AEW CEO Tony Khan Addresses NJPW and STARDOM’s Reduced Representation on Forbidden Door 2025 Card

pranithkumarkanna@gmail.com|Modified on Aug 22, 2025, 11:21 GMT

As anticipation builds for the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2025 event on August 24, questions have surfaced about the noticeably heavier AEW presence compared to the NJPW and STARDOM rosters. AEW CEO Tony Khan recently explained the reasoning behind this booking choice, shedding light on the collaboration dynamics between the promotions.

In interviews and podcasts leading up to the event, Khan acknowledged that while Forbidden Door is a celebrated crossover showcase, the majority of the featured talent on this year’s card are AEW stars. He stated that the current representation is a product of navigating complex scheduling and creative considerations among the partner companies. Khan emphasized that AEW remains fully committed to integrating marquee NJPW and STARDOM talent but must balance storytelling continuity and wrestler availability to deliver a cohesive event[1][2].

The 2025 Forbidden Door card is highlighted by several championship clashes involving AEW mainstays such as “Hangman” Adam Page defending the AEW World Championship against MJF and “Timeless” Toni Storm defending the AEW Women’s title against Athena. NJPW stars like Kazuchika Okada, IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr., Hiromu Takahashi, and Hiroshi Tanahashi are prominently featured, but overall, the AEW roster carries more matches[1][4].

A source close to AEW told Fightful, “Tony and the booking team wanted to spotlight AEW’s evolving storylines heading into the fall while still giving NJPW their key showcase moments. It was a delicate dance — balancing respect for NJPW’s talent and maintaining momentum for AEW’s rising stars”[1]. This explains why the card features a strong AEW emphasis without sidelining NJPW and STARDOM completely.

Further, STARDOM’s women’s division representation is comparatively limited, with key appearances such as Persephone facing Mercedes Moné in the TBS Championship four-way. Khan noted that scheduling conflicts and the recent expansion of AEW’s own women’s roster influenced how many STARDOM wrestlers could participate[2][4].

WWE.com’s analysis of the card highlights that while AEW solidifies its global wrestling footprint via such partnerships, the complexity of co-promoted events sometimes necessitates uneven talent distribution. WWE insiders observe that these cross-promotional events require balancing each brand’s storytelling arcs and business interests, echoing Khan’s remarks[3].

The integration of NJPW and STARDOM talent into AEW storylines continues to evolve, with Forbidden Door 2025 showcasing this ongoing collaborative spirit despite the reduced representation on the card. Industry analysts anticipate that future Forbidden Door events will see adjustments to preserve the balance between AEW prominence and NJPW/STARDOM star power.

In summary, Tony Khan has confirmed that AEW’s heavier representation on the Forbidden Door 2025 card results from logistical, creative, and roster availability factors. This approach aims to deliver a compelling event with meaningful matches for fans of all three promotions, reinforcing the Forbidden Door tradition as a must-watch cross-promotional spectacle[1][2][3].

Forbidden Door 2025 Event Highlights:

AEW World Championship: “Hangman” Adam Page (c) vs. MJF with special stipulations
AEW Unified Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Swerve Strickland
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) vs. Nigel McGuinness
AEW Women’s World Championship: “Timeless” Toni Storm (c) vs. Athena
AEW TBS Championship Four-Way featuring Mercedes Moné, Persephone, Alex Windsor, Bozilla
Lights Out Steel Cage Match starring AEW and NJPW legends like Kenny Omega, Kota Ibushi, Jon Moxley, and more
Tag Team Championship Triple Threat: The Hurt Syndicate vs. FTR vs. Brodido
Additional matches including AEW stars Adam Copeland & Christian Cage in tag action

The event is scheduled to begin with a Zero Hour pre-show at 11:30 AM ET on August 24, followed by the main card at 1 PM ET[1][4].

Sources for this story include WrestlingInc, Fightful, F4WOnline, WhatCulture, and WWE.com.

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