[10.0] "Watching this in person was honestly incredible, some of the most fun I have had at any event ever. Redhot crowd, not one bad match and a couple seriously incredible ones too."

[6.0] "Once again AEW did a great job making their PPV feel like a big deal, but again there were a few matches that straight up underdelivered and brought the show down as a result - both women's matches were weak and boring, while 3-way tag was all over the place and the crowd clearly treated Hurt Syndicate 'differently'. Combine that with Lights Out Main Event and ZSJ/Nigel being only two matches that stood out as memorable and you get a show that came and went. Main Event actually came across like an All-Star match in a unique time-and-place environment, I'm actually interested in rewatching it in few years' time, simply because I believe all 10 pro-wrestlers involved will be in very different situations compared to where they are now. ZSJ/Nigel for IWGP Hvt. title though is literally one of the most romantic examples of why in pro-wrestling you should always keep dreaming - if not bigger, then wilder. Never in a million years I expected Nigel McGuinness challenge for IWGP Hvt. title, in England, had a strong enough performance at 49 (! ) years old where the crowd would be behind him every step of the way, it was truly an experience that was surprisingly fitting for 'Forbidden Door' show and one of few ideas of how to make keep that gimmick fresh. Okada vs. Strickland had some creative ideas in the second half, but somehow it really was all about protecting Strickland in defeat and post-match with Wardlow of all people. Fletcher vs. Hiromu was a lot of fun, matches like this are exactly what 'Forbidden Door' should be about. For the next year, these two aforementioned matches should be taken as inspiration for the entire card, not only 2 matches out of 9 - women's matches that actually feel important and have in them wrestlers who are ready and willing to move Heaven and Earth in order to go out there and make themselves famous in one match instead of one it being a mid-card filler that feels like a stepping stone to the 'next level', CMLL should have much stronger presence in NJPW to seamlessly build into CMLL vs. NJPW vs. AEW match matters (preferably 3-way tag or trios), and there should be one massive match that has the goal to be remembered for a long time as something truly great."

[10.0] "Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. Killswitch & Kip Sabian fand ich eine gute Wahl als Opener. Die Stimmung war super und das Match hat sich besser gestaltet als ich zunächst dachte. Vom Ablauf her ein klassisches Tag Match, jedoch gab es einige gute Zusammenspiele zwischen den Teams und coole Moves. Das Blut von Sabian hat es für mich auch noch was aufgewertet, weil es so was dramatischer gewissen ist. Vor allem weil es ungewollt war (*** 1/4). Hiromu Takahashi vs. Kyle Fletcher war ein guter Styles Clash. Ich habe mir das Match was schneller vorgestellt, jedoch haben beide hier eine unglaublich gute Performance hingelegt. Vor allem die near falls haben das Match für mich besonders gemacht, da diese perfekt eingesetzt worden (**** 1/4). Alex Windsor vs. Bozilla vs. Mercedes Mone vs. Persephone war zu keinem Zeitpunkt langwierig. Jeder wurde gut in Scene gesetzt und hat Momente zum scheinen bekommen. Es gab gut inzinierte 4-Way Momente und insgesamt ist es spannend gewesen (*** 3/4). Nigel McGuinness vs. Zack Sabre Jr. hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Es hat zu einer sehr guten Abwechslung der Card beigetragen. Technisch haben sich beide nichts geschenkt und sehr gutes konter wrestling präsentiert (*** 3/4). Bandido & Brody King vs. Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood war Chaos. Viel durcheinander bei dem jeder gut eingebunden wurde. Über die Art des Ausscheidens vom Hurt Syndicate kann man sich streichen, mich persönlich hat es nicht gestört. Was ich etwas schade finde war das so ein sauberes Match leider ein unsauberes Finish hatte (****). Kazuchika Okada vs. Swerve Strickland war für mich ein Highlight der show. Die beiden haben nicht nur eine sehr gute In-Ring Qualität geliefert sondern dabei auch noch eine Geschichte erzählt. Okada hatte Swerves Knie in Mitleidenschaft gezogen um ihn in seinem moveset zu schwächen und mit dem rainmaker und der wrist control hat er ihn weich geklopft, bis er letzten Endes Swerve überwinden könnte. Es gab extrem viele gute konter und auch wenn Okada nach und nach die überhand gewonnen hat war es relativ ausgeglichen. Das Match war nicht zu schnell, aber auch zu keinem Zeitpunkt langweilig oder langsam. Das Tempo war gleichbleibend und hat für einen tollen Matchfluss gesorgt mit guten Sequenzen (**** 1/2). Athena vs. Toni Storm war gut, aber ich hatte mir von den beiden etwas besseres erhofft. Das Match war eigentlich durchgehend gut, mit tollen Elementen wie man sie aus den Toni Matches kennt, jedoch hätte ich gedacht das die beiden einen Klassiker hinzaubern. Chemie war da und beide hatten flüssige Sequenzen, das finish fand ich stark umgesetzt. Leider erreichten die beiden nie die nächste Stufe (*** 3/4). Adam Page vs. MJF hat mir extrem gut gefallen. Live in der Halle war es nochmal ein ganz anderes feeling als es im Nachhinein am TV zu sehen.es wurde einem definitiv das Gefühl vermittelt etwas besonderes zu sehen. Ich finde das Match war nicht das schnellste und auch nicht das spektakulärste, es hätte jedoch durch MJFs Sonderregeln eine gute Geschichte zu erzählen und das wurde aus meiner Sicht sehr gut umgesetzt. Dazu gab es noch ein paar harte Spots und fürs Drama haben noch nie geblutet. Mir hat es vielmslas gemacht und ich habe mich sehr unterhalten gefühlt (**** 3/4). Claudio Castagnoli, Gabe Kidd, Jon Moxley, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson vs. Darby Allin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi & Will Ospreay war ein mehr als nur würdiges Main Event. Viele coole Nostalgie-Momente und einige Spots die extrem herausgestochen haben. Von der Brutalität her habe ich mir noch was mehr erhofft, aber insgesamt hat das Match mit seinen vielen guten Sequenzen und ununterbrochener Action viel Spaß gemacht (**** 3/4)."

[8.0] "I liked the show about the same as All In Texas. The first couple of hours had some good matches, but nothing stood out. The second half of the show was a lot better and had some outstanding matches. A picture of consistency, I suppose."

[10.0] "Not a single bad match on the show. If a Forbidden Door card isn't going to have a ton of crossover then it needs to have great matches up and down and this one did. My only real two knocks on the show is the end of the men's World Title match was a tad overbooked but not enough to sink my enjoyment of it and the Hurt Syndicate being run off like that but the tag match was still a fantastic match. I have not been let down by a single AEW PPV since I started buying them."

[7.0] "Very good show, even if it didn't reach the heights of Double or Nothing and All In Texas. There was some infuriating overbooking in this whole event, which has sadly become a trope in American wrestling as a whole. Unfortunately Bryce dropped the ball during Hangman vs MJF. Rough. I also think Athena should've gone over. Still overall it was a really nice show capped off by a fantastic main event. Plus, Ospreay and Omega were godly. Massive respect to them both"

[8.0] "Forbidden Dor war insgesamt eine gute Show, die ich sogar mal live schauen konnte. Der Opener war gut gewählt, da die Fans sofort drin waren und Cope Theme wunderbar mitgesungen haben. Fletcher vs. Hiromu fand ich dann ziemlich gut und bei Hiromu muss man sagen, dass er immer dann am besten ist, wenn er nicht bei New Japan ist. Das war auch hier so, da Fletcher mal etwas anderes aus ihm herauskitzeln kann. Der Four Way um den TBS Title war ordentlich mit einem tollen Showing für Bozilla, die jetzt jeder kennen dürfte, der sie noch nicht bei Marogold oder Stardom gesehen hat. Die Matchstory war ganz klar um sie herum aufgebaut und hat gut funktioniert. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Nigel McGuinness war einfach wunderschön. Jedes Mal, wenn ich Nigel im Ring sehe, freue ich mich einfach, dass er das machen kann und auf dieser Bühne gegen Zack im Generational Clash ist schon ein kleines Dream Match. War wirklich stark und hat mir sehr viel Freude bereitet. Das Tag Team Title Match war kurzerhand doch kein Elimination Match mehr, wodurch ein Titelwechsel umso wahrscheinlicher wurde, allerdings nicht an FTR, sondern an Brodido, wo AEW einfach das Momentum der beiden ausnutzt. Match war solide bis ordentlich, leider mit einem gebotchten Finish. Die Berichte über das Hurt Syndicate, dass sie nicht gegen bestimmte Teams verlieren wollen, verhärten sich dadurch leider, was ich sehr nervig finde. Okada vs. Swerve fand ich leider auch nur ordentlich. Die beiden haben eigentlich nur ihr Standard-Programm abgespielt, was immer noch gut ist aber hier hatte ich mir mehr erwartet. Ähnliches gilt für Storm und Athena, die zwar ein ordentliches bis gutes Match gezeigt haben aber auch hier habe ich mir mehr erwartet. Adam Page vs. MFJ fand ich dann viel besser als erwartet, da man die Count Out und DQ Shenanigans auf ein Minimum reduziert hat. Am Ende wurde es etwas zu viel und man hat den Moment zum Finish verpasst, dennoch aber ein gutes Match, bei dem Hangman einmal mehr seinen vielschichtigen Charakter zeigt, es allerdings auch ein richtig dämliches False Finish gab. Der Main Event war dann eine total verrückte und wilde Materialschlacht, die in dieser Form aber großartig funktioniert hat. Gab einen Haufen krasse Spots und eigentlich hätte man uns hier mit einem guten Gefühl nach Hause schicken können."

