AEW Forbidden Door 2024 Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights (2024)

All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling once again united for Forbidden Door, the annual inter-promotional pay-per-view, live from the UBS Arena in Long Island, New York.

Headlined by the AEW World Championship bout pitting Swerve Strickland against top contender Will Ospreay, the show featured a handful of dream matches and high-stakes battles.

Hometown hero MJF squared off with CMLL star Hechicero while AEW world women's champion "Timeless" Toni Storm and Stardom competitor Mina Shirakawa battled for both the coveted title and the affection of Mariah May.

Who emerged victorious in the night's top matches and who advanced in the Owen Hart Foundation tournament matches?

Find out with this recap of the June 30 extravaganza.

Announced in advance of Sunday's event were:

Forbidden Door: Zero Hour Kickoff Show

Imagine looking at the huge Forbidden Door card, with an unfathomable 14 matches, and thinking, "You know what this show needs? A Kyle Fletcher squash match."

That was apparently the mindset, though, as the Ring of Honor television champion ran through Serpentico to kick off the in-ring portion of the night's card.

Fletcher shined, but how much when his opponent is a guy whose biggest feat was "won his last match in Ring of Honor" is another matter.

Result

Fletcher defeated Serpentico

Grade

F

Top Takeaways

The House of Black's Brody King and Malakai Black battled Kyle O'Reilly and Tomohiro Ishii, the team of Roderick Strong and Gabe Kidd, and Private Party in a four-way tag team match.

An action-packed bout saw some hard-hitting and strikes from Ishii, O'Reilly, Strong and Kidd while Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen brought the high-flying to the table.

In the end, Black and King secured the win off of a Gonzo Bomb from the latter to Kassidy.

The right team (one of only two legitimate tandems in the contest) went over and continued a bounce-back year for the House of Black.

Result

House of Black defeated O'Reilly and Ishii, Kidd and Strong, and Private Party

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

Two rivalries across two different promotions were at play Sunday night when Willow Nightingale and Kris Statlande wrote the latest chapter in their feud while Tam Nakano and Momo Watanabe showcased theirs for a new audience.

What started slow, with an audience that found it difficult to invest early, evolved into an excellent tag team match that highlighted Statlander and purposefully kept her and Nightingale away from each other ahead of Wednesday's Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament semifinal between the former friends.

Nakano and Watanabe showed out, too, with in-ring action that likely won over fans who were previously unfamiliar with their work. The former won the match for the babyfaces with a hammerlock German suplex.

Result

Nightingale and Nakano defeated Watanabe and Statlander

Grade

B

Top Takeaways

Mariah May advanced to the semifinals of the Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament, after defeating Saraya as part of Sunday's Zero Hour kickoff show.

Seconded by AEW women's world champion "Timeless" Toni Storm, who kept Harley Cameron from interfering, May outwrestled her opponent to score the win.

A solid match that highlighted May's growth as an in-ring performer and on-screen presence, this did its job while also shining a light on the tournament.

A little post-match hype for Storm's hotly anticipated title defense against Mina Shirakawa was the cherry on the sundae.

Result

May defeated Saraya

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

The lucha libre dream team of Mistico and the Lucha Bros earned a hard-fought victory over Los Ingobernables de Japon's Yota Tsuji, Titan and Hiromu Takahashi in another hard-fought, action-packed tag match on Zero Hour.

The heels isolated Mistico and at one point, the villainous Takahashi attempted to unmask him, but the babyfaces fought back and wowed the fans in Long Island with their dazzling, high-flying offense.

Ultimately, it was Mistico who took Titan down and tapped him out with an armbar for the win.

The match was a perfect tone-setter for the main show. The pre-show could have been limited to it and the May-Saraya match and it would have been equally as successful.

Instead, the Zero Hour card was, like the main show lineup, overly and unnecessarily bloated.

Result

Lucha Bros and Mistico defeated Tsuji, Takahashi and Titan

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

Hechicero proved Sunday night he is more than a "poorly draw cartoon character," targeting the previously injured shoulder of MJF in the opening match of this third Forbidden Door pay-per-view.

MJF found himself on the defensive often in the contest and was forced to fight from underneath against a man he seriously overlooked.

The result was a match that showcased Hechicero to an audience that may have been unfamiliar with his work while positioning the Wolf of Wrestling as the clear babyface.

MJF ultimately did fight back and leveled Hechicero with a brainbuster that would make Tully Blanchard smile for the grueling victory.

Result

MJF pinned Hechicero

Grade

B+

Top Takeaways

The Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada got one over on The Acclaimed in their ongoing rivalry, earning a win over Anthony Bowens, Max Caster, and their partner, the legendary "Ace," Hiroshi Tanahashi.

