AEW Forbidden Door 2024 results: Highlights and match grades for an electric night

All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling hosted their third annual Forbidden Door crossover show in Elmont, New York this Sunday. But this year's event might have been the biggest yet with wrestlers representing AEW, NJPW, Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre, and World Wonder Ring Stardom all participating in the massive show.

Of course, the biggest match of the night was the showdown between AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland and AEW International Champion Will Ospreay. However, other intriguing matches included the six-man ladder match for the vacant TNT title, Jon Moxley vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, and the AEW Women's World Championship match between Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa.

Here is how this electric night played out with highlights, match grades, and results.

Swerve Strickland is still your AEW World Champion!

Will Ospreay entered the ring to massive cheers from the crowd. Everybody at UBS Arena was on their feet chanting "Ospreay! Ospreay!"

Swerve Strickland earned a similar reaction from the fans, although the ovation was much shorter-lived. Still, anytime you can get platinum recording artist Jim Jones to introduce you, you're definitely bringing an enormous aura into the ring.

This match certainly didn't disappoint at the start. Both men traded blows, blocked punches and elbows, and every time either tried to throw their opponent, they always seemed to land on their feet.

Ospreay would land the first massive hit of the match, with a splash on Strickland outside the ring. Ospreay also landed on his feet after the move as well. That didn't add to the damage, but it was certainly cool.

Strickland retaliated with a few big blows of his own, including a backbreaker and a diving uppercut. Of course Strickland griddied on Ospreay afterwards.

Ospreay bounced back quickly, landing arguably the best blow of the match, a hurricanrana off the barricade.

Toward the end of the match, Strickland was certainly a step behind Ospreay, but there's a reason Strickland is the champ. You give him an inch, he'll take a yard. No moment exemplifies that better than this epic Swerve Stomp on Ospreay after Ospreay had spent the last few minutes flirting with victory.

From this moment on, every move felt like a match-ender.

Strickland would get Ospreay with a heel kick. Ospreay would break out.

Ospreay would hit Strickland with a stormbreaker. Strickland would break out.

It went back and forth like this for several minutes and nobody could tell what was going to happen.

It all ended when Will Ospreay ran into the referee, knocking him out. Ospreay covered Strickland moments later, but there was no ref to give Ospreay the win.

A different method of victory came to Ospreay moments later though as Donald "The Jackal" Callis appeared out of nowhere to give Ospreay a screwdriver. Ospreay refused to use it, but maybe he should have. Strickland rattled of blow after blow, and although Ospreay was able to kick out twice, one final House Call from Strickland let to Ospreay's defeat.

It was an incredible main event to cap off Forbidden Door.

Grade: A+

Tetsuya Naito gets the IWGP Championship back!

From the get-go, it was clear what Jon Moxley's plan was for this match: go after Tetsuya Naito's legs and minimize his greatest advantage, his speed. The plan was going perfectly early on. Moxley would land a few solid blows on Naito's legs and then pound on Naito while he couldn't get away.

Naito desperately wanted the IWGP title back. After losing the Japanese title to an outsider, this win would've been enormous for him and his reputation. However, Moxley clearly had the advantage early on and it looked like Naito was about to lose to Moxley yet again. Each of the first five pin attempts belonged to Moxley, but Naito stayed resilient.

Naito eventually got a few shots in on Moxley, including a neckbreaker, which finally gave Naito an opportunity of his own to secure the match. Moxley quickly turned the match back in his favor though, retaliating with a powerbomb.

The two traded blows afterwards, but Moxley continued to get teased with victory. At one point, he pinned Naito and the referee did a very slow three-count that allowed Naito to remain in the match. Moxley started to blame the referee, and his worries were only escalated after Moxley tried to bring a chair into the ring, which was quickly discarded by the same referee.

This worry would ultimately lead to Moxley's downfall. In his anger, he lost sight of the match, and Naito was able to take advantage, earning his IWGP Title back.

Grade: C+

Mone wins! And we probably know her next opponent

This was hyped up to be a battle of titans and it did not disappoint. Both wrestlers were phenomenal early on, and although Mercedes Mone had the advantage early on, Vaquer was not giving Mone the belt so easily.

Vaquer was doing a phenomenal job of avoiding bad positions, retreating, and taking advantage of Mone's aggressiveness. That strategy would eventually turn the fight in Vaquer's favor.

Vaquer was putting on a perfect technical display, putting Mone in numerous difficult positions. Vaquer was constantly in control of Mone's head, or arms, or anything that could get Mone to submit.