[8.0] "The issues with this ppv are rooted in its conception. It's not always sensible to involve other promotions and the timing was not the best because of the G1 but also, it seems odd to follow up your biggest ppv with one that has a more niche appeal with compromised story progression. Moving forward, it might be best to do more thorough planning ahead of time as well as maybe shelving the ppv sometimes because it might be better to do interpromotional work at a convenient time rather than locking it in to a specific date. The recurring issue was therefore the builds to most matches. Some builds were weak, had predictable outcomes or both like the Unified, TBS & TNT title (The 1st having no real excuse). The build for the opener was better than most but felt somewhat abrupt. Anticipation for the iwgp title depends on prior history between 2 guys I'm not that familiar with. Women & Tag title builds were slightly better but the latter match was slightly disappointing. The world title match felt like they suddenly had to escalate the story in the last 2 weeks & the main event was fine but the absence of golden lovers and the manner of their announcements were a bit jarring. That being said, it's a testament to how good they are at delivering great ppvs that the event was still this solid on the night despite clear flaws. My match preference in order was Main Event > TBS > AEW title > TNT > Women's title > Opener > IWGP > Unified title > Tag title. Very solid ppv and the in-ring quality was good as it tends to be. The issue here was that a lot of the builds were weak"

[10.0] "The booking was mostly either hit and miss or predictable, but Copeland and Cage Vs Matriarchy was solid, the AEW World Tag Title three way was good, the AEW TBS Title four way, Okada Vs Swerve and Storm Vs Athena were all really great, Fletcher Vs Hiromu, Nigel Vs ZSJ and Hangman Vs MJF were all just fantastic, the the ten man lights out steel cage match was really phenomenal, and the UK crowd was red hot. Overall AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door (2025) is a really fantastic show."

[8.0] "Forbidden Door once again delivered as one of AEW's most enjoyable PPVs. The show was well paced and it kept the O2 crowd engaged all night. From Cope's nostalgic opener to the chaotic multi-man main event, the card blended spectacle with solid wrestling. The strongest in-ring showings came from matches like Sabre Jr. vs. Nigel and Toni Storm vs. Athena, while the tag title bout and the women's four-way had good ideas but suffered from sloppy moments and predictable outcomes. Okada vs. Swerve felt like a clash of eras more than a classic, though it still worked for what it was, and MJF vs. Hangman delivered strong storytelling despite the overbooking. The final 10-man cage spectacle was messy but undeniably entertaining, closing the night with big moments and star power. Darby's return, Tanahashi's shine, and Ospreay's spotlight as the "best in the world" gave the match its heart. Overall, it wasn't a flawless card, but it was a very enjoyable one, a steady stream of good-to-great matches with variety and some real highlights. My main critique: for a branded AEW x NJPW event, there wasn't enough New Japan. Still, it worked very well."

[9.0] "While not the best AEW PPV, it continues their incredible hot streak of basically never having a bad show and almost always having a great one. Every match was at least good, with the tag team championship match being the only one that I didn't rate a 7 or above, and that's largely only because it was being compared to so much straight heat on the same card. Everyone came with their working boots on, and I think that everyone delivered heavily, especially in the final string of matches, which just got better and better. The final Lights Out match was a gloriously violent cluster of spots and chaos and interwoven storytelling, the exact kind of pro wrestling excess I love, while Okada-Swerve and Toni-Athena provided more hard-hitting pure graps, and MJF-Hangman was a fantastic main title match. There's basically nothing to complain about here. I love AEW and I love pro wrestling."

[9.0] "What a great show. It's a shame it didn' feel like a NJPW x AEW show with only a few talents from NJPW being on the card. But if you look at this show as a straight up show with no NJPW branding it was great. The Lights Out main even was my favorite, but MJF vs. Hangman, the tag team championship match and IWGP championship were close seconds. Still the women's championship and Strickland vs. Okada was really good as well. No dull matches on the card. Can't wait to watch this one back on stream."

[8.0] "Overall this is a solid 8 out of 10 event. Crowd were one of the best AEW crowds ever and every match is at least a 7, last 4 matches are 8 and above. Top Drawer!"

[9.0] "Really really really good show. Not a single bad match. The worst this show gets is a slightly forgettable TBS Championship Four-Way which is still full of great spots and put an entire crowd onto Bozilla. This show isn't just consistent, but it also reaches some very high places. MJF vs Hangman and the Lights Out Steel Cage matches are 5* each as far as I'm concerned. Also a brilliant Toni Storm defense and an INSANELY fun IWGP defense. Takahashi vs Fletcher is also super underrated. Only wish this show incorporated more NJPW and STARDOM talent. That aside, excellent PPV which was super fun to be at in person. Shout-out to the crowd."

[8.0] "Die AEW Forbidden Door Show in der O2 Arena war ein starkes, sehr unterhaltsames Event - 5 1/2 Stunden inklusive Zero Hour, die trotz der Länge kaum Leerlauf hatten. Die Card war clever aufgebaut: starkes Opening mit Adam Copeland vs. Christian, ein dramatisches Cage-Match als Finale und Will Ospreay, der trotz Verletzung einen Moonsault vom Käfig zeigte. Comedy-Spots der Young Bucks lockerten auf, Brody King war vielleicht am meisten over (neben Osperay), und es war eine Ehre, Tanahashi, Takahashi und Okada (in einem 1 on 1 Match) live zu sehen. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Nigel McGuinness bot als technischer Stilbruch genau das richtige für die britische Crowd. Einzige Wermutstropfen: Das Timing war etwas unglücklich, da viele NJPW-Stars direkt aus dem G1 kamen oder ohnehin schon regelmässig bei AEW auftreten, Darby's Wegkucker Ohr-Spot und der Injury Beatdown nach dem Main Event war überflüssig. Dennoch eine sehr runde Show - für mich eine solide 8 von 10."

[8.0] "A good ppv for AEW once again, but we can all agree this wasn't an all timer, and it also felt forgetable. I'm pretty sure I won't remember many things that happened tonight, but that's kinda the feeling I have after every single Forbidden door anyway. The best match was the Lights Out Steel Cage, even if it won't be as memorable as Anarchy in the Arena from this year. Hangman/MJF was also really good but had many problems, that's not the proper match yet that I want to see from them, I'm sure they can do something really legendary such as MJF/Danielson at Revolution 2023. ZSJ/Nigel was also good, and Fletcher/Takahashi delivered just as expected, nothing more. The rest of the card was either decent or good, but forgetable, as often in Forbidden door's ppv as I said earlier in my opinion. The 3 way tag, Storm/Athena and Swerve/Okada were really disapointing but still not bad, just decent. Every single title matches were not intriguing at all since the winner was predicatble, this didn't help. In the end, the ppv was good, fine wrestling and good moments. But nothing more than that."

[8.0] "Great show and was pleasantly surprised by the undercard, I enjoyed the opening tag much more than I expected to and loved Takahashi/Fletcher and McGuiness/Sabre Jr. The women's 4-way was a bit squiffy in parts (I think Persephone let the side down a bit) and the Tag title match was a bit bizzare but the rest following from that was top quality."

"Attended Forbidden Door live at the O2. Match of the Night : Hangman vs MJF / Highlights of the Night: Crowd signing to Metalingus on Cope's Entrance and to Ospreay's Elevated theme while he was on top of the cage / Chants of the Night : "Hey Christian, Will You Be My Dad" (DJ Ötzi's Hey Baby) "We are live in Swerve Strickland's House", "Swerve's House in the Middle of Our Street" (Madness's Our House) With it being a 13 match card and being sat down since 445pm local time for the zero hour and with the main event starting at 10pm, it did impact my enjoyment of the main event. Nevertheless it was a great show to be at live. Really glad for Nigel that he got his moment to wrestle at the O2 for the NJPW title, the Darby/Mox spot sure was hard to look at!"

[9.0] "Fantastic show. It started quietly with the opener and practically only got better, despite the slight disappointment of the women's four-way. The main event was a classic, and the card had a variety of fights that made it a very enjoyable evening, as well as being of good quality. Lots of action beyond the matches, with good angles for the return of Hayter and Wardlow. Decisive interventions from Ricochet, Mina Shirakawa, and Mark Briscoe. And finally, the very successful contrast between the emotion of the introductory clip and the beating of Will Ospreay. All this in an atmosphere that lived up to the show, memorable. In-ring quality: 4/5. Angles and non-match segments: 2.25/3. Bonus/penalty: superb atmosphere +0.5. Total: 8.75/10. Show seen on-site and then on Fite TV."

[9.0] "One of the best PPVs of all time, a notch below All In: Texas. The main event was insane, the men's world title match was overbooked in a good way and the undercard was stacked with great wrestling. I loved the IWGP title match and the TNT title match was great too. The TBS title match was great fun, good to see some new faces. The women's world title match was really good too and Toni Storm looked amazing as always. The tag title match was probably the low point of the show with a few blown spots and a messed up finish, I didn't like the Hurt Syndicate being taken out of the finishing sequence. Cope and Christian had a fun opener, it told a good layered story. All in all it was a near perfect show with a unforgettable main event. I would have liked to have seen more New Japan involvement but with the state New Japan is in, its not surprising that it was low on star power from Japan."

[8.0] "This was my first ever time attending an AEW event and wow did it deliver. The atmosphere all night long was crazy; once again showing why AEW rule the British wrestling market whenever they come here. The Cope entrance was incredible and definitely gave me one of the many occasions of goosebumps throughout the night. Surprisingly, Michael Oku got one of the biggest pops of the night on the Zero Hour show even with half of the crowd still not in the arena yet. I got to see every single wrestler I've ever dreamed of seeing in AEW all in one night, Incredible experience and I will 100% be going to All In 2026 in Wembley. Great stuff AEW!"

[8.0] "Enjoyed it overall despite some minor setbacks. First of all, the event should've been scheduled earlier. August is G1 Climax Month and nothing else. This led to a lot less representation for NJPW compared to the previous events. Talking about the matches, Cope and Christian vs Matriarchy was fine, TNT Title Match was good and TBS Title Match was also good. Sabre Jr vs McGuinness was my early contender for match of the night. A great match with some amazing technical graps. Honestly, I didn't even knew this was 17 minutes because the minutes flew by so quickly. Tag Team Title match could have been better. Okada vs Swerve definitely could have been better but it was fine given the the return angle of Wardlow. Toni Storm vs Athena was good but not very memorable imo. MJF vs "Hangman" Adam Page is the best match on the card if you ask me. A blend of great athleticism and character work from both with MJF trying every dirty tactic. The Lights Out Steel Cage Match was pure fun and chaos from the beginning to the end with memorable spots and a heroic performance from Will Ospreay. That Moxley-Allin spot was very gruesome and hard to watch but then what to you expect from a Unsanctioned Match. Happy to see Tanahashi securing the pinfall."

[8.0] "Keine klassische AEW Veranstaltung, wie ich finde. Das Niveau war gleichbleibend hoch, aber es gab nicht das eine, alles überstrahlende Match. Die Länge hielt sich auch in Grenzen"

[10.0] "The in ring work throughout every match on the main card was fucking amazing. The show was also paced very efficiently, with there not being much filler in this card at all. Very steady pay per view, with a few mishaps."

