Tag: CMLL

AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door London Results 8/24/2025, Wardlow Returns

AEW and NJPW brought the chaos to London’s O2 Arena for this year’s Forbidden Door, a marathon show that blended dream matches, title defenses, and wild cross-promotional energy. From shocking saves to brutal wars inside a steel cage, the night had something for every type of wrestling fan. Here’s the full rundown of what went down match by match:

El Desperado, Paragon & Yuya Uemura def. CRU & Don Callis Family

The opener was a fast-paced, multi-man clash that swung back and forth until Yuya Uemura scored the deciding fall with a bridging butterfly suplex on Lio Rush. Post-match, the Callis Family ambushed the victors, only for Tomohiro Ishii to storm down and even the odds. The segment ended with a hot crowd-pleaser: Ishii planting Lance Archer with a thunderous brainbuster.

Gates of Agony & Ricochet def. JetSpeed & Michael Oku

Ricochet and the Gates controlled much of the action, isolating Michael Oku before chaos broke out with a string of dives. Despite a valiant effort from Oku and JetSpeed, Ricochet sealed the deal with his Spirit Gun finisher.

Megan Bayne & Triangle of Madness def. Kris Statlander, Willow Nightingale, Queen Aminata & Harley Cameron

The women’s eight-woman tag turned into a back-and-forth brawl. Miscommunication among the babyfaces gave Bayne an opening, and she flattened Harley Cameron with a Liger Bomb for the win.

AEW World Trios Championship: The Opps (c) def. Bullet Club War Dogs

Katsuyori Shibata, Samoa Joe, and Will Hobbs successfully defended their titles in a hard-hitting showdown with Bullet Club’s UK branch. The match ended when Joe dropped Robbie X with a Muscle Buster.

Adam Copeland & Christian Cage def. The Patriarchy

Old friends reunited as Copeland and Cage teamed up to take down Killswitch and Kip Sabian. After withstanding Patriarchy’s antics (and interference from Mother Wayne), Cage pinned Sabian following a spear from Copeland into an inverted DDT.

AEW TNT Championship: Kyle Fletcher (c) def. Hiromu Takahashi

In one of the night’s hardest-hitting bouts, Fletcher and Takahashi traded bombs until the champion finally retained with a brutal brainbuster.

AEW TBS Championship Four-Way: Mercedes Moné (c) def. Alex Windsor vs. Bozilla vs. Persephone

The TBS Champion survived a chaotic four-way. After near falls from every challenger and a tower of doom spot, Mercedes Moné snatched the win with a victory roll on Persephone.

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Zack Sabre Jr. (c) def. Nigel McGuinness

In a technical masterclass, hometown hero Nigel McGuinness pushed ZSJ to the edge in his return to the ring. Sabre narrowly escaped with his title via a sunset flip pin. Post-match, the two shared a handshake and embrace, while Daniel Garcia loomed with visible tension.

AEW World Tag Team Championship: Brodido def. FTR & Hurt Syndicate (c)

This triple threat had constant action, with FTR and Brodido both trying to wrestle the gold away from Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin. In the chaos, Bandido hit a frog splash on Dax Harwood to secure the pin, crowning Brodido as the new champions.

AEW Unified Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) def. Swerve Strickland

Okada retained the top prize after weathering Swerve’s storm. The challenger connected with multiple House Calls but couldn’t put the Rainmaker down. A final Rainmaker lariat ended it, but the aftermath stole the spotlight — Okada targeted Swerve’s knee with a chair until Wardlow aligned with Don Callis, leaving Strickland broken.

AEW Women’s World Championship: Toni Storm (c) def. Athena

Toni Storm survived a bruising battle with Athena, who nearly won with the O-Face before Billie Starkz’s antics backfired. Storm locked in the Chickenwing and forced Athena to tap out.

AEW Men’s World Championship: Hangman Page (c) def. MJF

With countouts and DQs allowed to decide the title, MJF threw everything at Hangman — weapons, low blows, and referee distractions. In the end, Page overcame it all, blasting Friedman with a Deadeye and Buckshot Lariat to retain.

Lights Out Steel Cage Match: Darby Allin, Golden Lovers, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Will Ospreay def. Death Riders & Young Bucks

The insane main event lived up to the Lights Out billing with chaos, blood, weapons, and a moonsault off the top of the cage from Will Ospreay. Tanahashi scored the winning fall with one last High Fly Flow in the UK. But celebration quickly turned dark as the Death Riders destroyed Ospreay post-match, stomping a chair around his neck while the crowd rained boos on Moxley.

