The latest WWE and AEW News and Results
Image: AEW
AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door PPV is this Sunday and on today’s Wrestling Weekly with Vic Sosa and Les Thatcher, we’ll give our predictions for all the matches.
We’ll also look at the rapidly changing TV/PLE landscape in WWE and just how much you have to spend to keep up with the product.
Thanks for listening and have a great weekend~!
John LaRocca and Garrett Gonzales are back with a brand-new Fight Game to discuss the latest happenings in the world of pro wrestling.
We kicked off the show with our Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down winners and losers of the week before getting to our big topic of the show which the AEW Forbidden Door preview.
We also talked about the following:
FIRST TIME SUBSCRIBERS GET 50% OFF – Exclusive Subscriber only Podcasts
Click Here to Listen (sub needed)
Image: AEW
Former AEW International Champion Will Ospreay has done the media rounds ahead of this Sunday’s AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door where he will compete with his future after the match heavily in doubt.
Ospreay said on Wednesday’s Dynamite that he will need to have surgery after Forbidden Door, something he confirmed in an interview with Screen Off Script. He said the two herniated discs he is dealing with is “doing a number on my arm” but that it is being “navigated” by the medical team.
Despite the injury, he said he is fully confident and comfortable in the ring and that while the situation is nerve-wracking, “everyone is comfortable with me going into this match” on Sunday.
Ospreay said there is no set date for the surgery or a potential timeframe in which he could return post-surgery. He’s been dealing with the issue for ten months.
There have been questions about how Ospreay got medically cleared despite dealing with the injury. He addressed that in a separate interview with Sports Illustrated, saying that initially, he was told he would need rest and time off after All In. Then, his MRI results came back and he was told by doctors that the injury “is worse than what we thought it was gonna be, but that it’s manageable.”
He said the injury is “absolutely fine” and that his surgeon said the discs won’t get any worse but that they need to be corrected.
From SI:
“I have a huge medical team around me, and guys that work with AEW,” Ospreay said. “They would not allow me to go into the ring unless, if it was a huge percentage of a risk of me getting hurt. Like, honestly, do you think my wife would let me go in a ring if there’s a high chance of me dying?”
Ospreay teams with Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kenny Omega, Darby Allin and Kota Ibushi against Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Gabe Kidd and the Young Bucks in the unsanctioned cage match Sunday.
AEW and NJPW are set to close out Forbidden Door 2025 with the traditional post show media scrum, giving viewers the chance to hear directly from the wrestlers and executives just minutes after the final bell.
As with AEW’s other pay-per-views, the post show press conference will start shortly after the main event concludes. These scrums often feature championship winners, major storyline reveals, and direct comments from AEW President Tony Khan, making them must-watch for fans who want the complete Forbidden Door experience.
Below, we break down the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2025 Post Show Scrum start times across the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and other major regions so you know exactly when to tune in.
For viewers in the US, the Forbidden Door main card begins at 1:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM PT. Factoring in the typical runtime of AEW pay-per-views, the post show scrum is expected to begin around 5:00 PM ET / 2:00 PM PT.
This start time may vary slightly depending on the length of the show, but AEW streams all post show scrums live on their official YouTube channel, so American fans won’t need to worry about pay-per-view access to catch it.
The UK is hosting this year’s Forbidden Door at The O2 in London, with the main show kicking off at 6:00 PM BST. Given the standard AEW runtime, fans can expect the post show scrum to start around 10:00 PM BST.
British fans have the advantage of local timing, and with the event being broadcast globally, the post show will be readily available online as soon as it goes live.
For Australian viewers, Forbidden Door 2025 will air on Monday morning due to the time difference. The main card begins at 3:00 AM AEST on August 25, meaning the post show scrum should begin around 7:00 AM AEST.