[10.0] "I think this show was better than last year's overall. I think London did not disappoint in providing an incredible atmosphere. The event had a very good pace with different types of wrestling and titles at stake. The event began with Adam Copeland and the crowd singing his theme song at the top of their lungs, which is already a commodity for AEW, followed by the match between Kyle Fletcher and Hiromu Takahashi, which was one of my favorites of the event and of the entire year. This proves once again that the junior heavyweight division in NJPW does a lot of damage to wrestlers who are weakened by being paired throughout their careers with people of stature/weight. Then there was Mone's successful defense, which brought in new girls and allowed us to see how AEW works and provides opportunities for new talent. Then there was the fight that was possibly the most anticipated by many, Zsj vs. Nigel, which I didn't connect with much, but it was a good fight considering Nigel's age and the fact that Zsj can't get injured or go too far in a fight that is basically an exhibition. Brodido wins the tag team titles. In a fight where they protect THS and build a feud with GOA and Ricochet, which I found smart and takes care of their talent, what FTR is doing this year in promoting people PPV after PPV and on television shows is remarkable and deserves attention and appreciation. I think they haven't won a title in a year and 10 months. Okada defends his title against Swerve, which was a good match, and with an angle after the match where Wardlow returns and joins DCF. Toni Storm defends her title against Athena in a good match where Toni Storm's look and gear stole the show. Athena looks like an indie girl or someone who just moved up from NXT to a main show. Adam Page vs. MJF was a memorable match. The wrestling, the story, the drama, and future angles were on display in a historic match for their eternal rivalry. Then there was the Lights Out Steel Cage match, which was a showcase of Hall of Fame wrestlers, where we saw incredible, bloody, dangerous spots, and Tanahashi having his last match in the UK, taking the victory by getting the pin."

[4.0] "Einfach nur "Nein". Die AEW ist im Internet ja immer besonders laut, weil sie sich gegenseitig auf die Schulter klopfen wollen und regelmäßig zum Ausdruck bringen müssen, wie sehr sie das "E" enttäuscht hat. Alle hassen WWE wegen McMahon oder weil sie pseudocool sein wollen. I get it. ABER Alter Schwede über Blödsinn im Killswitch Match hinwegzusehen, die nächsten 1000 8 Men Tag Matches in der Zero Hour, Jon Moxleys Hardcore Blödsinn oder Manöver abspulen der Bucks bei Storylines, die so holprig und lächerlich laufen wie "Ich zünde Dich an" und dann noch dem PPV mit dem endlos dämlichen Ende (JA, AEW hat die absolut DÜMMSTEN FACES) mindestens 8 Punkte zu geben, zeigt einfach nur, dass die Leute in KEINER WEISE die schlechte Show bewerten, sondern sich selbst, ihren Lifestyle und ihr Hobby. Deshalb, um diesem Müll-PPV mal n bisschen gerecht zu werden: Die 4 Punkte. 8.10 - das ich nicht lache. Und nein, das hier ist kein Grabenkampf, es ist eine realistische Bewertung des Blödsinns der gerade bei AEW abläuft. Und ja, WWE bekleckert sich auch nicht mit Ruhm. Grüße."

[8.0] "Another good PPV from AEW. It was just below normal AEW PPV which is like an easy 9 or 10 at most times.That tells you how good they are. No one in history has a PPV catalogue as the one AEW already has in just 6 years. This PPV, the G1 didn't help the forbidden concept. They need to correct that for future. Tony needs to cut atleast half an hour of these, if AEW wants to have a chunk of the casuals. 4 hours are more than enough."

[9.0] "Really great show to attend live, the usual last minute/on the day additions for the pre show. Which were fun, but I wish there was more "Forbidden Door" to the main card. Ishii vs Takeshita would've been great here, it felt more like a regular AEW PPV. No real bad match, Tag title match were decent and gave the fan favourite team the win. Just a weird way to keep the Hurt Business out of it, felt like they didn't want to put either team over. MOTN is probably the main event just for star power and entertainment. But for the work rate and in ring i'd say it was ZSJ vs McGuiness. But a great show, in front of a great London crowd. If I was watching online, it would probably be 8/10. But being there live is a different experience."

[9.0] "This was my first AEW PPV I've watched. And hot damn that was great! 9/10! Cope/Christian vs Matriarchy was great. Copes entrance with the crowd singing was beautiful, the match was fun but also just a good match in general. Good to see Edge and Christian back together! I missed the beginning of Fletcher vs Takahashi but it was still a good match from what I saw. Four Way match for TBS Belt was awesome, they did a hell of a job in that match! Zack Sabre Jr. vs Nigel McGuinness was also just a great match all around. Three Way match for the World Tag Team Belts was a banger, the tag team matches in AEW are so good lol. Okada vs Swerve was good, I thought it could be better but it was still fun to watch! Toni vs Athena was another banger match, Toni's makeup was a little distracting for me when watching but the match itself was awesome lol Hangman vs MJF was fantastic! I mean, hell did they go at it. That match was amazing! And the Lights Out Steal Cage match was also amazing! Jeez Idk how they do it because some of the stuff they did in there I had to look away from cringing in pain lol. The ending did feel a bit dumb tho sadly ngl. I'm not good at reviewing these shows other than saying "Bad, Good, Fantastic" but this show was great! My biggest issue was it did feel a bit predictable what was gonna happen and then the ending to the main event was a bit dumb. But that's why I knocked it down a point, even with that I still think this show was a 9/10! Great matches! Idk if this is normal for AEW PPV's, but I sure as hell haven't seen this consistently good wrestling anywhere else."

[9.0] "Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs Killswitch & Kip Sabian: A fine match to start the PPV but the crowd with the constant chanting made it what it was, Christian did spend parts of the match offering Copeland to Killswitch and instead of the story of this being the team of Copeland and Cage and whether they can co-exist it turned into Kip bullying Killswitch. [***1/2]. Kyle Fletcher vs Hiromu Takahashi: They had a 15 minute physically driven match that had some memorable moments, Takahashi came close a few times to winning the title but Fletcher proved why he is the TNT champion by outsmarting Takahashi, the match was better than I thought it would have been [****]. Mercedes Mone vs Alex Windsor vs Bozilla vs Persephone: Bozilla looked like a monster, Persephone took the fall against Mone, Windsor was great in this one and Mone retaining was kind of obivous to be honest but all four women had their moment to shine [***3/4]. Zack Sabre Jr vs Nigel McGuinness: Technical showcase from both men which was interesting from start to finish, Nigel nearly came close to winning a couple of times but ZSJ proved that he could outthink Nigel and retain the title [****1/4]. Bandido & Brody King vs Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin vs Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood: Glad to see Bandido and King win the tag titles, it was a fun and solid three way match where all six involved got their moment, Benjamin and Lashley being took out by Ricochet, Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona was not needed, I did enjoy it to be honest [***3/4]. Kazuchika Okada vs Swerve Strickland: While they have the capability to steal the show they did only half that here unfortunately, there was too much focus on the knee of Strickland but they did have a decent match but not on the level they can have a match on, hopefully when Strickland comes back from the injury they can have a rematch [***3/4]. Toni Storm vs Athena: Storm retaining was nice to see but would like to have seen Athena win the title, the match was as solid as needed to be, two of the best women's wrestlers within AEW/ROH had a solid showing here with back and forth action that was interesting [****]. Adam Page vs MJF: Last 5 or 6 minutes were overbooked and should have been cut, they did have a great match for the most part but there were a couple of moments that were not good like referee Bryce Remsburg counting the three while Page's foot was on the rope and MJF thought he had won the title only for Mark Briscoe to come out and get the referee to notice what had happened, the right outcome at the end with Page retaining [****]. Darby Allin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi & Will Ospreay vs Claudio Castagnoli, Gabe Kidd, Jon Moxley, Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson: An amazing match to end Forbidden Door 2025 with one of the best steel cage matches in 2025, some memorable moments, YB trying to introduce thumbtacks only for the production crew to put gummy bears in there place was funny, Tanahashi getting the win for his team in his final UK match was the right choice here, some crazy spots as well like the fork spot with Moxley and Allin [*****]"

[7.0] "Just a really solid event with many different styles. There weren't that many stipulations but every match felt like a different unique thing. Nothing to really dig your teeth into fully, though."

[7.0] "Kip Sabian is the Dolph Ziggler of AEW, as in he has a look, sells well and will never get anywhere. Cope busts Kip's eye open while in the corner. Killswitch picking up Kip on his shoulders and Edge taking them down was really stupid. I mean Cope, damn it. Why is the crowd singing some pop song? Anyway this was a well-produced Tag romp with some great moments and fine action **3/4 Some nice impact here. Action was solid but meandering at times, because I couldn't take Takahashi as a serious contender. Some nice Takahashi babyface comeback spots, I'm glad this is over **3/4 Persephone stole Masha Slamovich's look. Lol, one of the guards fkd up the walk completely. I don't really buy Bozilla as this giant-type + Megan Bayne is already doing this same schtick, but whatever. This was too ambitious and sloppy at times, however there was good effort towards creating some fresh 4-way moments, so I guess that's the price to pay. Not bad **1/2 I'd say the first hour was uneventful, let's see if they can turn it up soon. Interesting match-up for the London crowd. They actually GRAPPLE with several clever counters and reversals, keeping things very old school. Imagine, wrestling on a wrestling show. I really like Sabre now that he sells better, he is the complete package. Nigel's sudden Discus Lariat was brutal! I like both of these guys and their technical styles, unfortunately the crowd was somewhat passive, so this never reached a higher gear even though the action was good-to-great ***1/4 Hayter's That 70s guy! Uhh, and with that we go into the Tag championship. Will Hurt Syndicate put up the worst match of the PPV a 4th time in a row? ! I guess we'll find out now. Camera missed Bandido's floor move, thankfully we get an instant review. The impact is nice and the flow is mostly good, I like FTR and Bandido and Brody a lot, but yeah we went from all grappling to almost zero grappling. Brutal chairshot! They fcked up the finish badly, unfortunately, I don't even like the double-team leg-lift SSP as a powerful enough finish to put down anyone for the count, and especially not when it's botched. This wasn't bad but could've been better **3/4 Okada mostly in control here, good aura for both, the action is alright but never reaches a higher gear really **3/4 I think turning Athena was stupid, just have them compete for the title without shenanigans. Toni just grabbing Starkz and Piledriving her is pretty funny. I love how Athena is willing to bump and sell. They have some cool reversals, Athena leans on the heel role and it's nice. I think it starts getting heated right after the interference and that's the point it ends. Bummer. Still, this was nice, but not quite to the caliber of Sabre/McGuinness *** Another match with little to no crowd heat. This crowd sucks. MJF's blood is impressive but doesn't look bladed, not that it matters. So this feels like a worn-out back'n'forth battle. And then they exchange nearfalls like it's a comedy match suddenly. Wtf. At least they finally get the crowd to come alive. The dramatics do take this to that higher gear, and the action definitely helps. Match of the night so far ***1/2 They play MMMBop for the Young Bucks, like it's a comedy show again. Is this a blood feud or not? I dunno, it feels mildly schizophrenic to go from having some laughs to senseless violence. The handcuffs come off before they're supposed to and it's Lyra Valkyria all over again, except they move on swiftly. The way Ospreay bleeds is similar to MJF, which means they both prob used capsules to get such a visual, which is fine ofc. Claudio chucking Darby Spike Dudley -style was wild. So I dunno, this lacks a bit in vibes, even though there's plenty of cool moments. The moment where the heel faction is completely in control is where my interest starts to increase. The comeback begins with Omega and I'm starting to feel it. The 2nd half of the match feels like a long-winded finishing sequence cause it's impossible to start to predict how this ends, well except that someone is going through those 4 tables setup outside, but besides that little detail. So the finish feels satisfying, the match is chaotic in a good way, and this was fun, the very finish twist is cool ***3/4 I wouldn't agree that the crowd was hot, I think they only got hot for the last two matches, the atmosphere was somewhat dry for the most part, but that was also due to the match quality not being as up to par as previous AEW PPVs in my opinion. Still the last two matches bring up the overall greatly, and I would leave this show satisfied."

