Shortly after Forbidden Door wrapped up at The O2 in London, England, many top names from the evening spoke to the press as part of a post-event scrum. Here are quick notes on the top takeaways from the conference, which was hosted by AEW’s Renee Paquette.
A full replay of the scrum can be seen below:
Tony Khan
- Said it “means so much” to break the attendance record for wrestling at the O2 Arena in London, England, with the promotion touting 18,992 fans. He credited that it was important to not just set the record with AEW, but to do so alongside NJPW.
- Khan said he believes 2025 has been AEW’s best year.
- Khan revealed that the Continental Classic tournament will take place as part of AEW’s announced trip to the U.K. late this year.
- Khan asked the media if MJF’s conduct in recent weeks has been fair. Renee Paquette proposed stripping MJF of his Casino Gauntlet contract, Khan thought that was a little much.
- Khan said that, from now on, all contract executions for matches will need at least a week’s notice. This means MJF won’t be able to cash in his casino gauntlet contract immediately.
- When asked about how women’s wrestling in the company has changed, Khan said he believes the quality of wrestlers in the women’s division has grown significantly over the past few years.
- POST Wrestling’s Neal Flanagan asked if weekly AEW programming has been hitting the one-million viewership mark due to their shows simulcasting on Max. Khan said he doesn’t know the exact numbers; all he knows is that they’re among the top sports shows on Max.
- Flanagan asked Khan if his creative process had changed over the years. Khan said that in the past, AEW has been booked in two different ways: Where it was mostly just his input, and with input from tons of other names. Heading into this year, he believes he tried to strike something more of a middle ground, listening to the opinions of many but going into those conversations with an outline of where he wants to go with storylines.
- Renee Paquette was asked if there have been issues at home with Jon Moxley ever since he became a Death Rider. Paquette said no, explaining that they keep their work lives separate: “I go to work and I do my job, he goes to work and stabs Darby Allin with a fork.”
Mercedes Moné
- Moné recapped her week, winning on Dynamite in Scotland, appearing twice on RevPro cards, and then on Forbidden Door.
- Moné says he is owed a celebration on Dynamite for her recent performances. Tony Khan seemed on board with the idea.
- She asked members of the media who are in “the crew” of Moné supporters to raise their hands. Moné then joked that they would be the only ones allowed to ask her questions.
- Moné was asked how she feels that, despite her achievements, she doesn’t have Toni Storm’s title: “We don’t talk about my past,” she said. “We talk about my now and my future. Next question, please.”
- Despite negative past experiences with food in the U.K., Moné said she had better meals on this trip.
- The idea of Moné headlining an AEW pay-per-view was asked by the media. Khan said that a rematch between Moné and Toni Storm would be a stellar headliner for the promotion.
Kyle Fletcher
- Kyle Fletcher said he hopes to be the best TNT Champion yet, and sees the reign as an “exciting challenge.” He later mentioned the aspiration to be a “fighting champion,” eyeing future matchups against Kyle O’Reilly, Mark Briscoe, and Roderick Strong.
- He reflected on what it was like to be back in England, and especially returning to RevPro a couple of days ago. He mentioned how he looks forward to performing in his home country of Australia next year, performing in his home city of Sydney: “Walking in there will be pretty surreal.”
- Fletcher talked about being shifted away from a tag act alongside Mark Davis to a singles wrestler due to Davis suffering injuries: “It was just lucky that Tony saw something in me and gave me an opportunity when Davis got hurt. And from there, I just wanted to do the best I could with everything I was given and just make the most out of everything.”
- Looking further down the line, Fletcher hopes he could maybe earn the AEW Unified Championship someday.
Brody King and Bandido
- Brody King said his friendship with Bandido dates back about eight years, so their bond isn’t as new as “Brodido.”
- As a gift, Tony Khan gave Bandido a game-worn jersey from Mexican-born Fulham football club player Raul Jimenez.
- King was asked about his “Abolish ICE” shirt that he recently sold. King said speaking on injustices is important to him, and he appreciates being allowed to use his platform in such a way. “I just think that using your platform for good, or just to help in any capacity, is the right thing to do.”
- Tony Khan applauded Brodido for their “insane chemistry.”