Here is a quick breakdown of estimated post show scrum times in key international regions:
| Region | Estimated Start Time | Date |
|---|---|---|
| US (ET) | 5:00 PM | Sunday, Aug 24 |
| US (PT) | 2:00 PM | Sunday, Aug 24 |
| UK (BST) | 10:00 PM | Sunday, Aug 24 |
| Europe (CEST) | 11:00 PM | Sunday, Aug 24 |
| Australia (AEST) | 7:00 AM | Monday, Aug 25 |
| Japan (JST) | 6:00 AM | Monday, Aug 25 |
AEW head Tony Khan spoke to the media for over an hour Thursday ahead of this Sunday’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view from London, England.
Khan was asked about his thoughts on WWE running head-to-head shows against them and their recent media rights deals. He didn’t go into specifics, but instead focused on the success this year of AEW from their TV and Max viewership to events like Forbidden Door. While he follows other promotions, he doesn’t want to focus on what they are doing and has been super-focused on AEW.
Khan was asked about comments made about PPV being dead and if he was interested in bringing his events to a singular platform. He instead put over AEW’s PPV success and his various partners. He said he is looking forward to HBO Max “joining the PPV party” but didn’t give an update on that date.
He talked about how the calendar was a bit different this year in relation to NJPW G1 tournament and that the schedule for Stardom was the reason Bozilla was just made available this week to enter the TBS title four-way. He alluded to that not being the case in the future, but that regardless of the schedule, he will continue to do whatever is best for the event.
He said Sunday’s show will be one of their top five gates in AEW history and finds it noteworthy that three of their top four will be events held in London (All In from Wembley 2x).
Here’s some other news and notes:
Khan told an interesting story about Yota Tsuji and how he was unavailable for this year’s Forbidden Door or any of the TV leading up. He said he wanted to use Tsuji at last year’s event to challenge then-AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland but was essentially talked out of it due him to not being as established as a real challenger. Will Ospreay made a pitch for himself to get the shot which Khan eventually agreed to.
Asked about the lineup for the lights out cage match, Khan said it was the “exact lineup” he dreamed of. He simply asked Hiroshi Tanahashi if he wanted to do it and he said yes.
Khan appeared a little off-guard when asked about the future of AEW video games after Fight Forever, saying he didn’t consider himself an expert but tried to take insight & advice from those who know and they learned a lot. He hopes to make the next game much better and learn from those experiences. He is unsure about what the future is for games, but that it’s important to his fans and he’s trying to learn from that. He does expect future forays into gaming.
For the full call with more questions & answers, listen here.
AEW × NJPW: Forbidden Door 2025 at The O2 Arena is nearly a complete sell-out, and it’s turning into one of the most anticipated wrestling events of the year.
According to the latest data shared via WrestleTix on X, the event scheduled for Sunday, 24 August 2025 at 16:00 (doors open at 16:00, show starts at 18:00) is a draw. Out of a total seating setup of 17,392, there are only 233 tickets still available, meaning tickets distributed stand at 17,159. That’s a gain of 537 tickets sold since the last update four days ago, as per WrestleTix.
Putting this in context: the complete seat map offers 17,552 seats, making the new setup a substantial increase from the usual configuration. and a smart move by AEW to meet demand.
Extremely close.
Further figures from, our own Wrestling Observer have ticket sales at 14,529 distributed, generating an impressive $2.5 million in live gate revenue so far. Given the remaining inventory and such strong sales, it’s highly probable that the event will sell out in the remaining days leading up to the show.
The cheapest ticket still available is £31.75, a surprisingly accessible price for a major AEW × NJPW sow. Secondary markets have seen even higher valuation, wit earlier reports noted secondary “get‑in” prices ranging from $105 to $729. This marks AEW’s venue debut at The O2, their first time staging a Forbidden Door event in London and the UK in general.
It’s also noteworthy that this show is breaking AEW’s own attendance records for Forbidden Door itself, where previous average attendance stood at around 13,225.
Not yet, but almost certainly will in the next few days. With only 233 tickets left, massive expansion of seating, and strong financials already in place, AEW × NJPW: Forbidden Door 2025 is officially on the brink of a complete sell-out.