As the match progressed, it seemed like it might go on forever. Every time one of the fighters was hit with what appeared to be a winning move, their opponent would kick out.

Ultimately though, Mercedes Mone would break through. With a Mone Maker, followed by a cross face, Mone was able to get Vaquer to submit, securing the NJPW Strong Women's Championship.

That wasn't the end though. Following the win, Mone had very little time to celebrate before Britt Baker made her triumphant return to AEW, stealing the spotlight from Mone. Nothing happened between the two, but clearly, there is something on the horizon.

Grade: A

Ladder Match was anybody's to win

The Elite's Jack Perry was certainly the odd man out in this match. From the get-go, it was clear that nobody in the ring wanted him to win. All five competitors teamed up to corner him and take him out with a huge punch.

Still, after he was taken care of, everyone forgot about him. A few minutes later, Perry was the first person to get a ladder up and was very close to winning the match early on until Lio Rush snuck up on him and tore him down from his ladder.

Rush took the opportunity to start climbing for the belt himself, but El Phantasmo came into the ring to prevent that from happening.

Mark Briscoe took a different approach. Instead of trying to climb his ladder, he used it as a weapon, trying to take everyone out before going for the belt. Lio Rush gave him a little bit of trouble, but with a little ingenuity, Rush also fell victim to Briscoe's strategy. Briscoe threw the ladder at him.

After Briscoe took himself out by diving through a ladder and table to sandwich one of his competitors...

Jack Perry started to make his way toward the belt again. Ultimately, Lio Rush, El Phantasmo, and Dante Martin were able to keep him away from the belt.

Briscoe was the next person with a great opportunity to take the belt, but despite standing alone at the top of his ladder, Briscoe opted to show off once again for the crowd, jumping off the ladder to deal serious damage to Jack Perry.

All who were left standing after that stunt were Konosuke Takeshita and El Phantasmo. The two duked it out at the center of the ring for a while before Takeshita, who was undoubtedly a crowd favorite during this match, dropped El Phantasmo through a table outside the ring.

This move allowed Briscoe to get back into the match, but Jack Perry had recovered as well, and was out for revenge! After knocking Briscoe off the ladder, and stepping over him to get to the belt, the Scapegoat Jack Perry, is the new TNT Champion!

Grade: A+

Long Island wants Chris Jericho to retire?

Before the trios match featuring Christ Jericho, Jeff Cobb, and Big Bill versus Samoa Joe, Hook, and Katsuyori Shibata even began, the fans at UBS Arena started chanting for Jericho, 53, to retire.

Jericho grabbed a mic and told the fans that they didn't actually want him to retire. Why? Because he's a Long Island native, "their hometown hero," he said. Well, the moment the bell rang, that hometown hero was made a fool of. Jericho couldn't land a scratch on Katsuyori Shibata. The only relief for Jericho was when he was able to tag Jeff Cobb.

After that initial beatdown was finished, neither team was able to get an advantage until Big Bill laid the smackdown on Hook. Even after Hook tagged out for Cobb, Hook had to escape several potential pins before tagging Shibata.

Shibata hadn't been the legal man for a while at this point and certainly had an edge on Cobb, culminating in a drop kick in the corner. The good vibes wouldn't last long for Shibata though as both sides quickly returned to even footing.

As the match progressed, it seemed that either Jericho or Hook was going to wind up taking the pin, and although Jericho landed the first two pin attempts on Hook, Hook would wind up getting the last laugh, landing a catastrophic Judas Effect on Jericho to secure the win for his team.

Grade: B-

Orange Cassidy submits to Zack Sabre Jr.

Athleticism was off the charts early in the fight between Orange Cassidy and Zack Sabre Jr. Every time one fighter got the other on the mat, their adversary would just pop back up and we'd be back to square one.

Neither combatant could gain an advantage for most of the match, but Sabre certainly had a few more fight-altering hits, including a destructive leg twist on Cassidy's neck after the pair traded pins.

Sabre really started to take control after that. All the momentum was in his favor and Sabre was feeling so comfortable, he even started taunting Cassidy.

This kicked Orange Cassidy into gear. Sabre was still very clearly in the zone, but a dragon screw, a piledriver, and a DDT from Orange Cassidy nearly won him the match.

Shortly afterwards though, Sabre regained control, landing a devastating elbow stomp and a very painful-looking wrist hold on Cassidy. Sabre clearly believed his best win condition was going after his weak right arm.

Ultimately, the pressure on Cassidy's arm was just too much for him to bear. Even with Cassidy nearly landing a mouse trap on Sabre, Sabre was able to break out almost instantly and turn it into a textbook submission for the victory.