The Bucks' antics, including the use of headsets to tune out the jeers directed at them by the fans, took attention away from the match, which was a fairly good one. The heat was less directed at the heels and more at a guy who does not even work for the company anymore (more on that below).

Still, the fans in Long Island came alive anytime interaction between Tanahashi and Okada was teased and as the action broke down late.

Ultimately, Okada earned the win for his team, rocking Tanahashi with the Rainmaker.

A post-match beatdown of the iconic competitor ended when "Daddy Ass" Billy Gunn rushed the ring and chased the heels out. It did nothing for The Acclaimed or Tanahashi, but go Daddy Ass, I suppose.

Result

The Elite defeated The Acclaimed and Tanahashi

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

Bryan Danielson's journey back to the top of the industry as part of the Owen Hart Foundation Men's Tournament will continue.

The American Dragon defeated Shingo Takagi in the best match of the show to this point, a grueling battle between two men who beat the hell out of each other for the right to advance in the name of attaining an AEW title opportunity.

Danielson nursed his neck injury, suffered in his match with Will Ospreay earlier this year. Takagi exploited it and appeared to be on his way to victory. The former world champion, though, showed the resiliency that has defined him throughout his career, fending off the challenge of his opponent and eventually earning the victory with an armbar submission.

Danielson's climb back into title contention is going to be epic and considering the likes of Swerve Strickland, MJF, and Will Ospreay are already in the title picture, the potential match-ups for The American Dragon are extraordinary, much like this match.

Result

Danielson defeated Takagi by referee stoppage

Grade

A

Top Takeaways

AEW women's world champion "Timeless" Toni Storm faced the toughest test of her title reign in the form of Mina Shirakawa Sunday night and just narrowly escaped with her gold intact.

Storm found herself on the defensive more than not as she nursed a knee injury that resulted from a targeted attack by the challenger. Shirakawa pushed her to the brink, delivering a diving DDT from the top rope and trying for her Glamourous Driver.

The champion fought out of it, survived, and eventually delivered Storm Zero for the pinfall victory.

Afterward, she showed initial reluctance before showing respect for Shirakawa with a handshake. A hug followed and a three-way kiss put an exclamation point on the proceedings.

This was really well done, from the match itself to the storytelling surrounding it.

Mariah May, the centerpiece of the dispute between the competitors, watched from ringside and never got involved, instead remaining neutral. She dressed like Miss Elizabeth did at WrestleMania V, when she found herself in a similar situation between Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, and her facial expressions and body language added to the in-ring action.

For a company that does not always nail the landing when it comes to its higher-quality stories, the execution was perfect.

Result

Storm defeated Shirakawa

Grade

A

Top Takeaways

The downward spiral for Orange Cassidy continued at Forbidden Door as Freshly Squeezed lost another high-profile match, this time to New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Zack Sabre Jr.

The defeat came in a technical wrestling clinic, which saw each competitor counter and reverse everything the other threw at them. Cassidy, not nearly on the level of Sabre, still managed to surprise as he nearly stole a pin on multiple occasions.

Eventually, he found himself outmatched by a master of the mat as Sabre tied him up like a pretzel, with no choice but to submit.

Cassidy sat dejectedly after the bell and, coupled with the black t-shirt and return of The Pixies' "Where is My Mind" entrance song, served as another indication that we are preparing to witness a different Freshly Squeezed than we have at any point in his AEW run to date.

Result

Sabre Jr. defeated Cassidy

Grade

B

Top Takeaways

May Sunday represent the conclusion of a Learning Tree gimmick that is not working and a hiatus for Chris Jericho, who was met with chants of "please retire" by fans fed up with his stale gimmick and general refusal to go away.

The heel fell victim to his own Judas Effect finisher from Hook, who pinned him to win a big trios match that pitted the second-generation star, Samoa Joe, and Katsuyori Shibata against the future Hall of Famer, Big Bill, and New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Jeff Cobb.

The match was featured perfectly acceptable professional wrestling but the crowd was relatively quiet for the most part, only coming alive when it could taunt Jericho.

The right team went over, the right star was pinned and much like the show's production did, we shall move on rather promptly.

Result

Hook, Joe, and Shibata defeated Jericho, Big Bill, and Cobb

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

Jack Perry predictably won the TNT Championship Sunday night in Long Island, overcoming the opposition of driven, determined competitors to win his first recognized singles title in the promotion.

The spots were death-defying in some scenarios and awe-inspiring in others, and there was some great selling that had viewers questioning the legitimacy of their injuries.

