a ladder. Takeshita was the executioner in both instances.
Konosuke Takeshita knows how much of a factor Dante Martin is in this match!
Order #ForbiddenDoor on PPV right now!
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https://t.co/JlBXZPLNGj@lucha_angel1 | @elpwrestling | @takesoup pic.twitter.com/QSPc630h3B
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) July 1, 2024
The crowd was actually super hot for Takeshita to win at one point. It turned out to be Perry’s night. He didn’t really do anything exciting, and that was by design. He did take some lumps though, such as Briscoe leaping off a ladder inside the ring crashing onto him on a table outside. A kick-ass performance could risk earning cheers for the Scapegoat. Instead, Perry was effective in being a slimy heel. And now he’s the TNT champion.
Samoa Joe, Katsuyori Shibata, & Hook defeated Chris Jericho, Big Bill, & Jeff Cobb. The climax came with a flurry of suplexes, then Jericho sneaked in for a Codebreaker to Hook. As Jericho lifted Hook onto his shoulders and waved to the crowd, the cold-hearted handsome devil countered for a Redrum choke. Jericho was able to shift into a roll-up to escape. Hook kept his momentum for a T-Bone suplex. Meanwhile, Joe and Shibata were choking out Bill and Cobb. That created a clear path for Hook to blast a Judas Effect on Jericho for victory.
Entertaining trios action. Everyone wrestled big. Power was on display with suplexes and slams. Cobb was particularly impressive showcasing his strongman athleticism. The interactions all around left me wanting to see every possible singles matchup between teams. The Judas Effect finish was a nice touch by Hook to serve spicy dessert for Jericho. I’m curious to hear Jericho’s lesson to critique Hook’s execution of that move.
Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Orange Cassidy. OC broke out a more technical style to match Sabre’s skills. He still did his comedy routine at times, and it blended well into the flow. As advertised, Cassidy tried to pin Sabre with his hands in his pockets. It almost worked on a bridging roll-up. In the end, Sabre tied Cassidy into a pretzel to earn the submission victory.
Nifty little match. Sabre set the tone with Cassidy reacting accordingly to play off each other. Cassidy was crafty, but Sabre always had an answer. For example, he caught a superman punch to transition into stomping the elbow to weaken that arm. Sabre spoke about having Cassidy figured out. It was a competitive contest, but Sabre’s confidence turned out to be fact.
AEW Women’s World Championship: Toni Storm defeated Mina Shirakawa to retain the title. Mariah May was anxious being stuck in the middle. She watched from ringside and didn’t have a role in the outcome. After an avalanche DDT from Mina, Storm rallied for a release German suplex and a running hip attack. Mina came back to uncork a spinning backfist, a rolling elbow strike, and a Mina driver. That wasn’t enough to keep Storm down. Mina continued her onslaught of attacks. Storm ducked a strike and exploded for a German suplex. The champion pounced for a piledriver to keep her gold. Afterward, Mina shook hands with Storm, and all three ladies shared a triple kiss as Nigel McGuinness applauded in tears.
My focus was on what Mariah would do, but it turns out she did nothing. Some sort of chaos would have been more interesting to the story, not necessarily the match, but I’m okay with it for the big picture. I think there is more enjoyment to be had long-term with Mariah, Mina, and Storm as friends whenever the Stardom star visits AEW. However, I can understand if any viewers felt let down by Mariah doing nothing. Thankfully, the match was really good. Mina’s offense was strong enough to make me wonder if a new champion could be crowned.
Owen Hart Cup quarterfinal: Bryan Danielson defeated Shingo Takagi. Technical battle with an edge. Shingo caught a suicide dive to deliver a hanging neckbreaker on the floor. Danielson suffered in neck pain for the rest of the match. He dug deep to rally with submissions and strikes. Shingo powered through for heavy slams and stiff blows. It looked like Danielson was crumbling, then he shocked the crowd catching a sliding lariat to counter for a submission. In the end, Danielson exploded for a Busaiku Knee, but Shingo kicked out on the cover. Danielson kicked Shingo’s head in and added hammering elbows. Shingo showed fighting spirit to lift his opponent, but Danielson hammered more elbows dropping Shingo down into an armbar. Danielson cranked ruthlessly until Shingo submit.
Damn good fight. As far as I’m concerned, this was the official start of the PPV. Everything beforehand had an exhibition feel. This was the first match to widen my eyes. Asses were kicked, and punishment was delivered. Danielson and Shingo were tremendous in their ability to work the crowd to a frenzy. Danielson was selling so good that I was fully on board into believing that Shingo could pull the upset. It all set up drama for the finish. The ‘Yes’ chants for the Busaiku Knee blew the roof off. Danielson still had to shift into overdrive to get the job done.
The Elite defeated The Acclaimed & Hiroshi Tanahashi. The EVPs were introduced with an amusing propaganda video touting their virtue. Max Caster delivered a sassy rap, but Scissor Ace stole my attention strumming air guitar. The finish came down to Okada and Tanahashi. Ace schooled the Rainmaker often until the Young Bucks were able to help. The Jacksons grabbed Tanahashi’s legs to slow down the High Fly Flow. Once the Acclaimed punched the EVPs, Tanahashi took flight for a splash. Okada got his knees up to block, then he took to the skies himself for a flying elbow drop. Okada was confident to close with the Rainmaker, however, Tanahashi countered with a surprise roll-up. The Bucks helped Okada regain control to crush the Rainmaker lariat on Tanahashi for victory. Afterward, Okada was setting up for another Rainmaker, but Bully Gunn ran in for the save.