Grade: A

"We Want Mina" chants erupt, but Toni Storm remains champion

Toni Storm might be "Timeless", but it appears Mina Shirakawa's time is now in AEW. Storm, the AEW Women's World Champion did not look the part at the start of the match after Shirakawa commanded the ring early on. Even though Storm was able to push Shirakawa out of the ring, Mina was able to recover quickly and land a few blows of her own on Storm before re-entering the ring.

Every attempt that Storm had to turn the tide was met with a figure four, a DDT, or a whirling elbow. For every one pin that Storm would attempt, Shirakawa would get three or four such attempts.

You could argue that was just evidence of Storm's resilience. She was beat down for most of this match, but after landing a suplex, Storm was the one who would finish on top.

After the fight, Mariah May, who was courtside through it all, convinced Storm and Shirakawa to "hug it out" as a sign of respect. All three then shared a quick kiss to finish it off.

It wasn't the first time (or even the second time) Storm and May had locked lips, but it certainly was a new situation for the pair to find themselves in.

Grade: B

Bryan Danielson gives everything he has

Danielson may have promised a championship in the Owen Hart Foundation tournament, but Takagi clearly didn't get the memo. These two titans were not taking either lightly. Each blow landed was matched or outdone by the other moments later.

Eventually, Takagi would gain an advantage though. With Danielson in the corner, Takagi was just taking Danielson's punches, and even laughing at Danielson's attempts to hurt him. Takagi capitalized on that advantage with a massive slam outside the ring.

Danielson was able to get back in the ring after an 8-count, but Takagi did not let up. Takagi was in full control for several minutes, and while Danielson did land some kicks, his moments were nothing in comparison to the sheer volume of blows Takagi landed on him.

Danielson was able to kick out of multiple pins where it appeared Danielson was done for. There was even a moment where Danielson just flopped on the floor, unable to do anything to defend himself from Takagi's blows.

That was all just a ploy though, and the moment Takagi went for a massive finishing punch, Danielson countered the move and had Takagi in a devastating hold. That didn't win the match for him, but one suplex later and suddenly, Takagi was down for the count. With a little motivation from the crowd, Danielson was able to muster just enough energy to put Takagi in an arm bar. Takagi is strong, but even he couldn't take that. Danielson, the American Dragon, despite being pushed to his limit, walked away with the victory.

Grade: A+

Okada outshines Tanahashi in trios match

The AEW Tag Team Champions, The Young Bucks, were already going to be a tough matchup, but adding the AEW Continental Champion, Kazuchika "The Rainmaker" Okada was unfair.

The Acclaimed was unfazed though, dropping straight bars during their entrance, and claiming that Okada's career was dead the moment he joined up with The Young Bucks. Although the fans were chanting Okada's name when he entered the ring, the entire crowd was cheering for The Acclaimed after their verse.

The match itself did not start off as expected. The crowd was feeling it as Okada and Tanahashi circled the ring preparing to strike, but they quickly started booing when Okada tagged out. Even after The Young Bucks started taking serious hits from their opponents, Okada was nowhere to be found. He seemed more interested in protecting himself than winning the match. The only times he entered the ring were when he knew he'd be able to get a shot in. Yet still, he would dance when he and his partners had the advantage.

Eventually the crowd would get what it came for. Tanahashi and Okada were the legal men, and Tanahashi was getting the better of Okada before being interrupted by the Young Bucks.

Tanahashi took several super kicks before going down. Okada landed an elbow drop from the top rope, and even flipped off the New York crowd before attempting a pin. Tanahashi was able to reverse the pin, but Okada kept the heat up, landing a Rainmaker on Tanahashi to finally secure the win.

Grade: B-

Hechicero and MJF kick off the main card

It was a homecoming for MJF and the fans were showing their support from the very start of the match.

However, Hechicero got the first blow with a swift kick to MJF's gut, which led to a pin attempt.

After that slow start though, MJF started showing fans what makes him one of the best in the world. He was clearly not taking Hechicero very seriously. Hechicero needed a few cheap shots like hiding behind a referee in order to get some shots in.

Of course, Hechicero would eventually get in a groove and start giving MJF some trouble, especially after MJF injured his left arm. However, with every submission attempt or pin, MJF managed to either land a reversal or touch the bottom rope to force a break.

For a moment, it appeared MJF would suffer back-to-back losses in his hometown. Fortunately for fans in attendance, MJF was able to land a Long Island Sunrise and a Brain Buster on Hechicero to secure the victory. Whatever else happens tonight, fans in attendance can leave happy tonight.