AEW and NJPW are once again teaming up for one of the biggest crossover events in wrestling: Forbidden Door 2025. Scheduled for Sunday, August 24, this year’s edition features a stacked lineup with championship clashes, dream matches, and a massive Lights Out Steel Cage bout. With top stars from both promotions, this event promises to deliver some of the most exciting matches of the year.
Below is the full AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2025 card that fans around the world can look forward to.
In one of the night’s most anticipated bouts, “Hangman” Adam Page defends the AEW World Championship against MJF. The stipulations add major intrigue: the title can change hands on a disqualification or countout, and MJF cannot use his “anywhere, anytime” contract.
Kazuchika Okada faces off against Swerve Strickland for the AEW Unified Championship.
Toni Storm continues her “Timeless” reign by defending the AEW Women’s Championship against Athena.
The tag division heats up with a Triple Threat match featuring The Hurt Syndicate, FTR, and the unpredictable duo Brodido.
Mercedes Moné puts the TBS Championship on the line in a high-stakes four-way match against Persephone, Alex Windsor, and Bozilla.
Kyle Fletcher defends the TNT Championship against Hiromu Takahashi in a match that highlights AEW’s ongoing collaboration with NJPW.
AEW and NJPW stars collide in a blockbuster Lights Out Steel Cage Match: Death Riders, Gabe Kidd, Young Bucks vs Darby Allin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Will Ospreay, Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi
In one of the most intriguing matches of the night, Zack Sabre Jr defends the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Nigel McGuinness, who returns to the ring with Daniel Garcia in his corner.
The “Rated R Superstar” Adam Copeland reunites with Christian for a tag team match against Kip Sabian & Killswitch. With decades of history between Copeland and Christian, their reunion adds nostalgia and star power to an already stacked card.
The fourth entrant is official for the four-way TBS title match at Sunday’s AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door and it’s a rather large threat to reigning champion Mercedes Mone.
Announced on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, Stardom’s representative is the 5’11”, 200+ pound Bozilla who will be making her AEW debut on the show.
Mone and Bozilla will be joined by Alex Windsor and CMLL’s Persephone in the four-way in London, England.
The 21-year-old German native has been recently competing in the 5STAR Grand Prix 2025 and was unsuccessful in besting NJPW Strong Women’s Champion AZM in July.
This Sunday’s AEW World Tag Team title match at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door is now officially a three-way following the events of Wednesday’s Dynamite.
In the finals of the eight-team Tag Team title eliminator tournament, FTR and Brodido (Brody King & Bandido) went to a 30-minute time limit draw. It was announced nearly immediately afterward that both team will face reigning champions The Hurt Syndicate on Sunday.
Shelton Benjamin, Bobby Lashley and MVP came out afterward to stare down both teams.
FTR will be looking for their third run with the titles and their first since October 2023 while Brodido is in search of their first. With a win, Benjamin and Lashley will earn a seventh successful title defense and extend a 200+ day run.
The return of Adam Copeland and Christian Cage as a team at this Sunday’s AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door got another interesting twist during Wednesday’s Dynamite: the former Luchasaurus.
Cage and Copeland were doing an in-ring interview with Tony Schiavone when Kip Sabian and Mother Wayne came out to interrupt. Nick Wayne was then shown on the videoboard on crutches, saying he broke his foot avoiding Cage swinging Copeland’s spiked 4×4 at him. He said Cage took Forbidden Door away from him, but he was always a step ahead.
A video of Killswitch/Luchasaurus played and he then emerged, heading to the ring with Sabian and Wayne following. Cage took out Sabian while Copeland was chokeslammed by Killswitch. The former Patriarchy member and Cage had a staredown and then Cage got chokeslammed by his former stablemate. It was then revealed Killswitch will team with Sabian in Wayne’s place.
The former AEW Tag Team Champion, TNT Champion and Trios Champion was hospitalized in September 2024 with complications from pneumonia in both of his lungs and there was speculation his in-ring career was on the line. The 40-year-old hasn’t wrestled since August 2024’s All In.