[7.0] "(7.5) I may be one of the odd AEW viewers that enjoyed this more than previous iterations of Forbidden Door. One criticism leading up to it was the lack of NJPW, Stardom, and CMLL talent as other years. I think that worked in it's favor because A) the door isn't very forbidden anymore, and B) it means there are less matches featuring talent I've seen 0-1 times before. As it was, we got a good to very good PPV, which is AEW's baseline. I can't complain about that, nor do I watch enough foreign promotions to have an opinion on who they could/should have included on the card. Bozilla was a breakout star and she lived up to the hype I'd heard from others that had seen her (I had not). No matches were a letdown and I only had one below a 7/10 (Cope & Cage). While it won't be a crazy memorable PPV, Forbidden Door is not one of their major PPVs, and it's right in line with the secondary ones. Solid."

[8.0] "I was in the crowd for this show. An unforgettable experience for my second wrestling show ever. The chants, the matches, the venue... Everything clicked and I had an absolute blast."

[9.0] "Fantastic ppv with not many flaws and a very hot crowd. Aew is the peak of professional wrestling right now and everything they're Doing right now is amazing"

[8.0] "The two main-events were absolutely incredible, especially the last one. Everything else felt like a filler tbh although a really high-quality one. ****"

[8.0] "AEW should just quit the US and move the company to the UK. The crowds show up and are super hot for the show it adds so much to the events. All around a good show the low moments were the women's match's and unfortunately the Edge and Christian reunion as well as the other tag match being completly awful however the other matches more then made up for their failings."

[8.0] "One of the most consistent shows AEW has ever produced, every match was fun and delivered, the UK Crowd was Hot."

[8.0] "Ein für mich persönlich sehr zufriedenstellendes Event, welches In-Ring dennoch unterdurchschnittlich ist und schlecht gebooked wurde. Tony Khan hat in 2025 sehr viel richtig gemacht, aber das Timing für Forbidden Door könnte kaum schlechter sein. Einige Tage nach dem G1 Finale und zum Stardom Grand Prix ist einfach der schlecht möglichste Zeitpunkt. Denn von der "Door" hab ich hier kaum was gesehen. Das TBS Match hätte ein richtig geiler Clash sein können, wenn zB AZM oder Saya Kamitani dabei wären. Warum kein NJPW Tag Team im Title Match, gleiches für die AEW World Title Matches. Warum nicht Okada gegen ein altes Gesicht von New Japan? Oder, oder, oder. Von der Anzahl von Wrestlern von anderen Promotions hätte das auch All In mit dem Gauntlet sein können. Das Prinzip ist so geil, aber die Umsetzung war noch nie so schlecht wie dieses Jahr. Ich bin am Ende einfach froh Tanahashi einmal live sehen zu können sowie Golden Lovers nochmal, wodurch ich zufrieden bin. Ohne dieses Match wär das aber wirklich ein reinfall gewesen. Crowd war UK gemäß grandios, wobei der Christian Chant mein Crowd Highlight war. Hoffe nächstes Jahr auf einen besseren Zeitpunkt und mehr Einbeziehung von NJPW."

[8.0] "A testament to how good this company's PPVs are that an 8/10 show felt (ever so) slightly disappointing. Giving it 4s because of a lack of NJPW integration is weird. What were they supposed to do when the G1 just happened and their talent pool is at a low point? Tanahashi scored a main event pinfall in his final UK show, and the NJPW wrestlers they did feature had good showings including a successful IWGP title defense. Didn't like the finish of the tag match, really didn't like the Darby ear spot but given the nature of the match it's to be expected - still, a little much. Didn't like the Swerve/Okada build or the match which is a shame, considering it's those guys. Loved the heavyweight title match - could say overbooked but it's MJF's style at this point, how they did it was clever, and the right guy won. Another good PPV, great job AEW."

[7.0] "Generally this was a really fun show, it was certainly low and dragged a bit in the middle, and the highs did not quite reach beyond great matches, but there were few lows and aside from the AEW World Title match and the opener I had fun watching throughout. For me the highlight was McGuinness vs. ZSJ, and the lowest point was MJF vs. Page, but it is a real variety show and so I am sure mileage will vary. As a NJPW fan this card did feel like a bit of a kick to the face, with very few NJPW talents being represented and a poor placement for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title match, but once I got into the swing of it I am happy I watched this."

"[10] By far the best WRESTLING show I've ever attended, the card was absolutely stacked with top-level performances. The crowd was really into it and, thankfully, much less annoying than some other shows I've been to. In a chaotic and visceral main event, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Will Ospreay, and Darby Allin emerged victorious over the Death Riders, Young Bucks, and Gabe Kidd. The match was filled with brutal spots, fork torture, barbed wire, ladders, tables, gummy bears, and a moonsault off the cage. It was so good that I ordered the PPV the very next day just to rewatch it. Forbidden Door 2025 stands out as one of AEW's most explosive and memorable events of the year. With unforgettable in-ring chaos, compelling storylines, and a record-setting crowd (more than any other Wrestling Company! ), it delivered both spectacle and substance. While not flawless, it set the stage perfectly for future feuds and high-stakes storytelling."

[7.0] "Ein durchschnittlicher PPV und hat mal wieder eine große Schwäche bei AEW aufgezeigt. Storytelling! Viele Entscheidungen und Abläufe ergeben wenig Sinn. Der Opener war eher langweilig obwohl man da hätte mehr rausholen können. Auch blieben einige Matches unter den Erwartungen, was aber legitim ist. Der Main Event war in meinen Augen nicht gut. Und auch Tanahashi so zu sehen, Legende hin oder her, war traurig. Auch reißen mich die Crossover Matches nicht mehr vom Hocker, da bei AEW jede Woche zig Superstars aus anderen Ligen auftreten. Objektiv betrachtet, war alles vertreten von langweilig bis super."

[8.0] "This felt weak for an AEW PPV, but it was great anyway. Most of the matches felt like they were reaching perfection but ultimately failed in something. The anticlimatic finish of ZSJ and Nigel match or the weird intervention of Ricochet and GOA and the botched pin of Bandido are probably the best examples of what I mean. I enjoyed the TNT title match a lot, Fletcher never fails. The 4 way was a showdown for Bozilla, but I can't help to compare the match with the 4 way for the TV title of the last ROH PPV, which was way better. Brodido winning was amazing and I loved the match, except for the said finish. The Don Callis Family gets more op each day. I wanted Athena to win and expected way more of the women's match. The lights out was definetely the highlight of the event. Not as good as Anarchy in the Arena but it as awesome. Darby is a mad man."

[7.0] "Lots of good wrestling here, but I never felt fully invested in the card. Most matches were never in doubt, and the buildup for most stories was lacking compared to the rest of the year. Probably one of AEW's weaker PPVs, although still a solid one."

[9.0] "8/10 I might raise it higher, but this was a very consistent PPV from top to bottom. Fletcher and Taka were a great choice after the opening match and everything else went smoothly after that. Main event was fantastic! My only issues were Danny not turning, the overbooked antics that developed in the MJF/Hanger match, and Athena losing. Really good show despite the injury plague that is going around AEW."

[8.0] "Not on the level of other PPVs this year, but still a very solid show. Cope/Cage vs. Kip/Luchasaurus was a decent opener. Fletcher vs. Hiromu was great, just as I thought it would be. Women's four way was good. Some sloppiness here and there, but the action was fun and Bozilla and Persephone looked great. ZSJ vs. Nigel was awesome. Just everything I hoped it would be. Garcia not turning on Nigel was weird, though. The three way tag was fun. Let's just pretend the ending wasn't botched. So happy for Brodido; TK made the right choice putting the titles on them. Jamie Hayter returning to confront Thekla was great. I'm glad she's back. Okada vs. Swerve was good. They don't have the best chemistry, but there was some solid stuff in there. Wardlow coming back to join the DCF was alright. I mean, I don't really care about Wardlow so... Athena vs. Toni was underwhelming. It was good, but not even remotely as close as I thought it would be. Also Athena tapping out in a few seconds just felt off as a ending. MJF vs. Page was a tremendous match until the ending. I really don't know what they were going for there; very stupid stuff, that hurt what could've been a MOTYC. The lights out steel cage was the best match of the night. It was less violent compared to other AEW plunder matches, but it was a boatload of fun. RIP Will; you will be missed. All the matches ranged from solid to awesome, but some felt underwhelming (Okada/Swerve, Athena/Toni) and there were some questionable booking decisions/botched endings which left me with a sour taste in my mouth. Stiil, it was a pretty solid show. 8/10."