Grade: C+

Mistico and The Lucha Bros draw "Holy S**t" chants before, during, and after match

Forbidden Door has become known for its ability to create dream matchups fans never thought they'd get to see. This was one of those matchups, and even before the fight started, fans in attendance were chanting "Holy s**t" in response to Mistico's entrance.

Then, the fight started and the intensity remained. Acrobatics, stellar moves, and constant counters were being thrown out left and right. When Mistico finally entered the ring against Takahashi, Takahashi wasted no time trying to tear of Mistico's mask. Mistico did not take too kindly to that slight and promptly dominated Takahashi, who needed his partners, Tsuji and Titan, to save him. Of course, the Lucha Bros took revenge on them immediately afterwards.

Takahashit started to mount a comeback afterwards though, landing on a powerbomb on Mistico outside the ring and pounding his face into the corner several times.

It was clear the team was singling Mistico out, taking turns laying devastating blows on him. But every time they tried to finish the match with a pin, Mistico found a way to kick out.

Eventually, Mistico was able to escape after landing a backbreaker on Titan. The match went back and forth for a while after that. Nobody was able to get an obvious edge. In fact, there was a moment where all six combatants were lying on the floor of the ring dead tired from the beatings they'd all received.

In the end though, it had to be Mistico, who got Titan to tap out with a devastating arm hold.

Grade: A

Saraya v. Mariah May

It was all Mariah May to kick off the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament Quarterfinal. Saraya looked out of sorts and completely lethargic until a hair pull introduced Mariah May's face to the ring. It was enough of a momentum shift to bring some intrigue into a waning match.

Mariah May, getting comfortable with all portions of the ring, had her face sandwiched between the top and Saraya's foot. But it preceded a head butt that equaled the playing field—each wrestler then exchanged blows for what only seemed like hours.

Toni Storm makes a cameo for a match that was all about distractions. Just a second before a brutal loss, Mariah May finds the rope and that was enough to keep things going. That mistake will haunt Saraya, who moments later loses out to a reinvigorated Maria May.

Grade: B

Kris Statlander-Momo Watanabe v. Willow Nightingale-Tam Nakano

A perfect aperitif to what we will get in Forbidden Door, this tag team barrage was as hard-hitting as you would have hoped for; there was a nice amount of bad blood savagery between Statlander and Nightengale, giving the match enough emotion to keep us riveted.

Was there any of the four going through more of an emotional and physical roller coaster than Tam Nakano? She was on the wrong side of the canvas so many times in this one, but in the end, she found her moment and took Momo Watanabe down with a stirring exclamation.

Grade: A

House of Black handles Fatal Four-Way

Early on, there wasn't much four-way action in the center of the ring. More often than not, the match was between just two men trading blows, but as the match progressed, the more intense it got.

Private Party was the first team to get an opportunity to win, with Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen landing several blows on Gabe Kidd. Kassidy's pin attempt on Kidd did not land though.

Soon afterwards, Kidd and Strong got into a small fight with one another while attempting to take down Kyle O'Reilly. That feud was all O'Reilly needed to escape and tag in Tomohiro Ishii, who proceeded to take out several other fighters. Ultimately, Ishii would have the opportunity to win with a pin on Brody King, but Quen broke it up.

Ishii continued to impress throughout the match, taking blow after blow after blow only ever faltering after a huge hit from Kidd. In the end though, Ishii would not be able to secure the win for his team. It ended up being the House of Black, specifically Brody King, pinning Isiah Kennedy for the win.

Grade: C

Serpentico v. Kyle Fletcher kicks off the Pre-Show matches

Kyle Fletcher, who is not fond of lucha libre, wasted no time attempting to tear off Serpentico's mask in this one. Flethcer was on a two-match losing streak heading into this match, and needed a win desperately. He came out of the gates hot, and even when he had opportunities to defeat Serpentico, he continued playing with his food.

Normally, you'd expect that to lead to a humiliating loss for Fletcher, but that is not what happened. It was hard, non-stop domination from Fletcher, which led to a much-needed win in less than five minutes.

Grade: C

AEW Forbidden Door start time

The main card for AEW Forbidden Door starts at 8 p.m. ET.

AEW Forbidden Door stream: How to watch

AEW Forbidden Door streams live on Bleacher Report and TrillerTV.

AEW Forbidden Door Buy-In: How to watch pre-show

The pre-show will begin about 6:30 p.m. ET. Fans in the United States can stream the pre-show with DAZN.

Pay-per-view price for AEW Forbidden Door

Tonight's pay-per-view price is $50.

