It took a little longer to get there, but it's time for All Elite Wrestling to reopen the Forbidden Door. With All In emanating from Arlington, Texas this year, the United Kingdom gets the young fed's multi-promotional pay-per-view, with London's O2 Arena playing host.
As has become the norm for AEW PPVs, company president and head booker Tony Khan has booked nine matches for the main card. The projected main event will feature the quintet of Will Ospreay, Darby Allin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kenny Omega, and Kota Ibushi battling The Death Riders (Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli), The Young Bucks, and Gabe Kidd in a Lights Out Steel Cage match.
We will also see seven(!) championship matches, including an AEW World Title bout between "Hangman" Adam Page and Maxwell Jacob Friedman as well as Athena and "Timeless" Toni Storm vying for the Women's World Championship.
So, who will walk out of Forbidden Door with a win? That's what we're here to discuss.
Adam Copeland and Christian Cage vs. Kip Sabian and Killswitch
This started at All In when The Patriarchy finally turned on Christian Cage. As they and FTR beat him down, Adam Copeland -- who missed the last few months selling FTR's attack on him at Revolution -- ran the heels off and told his longtime friend to "go find yourself". After some time away, Cage returned as...the same jerk he'd been for the last few years, but he agreed to tag with Cope as a quid pro quo to deal with their respective issues with The Patriarchy and FTR.
First up, it's Sabian and Killswitch; the latter is an injury replacement for Nick Wayne, and he fits neatly into Cage's storyline with The Patriarchy, given how much abuse the former Luchasaurus endured under Cage's leadership. His inclusion also makes it more obvious who's eating the pin in this one.
The former Edge and Christian aren't losing the first match of their big reunion tour, and Killswitch will be somewhat protected as a semi-monster heel. That leaves Sabian as the clear candidate to put the legends over in what should be a fun match where Cope and Cage play the greatest hits.
Prediction: Adam Copeland and Christian Cage beat The Patriarchy (Cage pins Sabian)
Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi (TNT Championship)
After Kyle Fletcher beat Tomohiro Ishii in an instant classic (seriously, hunt that match down once you're done reading this), he and Don Callis challenged anyone from New Japan Pro Wrestling to step up to "The Protostar". Junior Heavyweight superstar Hiromu Takahashi answered the call.
This match has "opener" written all over it. That's a good thing, as these two are more than capable of firing a crowd up. It's also another match where the winner isn't in doubt. Takahashi doesn't seem to have much going on in NJPW, so he can afford to take a loss. Meanwhile, Fletcher is in the midst of a steady push, and that should continue with a win over one of NJPW's most recognizable stars.
Prediction: Kyle Fletcher pins Hiromu Takahashi, retains the TNT Championship
Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Alex Windsor vs. Persephone vs. Bozilla (TBS Championship)
While CMLL's Persephone and STARDOM's Bozilla announced their inclusion in this match, Alex Windsor won a four-way to qualify for a slot. There's not much to add build-wise, but this should be a fun melding of styles.
As the home country favorite, Widsor will get plenty of chances to shine, but the impressive powerhouse Bozilla and the well-rounded Persephone will also have their moments to impress the AEW audience. Mercedes Moné will be Mercedes Moné, aka one of the best wrestlers in the world. There's also no reason to take the TBS Title off of her right now, even if the desire to strap up Windsor in the UK is awfully tempting.
Prediction: Mercedes Moné pins Persephone, retains the TBS Championship
The Hurt Syndicate (c) vs. FTR vs. Brodido (AEW World Tag Team Championship, Elimination Match)
Due to the awesome Brodido/FTR Eliminator Tournament Final ending in a time-limit draw, both teams get the shot at the Hurt Syndicate. Kudos to Bandido and Brody King for meshing so quickly, and that cohesion likely led to them getting this spot on the show.
The elimination stipulation wipes out any speculation that this multi-team match is designed to move the belts off of the Syndicate without getting pinned. Still, it's probably Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin's last night with the tag belts. AEW is already hinting at Lashley chasing the world title. Plus, with FTR vs. Cope and Christian Cage looming, AEW will presumably add the titles to that situation. So, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Dax and Cash regain the gold thanks to some Big Stoke shenanigans.
