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.

Match Card

Announced in advance of Sunday's event were:

• AEW World Championship: Swerve Strickland (c) vs. Will Ospreay
• Title for Title: TBS champion Mercedes Mone vs. NJPW Strong champion Stephanie Vaquer
• IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito
• AEW Women's World Championship: "Timeless" Toni Storm (c) vs. Mina Shirakawa
• TNT Championship ladder match: Mark Briscoe vs. Lio Rush vs. Dante Martin vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Jack Perry vs. El Phantasma
• Owen Hart Men's Tournament Quarterfinal: Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi
• The Elite (The Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi and The Acclaimed
• Orange Cassidy vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
• MJF vs. Hechicero
• Hook, Samoa Joe, and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Chris Jericho, Big Bill, and Jeff Cobb

Forbidden Door: Zero Hour Kickoff Show

• Yota Tsuji, Titan, and Hiromu Takahashi vs. Mistico and The Lucha Bros
• Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament Quarterfinal: Mariah May vs. Saraya
• Willow Nightingale and Tam Nakano vs. Kris Statlander and Momo Watanabe
  
• 4-Way Tag Team Match: Kyle O'Reilly and Tomohiro Ishii vs. House of Black vs. Private Party vs. Gabe Kidd and Roderick Strong

Serpentico vs. Kyle Fletcher

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

• This served no purpose and had no reason to exist on this card.
• Fletcher is a talent, but he will never reach his fullest level of overness by losing on TV and winning meaningless squashes on PPV pre-shows.

4-Way Tag Team Match

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

• Ishii and King rocking each other with forearms is always fun, even if the reason for this match's existence other than "just because" is nonexistent.
• "Daddy Magic" Matt Menard hinted on commentary that O'Reilly and Strong may be growing friendlier, perhaps giving an indication of the direction those two are heading in the coming weeks and months.

Willow Nightingale and Tam Nakano vs. Kris Statlander and Momo Watanabe

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

• Nightingale has great babyface fire, something we already knew, and it woke up the fans in Long Island for this one.
• Statlander's height and power make her a more effective heel. Hopefully, this is the role in which she finally finds the sustained success reflective of her talent.

Owen Hart Foundation Women's Tournament Quarterfinal: Mariah May vs. Saraya

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 crowd is invested in May and her story. She has the potential to be the biggest breakout star in the women's division since Jade Cargill if Tony Khan and the creative team can stick her story's landing.
• May threw some effective forearms, showing great fire while doing so.

Yota Tsuji, Titan, and Hiromu Takahashi vs. Mistico and Lucha Bros

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

• Excalibur did a great job explaining why it was believed Mistico would never tag with Penta and Fenix, elevating the significance of the match.
• For the second tag match on this pre-show, there were AEW stars involved but they took a backseat to their international peers, an interesting booking choice in that one would assume Khan would want to utilize the worldwide stars to put over his talent.

MJF vs. Hechicero

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

• Excalibur started the show by claiming this match had "enormous international implications" but failed to expand upon that. Instead, it came across as empty hyperbole.
• The story from the onset was that MJF underestimated the danger that Hechicero presented him and his comeback to world title contention.
• "I think he hit every living legend's gimmick," Taz said of MJF after he executed a Flair strut early on. 

The Acclaimed and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. The Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada

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

• If there was ever any indication that the crowd does not care about the Young Bucks or this heel EVP shtick, it was apparent when the crowd alternated pro- and anti-CM Punk chants instead of investing in anything they were doing in the ring.
• The match built to Tanahashi and Okada rekindling their epic New Japan Pro-Wrestling rivalry, only for the two to have minimal interaction ahead of the finish.
• The Zero Hour panel of Renee Paquette, Jeff Jarrett, RJ City, and Rocky Romero did a great job of putting over the battle between the AEW EVPs and the President of New Japan. The commentary team? Not so much, never once mentioning that element of the match.

Owen Hart Foundation Men's Quarterfinal: Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi

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

• Tying Danielson's recent struggles to the effects of Will Ospreay's Tiger Driver 91, as Excalibur did on commentary, works incredibly well. It adds to Danielson's redemption story while also selling the devastation of that move, which will only accentuate the moment when The Aerial Assassin breaks it out once more.
• The American Dragon expertly sold the effects of his neck injury and the offense of Takagi, crumbling to the mat after rocking his opponent with a forearm. Nigel McGuinness implored Aubrey Edwards to call for the bell, showing concern for his former in-ring rival.
• Danielson vs. PAC is going to be a candidate for the best TV match of the year this Wednesday on Dynamite as part of the semifinal round. 