Where is AEW Forbidden Door?

This year's event will be held at the UBS Arena on Long Island in New York. The facility, home of the New York Islanders can hold up to 19,000 people.

AEW Forbidden Door tickets: Cost for event

As of Sunday afternoon, tickets to the AEW x NJPW show at UBS Arena were being sold on StubHub for as low as $32 for the cheapest sections. The most expensive tickets were going for $681.

AEW Forbidden Door full match card:

Main Card:

• AEW World Heavyweight Title Match: Swerve Strickland (current title holder) v. Will Ospreay

• AEW Women’s World Championship Match: Toni Storm (current title holder) v. Mina Shirakawa

• Winner Takes All Title For Title Match: Mercedes Mone (AEW TBS Champion) v. Stephanie Vaquer (NJPW Strong Women’s Champion)

• Ladder Match for the TNT Championship: Konosuke Takeshita v. Mark Briscoe v. Jack Perry v. Dante Martin v. Lio Rush v. El Phantasmo

• IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match: Jon Moxley (current title holder) v. Tetsuya Naito

• Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament Quarterfinal: Bryan Danielson v. Shingo Takagi

• Trios Match: The Elite (Kazuchika Okada and The Young Bucks) v. Hiroshi Tanahashi and The Acclaimed

• Trios Match: Samoa Joe, Hook, Katsuyori Shibata v. Jeff Cobb, Chris Jericho, Big Bill

• Zack Sabre Jr v. Orange Cassidy

• MJF v. Hechicero

Zero-Hour Pre-Show:

• Kris Statlander and Momo Watanabe v. Willow Nightingale and Tam Nakano

• Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament Quarterfinal: Saraya v. Mariah May

• Mistico and The Lucha Bros v. Yota Tsuji, Titan, and Hiromu Takahashi

• Fatal 4-Way Match: House of Black (Malakai Black and Brody King) v. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen) v. Tomohiro Ishii and Kyle O’Reilly v. Gabe Kidd and Roderick Strong

• Serpentico v. Kyle Fletcher

Predictions for AEW Forbidden Door

• Swerve Strickland (c) retains the AEW World Championship over Will Ospreay

• Bryan Danielson defeats Shingo Takagi to advance in the Owen Hart Cup Tournament

• The Elite defeat The Acclaimed and Hiroshi Tanahashi

• MJF defeats Hechicero

• Tetsuya Naito defeats Jon Moxley for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship

• Zack Sabre Jr. picks up the win over Orange Cassidy

• Samoa Joe, Hook and Katsuyori Shibata defeat The Learning Tree (Chris Jericho, Big Bill) and Jeff Cobb

• Mercedes Mone defeats Stephanie Vaquer (c) to retain the TBS Championship and win the NJPW Strong Women's Championship

• "Timeless" Toni Storm (c) defeats Mina Shirakawa to retain the AEW Women's World Championship

• Jack Perry outlasts Konosuke Takeshita, Lio Rush, Mark Briscoe, Dante Martin and El Phantasmo to win the TNT Championship

• The Lucha Brothers and their mystery partner defeat Los Ingobernables de Japon

• Mariah May beats Saraya

• Kris Statlander and Momo Watanabe beat Willow Nightingale and Tam Nakano

What happened during last year's Forbidden Door?

Last year's Forbidden Door saw some wrestling legends dominate. In particular, MJF defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi in a bout for the AEW World Championship. In a first-round matchup in the Owen Hart Cup Tournament, CM Punk defeated Satoshi Kojima. Orange Cassidy retained the AEW International Championship with a win in a four-way match against Zack Sabre Jr., Katsuyori Shibata, and Daniel Garcia. Will Ospreay also defeated Kenny Omega for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.

On the women's side, Toni Storm, with help from Ruby Soho and Saraya, defeated Willow Nightingale to retain the AEW Women's World Championship.

AEW Full 2024 PPV schedule:

For anyone unable to watch AEW Forbidden Door tonight, there are still five AEW PPV events in store for 2024. Here is the full schedule for the remainder of the year.

AEW All In - August 25

Venue: Wembley Stadium

City: London, England

AEW All Out - September 1

Venue: NOW Arena

City: Hoffman Estates, Illinois

AEW WrestleDream - October 12

Venue: Tacoma Dome

City: Tacoma, Washington

AEW Full Gear - November 23

Venue: Prudential Center

City: Newark, New Jersey

AEW World's End - December 28

Venue: Addition Financial Arena

City: Orlando, Florida

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AEW Forbidden Door results: Highlights, match grades and more