AEW & NJPW Championship Matches Set For Forbidden Door

Written by Inside The Ropes • Published 16th June 2022

With AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door less than two weeks away the card is finally starting to take shape, and will see a returning star take on a newly crowned champion.

With Hiroshi Tanahashi facing Jon Moxley for the AEW Interim World Championship confirmed now, following their recent wins over Goto and O’Reilly respectively, the rest of the Forbidden Door card has steadily been filling up.

Last night’s Dynamite gave us some more matches to look forward to, as Chris Jericho confirmed he would be teaming with Minoru Suzuki and new JAS member, Sammy Guevara. The unlikely trio will face Wheeler Yuta, Shota Umino and Eddie Kingston in a prelude to Blood And Guts.

Meanwhile, Miro booked his place in the AEW All Atlantic Championship fatal four way after the Bulgarian defeated Ethan Page, despite Dan Lambert’s best efforts to thwart the Redeemer. Miro will join Pac and either Malakai Black or Penta in the final at Forbidden Door with the final place being decided on New Japan Road.

AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa will defend against Toni Storm as the two face off for the first time, having saved one another in recent weeks from sneak attacks and overwhelming numbers.

Following United Empire’s invasion of AEW in recent weeks, new IWGP US Champion Will Ospreay battled wrestler of the year candidate, Dax Harwood. A split crowd watched on, as the Ring of Honor and AAA tag Champ eventually succumbed to the Englishman’s ‘Hidden Blade’ forearm, after a hard fought and impressive match.

After the bell United Empire hit the ring with Jeff Cobb, Great O’Khan and Aussie Open laying into Harwood, until Tag partner Cash Wheeler came out to make the save alongside Roppongi Vice – Trent Berretta and Rocky Romero.

This left Ospreay alone in the ring when familiar music hit to signal the return of Orange Cassidy. Cassidy, Berretta and Romero are all members of Kazuchika Okada’s ‘Chaos’ stable and there is no love lost between them and United Empire. Cassidy and Ospreay had a stare down until FTR and Roppongi Vice returned and Ospreay made his retreat.

It was later confirmed that Ospreay would defend his newly won IWGP US Championship against Cassidy at Forbidden Door. A match made even more intriguing by the physical belt being in the hands of former champion, ‘Rock Hard’ Juice Robinson as the Bullet Club newcomer was stripped of the title for failing to defend against Ospreay and Sanada at last week’s Dominion. Whether Robinson will appear at Forbidden Door, remains a mystery.

Another mystery is who newly crowned IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, Jay White, will face at Forbidden Door. All we know at this stage is that it won’t be anyone called Adam.

After originally calling for a title match against former Champion, Kazuchika Okada, ‘Hangman’ Adam Page failed to consider that Okada might not be champion by Forbidden Door and, as was the case, the champion was dethroned at Dominion by Bullet Club leader, Jay White.

In a powerful post match speech and backstage press conference, surrounded by Bullet Club, a jubilant Jay White called Page a “dumb cowboy bitch” and that he was welcome to Okada but it wouldn’t be for the title.

He reiterated this on last night’s Dynamite, with a surprise attack on Page much to the delight of a watching Adam Cole, who felt he deserved a title match against White. White then told his Undisputed Elite friend that he was not getting a match either, much to Cole’s confusion.

With White slated for a defence at Forbidden Door, it’s unclear who he will face but as the Catalyst of Professional Wrestling announced, “He who holds the prize, holds the power”.