[6.0] "Also Ich würde den PPV als eher durchschnittlich bezeichnen. Hatte mir etwas mehr erwartet. Die Stage sah geil aus. Mal wieder was frisches und nicht was 0815 hingeklatschtes. Die Show beginnt mit Cope & Christian vs. Kip Sabian & Killswitch. Das Match war in Ordnung. Momentan 6.22 Match Rating hier auf Cagematch und das kann Ich auch absolut nachvollziehen (***). Kyle Fletcher vs. Hiromu Takahashi war Schlechter als Ich erwartet hatte. Vielleicht hatte Ich auch zu hohe Erwartungen, aber das hätte durchaus besser sein können (***3/4). Das Fatal 4 Way Match um den AEW TBS Championship fand Ich echt gut. Gute Action und auch die Deutsche Bozilla wurde echt gut dargestellt. Und mit grade mal 21 Jahren (Wenn Ich mich nicht Irre) hat sie hier eine Mega Performance hingelegt. Bin gespannt ob man noch mehr von ihr bei AEW sehen wird, auch wenn Stardom momentan ihre Heimat Promotion ist. Mone verteidigt nach einem Roll-Up gegen Persephone, was kein Cleanes Ende gewesen ist, aber das ist schon ganz in Ordnung (****). IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match ist dann wahrscheinlich Geschmacksache. Meins war's nicht. Nigel McGuinnes sehe Ich immer wieder gerne, weil Ich mit Ihm in ROH auch quasi groß geworden bin. Schön ihn vor so einer Kulisse in seinem Heimatland um einen World Championship Wrestlen zusehen. Von Zack Sabre bin Ich bekanntlich nicht der größte Fan. Er sellt mir manche Moves einfach viel zu komisch und irgendwie hab Ich noch nie gerne Matches von Ihm gesehen, auch wenn Ich es immer wieder versuche, kann er mich einfach nicht überzeugen. Das AEW World Tag Team Championship Match fand Ich Gut. Das Brodido sich hier die Titel holen kann, damit hätte Ich überhaupt nicht gerechnet, aber freut mich umso mehr für die beiden. Sehe nicht nur Bandido richtig gerne, sondern auch Brody King (****). Kazuchika Okada vs. Swerve Strickland war auch einfach gut. Jetzt Nix atemberaubendes, aber ein einfach gutes Wrestling Match, welches Okada am Ende für sich entscheiden kann (****). Athena vs. Toni Storm fand Ich etwas schlechter. Irgendwie hat mich das Match nicht wirklich mitreisen können. Bin immer ein großer Fan von Toni Storm, aber das Match konnte mich einfach nicht überzeugen (***1/2). Und dann kommen für mich die beiden Matches Of The Night. Ich fand beide Matches gleich gut. AEW World Championship Match (****1/2) & auch das Lights Out Steel Cage Match (****1/2). Insgesamt gebe Ich der gesamten Forbidden Door Veranstaltung, 6 Punkte. Natürlich war es ein AEW PPV, aber trotzdem fand Ich, dass NJPW mehr außen vor gelassen wurde, als wenn die Promotion wirklich ein Teil vom PPV gewesen ist. Das einzige was hier wirklich unter NJPW Flagge lief, war das IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match und das waren 2 Engländer. Also leider kam New Japan hier sehr wenig vor."

[8.0] "Probably (in fact almost definitely) boosted by the fact I was there but there was only one match I disliked and everything else was at least good with the main event, Toni/Athena and especially Nigel/ZSJ being genuinely fantastic matches I'm so glad I got to see in person."

[10.0] "Probably the best in-ring show I have ever seen. 8 matches were a minimum 4 star. Outstanding quality, so many memorable matches and moments, I hope the bot accounts low scoring this 10/10 show are removed soon. Incredible effort, right up there with DoN and All In for pro wrestling's best show of the year"

[8.0] "Overall I'd say this was a really good show. Some mid spots but nothing straight up bad. Main event was awesome and is MOTN."

[9.0] "Whilst the was definitely not as good as ALL In, Double or Nothing or Revolution this was still a fucking amazing show (i might have a slight bias as i was there and it was the best atmosphere i have ever experienced in the 10 shows i have been to in person). But any show were i pretty much still have a sore throat over 24 hours later from chanting and shouting so much is a top tier show. This was a great show as everything was good to Fucking amazing which meant in every match we had something to cheer and the place was going fucking mental for everything. we also had some nice returns from Jamie Hayter with more teases for the Women's war games match and an interesting new push for Wardlow that could be interesting. We also got a fucking UK dream match between Nigel and ZSJ which i think most British fans had accepted would never happen. The show was just extremely consistent with the lowest match being a good 6/10 to the main which was an easy 10/10 and 5 matches that were in the 8/10 range for me a solid 7/10 TBS title match and a 9/10 world title match which was an easy 10/10 if the last 5 minutes were as good as the first 25. One thing i will say is i don't think the venues 10:30 curfew helped some of the match if the show had gone 5 hours with some of the matches getting a couple extra minutes i feel it would of made the show even greater. But overall it was a fucking great show with so many good matches great returns and a hot crowd but it is probably the 4th best AEW PPV of the year which shows just how good they have been this year."

[8.0] "Rock solid throughout. Lacked the ceiling of All In 2024, but nothing bad on the card, and the crowd was in top form - the smaller arena allowed us to more quickly co-ordinate on our songs!"

[7.0] "AEW'S 2025 PPV output has been so strong that when they deliver a show like this that is only merely good, it's seen as a disappointment. There were some good matches here but aside from Zack/Nigel and the main event there wasn't really anything truly blow away here. The only thing I would call outright bad on this show would be the Hangman/MJF match which didn't really know what it wanted to be and featured some horrendous spots in it's second half. Everything else was watchable, good or great and there were also a few nice returns from Wardlow and Jamie Hayter respectively. Overall, this was far from a bad show but it is on the weaker end of AEW'S 2025 PPV output. I'd put it just above Dynasty as the second weakest of the year. MOTN - Lights Out Steel Cage match"

[9.0] "Another wild AEW PPV well worth your money. Would have been a 10/10 if not for 2 big negatives, both overbooking ideas : first with 3 way tag team, the botched pinfall finish is unfortunate but shits happens, the real problem is the Gates of Agony and Ricochet interference in NJPW hoodies, made the reveal lame and was poorly produced and executed, it took attention from what was happening in the match like the brutal chairshot on Brody King's head for example (hope it was gimmicked) Hurt Syndicate were already protected by the fact they didn't needed to take a pin, so it was unnecessary. The other one was the now infamous 3 count/ropebreak bullshit in the MJF vs Hangman Page match, the whole thing was already overbooked anyway, I don't know how and why they thought that shit was a good idea, it makes sense that Mark Briscoe is around but the execution was stupid, he should have been ringside either from the beginning or came when Hangman was about to get DQ'd to reason him, and then later would tell the referee about the foot on the rope. Too bad it's a massive blemish on an overall great match. But the rest is really good, from the zero hour to the main event, all good to great matches, all the Forbidden Door themed matches delivered, Lights Out Steel Cage was fantastic to end the show! Awesome production too, the cherry on top was that legendary English/European crowd, entertaining chants that made senses and didn't took anything away from the action, I'm glad AEW already announced more UK shows for this year in December!"

"9/10 Despite the injuries, AEW Forbidden Door was a very solid PPV. The main event was fantastic, and the pace of the show was perfect. I've been tough on AEW in the past, but 2025 is easily their best year top to bottom. Another good PPV to add to the best year AEW has put out."

"8.0 - I thought this show was very good but not great. No bad matches, the main event was great and everything else was good enough to very good at the top end. The opening tag with Copeland and Christian was the weakest match on the show. The Hangman/MJF match was good but just entirely overbooked and an ending that didn't make sense. Both women's matches were also very good. This show will be much better if New Japan can start pushing some of those younger wrestlers into more prominent roles."

[8.0] "This was a really outstanding AEW PPV once again, they delivered great matches and amazing moments. While I wouldn't call it the best AEW PPV of the year, that's only because the bar is already so high. Overall, I thought the show was excellent. There were a few botches here and there, and the dusty finish in the MJF vs. Hangman match did take me out of it a bit, but it was still a strong event."

[6.0] "Normally, AEW puts on good PPv's, but the one was pretty average over all. Very disappointed with the swerve/okada and Toni/Athena matches, they just didn't hit the mark. I always wanted to see a ZSJ v Nigel match, so I am thankful for that. The lack of build and meaningful forbidden door matches let down the overall show. I would have started with Toni v Athena and advertised it to start the show, and I understand why the multi-man match was last, but it just wasn't for me, it felt a bit forced to give Tana the pin. Lots of room for improvement and don't have a forbidden door event so close to the G1"

[8.0] "A decent PPV and nothing more. Unfortunately, they could and probably should have done more, especially considering they managed to sell out in London. Still, the last two matches saved the whole show, which in the end is worth watching. I gave it an 8, but realistically it's more of a 7.5, and sadly it's AEW's weakest PPV of 2025 so far. Hopefully from here on things get back to a higher level, though we'll have to deal with Ospreay being out for who knows how long. Anyway, the next PPV (All Out) looks set to be on fire, with plenty of feud continuations and likely several stipulations. Can't wait."

[10.0] "Aew always delivers on ppvs and this show was no different very few weak points except maybe a couple of botches here and there but other than that can't think of anything that I didn't at least enjoy so I recommend giving this show a watch if you haven't. The main event alone is worth your time and Zach/Nigel put on a great technical performance."

[9.0] "every single match delivered and of course the main event was astonishing, so grateful for Will Ospreay too, and i hope he comes back even stronger because i can't imagine the pain he went through to deliver us this match .. the only way i would've put 10 is if we've seen Tony pulling the trigger and giving the belt to Athena, but still happy with Toni as a champ!"

[6.0] "Ein Event ohne Höhen, aber mit einigen Tiefen. Die Matchqualität war weit hinter dem, was AEW sonst zu bieten hat. Das World-Titelmatch konnte zumindest mit Dramaturgie punkten. Der Main Event mal wieder in vielerlei Hinsicht sinnlos und kein Match, das die Welt gebraucht hat. Der Rest der Matches war akzeptabel bis gut."

"probably was the timing, but this year FD felt like another AEW ppv than a crossover show (Stardom is in the middle of their version of G1 tournament...I don't know about CMLL? ). You got just a couple of matches, which were ok, but half of the card was like for a big event ala All In. The show was absolute good, very solid, and there some screw up moments, especially the post matches (look at the main event)."

"Very disappointing PPV. The Forbidden Door concept has sadly run its course & you can tell with barely any cross over matches. The Main Event was by far the highlight of the night so at least they ended on a good note but everything prior either was a dud or did not leave up to expectations"

"Not a bad show at all, man. It wasn't the best FB, but overall, it was pretty solid. I didn't notice any major dips in quality. The last three matches were a must-watch, and they were easily the best parts of the show for me. Yeah, the results might have been predictable, but that's what you expect after All In. There weren't any big upsets or surprises, and that's okay. I like that a lot of the storylines were wrapped up before All Out, leaving the future wide open."

