AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door is a professional wrestlingpay-per-view (PPV) event co-promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and the Japanese promotion New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). Established in 2022, it is held annually during the summer and features direct competition between wrestlers from the two promotions. The event takes its name from the same term often used by AEW when referring to working with other professional wrestling companies. The 2024 event also saw involvement of wrestlers from NJPW's sister company World Wonder Ring Stardom and the Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). Forbidden Door was originally held in June but will move to August in 2025.
History
In February 2021, the American professional wrestling promotionAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) started a partnership with the Japanese promotion, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW).[1] Since then, both AEW and NJPW have had their wrestlers appear on each other's shows in the United States. On April 15, 2022, it was reported that a planned co-promoted event held by the two promotions was in the works.[2]
On the April 20, 2022, episode of AEW Dynamite, AEW President Tony Khan introduced NJPW President Takami Ohbari to make a major announcement regarding their respective companies. They were interrupted by AEW wrestler Adam Cole, who officially announced that a co-promoted pay-per-view (PPV) event titled Forbidden Door would be held on June 26, 2022, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.[3] The event took its name from the same term often used by AEW when referring to working with other professional wrestling promotions.[4]
On March 15, 2023, a second Forbidden Door event between AEW and NJPW was scheduled to be held on June 25, 2023, at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, thus establishing Forbidden Door as an annual event between the two companies. The event also marked AEW's first PPV held outside of the United States and NJPW's first PPV held in Canada.[5]
In August 2024, advertisements outside Wembley Stadium in London, England were shown days before AEW's All In event, which was held at the venue, advertising that the 2025 Forbidden Door would emanate from London. During All In's Zero Hour pre-show, the 2025 Forbidden Door event was confirmed to be held in London on August 24, 2025, but a venue was not announced. This will mark the first Forbidden Door event held outside of North America, and AEW's fifth event overall outside the continent.[8]