This match had two directions. One was between the Acclaimed and the Young Bucks. The other was between Tanahashi and Okada. The primary focus was on the Japanese legends, which was fitting for a Forbidden Door show. The moment they stood together to square off, the crowd started rumbling with excitement. Okada worked his heel nature to bail on the first exchange, and the crowd riled up with jeers. Later, Tanahashi and Okada gave the people what they wanted with actual wrestling. As for the Acclaimed and the Bucks, they did their fair share of work, but they felt more like straws to stir the drink to manipulate emotion revolving around Tanahashi and Okada. The crowd was hot, so it was a success.
MJF defeated Hechicero. The luchador had success working on MJF’s left arm, but the hometown hero rallied for a Panama Sunrise and a brainbuster to win.
MJF was in all his glory for his people. He hammed it up with swivel hips, an eye poke, and a Macho Man pose. Hechicero served it right back doing his own strut and hypnotic wave to flip the double bird to the crowd. Hechicero’s style was slick with counters. The action was nice, but it never reached a point to think MJF could lose.
There were five bouts on the Zero Hour free pre-show.
Mistico, Fenix, & Pentagon defeated Hiromu Takahashi, Yota Tsuji, & Titan. Down the stretch, Fenix launched Mistico into the air for a dive outside. The Lucha Bros executed the flying stomp package piledriver on Takahashi, but Time Bomb rolled out of the ring to prevent a pin. That was a convenient way to clear the path for Mistico to hook his signature armbar on Titan to win.
This bout was the electric boogaloo moves match to heighten the mood right before the PPV. The lucha libre dream team meshed well and earned a quality win. It will be interesting if they can catapult into a trios title match.
Owen Hart Cup quarterfinal: Mariah May defeated Saraya. The winner advances to face Hikaru Shida. Mariah had momentum for a running hip attack. Harley Cameron created a distraction, so Toni Storm pulled her off the apron. Unfortunately, Mariah lost focus to put eyes on her mentor. Saraya took advantage for a twisting slam. Mariah was able to reach the ropes to break the pinfall. Saraya went into her bag of tricks trying to finish, but Mariah countered for a roll-up to sneak out the win. Mina Shirakawa came out to celebrate with Mariah. The protege had to keep her mentors apart.
Decent match. Saraya was the stronger wrestler in the story, so Mariah’s win was portrayed as an upset. Mariah showed scrappiness for the dramatic rope-break on the pinfall and stubbornly refusing to allow Saraya to lock in her finisher submission.
Willow Nightingale & Tam Nakano defeated Kris Statlander & Momo Watanabe. Stokely Hathaway was ringside to offer his services as a distraction. The closing stanza was awesome. Nakano escaped a Doomsday setup to counter for a tiger suplex on Statlander. Willow swooped in to pick up Momo off the turnbuckles for an avalanche Death Valley Driver. Momo kicked out on the cover, then she battled to lift Willow for a cradle back-to-belly piledriver. Willow kicked out, then she surprised Momo with a huge shoulder tackle. Willow clotheslined Statlander out of the ring. Nakano finished the job on Momo for a bridging hammerlock German suplex to win.
Willow has the bragging rights heading into her match against Statlander in the Owen Hart Cup tournament. They engaged enough when fighting each other to make this tag bout worthwhile, but they did a good job of leaving a lot on the table for the singles contest. The Stardom wrestlers had strong showings. I particularly enjoyed the explosivity on suplexes. Toughness was shown on kick outs. That avalanche DVD from Willow would have been enough on a lesser foe.
House of Black defeated Private Party, Kyle O’Reilly & Tomohiro Ishii, and Gabe Kidd & Roderick Strong. Four-way tag team action. Malakai Black and Brody King mauled Private party to win. King crushed Isiah Kassidy on a Gonzo bomb.
Hot opener with fun spots. The good times started with O’Reilly mimicking Ishii’s walk to the ring. The best part of the match was the hoss showdown between Ishii and King. Give me more, please. A close second was the House of Black pummeling fools en route to victory. When Black and King unleash hell, they make me believe in their viciousness.
Kyle Fletcher defeated Serpentico. Rebound performance for Fletcher after losing the ROH TV title to Atlantis Jr. in CMLL. Fletcher could have had the win off a tombstone piledriver variation. Instead, he inflicted extra pain for a brainbuster onto the turnbuckle. Fletcher showed no mercy in victory.
Stud of the Show: Stephanie Vaquer
Of all the Forbidden Door talent, I think Vaquer benefit the most. She went from relative unknown to the mass audience (of course, die-hard fans know her) to having the arena chant for her to win.
Match of the Night: Swerve Strickland vs. Will Ospreay
Absolutely tremendous fight.
Grade: B+
PPV scale in effect for the high standard of quality that AEW delivers on big shows. Aside the random Kyle Fletcher match, every other contest offered something to enjoy. There was a high floor, but only four matches truly stood out as special to me. Mercedes Moné versus Stephanie Vaquer, Toni Storm versus Mina Shirakawa, and Bryan Danielson versus Shingo Takagi were excellent. Swerve Strickland versus Will Ospreay was in a class of its own, and I’m sure not sure how much weight to give it. Bottom line is that AEW delivered satisfaction overall. The show was long at over five hours of professional wrestling with the pre-show, but the journey was worth it.
Share your thoughts about Forbidden Door. How do you rate it? What were your favorite moments and matches from the show?
The Forbidden Door replay can be purchased on Triller TV, Bleacher Report, and other streaming outlets.
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