MLW Hosts International Summit, Welcomes Surprise Appearance from MJF

Major League Wrestling isn’t slowing down this summer. Hot off the heels of their “Summer of the Beasts” event on June 26 at the Melrose Ballroom in New York City, the company pulled off a surprise that has the wrestling world buzzing—and possibly laid the groundwork for major future collaborations.

In a development that flew under the radar until now, MLW held a closed-door international summit following the show, bringing together top executives from New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL). While exact details of the summit remain scarce, the meeting signals MLW’s growing ambition to establish deeper global partnerships and expand its influence beyond the U.S. indie scene.

The in-ring action that night was equally headline-worthy, thanks to the shocking return of MJF. The former AEW World Champion made an unannounced appearance, storming the ring to attack lucha legend Mistico. The ambush immediately reignited their long-dormant rivalry that began during AEW’s Grand Slam: Mexico special.

MJF’s surprise involvement wasn’t just a one-off, either. According to a report from PWInsider, the belief within MLW is that this won’t be his only appearance for the promotion—suggesting a potential storyline arc that could carry through the summer and beyond.

Between forging new international ties and welcoming one of wrestling’s most talked-about stars back into the fold, MLW is clearly positioning itself for a major leap forward. Fans should keep a close eye on what’s next. The “Summer of the Beasts” might just be the beginning.

ROH x CMLL Global Wars Mexico 6/26/2025

Ring of Honor will present a special show tonight, as ROH teams up with CMLL for Global Wars Mexico. It airs on HonorClub. The show was taped last week at Arena Mexico. It will include the following matches:

* ROH World Championship: Bandido (c) vs. Mascara Dorada
* ROH World Television Championship Proving Ground Match: Nick Wayne (c) vs. Titan
* Athena & Red Velvet vs. Thunder Rosa & Persephone
* Lee Moriarty vs. Blue Panther

Backstage Friction Keeps Rush & Dralistico Out of CMLL Despite AEW Push

The wrestling landscape between AEW and CMLL has been shifting fast — and mostly for the better. Over the past year, AEW’s partnership with the historic Mexican promotion has opened doors that once seemed firmly closed. We’ve seen Bandido defend the ROH World Championship inside Arena Mexico, Mistico team with The Lucha Brothers, and even The Beast Mortos (formerly known as Black Taurus) clear a longstanding ban to appear at the AEW x CMLL “Grand Slam Mexico” show. But while many talents have benefitted from this new alliance, two notable names remain on the outside looking in: Rush and Dralistico.

According to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, both Rush and Dralistico have been actively pushing AEW to negotiate with CMLL on their behalf. Their goal? A potential program between Dralistico and Mistico — a feud that could light up Arena Mexico and generate serious buzz (and money) for CMLL. But despite the clear potential, CMLL isn’t budging.

The root of the tension appears to stem from past exits and burned bridges. Rush’s departure from CMLL back in 2019 was anything but smooth. Instead of appearing at CMLL’s marquee 86th Anniversary Show, Rush opted to wrestle for Ring of Honor’s Death Before Dishonor, a decision CMLL didn’t take lightly. Officially, the promotion claims it fired Rush — not the other way around — and they’ve harbored resentment ever since. The situation wasn’t helped by the perception that Rush encouraged talent to explore better-paying offers outside the company.

Dralistico, on the other hand, left CMLL under far less dramatic circumstances in 2021. At the time, he was performing under the Mistico persona and eventually chose to join his brothers in AAA. While his exit didn’t stir as much controversy, CMLL’s blanket stance on keeping both him and Rush away from their events still stands.

Interestingly, Dralistico reportedly respects CMLL’s decision, even if he’d jump at the opportunity to represent AEW and La Facción Ingobernable (LFI) inside Arena Mexico. But the door remains shut — for now.

With AEW and CMLL continuing to deepen their partnership, it’s worth watching whether time — and business opportunity — will eventually thaw the ice. A Dralistico vs. Mistico program writes itself, and fans across Mexico and the U.S. would be more than willing to buy in.

But until CMLL is ready to forgive and forget, the Ingobernables remain persona non grata in Arena Mexico.