The commentary team putting over Martin's dubious history in ladder matches, including a stomach-churning injury suffered in a similar one a year ago, added to the element of danger at play.

Perry winning the match by taking out Briscoe was a solid booking decision in that the babyface is beloved and if you are going to try and get The Scapegoat some legitimate heat, that is the way to do it.

There is an argument to be made that this was Takesh*ta's match to win, but there is nothing about his inconsistent booking that suggests he would have been treated any better simply because he held a belt in a company brimming with them.

Result

Perry defeated Martin, Briscoe, Rush, Takesh*ta, and Phantasmo

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

Mercedes Moné is now "Mercedes Two Belts" following a hard-fought victory over Stephanie Vaquer.

The TBS champion added the NJPW Strong Women's Championship to her resume, overcoming what was for the longest time a one-sided beatdown at the hands of her opponent and ultimately tapping her out with the Bank Statement.

Vaquer impressed here and had the fans in Long Island on her side as she set the tone for the match and outclassed Moné for the majority of the bout.

As is the case in nearly every situation, though, it takes but a second for the tide to turn and even less for the end of a title reign to come about and this was no different.

After the match, Britt Baker made her long-awaited return and with a single staredown, set in motion a match for All In with Moné that will be a legitimate marquee bout on one of wrestling's biggest stages.

Result

Moné defeated Vaquer

Grade

B+

Top Takeaways

Tetsuya Naito returned to the good graces of the New Japan Pro-Wrestling faithful, defeating Jon Moxley to regain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.

The match was odd and never felt like it hit the next gear.

Moxley targeted his opponent's knees early on, but Naito never sold them beyond that moment.

From there, Moxley sold frustration with his inability to put Naito away, but the challenger never worked with the sort of urgency you would expect from a competitor fighting for the honor of his company and its top prize.

There will be some who overrate this one with eleventy-billion stars, but on a night of otherwise strong in-ring work across the board, this felt like a major letdown.

Result

Naito defeated Moxley

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

Will Ospreay's moral dilemma cost him the AEW World Championship in Long Island.

Late in the contest, Don Callis presented him a screwdriver to use on Swerve Strickland, a weapon that almost certainly would have delivered him the title. He chose not to use it and also resisted utilizing his devastating Tiger Driver 91 finisher.

The result? A disappointing conclusion to his pursuit of the top prize in the company as Strickland capitalized, ramped up the intensity of his attack and put the No. 1 contender away with the House Call.

This felt like a big-match situation, with a red-hot crowd whose allegiances were split evenly between the competitors.

The commentary team was as good as it was all night, the performers utilized facial expressions and body language to get their emotions across to the viewer, and the screwy finish involving Don Callis made sense and hopefully brought about the end of his relationship with the clearly babyface Aerial Assassin.

On a night that featured continued excellence from Bryan Danielson, this felt like the best match, a battle between the top two babyfaces in the company and men who will be trusted to carry the brand well after The American Dragon hangs up his boots as a full-time active competitor.

Result

Strickland defeated Ospreay

Grade

A

Top Takeaways

No one has ever questioned Tony Khan's abilities as a matchmaker.

The AEW president routinely churns out quality PPV cards. After one night of exhilarating action, fans are quick to trumpet the next great era in the company, until Wednesday's Dynamite reminds everyone that the follow-up to those events is equally as important as the shows themselves.

That is the scenario facing the top dog in the company and his creative team emerging from Forbidden Door.

How do the characters progress, what chapters will be written in the ongoing stories fans have invested their energy in, and in what direction will the most prominent stories head next?

Unfortunately, the shortcomings of the boss and his team have been in their attempt actually book stories and angles that will lead to the next big show.

With AEW's next event being All In in Wembley Stadium on Sunday, August 25, it will be even more important to put together a lucid show and product that fans feel they can commit their time and energy to. Not just a solid pro wrestling card.

Sunday's show was yet another in a long line of superb AEW PPVs, with great action across the board and some intriguing stories to track.

What's next for Storm, Shirakawa, and May? Baker has clearly inserted herself into the TBS Championship picture by way of her staredown with Mercedes Moné, but how do we get there without the good doctor just walking in and getting a title shot?

What is next for Ospreay, whose relationship with Don Callis must come to an end so he can be free and clear from an on-screen partnership that never should have existed in the first place?

When will we see Hangman Page pop back up and challenge Strickland for the AEW title?

Those stories, and lucid telling of them, will be of the utmost importance as the company heads to its new, annual extravaganza.

For now, Forbidden Door gets an easy thumbs up for a show that was rather excellent between the ropes.

Grade: A