Kenny Omega has spoken out about a concept in AEW that may have lost some of its appeal in recent years.
In 2022, All Elite Wrestling and New Japan joined forces to present the first-ever Forbidden Door pay-per-view. Fans were very excited when the crossover event was first announced with anticipation growing further when top New Japan stars such as Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Zack Sabre Jr. were all announced for the show.
While the inaugural event felt special, what followed was more and more crossover appearances on opposite brands with multiple AEW stars in action at NJPW shows and top New Japan stars being regularly booked for AEW events. As a result, follow-up Forbidden Door shows have not felt as big as the 2022 PPV and the concept has not felt as forbidden as it once was.
Speaking in a new interview with New Japan, Kenny Omega stated that the Forbidden Door does not exist the same way that it once did, but added that the ease of crossover has forced stars to up their game:
I think that the concept of the Forbidden Door now, now that sort of the door’s been booted wide-open… the way that I used to picture the Forbidden Door, you know, you picture the cartoony door at the pearly gates, you know what I mean? It’s like you need that special permission to open that thing up. Now I just feel like it’s a revolving door. But, you go out one end, you don’t come back the other unless you have that passion. It’s opened the talent pool so wide and it’s made our roster so diverse with so many options.
But if you aren’t a complete athlete, if you aren’t a complete wrestler, you just can’t hang. So, is it special? Maybe it’s lost a smidge of specialness by being able to crossover that plain. But it’s made the competition that much stiffer and it’s made the competition that much tougher.
You can’t succeed now unless you’re absolutely not only the best in America, but the best in England, the best in Australia, the best in New Zealand, the best in Japan. You have to be one of the world’s best athletes to succeed now in today’s global wrestling climate, and I think the Forbidden Door helped facilitate that.
Kenny Omega Return Announced
With the exception of one appearance on AEW Dynamite back in May, the former World Champion has been absent for most of 2024. However, in a new update, Kenny Omega will be making his return at an upcoming NJPW show.
Recently Kenny Omega was involved in a backstage altercation with Gabe Kidd.
H/t to Post Wrestling.