NJPW x AEW Wrestle Dynasty 1/5/2025 (Results)

Sorry for this post being so late, but here in Southern Indiana we are dealing with problems from a winter storm with a lot of ice from freezing rain that left a lot of people without power from frozen tree limps falling on power lines. Some are still without power.

So below is the results from Wrestle Dynasty:

Pre-Show:

  • Momo Watanabe def. Athena, Persephone, and Willow Nightingale via pinfall to win the International Women’s Cup
    Momo Watanabe triumphed in a thrilling four-way bout against Athena, Persephone, and Willow Nightingale to claim the International Women’s Cup. The match featured fast-paced action with wrestlers rotating in and out of the ring to break up pinfalls. Athena appeared poised for victory after hitting her O-Face on Willow, but interference from Thekla pulling the referee out gave Watanabe an opening. She capitalized by using her signature bat and finishing with Peach Sunrise to score the pin on Athena. This marked Athena’s first pinfall loss in two years, a point commentary emphasized. Watanabe now has the opportunity to challenge any champion of her choosing.
  • Sons of Texas (Dustin Rhodes & Sammy Guevara) def. House of Torture (SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) via pinfall to retain the Ring of Honor Tag titles
    Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara defeated House of Torture’s SHO and Yoshinobu Kanemaru to retain their ROH Tag Team Championships. Guevara started hot before the challengers’ underhanded tactics slowed him down. A hot tag to Dustin brought the crowd to life as he hit signature moves. After whiskey mist antics from Kanemaru, Rhodes returned the favor and set up Guevara to seal the victory with a 630 Splash.

Main Card:

  • Taiji Ishimori wins the 8-Man Lucha Gauntlet
    In an eight-man lucha gauntlet, Taiji Ishimori outlasted competitors including El Desperado, Hechicero, and Titan to secure the win. Desperado, the new IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, became the primary target, enduring finishers from several participants. Ishimori used clever strategy, throwing the referee onto Desperado and Kosei Fujita before applying the Gedo Clutch on the champ to steal the victory.
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Katsuyori Shibata’s five-minute exhibition match ends in a draw
    The exhibition match between two legends ended in a five-minute time-limit draw. The grappling-focused bout carried emotional weight for fans familiar with their storied history, as every lock-up and chop exchange felt significant.
  • Mercedes Moné  def. Mina Shirakawa via pinfall to win the RevPro British Women’s championship
    Mercedes Moné added another title to her collection, defeating Mina Shirakawa in a hard-fought contest. Shirakawa targeted Moné’s knee throughout the match, but Mercedes adapted, using her resilience to stay in the fight. A Moné Maker sealed the deal, though Shirakawa rejected a post-match handshake in frustration.
  • David Finlay def. Brody King via pinfall
    The Bullet Club War Dogs leader overcame Brody King in a physical clash. King dominated early with his size and power, but Finlay exploited an opening with an eye poke, eventually hitting Overkill for the win. Post-match, Finlay seemed preoccupied with the loss of his IWGP Global title at Wrestle Kingdom.
  • Shota Umino def. Claudio Castagnoli via pinfall
    Shota Umino defeated Claudio Castagnoli in a statement-making victory. Claudio dominated early, using his power and technical prowess, but Umino rallied with Moxley-inspired elbow strikes and a Death Rider to secure the pin.
  • Konosuke Takeshita def. Tomohiro Ishii via pinfall to retain New Japan’s NEVER Openweight title & AEW International title
    One night after claiming the NEVER Openweight title, Konosuke Takeshita successfully defended it alongside his AEW International Championship against Tomohiro Ishii. The match was a brutal affair, with both men exchanging stiff strikes and power moves. Takeshita ultimately prevailed with his Raging Fire finisher.
  • Young Bucks def. Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb and Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi to win the vacant IWGP Tag Team titles
    The Young Bucks emerged victorious in a chaotic triple-threat match against Great-O-Khan & Jeff Cobb and LIJ’s Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi. True to form, the Bucks waited for their moments before diving into the action. They outlasted their opponents and sealed the win with a TK Driver, securing the vacant IWGP Tag Team Championships.
  • Yota Tsuji def. Jack Perry to retain the IWGP Global championship
    Yota Tsuji retained his newly won IWGP Global Championship in a match against Jack Perry. Perry played the heel, using dirty tactics to target Tsuji’s back. Despite Perry’s nearfalls, Tsuji rallied with a Gene Blaster spear to secure the win.
  • Kenny Omega def. Gabe Kidd via pinfall
    Kenny Omega’s return to action was a violent showdown with Gabe Kidd. The match featured suplexes, table spots, and even steel chair exchanges. Despite Kidd’s resilience and brutal piledrivers, Omega hit Kamigoye and the One-Winged Angel to emerge victorious. Post-match, NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi was seen visibly emotional, suggesting Kidd’s promising future.
  • Zack Sabre Jr. def. Ricochet via submission to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight championship
    In the night’s main event, Zack Sabre Jr. retained the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in a highly technical match against Ricochet. Ricochet’s high-flying offense was countered by Sabre’s calculated submission holds. After dodging a 630 splash, Sabre locked in The Inexorable March of Progress, forcing Ricochet to submit. Sabre closed the show with a passionate promo reaffirming his loyalty to NJPW and TMDK.