Prediction: FTR wins the AEW World Tag Team Championship (Hurt Syndicate beat Brodido, FTR beats Hurt Syndicate)
Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Nigel McGuinness (IWGP World Heavyweight Championship)
Fittingly, Nigel McGuinness earned this title shot by winning a technical showcase four-way on the Aug. 16 episode of AEW: Collision; he forced Lee Moriarty to tap out right before Daniel Garcia did the same to Hechicero. Afterward, McGuinness asked a dejected Garcia to corner him for the match. Despite some hesitation, Garcia accepted the offer.
If you said even two years ago that this dream match was possible, most would've laughed you off. Yet here we are with a chance to see two of the best UK-based technicians of their generation wrestle for NJPW's richest prize. Of course, there's no way McGunniess is winning here given his status as a part-time grappler. The real drama lies with Garcia and whether or not he turns on McGuinness after the match.
Prediction: Zack Sabre Jr. beats Nigel McGuinness via submission, retains the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Swerve Strickland (AEW Unified Championship)
Riding high as the inaugural AEW Unified Champion, Kazuchika Okada called out the man who helped strip his pals, The Young Bucks, of their EVP titles: Swerve Strickland. A couple of promos later, the match between the two was set for the PPV.
This one is a toss-up. Strickland talking about how he needs to redeem himself after consecutive losses at PPVs in the UK hints that he may get the win. However, Okada just won the Unified Title, and unless he's about to enter the world title picture (a reasonable notion), it's hard to imagine him losing it so soon. At the very least, we're winners for getting to see these two face off.
Prediction: Swerve Strickland pins Kazuchika Okada, wins the AEW Unified Championship
"Timeless" Toni Storm (c) vs. Athena (AEW Women's World Championship)
This is Athena’s reward for winning the women’s Casino Gauntlet at All In, and this is our reward for having to watch a couple of weeks of annoying Money in the Bank-esque cash-in teases during the build.
It's nice to see Athena getting a prominent role on AEW TV after being sequestered in Ring of Honor for months at a time. Toni Storm, meanwhile, is as amazing as ever. She's also one of the most over acts in the company, and thus shouldn't lose the world title anytime soon. As the ROH Women's World Champion, Athena can absorb a loss to the division's top babyface. Plus, if things go well, everyone will be too busy talking about how great the match was instead of focusing on who won and who lost.
Prediction: Toni Storm pins Athena, retains the AEW Women's World Championship
"Hangman" Adam Page vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman (AEW World Championship)
This was originally set up by "Hangman" Adam Page pressuring Maxwell Jacob Friedman into using his Casino Gauntlet contract, but after MJF threatened to incinerate Mark Briscoe on national television, Page relented and let Friedman keep the other title shot in his back pocket. Of course, it makes you wonder why Page didn't make MJF sign the contract to prevent the Long Island native from reneging, but it is what it is.
Additionally, Friedman can win the title via disqualification or countout, so AEW really wants you to think that a title change is possible. At the very least, we're going to be in for a few DQ and countout teases; depending on how many they do, those could add some drama, but an overreliance on them could bog things down. Fortunately, even the worst booker knows that doing a title switch that way is tantamount to a wet fart, so it probably won't happen.
With the Casino Gauntlet contract back in play, MJF will presumably worm his way to a second reign with the "Triple B", but it won't happen here. Page will retain, and someone (either Bobby Lashley or Mark Briscoe) will stop Friedman from cashing in after the match.
Prediction: "Hangman" Adam Page pins Maxwell Jacob Friedman, retains the AEW World Championship
Will Ospreay, Darby Allin, Hiroshi Tanahashi, and the Golden Lovers (Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi) vs. The Death Riders (Jon Moxley andd Claudio Castagnoli), The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson), and Gabe Kidd) (Lights Out Steel Cage match)
Jon Moxley may have lost the AEW World Championship, but he and the Death Riders aren't done paying for their sins. Darby Allin (who the group tossed down a flight of stairs a few months ago) and Will Ospreay (who they Pillmanized at All In) are on the warpath for revenge, and they have found some pals to help them: the legendary Hiroshi Tanahashi and the reunited Golden Lovers (the latter's first appearance since All In.
Moxley and company have countered by enlisting semi-regular allies Gabe Kidd and The Young Bucks (who are hoping that a spot on the PPPV will grant them an non-jobber entrance). That sounds like the ingredients for a wild main event, even if the cage slightly constrains them.
We might not get a complete repeat of Anarchy in the Arena, but it will come close, and the babyfaces will send the crowd home happy.
Prediction: Team Ospreay wins (Darby Allin pins Gabe Kidd)