[6.0] "Definitely one of the weaker cards for AEW in 2025 but it was still better than Dynasty. Main event and the women's title match were the best matches and Swerve-Okada was solid. The rest were ranging from average to mediocre matches but nothing outright bad. The crowd wasn't really good considering they packed the whole arena but overall a solid PPV despite the really messy and underwhelming build. Hopefully it gets better for All Out."

"This is my first AEW PPV that I have watched on live TV. All In texas was my first ever aew ppv but I went in person and it is what got me totally hooked. I had so much fun with this event. I was a little disappointed by the copeland and christian tag team reunion match, but it did what it needed to. Highlights were obviously the steel cage match and MJF vs Hangman. The World Title match had me stressed out like crazy and it was super fun. Same with the steel cage. I will be missing Ospreay."

[7.0] "Main event was phenomenal. World title match was good. Women's title match was good but could have had more time. Okada/Swerve was disappointing. Three way tag was solid. IWGP title match was great. 4 way match was mid. Kyle/Hiromu was really good. Opener was so stupidly booked for no reason. Overall 6 out 9 matches was enjoyable plus Bryan's commentary was super refreshing."

[8.0] "Cope & Christian as opener made sense since it was mainly about moments (entrances, singing & post match handshake) to get the crowd involved. TNT Title match was good but Fletcher was obviously going to retain. TBS 4-way had a couple of cool spots and was a nice showcase for Persephone & especially Bozilla. I get that Mone was the physical "underdog" but the steal finish made her seem weak which I didn't like. ZSJ vs Nigel had an obvious winner & match style but I liked it. I thought they would do the Garcia heel turn afterwards. Tag Title match was confusing as it wasn't elimination apparently + commentators said something about noDQ etc at the start. I can't tell to what extent this "Hurt Syndicate refusing to put others over" is real. Finish was unfortunate and I didn't expect Brodido to win at all. Like their 1st match about 1 year ago, Okada vs Swerve didn't deliver what you expect from these names. It felt like Swerve couldn't go 100% due to upcoming meniscus surgery while Okada put in another 40% performance. I'm not sure whether Wardlow also has to be in DCF when the faction is already so big. Toni vs Athena was a good match but I don't understand at all why Athena lost after using her contract. Toni is in her 4th reign & almost at 200 days again, so who is supposed to beat her if not Mone or Athena. These shenanigans hurt the quality of the MJF vs Hangman match. The referee spot was very confusing and I also have mxied feelings about the end. Main event was simply pure chaos. Fork spot with Mox & Darby was too much for me and I'm also not a fan of certain Darby bumps. Ospreay worked safer than expected which is a positive. Hidden Blade / One winged Angel combo + high fly flow into Tanahashi getting the pin was a crowd pleaser. I would have preferred Ospreay to just walk out with a feel good moment. I didn't really need the Death Riders attack post match (incl. wrestling logic where faces won't climb over the cage), especially after Swerve was already writen off before in a similar way. Overall, the show was fine. Most matches were 7/10 but in some cases I expected more/there weren't really any peaks match quality-wise which AEW PPVs usually have."

"The ppv was amazing, loved the match styles and the way wrestlers fought. Aew is getting better with the talents in it"

[8.0] "A weaker PPV from AEW this year with not as many grand matches this time around. The positive no match was bad, but so much of the show was just ok to good, with really just the Lights Out match being great if you like that type of match. This PPV was also mostly predictable with really just the tag match with a surprise ending everything else played as predicted since MJF weaseled out of using the contract last minute meaning he definitely was going to lose to build to his potential rematch win in the future. Probably a 7.5 show overall"

[5.0] "I don't really know where I stand with AEW at this point after this PPV. All the wrestling here is great. It's amazing. I just don't care about anything that is happening on this show anymore and it showed the most with this one. The idea of Forbidden Door is already played out since you stole 90 percent of the talent that appears on this show anyways. I will say at least this show didn't last 7 hours that's a step in the right direction. Everything here is good to solid, just not memorable at all past next week. Pretty much how to describe AEW and the state of wrestling right now."

[9.0] "Fantastic show, great matches, a good return, did not felt tiring at all. The commentary team was phenomenal for this one and added A LOT to the experience. Wish we'd see more of Bryan there."

"Was an awesome show - the final 3 matches on the card could have been main events at most PPVs. Solid card throughout including the pre-show. Nice that they could a couple of British wrestlers into Zero Hour too. Atmosphere was good but for a British crowd I was expecting better tbh. A thoroughly enjoyable event, cannot wait for AEW to come back to the UK."

[8.0] "A middling first half gave way to an excellent second half. The top two in particular delivered just as much as I'd have hoped. 8.5/10"

[8.0] "[8.5/10] - The build-up to this PPV was practically non-existent due to the timing, which unfortunately was poorly managed with New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Climax, but we still had some good matches and some good, if not excellent, moments. One of the highlights was Bryan Danielson at the commentators' table. Please do this every PPV, and when he commented on the match between Zack Sabre and Nigel, it was crazy. The 3 greatest technicians in history in the same place. Then the last two matches were grandiose. The co-main has that of being a Five Stars and the main-event is a 5.5/5."

[7.0] "A very good show that slightly underdelivered but only by comparison to the very high bar that AEW has set for itself."

[8.0] "What a good show, some good matches, some alright matches, and only one bad match. The opening tag match was fine, could've been better, but served its purpose in a way. The TNT title match was good, the 4 Way TBS title match over-exceeded my expectations, Zack vs Nigel was a great technical match, the 3 Way tag titles was alright, could've been better, Okada vs Strickland was easily the worst match on this card, Toni vs Athena was good, besides Billie interfering, Page vs MJF was good and was better than their Revolution match besides a few stupid moments, and the 10 man cage match was pretty good."

[7.0] "A good not great event. The Forbidden Door concept just isn't what it once was, with Tony either hiring away most of the people from New Japan that U.S. fans are interested in, or others leaving New Japan (Naito) or retiring (Tanahashi.) It's clear that whatever AEW audience did watch New Japan doesn't know or care about anyone who came around since the Elite left. What we got instead was a b-show PPV, with low stakes matches with some peppered in bad booking. The floor of match quality is high for AEW so at least all of the matches at least were "good." I also am appreciative that it was "only" 4.5 hours. This did not make me excited for where AEW is heading in the Fall, especially if both Ospreay and Swerve will be on the IR."

"[9.0] Was at the show and found it very enjoyable with no matches dragging or having me lose interest, even the zero hour matches were quick and enjoyable and when the night ended both me and my son left very happy........my son said it was the best show he has been to."

[8.0] "Solid from top to bottom, with almost all very good matches. The in ring performances of just about every match were great, and every match had some level of backstory. Most matches have had weeks of solid story buildup on Dynamite and Collision, which is remarkable for a 9 match event. Standouts here in ring were Toni and Athena - I'm hoping for a rematch to main even a PPV. Hangman/MJF was excellent. And in the lights out match, the Young bucks as always steal the show. The standard for AEW PPVs is so high that this show doesn't really stand out compared to other AEW PPVs, but imagine seeing this show 10 years ago and we'd all be blown away. Now, there is a lot to nitpick at , and I felt that this show could have been an all time great show, with some 10 ratings, if not for a few issues. There was too much reliance on shenanigans for the heels - why does Athena need Billy Starkz to interfere a bunch of time, and still lose? The timing was a little too precise on the matches - look at those times - first 7 were all within 2 minutes length of each other. Why did Athena/Toni not get more time than tag title match? The Hangman/MJF match had a little too much ridiculousness with the ref being able to count to 2 but then passing out. And the lights out match - such an awesome match but then such a stupid post match beat down - why did the babyfaces forget how to climb when they're literally showing Marina Shafir climbing in the cage? So dumb. That should have been booked better. And... for a co branded show there was almost no New Japan presence - there should have been more. But still a very good show."

[6.0] "A full point is given for the live experience and the (mostly) excellent crowd. That said, this had A-show energy when canon-wise it was a B-show. Nothing significant happened that will be remembered six months from now. The emotional weight was inconsistent. Seeing Cope and Christian together was excellent, and Nigel's British presentation was well-done. But the only title change felt slightly botched, and Ospreay's beat-down was completely unnecessary when he'd already advertised needing surgery. The in-ring action was of decent quality, with Okada and the WC match the lowlights. The main event was a lot of fun. The in-ring bonuses go to Cope, Bozilla, The Young Bucks, with the night's best performer being Athena."

[9.0] "This is often one of the weakest shows of AEWs year, though I never want them to not do it because it's a celebration of wrestling across the planet. I'd love if there could be more companies on the card though. Despite that, the atmosphere, the quality of wrestling never dipping below a fantastic level, and Hangman v MJF having me in a frenzy it was so good, this show exceeded my expectations. AEW should make coming to the UK a twice yearly event. An incredibly fun event all around, with a superb 2nd half."

[7.0] "A "good" show with bad booking/sports entertainment style writing that hurt the matches. Weird efforts from some talents that makes it clear they should not be on these bigger stadium shows if they cannot show up. <cough> Okada, Lashley <cough>."

"This was my first AEW PPV and it was solid. Cope and Christian vs kip and Killswitch was a strange choice for the opener, but was not a bad match at all. Fletcher vs Takahashi was great, I thought Takahashi looked greated as someone not very familiar with Japanese wrestling. The womens 4 way was my favourite match from a workrate perspective, monez worked her ass off to make all 3 of her opponents look great. BOZILLA especially looked phenomenal. The IWGP championship match was a bit underwhelming imo, and it felt like it just ended when it looked like it was setting up for another 5-10 minutes. The Tag Team match was probably the worst of the night, with quite the confusing finish. Swerve and Okada was fine, not much to say. I loved Athena vs storm, and I thought storm looked phenomenal. The world title match had a lot of great stuff, but in my opinion there was far to much in terms of shenanigans and other things. The lights out steel cage was my match of the night, highlight after highlight with some truly amazing spots, a great entrance from osprey and the bucks, and a good finishing angle. Overall, I'd say 7 out of 10, a good show overall."