NJPW x AEW Wrestle Dynasty 1/5/2025

NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling) recently announced the full card of their upcoming Wrestle Dynasty PPV event that will see wrestlers from NJPW, AEW, STARDOM, ROH and CMLL compete.

The NJPW x AEW: Wrestle Dynasty PPV is set to take place on Sunday, January 5th, 2025, from the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.

You can check out the full card below:

Kenny Omega vs. Gabe Kidd

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ricochet

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Shota Umio

David Finlay vs. Brody King

Jack Perry vs. Yota Tsuji

NEVER Openweight Championship Match
Shingo Takagi or Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Tomohiro Ishii

IWGP Tag Team Championship Decider Match
Great-O-Khan and a Mystery Partner vs. The Young Bucks (Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson) vs. Tetsuya Naito & Hiromu Takahashi,

NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship and RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Championship Match
“The CEO” Mercedes Moné (c) [NJPW STRONG Women’s Champion] vs. Mina Shirakawa (c) [RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Champion]

Lucha Gauntlet Match
Four NJPW Stars and Four CMLL Stars Will Compete

Kickoff Match #1
International Women’s Cup Fatal Four Way Match
Momo Watanabe (STARDOM) vs. Willow Nightingale (AEW) vs. Persephone (CMLL) vs. Athena (ROH)

Kickoff Match #2
ROH World Tag Team Championship Match
The Sons Of Texas (Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara) (c) vs. House Of Torture (Yoshinobu Kanemaru and SHO)

Former CMLL Star Stephanie Vaquer Signs With WWE Instead Of AEW

Stephanie Vaquer is bound for WWE. The former CMLL and NJPW champion is set to debut with the United States-based promotion, but there’s been some question about her status with CMLL ahead of her signing.

According to the Wrestling Observer, Vaquer was under contract with CMLL but the promotion and its partner NJPW knew that Vaquer would be negotiating with both AEW and WWE. However, both promotions asked that she still work the upcoming NJPW/CMLL Fantasticamania show in San Jose, CA, as she had been advertised for the show. CMLL also asked her to lose her CMLL Women’s title on her way out.

Vaquer signed with WWE but was unable to commit to the original Fantasticamania show and she vacated her title, leading to a Three-Way Match for the CMLL Women’s Championship taking place that night. CMLL and NJPW have already announced Vaquer’s departure, which signaled her going to WWE, as AEW is a business partner of both companies and would’ve allowed her to complete her booked dates.

WWE Hall of Famer and “NXT” creative head Shawn Michaels confirmed the news on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Wednesday, formally welcoming Vaquer to the white-and-gold brand.

https://twitter.com/ShawnMichaels/status/1811151655544496619

According to reports ahead of the announcement, Vaquer had entered WWE’s radar specifically after her outing against Mercedes Mone at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door. She was booked in two appearances, wrestling Lady Frost prior to Forbidden Door during “AEW Collision,” and had reportedly been offered a deal to continue with Tony Khan’s company. However, she decided to join WWE, foregoing any of her future bookings with NJPW and CMLL and allegedly upsetting all three promotions. CMLL is said to be upset they were unable to have Vaquer drop the CMLL Women’s World and Women’s Tag Team titles prior to her departure as they had intended; they were vacated instead. Vaquer lost the NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship to Mone at Forbidden Door, simultaneously failing to capture the TBS Championship. She is the latest international women’s talent to be brought into WWE after Giulia agreed to terms to join the “WWE NXT” brand in the near future.

