AEW has grown steadily over the past five years, with a major highlight being their partnerships with other promotions like NJPW and STARDOM. These collaborations led to the creation of the Forbidden Door event, which has become a fan favorite. Next year’s Forbidden Door is expected to take place in London, but WWE’s upcoming European tour could impact the event.
AEW’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view will be held in London next year and fans are obviously excited about it, but it is to be noted that the event might not be held at Wembley Stadium next year.
According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is planning a major European tour running from March 14 to March 31, which will include six television tapings and a series of live events across several countries. The TV taping schedule will feature SmackDown on March 14 in Barcelona, Spain, followed by Raw on March 17 in Brussels, Belgium. Later, SmackDown will be taped on March 21 in Bologna, Italy, and Raw on March 24 in Glasgow, Scotland. The tour will wrap up with two SmackDown tapings on March 28 and March 31 at London’s O2 Arena.
AEW had previously hoped to book the O2 Arena for its Forbidden Door event in August. However, WWE’s extensive schedule at the venue could delay AEW’s announcement and ticket sales until after March, depending on WWE’s specific arrangements with the arena.
This European tour is different from WWE’s usual approach, where they typically run nightly shows throughout the tour. This time, the schedule is lighter, and it’s possible that talent may work only part of the week, returning home between shows. It is to be noted that the O2 Arena has 20,000 capacity. Therefore, we will have to wait and see if AEW will end up delaying their announcement for Forbidden Door until after WWE’s European tour concludes, as that seems like the most obvious outcome at the moment.
Do you believe WWE's European tour will be a more memorable experience compared to AEW Forbidden Door in 2025? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.