"Last night's AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door was a great show, for sure. It wasn't perfect, but it had some good wrestling. I'm giving it an 7.5/10. The opening tag was fine. It's a shame about Nick Wayne The Kyle Fletcher match was solid as usual. The TBS 4-way was ok. If you're into British hold wrestling, then you'll enjoy the Nigel/Sabre match. The tag championship match was nothing special. The backstage rumors appear to be true about MVP and the Hurt Syndicate. I thought Okada and Swerve would have match of the night, but it was just, OK. Page and MJF. The first 15 minutes could've been cut. And the lights-out match was great."

[7.0] "At the lower end of the scale for AEW PPV's which you kind of knew going in. A show very much saved by its main event."

[6.0] "On the scale of AEW PPVs, this was certainly one of the weaker ones. Hangman/MJF was excellent other than the convoluted botched ending. Easily the highlight of the show. Just a great match with good pacing but I do think the finish was either badly booked or botched. When Bryce counts 3, that should be the end of the match even if Hangman's foot was on the ropes. Briscoe comes out to distract which made little sense and eventually the match is restarted and Hangman wins. Not sure what they were going for here. Edge/Christian had an off match with Killswitch seemingly holding up Kip just so Edge could spear him. Very off match. I think Edge/Christian need to focus more on promos and less in ring bc this was quite dulls. The 3 way tag made sense in having Ricochet attack Hurt. But don't understand putting the belts on Brody/Bandido when the EC/FTR match is the money match for Canada. Women's 4 way was a snoozefest as the crowd was dead for it. Great Ospreay intro video for the lights out match, but that was a very very tame lights out match. Other than Darby doing stunt man things I didn't think it was very good. Wardlow returns to attack Swerve? Eh ok. I have Death Riders fatigue so them doing the honors to write Ospreay off the show was whatever. Coming out of this PPV I'm not really excited about anything. Two bright spots I'll also add was Danielson was good on commentary again. And Walker Stewart is an amazing announcing talent for only 23 years old. AEW should poach him. Way better voice than Excalibur"

"Got too see this event live in person & I enjoyed it, I understand this wasn't the strongest forbidden door ppv but It still had excellent matches"

[7.0] "Of all the interactions we've had at Forbidden Door, this is the weakest so far. The main factor is obviously the poor choice of holding the special, which revolves around the AEW x NJPW partnership, during a period when the Japanese company's stars are unavailable (G1 Climax season). The matches here weren't particularly memorable (with the exception of the main event), and we only had two "forbidden" matches during the show. It turned out that the zero hour was more "forbidden" than the main card, which felt like a typical AEW PPV, with the difference being the always-good British crowd. Cope/Christian vs. Sabian/Killswitch: the simplest and weakest match of the event, with highlights including the interactions between Kip and Killswitch (MVP) and the ovation received by Cope [***], Fletcher vs. Hiromu: the best of the "forbidden" matches, Kyle's reign has a lot of potential [***3/4], 4-Way: I would have preferred to see a Japanese fighter in the Stardom spot, but Bozilla ended up being the one who surprised me the most during the match [***1/2], ZSJ vs. Nigel: this here in Nigel's prime would be a banger [***1/4], 3-Way: I was surprised (positively) by Brodido's victory (Brody was my MVP here) [***1/2], Okada vs. Swerve: the match I was most excited to see ended up being the one I was most disappointed in, these two can do much better than this [***1/4]. After the match, we had the return of Wardlow, which ends up being more for the endless recruitment of the Don Callis Family. What's the point of having so many wrestlers like that? Especially guys with similar characteristics like Archer and Wardlow or Okada and Takeshita, plus the lost Josh Alexander and Rocky Romero who don't add anything to the stable or to themselves. By the way, I almost forgot to comment on Jamie Hayter's return in a very out-of-place segment that should have happened at Collision (at least I hope this leads into the women's Blood & Guts match). Toni vs. Athena: I love Toni Storm, but here she should have lost, once again TK wastes this contract (just like he did with Christian) and with that he runs out of credible opponents to take the title from Toni (currently I only see Statlander with this caliber) [***1/4], Hangman vs. MJF: this match was exactly as expected, a good match that would suffer from overbooking because of the stipulation, Max and Page had a sensational match technically, but that three-count angle was confusing and ended my immersion in the match, and as much as I like MJF, they should have made him spend his contract here, because I don't want to see the MITB dynamic in AEW, I don't want to see Max with the title now (other guys are ahead of the line) and much less see Hangman lose the title so soon [****1/4], Lights Out: MOTN, definitely the match I had the most fun with during the show, the gummy bears spot made me genuinely laugh, Darby taking the usual bizarre bumps and the agonizing fork spot that gave me chills (I can't wait for the definitive match between him and Mox), the Golden Lovers and Young Bucks interaction, Gabe Kidd and Tanahashi bringing the "forbidden" part with the stipulation disguising the limitations of the old Tana which even finished managed to entertain those who watched (I would have preferred to see him in a multi-man tag involving Shibata anyway), but my MVP was Claudio who was in berserk mode destroying everything and everyone [****1/2]. And at the end of the PPV we had the Death Riders attack on Will Ospreay which justifies in kayfabe the absence he will have due to the imminent surgery and still leaves the hook of the feud for his return, but I was bothered by the babyfaces not trying to climb the cell (things they did throughout the match). Pro-Wrestling and its wonderful (lack of) logic."

[7.0] "Forbidden Door 2025 is what I would call an average AEW PPV. And, for better or for worse, an average PPV for AEW is disappointing. Further, the reasons why this was an average PPV for AEW were frustrating! This was a show where no individual performances undercut the show. Sure, some matches, like Swerve vs. Okada, were not up to the standards that should be expected of them. But for the most part, all of the wrestlers performed up to the expectations that the booking gave them. That's what's frustrating. The booking, the stories, the build, and even the fucking finishes for this card all limited its potential. It was still a very fun PPV. These are many of the best wrestlers in the world, after all. They took what they were given and they made the best of it. But if we could just get some fucking fresh, unpredictable booking with some real drama maybe these GOAT wrestlers wouldn't be handicapped into killing themselves for an average show."

[6.0] "It didn't click for me. As a fan of both companies, none of it made me feel. It wasn't bad at all, mind you. It just felt lacking. No actual Forbidden Door was crossed, the whole thing was essentially a below average AEW PPV with most rivalries half cooked at best. The crossover element that is supposed to be the raison d'être of the event is non existant, and the NJPW branding itself is barely justified with the appearance of a short handful of New Japan stars that feelt more like a cameo. The matches are ok, some better than others but none bad. It just wasn't a Forbidden Door. As an avid intercompany enjoyer, this was a let down."

[9.0] "Is not the best AEW PPV this year when we talk about results, but in ring level it was by far one of the best in this year AND BY FAR, what an amazing performance by anyone"

[7.0] "I enjoyed some parts but other parts I just found kinda predictable. Nothing here is bad so imma say that. The mainevent is a absolute spotfest and that ear spot was pretty fucked up but other then that it was fun. Glad people are taking a look at Bozilla finally too"

"[10.0] The event was a perfect 10/10 from start to finish. Every wrestler went all out, and the intensity never faded. The Hurt Syndicate were the real disappointment of the night for refusing to take the count, but that only highlighted how good FTR truly are. And then there's Tanahashi. Watching the Ace take the fall wasn't sad--it was monumental. It felt like witnessing history, a defining moment in what may be the closing chapter of one of wrestling's greatest careers. Eternal respect to the Ace."

[8.0] "This wasn't as good as every other AEW ppv this year, but it was still a good PPV with an all timer main event. Only problems I really had with the show were a few booking decisions (mostly Athena losing clean to Toni) and I didn't like the opening tag a whole lot. Other than that, I really enjoyed the show and LOVED the main event!"

[10.0] "Being there live for this show was simply magical. Points have to be added just for the atmosphere alone, any show you exit with ruined vocal cords was one for the ages. Add onto that a consistently great show, with no disappointments and a few tremendous highs, and this simply has to be a ten. Long live AEW!"

[9.0] "Really a great show top to bottom. Matches all delivered, pacing was strong and the progression/closure of angles was appropriate. Tough when you have to write off two stars like swerve and Ospreay in the same show but they didn't effectively and the crowd leaned into it. Road to All Out should be interesting and especially intrigued to see where Takeshita goes next. Another great PPV effort from AEW in 2025."

"Not as good as previous Forbidden Doors but the Main Event was incredible. Some matches that I was expecting to deliver sadly was a little disappointing like Okada/Swerve & Toni/Athena but overall I still enjoyed the show. Maybe instead of the opener if those extra minutes went to every or certain matches it would've been better. ZSJ & Nigel was fantastic, TBS 4 way was really good & shenanigans & overbooking aside I thought Hangman & MJF was great. Show as a 7.5 out of 10"

[7.0] "It was a decent show and I enjoyed it but I absolutely did not enjoy the used diaper ending. It's apparently too much to ask right now to just let a show end and let the fans go home happy. I really can't stand the overused modern trope in wrestling where they try to sell "injuries" with the doctors and announcers talking in a tone like someone died. Moxley and the dick riders are AEW's answer to House of Torture."

[10.0] "Was there live and it was electric. Hot from start to finish and particularly enjoyed the last two matches. Plus the return of Wardlow and big angle to write off Ospreay. Mmmmmmmmbop, Gummi Bears and Madness, if ya know ya know!"

[6.0] "This is the most okay pay-per-view I've ever paid for. I won't say it didn't give me my money's worth, but there weren't any big angles or matches that I was really in love with. But hey most every match was decent to good except for the world title match, and even that one was a notch below everything else. The IWGP world title match and the Lights Out Steel Cage are the matches you should check out from this show."

"Forbidden Door 2025 was everything I love about wrestling wrapped into one night. From the shocking returns to the hard-hitting matches, the show never slowed down--it felt like the pace just kept building with every bout. The crowd was electric, the storytelling hit deep, and the action delivered in a way that made it impossible to look away. It had emotion, chaos, and some unforgettable moments that I'll be rewatching for a long time. For me, this was near perfect. I'd give it a 9.5/10."

[8.0] "On paper, this show had all-timer potential. However, it just didn't hit that all timer level. Which is funny because the show itself in my opinion doesn't have anything bad. It's a consistently good show with some odd choices. MJF Hangman had all the potential to be God Tier but it was just overbooked despite it's shines of greatness. Athena should have won her match against Toni. Everything else was very fun, with the main issue if anything being the sloppy, messy, and sometimes dumb endings. But that main event cage match did live up to that all time potential and was incredibly fun."