Dave Meltzer is reporting that WWE has no plans to change Vaquer’s ring name. This approach contrasts with WWE’s typical practice of creating new names for talents joining from other promotions, allowing the company to retain intellectual property rights.

However, it is essential to note that WWE can always change Vaquer’s ring name in the future.

Wrestle Dynasty With NJPW, AEW, ROH, STARDOM And CMLL Set For January 2025 At The Tokyo Dome

During Sunday’s AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view, a promo from NJPW aired for Wrestle Dynasty, which will feature stars from NJPW, CMLL, AEW, ROH and STARDOM.

The event is set to take place on Sunday, January 5, 2025 from the Tokyo Dome.

Wrestle Dynasty will take place just one day after Wrestle Kingdom, which will also be held at the Tokyo Dome.

The promo video is below, along with the official announcement from NJPW.

https://twitter.com/njpw1972/status/1807609267824054316
Wrestle Dynasty comes to the Tokyo Dome January 5!

Five promotions in one mega card after Wrestle Kingdom

A huge announcement was made during Forbidden Door as it was revealed the Tokyo Dome will play host to Wrestle Dynasty on January 5 2025.

Five promotions will come together for one mega card as NJPW, AEW, CMLL, ROH and STARDOM will all be under the roof of the Dome just 24 hours after Wrestle Kingdom 19. A night of dream matches is in store to kick off the year!

Source: WrestleView

Chris Jericho Appears At CMLL Viernes Event, Ambushes Mistico

Chris Jericho made a surprise appearance at the CMLL Viernes Espectacular event in Mexico City on Friday night.

The former AEW World Champion, under a luchador mask, interfered during a match between Mistico and Averno, attacking Mistico.

Jericho subsequently challenged Mistico to a match, delivering a promo to express his intentions.

He said, “I’m very happy to be here. A huge part of my life was Mexico and wrestling in Mexico City and living in Mexico City, all across the country. Many people say I am the greatest of all time. But tonight, [Translated from Spanish], I am the best wrestler of all time. Mistico, you are not on my level. You are not in my nest. I am the heart of a lion. You are the heart of a mouse.”

Jericho continued in English, “Mistico, I will challenge you anytime, anyplace, anywhere. You say the word. You call Arena Mexico your house. Thirty years ago, Arena Mexico was my house, and I’m coming back to take my house away from you.”

You can check out Jericho’s promo below:

CMLL Announces First-Ever Arena Mexico All Women’s Show On International Women’s Day

After a tremendous 2023, CMLL has kept the momentum going in 2024, forging a strong working relationship with AEW, even as visa issues attempt to neuter some of the partnership’s impact. But before CMLL holds its big AEW vs. CMLL match in late March, where the Blackpool Combat Club will face top stars Blue Panther, Mistico, Ultimo Guerrero, and Volador Jr., the promotion will do something it’s never attempted in its 91-year history.

During last night’s edition of “CMLL Informa,” CMLL announced that the March 8 edition of “CMLL Super Viernes” will be an all-women’s show. Taking place on International Women’s Day, the show will feature a five-match card, headlined by a Mexican National Women’s Tag Team Championship match where the champions, La Jarochita and Lluvia, will defend against Andromeda and Skadi.

The March 8 show will not be the first all-women’s show in CMLL history, as the promotion previously ran two such events in Puebla and Guadalajara during October 2023, and is believed to have held all-women’s shows in Arena Coliseo during the promotion’s early years. However, this will be the first-ever all-women’s event the promotion has run in their home base of Arena Mexico, considered the most iconic venue in the history of lucha libre. Though unconfirmed, should the show prove to be a success, it would likely lead to the event becoming a yearly tradition going forward.

In addition to the main event, the show will also feature former WWE Mae Young Classic competitor Zeuxis in singles action, challenging Reyna Isis for the Mexican National Women’s Championship, as well as Dark Silueta defending the CMLL Japan Women’s Championship against former WWE star La Catalina. One notable name missing from the show is Stephanie Vaquer, who will be traveling to Japan to challenge Giulia for the New Japan Strong Women’s Championship on March 10.

Source: Wrestling Inc.