All-star lights out cage match with NJPW icon made for AEW Forbidden Door

This story has been updated.

If your wrestling bingo card had NJPW icon and president Hiroshi Tanahashi competing in a lights out steel cage match in his final ever match in London, England, congratulations.

Tanahashi will be part of the ten-man cage match at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door in London, England, joining Darby Allin, Will Ospreay, Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi against The Death Riders (Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli), Gabe Kidd, and the Young Bucks.

Here’s how it all came together.

Following Moxley’s win over Kevin Knight on Wednesday’s Dynamite, Allin came to the ring, attacking Wheeler Yuta when Castagnoli returned to lay Allin out and put him in a body bag intended for Yuta.

Castagnoli and Yuta were about to finish the job when Ospreay ran out to even the odds and take out both men. He then grabbed the microphone and told Moxley, Castagnoli, Yuta and Marina Shafir that they tried to snap his neck at All In, so he was going to snap theirs.

He then told the group to get his friends and he’ll bring his, and they will meet at Forbidden Door in a lights out steel cage match.

Ospreay later revealed backstage to Renee Paquette that he and Allin will be part of a team that is still adding a few members, but he confirmed one made via a phone call: Tanahashi. Near the end of Dynamite, Moxley and crew learned about his addition and went to find the Young Bucks who were in the “extras” area.

The lineups were then later revealed.

It will be Tanahashi’s final match in London as his final year as an active wrestler winds down.

A lot of returns

For Ospreay, it will mark his return to the ring after revealing in July that he would be missing some time due to two herniated discs.

For Allin, it’s his first match since December 22, 2024, when he was in the Continental Classic. He left to climb Mount Everest and made his return at All In: Texas as part of the group helping fend off the Death Riders as Hangman Page won the AEW World title.

Kidd hasn’t competed since sustaining an injury in his NJPW G1 Climax opening match against Konosuke Takeshita which forced him to withdraw from the tournament.

It will be Omega’s first match since losing the Unified title to Kazuchika Okada at All In: Texas.

Current AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door card | Sunday, August 24 | London, England

  • AEW World Champion Hangman Page defends against MJF
  • AEW Unified Champion Kazuchika Okada defends against Swerve Strickland
  • AEW Tag Team Champions The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin) defend against winner of Tag Team title eliminator tournament
  • Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. Nick Wayne & Kip Sabian
  • AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm defends against Athena
  • TBS Women’s Champion Mercedes Mone defends against Alex Windsor, CMLL TBD and Stardom TBD
  • TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher defends against Hiromu Takahashi
  • Lights out steel cage match: Darby Allin, Will Ospreay, Kenny Omega, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi vs. The Death Riders (Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli), Gabe Kidd & The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)