[9.0] "It was a great PPV, but below the standards that AEW always delivers. The opening match was entertaining and good enough to wake up the London crowd, lasting just the right amount of time for what was expected of this tag team match. I didn't have much faith in the match between Fletcher and Hiromu personally and I was surprised, although I felt that just as the best part between the two was beginning, it ended and the crowd wasn't 100% engaged (something that happened in many matches throughout the evening), but it was still a solid match with great moments. Another match that surprised me was the fatal 4-way, interesting as there was great chemistry between the two, but again with an abrupt ending. Spectacular technical match between Nigel and ZSJ, great chemistry between the two and a physical fight that gave us many memorable moments, but also with an abrupt ending, something that at this point started to bother me a little, but great match. Next came the elimination round of the 3-way match, which was a fantastic fight between everyone involved, but with an ugly botch at the end, although I honestly enjoyed the fight from start to finish. The next two matches were the disappointments of this PPV: Okada vs. Swerve and Athena vs. Toni. I expected much more from both contests, even feeling they were short-lived. In the case of Okada vs. Swerve, I can understand that the length of the match was due to the latter's injury, but I sincerely think it could have been handled differently. The same was true of the Athena vs. Toni match, where I didn't like the submission ending at all because it would lose credibility for the challenger in the future. I liked the MJF vs. Hangman match up until the very end, from the point they started overbooking with Hangman's foot touching the rope and what came next was a tremendous mistake. If it had ended any other way, I'd say the match would have been the best of the night. Finally, the main event was incredible and fantastic. Steel cage matches are what AEW does best. It was the best match of the night and of the year, with decent winners and a strong finish, effectively leaving Ospreay out of the company for a while. I liked the returns of Hayter and Wardlow. This PPV is one of AEW's lowest-performing shows of the year, but it's still an incredible show. The quality standard is extremely high, and I hope today's mistakes are fixed. 9/10."

[8.0] "I give the show an 8/10. It was excellent overall, despite some stumbles. Several matches felt slower than AEW's usual fast-paced style, with some endings coming off as clunky. Apart from the main event, the show felt unusually safe for AEW, lacking the explosive, hard-hitting action fans expect. Recently, the pacing seems to have slowed, resembling WWE's pattern of a few moves followed by rest. It feels like AEW may have instructed wrestlers to dial back and prioritize safety. While far from a bad show, it didn't deliver the typical AEW intensity outside the main event."

[9.0] "Didn't have that special sauce of Double or Nothing or All In that turns a 9 into a 10. But there wasn't a single bad match on this card, and a bunch of really good ones, and an excellent semi-main and even better main event. TK really did the best from the cards he was dealt by New Japan, and although it wasn't wise to have this show so soon after the G1, it's not his fault that Gedo's refusal to push any young talent meant that the door was a little less Forbidden this year. Still, an excellent show bolstered by an electric crowd. The strike rate of success for AEW, despite everything thrown at the show, continues."

[7.0] "This year's Forbidden Door Pay-Per-View marked AEW's weakest installment since the event's inception in 2022. While many matches were solid, only two or three truly stood out as exceptional. The event notably lacked the New Japan wrestlers who have made it special in the past, featuring instead a mix of CMLL, Stardom, and some New Japan Pro-Wrestlers. To enhance the event's appeal, it should exclusively showcase AEW and NJPW wrestlers competing against each other to determine which company possesses the superior talent. The conclusion, wherein Will Ospreay was eliminated to write him off, felt poorly executed. Furthermore, the scene involving Marria Shafir climbing while chaos unfolded outside lacked alertness and focus. Overall, the show was merely adequate and failed to evoke the usual excitement associated with AEW events. It felt weak for a Forbidden Door presentation, and I hope that next year will restore the spark that fans expect."

[7.0] "Forbidden Door 2025 delivered for the most part, but couldn't shake of the feel of being a filler B-tier event, despite this year's show placing a heavier emphasis on being an AEW show than a crossover show (something that I actually thought was a good thing, as it allowed them to continue to build organic storylines, rather than placing temporary holds on storylines to fit in NJPW crossovers). The lack of title changes was disappointing, given how long many of their current champions have held the belts. Admittedly the tag titles switching Brodido was a little bit of a surprise, but not a huge one as they seem to be building towards FTR picking up the belts and facing Copeland and Christian at All Out (I am saying, I think they are transitional champs who will lose to FTR in the next few weeks). I was expecting some angles to push forward current storylines or start new ones, but outside of Wardlow and Hayter returning, there wasn't much. It seemed obvious that Garcia would make a much needed heel turn, but then didn't. MJF vs Hangman was fun, but could have been better due to the overbooking getting a bit silly. Unfortunately they also gave away the outcome the second they added all the silly stipulations and made it so MJF didn't have to use his contract. To move onto some positives though, I don't think there was a single bad match, even if overall I was a little disappointed. The cage match was also just silly fun, even if I do think AEW overdoes these huge multiman over the top hardcore main events now."

"I thought this was a great show filled with a lot of great ring action. Every match was good-great. I would definitely rate this ppv 10/10"

[10.0] "A heavenly great pro wrestling extravaganza. The event featured a great load of solid matches and storytelling across its 4 hours and 30 minutes run. The matches were great, and the amazing crowd made them even bigger. It started with a good opener followed by superb TNT championship match from Kyle as always. The four-way TBS was magnificent followed by the dream matches' dream match which was a technical masterclass to the core. MJF/Hangman match was phenomenal both in-ring and storytelling and what a bloody slobber-knocker was that main event."

[9.0] "Truly an amazing show...aside from the tag match which was fine for an Opener and the triple threat tag match for a with a strange finish each match delivered, AEW has nailed every ppv this year and o have no problem spending $50 for them. AEW is going to be without swerve and ospreay. Favorite matches of the night were both women's title matches and the lights out steel cage match, I don't think you can sit there and give this show anything lower than an 8 unless you're just trying to bring down the score. I'm looking forward to the build to All Out"

[5.0] "While nowhere near the quality of World's End 2023 or All Out 2020, I thought this show was well below the standard of AEW PPVs. Pretty much every match on this show, even the ones I thought were good, still underdelivered. The MJF/Hangman match, which had a lot of great moments, also had some really stupid, overbooked moments, which really hurt the match for me. The main event was a lot of fun, but there was some silliness in it that I did not like. Toni Storm/Athena was aggressively fine, falling short of expectations. I found Okada/Swerve really boring, honestly. The undercard was good, but not great. I enjoyed the returns of Hayter and Wardlow though."

[10.0] "A legit 10/10 here. Just everything rocked it from bell to bell, even the matches with interference were laid out exactly how they needed to be. I would put this up against any card this year as the absolute best. Mad respect to the O2 crowd for being loud and alive and into absolutely everything. This is the type of show that has you buzzing for hours after it's finished. Great job to all involved and get well soon to Swerve and Ospreay."

[8.0] "Despite the real lack of the door being forbidden, I really enjoyed this show, shame the world tag title finish was dreadfully botched but that match was great, the tnt/tbs titles overdelievered, Swerve/Okada was a classic, main event lights out was awesome plunder bollocks, but the MJF match was dire overbook nonsense and the stuff I can't stand about the guy. ZSJ/Nigel was class."

[10.0] "AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door 2025 bekommt von mir die volle Punktzahl. Zu allen Matches jeweils mehr in den Guides. Mein Match of the Night bleibt das AEW World Title Match dem ich (****3/4) gab. AEW TBS Title Four Way Match ist auf Platz 2 gelandet (****1/4) und Platz 3 gibt es für den Main Event (****). Das IWGP World Heavyweight Title Match ist Minimal auf Platz 4 gelandet und wäre sonst auf Platz 3 gelandet."

"Pretty good show. Main event was a MOTY contender. A few other really good matches. Maybe not the best aew ppv but the bar is really high."

[7.0] "[7.3] Overall, as far as the actual in-ring wrestling goes, good show, but there were a lot of kind of baffling booking decisions. Not taking the moment to turn Daniel Garcia heel when he desperately needs something new, having Athena, the super-champion in ROH, tap out when there's a distinct lack of realistically credible challengers to Toni Storm, everything with Hangman Page and MJF. All just generally really confusing calls. There is a lot of good here, however. All the in-ring stuff was at a minimum good, they actually struck while the iron was hot for once and made Brodido the tag champions instead of putting them on FTR for their inevitable Cope and Christian storyline like everyone expected, Wardlow's finally back. Like I said, just a good show with a lot of really weird booking calls."

[4.0] "Every year, Forbidden Door has felt less special year after year. This was the worst of it. Yes, there were some great matches, however, the booking of the entire PPV as a whole was just bizarre in how so many small things piled up to just be....ehh? Boring in some spots, I guess? The best match on the card, Page vs MJF, was unnecessarily overbooked, the main event was fun but one entire team was basically a walking emergency room, and the rest of the card was very unremarkable."

[8.0] "My rating for AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door 2025 is a 8/10, a great event with matches that were good and incredible, that ending with Ospreay getting attacked was dramatic, and doesn't disappoint me at all. 8/10"

[4.0] "Sadly there is not much forbidden about this door, but it wasn't awful. I'd say most of the score comes from a well paced event, i think they did some real clever match positioning but sadly most matches didn't deliver which is a recurrent issue for me. I liked the ending, it was nice seeing zsj and nigel and the mjf match was pretty okay but tha's pretty much it, i did like the returns and cool crowd moments ofc but it feels just like any other aew event with the sad add on that this one feels SO empty status quo wise, basically nothing changes. They wrote off ospreay too which was a bit unnecessary but eh, at least is something that sets up future aew matches ig"

[6.0] "I wouldn't say it's a great show overall, but it was ok. AEW has set such a high bar for itself at this point that it's hard to match every time. To be honest I think the Forbidden Door moniker needs to go away for a bit when it's really AEW heavy. Match of the night was MJF v Hangman. The main event was really entertaining and a bummer when you know Will Ospreay is going away for a bit with him being written off. No other match really stood out that much for me."

[4.0] "Well the IWGP world title, the AEW world title and the main event delivered but I really think this could have been booked better. This show feels more like an AEW standalone show with cameos from NJPW wrestlers rather then actual AEW/NJPW crossovers. We could have okada vs tanahashi in the card(unless they are saving for either the AEW all out in Toronto show, or in the Tokyo dome) than we could have MJF vs Mark Briscoe(which they subbed it from all in Texas). Hiromu vs Fletcher was a huge disappointment and so was Toni storm vs Athena. This show should have been really booked better. I hope next forbidden door show takes place in Japan"