With the show moving back a couple of months, the build to AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2025 required a “different cadence” than usual.
Forbidden Door had been held in June every year since the pay-per-view was first introduced in 2022. But the event was moved to August this year with the AEW schedule being shaken up a bit. The band Coldplay had Wembley Stadium booked at the time AEW All In usually happens, so that PPV was moved up to July and was held in Texas. Forbidden Door is now happening at The O2 in London this Sunday on what had traditionally been All In weekend.
The shake-up impacted the build to Forbidden Door, with most of NJPW’s top stars competing in the G1 Climax and unable to appear on AEW television. Despite that, Tony Khan feels the build still worked well, pointing to AEW Dynamite being number one on cable in the 18-49 demo last Wednesday.
“We’re going to have one of the biggest days in the history of the company with Forbidden Door, which is also going to be one of our biggest gates ever. But with the G1 Climax happening this time of year, it’s different cadence than the other Forbidden Doors,” Khan said.
“It’s always something fun working with Gedo. It’s a very different presentation using American television to build pay-per-views. It’s a different rhythm and cadence to what’s typically done in Japan and what New Japan does to present a show.
“And for us, this year, with a little bit less availability of a lot of those stars, we’ve still been able to work in great representation from top stars in New Japan Pro Wrestling, as we’re going to talk about on the card. Big matches involving top stars in New Japan and big stakes in AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling. But also, a lot of their stars tied up in the G1 Climax, which we’re very excited about.”
Khan said he was excited to watch Konosuke Takeshita’s G1 matches. The AEW star was crowned the winner of the tournament last weekend, securing a future IWGP World Heavyweight Championship shot.
Zack Sabre Jr. is the current IWGP World Champion and will be defending the belt against Nigel McGuinness at Forbidden Door. NJPW wrestlers Hiroshi Tanahashi, Gabe Kidd, and Hiromu Takahashi are also set to compete on Sunday.
The Forbidden Door build will wrap up in Glasgow tonight with a Dynamite episode and Collision taping.
AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door comes to London on Sunday 24 August 2025, with the main card scheduled for early morning in the US. For viewers around the world the show will be available as a pay per view and on a number of streaming platforms, while the preshow will be streamed for free on AEW’s official YouTube channel.
US viewers can order Forbidden Door through Prime Video, PPV.com and YouTube, or via traditional cable and satellite PPV providers. AEW also lists additional US streaming options depending on device, and many bars and venues will carry the card. Check the platform you prefer for regional availability and payment options.
Fans in the UK can stream the PPV on Prime Video and other authorised PPV vendors listed by AEW, with the event timed to start at 6:00 pm BST. If you plan to watch at home, buy the PPV through your preferred retailer ahead of the event to avoid delays on match night.
In Australia Forbidden Door will be available as a PPV offering via Main Event and Kayo Sports, which provide simple on-demand ordering for big wrestling shows. Kayo’s PPV page and Main Event both include device support for smart TVs, mobiles and streaming boxes.
Across Europe the easiest option is to order through Prime Video where available, or via PPV.com and other local PPV partners that AEW confirms closer to the date. Local cable and satellite providers may also carry the event, so check your country’s sports PPV listings.
Japanese fans should check NJPW World for coverage options and any special local arrangements. NJPW World has previously offered live streams and big event coverage, and may publish details for Forbidden Door closer to the event date.
AEW confirms select international partners from time to time, including Triller and additional digital PPV platforms in certain markets. If your country is not listed, PPV.com and YouTube often cover many regions, but always check AEW’s official “how to watch” page and local listings for the final, authorised options.
The preshow, often called the Buy-In or Zero Hour, will stream free on AEW’s official YouTube channel, making it easy to catch undercard action and match build before the paid main card begins. For the smoothest experience, buy the PPV early, test your streaming app beforehand, and remember the start time is 6:00 pm BST on Sunday 24 August 2025.
The AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2025 pay‑per‑view event is set to deliver in a big way from The O2 Arena in London, with the main card kicking off at 6:00 PM British Summer Time (BST) on Sunday, August 24, 2025. Here’s everything fans around the world need to know about main event start times, ensuring you’re locked in from the first bell.
For fans in the United States:
In the UK, the main card airs live at:
Beyond the US, UK, and Australia, here’s how the main card timing breaks down globally:
In summary:
| Region / Time Zone | Main Card Start Time |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BST) | 6:00 PM, Sunday, August 24 |
| United States (ET) | 1:00 PM, Sunday, August 24 |
| United States (PT) | 10:00 AM, Sunday, August 24 |
| Australia (AEST) | 3:00 AM, Monday, August 25 |
| Canada | Same as US: 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT |
| Central Europe (CEST) | 7:00 PM, Sunday, August 24 |
| Japan (JST) | 2:00 AM, Monday, August 25 |
| New Zealand (NZST) | 6:00 AM, Monday, August 25 |
AEW will be without one of its top commentators for this week’s Dynamite episode as well as Forbidden Door.
This Wednesday, AEW will be in Glasgow for Dynamite and a Collision taping. The promotion then heads to London for its Forbidden Door 2025 pay-per-view that’s taking place on August 24. Taz announced today that he won’t be doing commentary at the events because a long flight over to the United Kingdom would not be good for his surgically replaced knee right now.
“I will be off this week, a combo of doctors appointments/imaging test on a couple of future surgeries, some R&R & most importantly my new knee does not cooperate to well w/very long flights at the moment,” Taz wrote. “Hope u all enjoy #AEWDynamite & #ForbiddenDoor!”
Taz underwent knee replacement surgery last October and has been back on commentary since December, with his recovery going “really well” with rehab and physical therapy.
In May 2024, Taz noted that a doctor had told him he would need both of his shoulders and knees replaced at some point. Taz said the damage was caused by training too hard in the gym during his career.
The 57-year-old ECW legend calls Dynamite weekly alongside Excalibur and Tony Schiavone.
The AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2025 preshow, often billed as the Zero Hour or Buy-In, kicks off on Sunday 24 August 2025 at 16:00 BST. For fans worldwide the easiest way to catch the preshow is to tune to AEW’s official YouTube channel, which will stream the preshow live for free or as an included feed alongside paid PPV options.
US viewers can watch the preshow on AEW’s official YouTube channel. In addition, the preshow and the wider Forbidden Door card will be available via the usual pay per view partners in the US, including Prime Video, PPV.com and other retail PPV platforms.
If you prefer to watch on TV, check with your cable or satellite provider for PPV ordering details. Expect the preshow at 11:00am Eastern, 10:00am Central, 9:00am Mountain and 8:00am Pacific on Sunday 24 August 2025.
Fans in the UK should set a reminder for 16:00 BST on 24 August. AEW have confirmed the YouTube preshow stream will be available to UK viewers, and the full pay per view will also be sold through international PPV partners such as Prime Video and PPV.com where applicable. Bookmark AEW’s YouTube channel in advance to avoid missing the live Zero Hour coverage.
Australian viewers will find the preshow on AEW’s YouTube channel. Local Australian time for the preshow is early on Monday 25 August: 01:00 AEST in Sydney and Melbourne, 00:30 ACST in Adelaide and 23:00 AWST in Perth on Sunday 24 August. If you prefer a paid stream, check regional PPV partners that handle AEW events in Australia.
Across continental Europe the preshow will be live at 17:00 CEST. AEW’s YouTube stream is the global fall back for many markets, while regional broadcasters or streaming platforms such as DAZN, Prime Video or local PPV sites may offer paid access depending on territory. Always confirm which provider holds rights in your country before the event.
In Japan the preshow begins at midnight on Monday 25 August (00:00 JST). Japanese fans should check local broadcasters and AEW’s international partners, but the YouTube Zero Hour stream remains a reliable option for watching the preshow live.