AEW World Women's Championship: Mina Shirakawa vs. 'Timeless' Toni Storm

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

• Storm arrived dressed as the Statue of Liberty in honor of the New York element of the show.
• Storm held the ropes open for Shirakawa and May, signaling a change of heart not unlike Randy Savage at WrestleMania VII, where he held the ropes open for Miss Elizabeth after five years of the opposite.
• If Shirakawa is not signed to appear more for AEW, Khan should explore what it would take to make that happen because there is money to be made in a trio of her, Storm, and May.

Orange Cassidy vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

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

• Taz teased heat with Sabre over the Brit wearing orange gear on commentary in a shtick that was both funny and went on longer than one would have imagined. 
• Cassidy repeatedly delivered a dragonscrew leg whip and Sabre answered by targeting his opponent's wrist, seemingly taking the Orange Punch away from the babyface.
• McGuinness put over the effects of the wrist injury, particularly during a Texas Cloverleaf by Cassidy, who could not complete his grip on the hold. It was the latest in a night of great calls by the best commentator on the AEW team. 

Samoa Joe, Katsuyori Shibata, and Hook vs. Chris Jericho, Big Bill, and Jeff Cobb

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

• "Please retire!" chants from fans in Long Island were met by resistance from Jericho, who reminded them that he is from there and is their hometown hero. Needless to say, that did not endear him to them.
• Dear Tony Khan, please book Joe vs. Cobb. Please and thank you.
• This Jericho Learning Tree shtick isn't hitting like the performer or creative forces think it is. The crowd's reaction, or lack thereof to this match, supports that idea.
• "You still got it!" chants were answered with louder, more passionate, "no you don't!" chants from the fans as the general disdain for Jericho continued.
• "He beat homeboy with his own move!" Taz gleefully said while applauding his son's victory.

Ladder Match to Crown a New TNT Champion

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 Takeshita'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, Takeshita, and Phantasmo

Grade

C+

Top Takeaways

• It appeared a few of the competitors were banged up or downright injured during the match, with Takeshita nursing his left arm following an ill-designed spot also involving Briscoe, and Martin teasing a reinjured left leg.
• Speaking of which, the commentary team did a great job of both putting over the danger of the match and telling Martin's story by reminding the viewing audience of the compound fracture he suffered in a ladder match just over a year ago.
• The crowd was overwhelmingly behind Takeshita, a testament to his talent and what they believe has been questionable booking thus far in his AEW run.

Title for Title: Mercedes Moné vs. Stephanie Vaquer

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

• Moné threw some impressive-looking punches at the face of Vaquer early on, clearly having worked on her strikes ahead of the match.
  
• The commentary team put over how Vaquer "womanhandled" Moné, pointing out that the NJPW Strong women's champion was hardly even breathing heavily as she dominated the match. It was a great way to put over the Chilean competitor.
• The same fans who vehemently argue against the treatment of the women's division by AEW's creative are the ones chanting "f**k the Celtics" in the middle of a damn good match between two great performers, showing them the same lack of respect that they criticize Khan and Co. for.
• That pop for Baker's return, though...

IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match: Jon Moxley vs. Tetsuya Naito

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

• The commentary team did a solid job of putting over the disgrace Naito experienced having lost the IWGP title to an outsider like Moxley.
• Jim Ross expressed frustration over Naito spitting in Moxley's face, rightly stating that no one ever beat anyone by spitting at them. 
• Later in the match, there was a half-hearted attempt by the rest of the team to tell the story of a cerebral Naito looking to sucker his opponent into a mistake by infuriating him.

AEW World Championship: Swerve Strickland vs. Will Ospreay

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

• The electricity in the arena was off the charts for the opening introductions.
• Ospreay paid tribute to the late Hayabusa while dedicating the match to his late grandmother, who passed away last week.
• MJF and Daniel Garcia were shown watching from afar, keeping them alive as active participants in the top title picture. Garcia will challenge Ospreay Wednesday night on Dynamite for the AEW International Championship.
• Strickland patted Ospreay on the head, a sign of respect and an acknowledgment of a job well done, even if this was not his night.

Overall Grade

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