A new report has potentially revealed the identity of Zack Sabre Jr.’s mystery opponent for AEWx NJPW Forbidden Door.
One of the most highly anticipated inter-promotional matches announced for AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door was a battle between AEW’s Bryan Danielson and NJPW’s Zack Sabre Jr. to determine once and for all who the best technical wrestler on the planet really is.
However, in one of several blows to the event, Bryan Danielson announced he was unable to compete at either Forbidden Door or the following Blood & Guts Dynamite special. Despite this, ZSJ will still compete at the event but against a mystery opponent handpicked by Danielson himself.
Now, Fightful Select has reported that it is looking increasingly likely that the new opponent will be none other than former WWE Superstar Cesaro.
When making inquiries regarding who ZSJ would face at Forbidden Door, Fightful were not explicitly given a name, however, they were informed that promotional material has been created for the upcoming Blood & Guts edition of Dynamite that features the Swiss Superman.
Earlier this week, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer also noted that Cesaro was the most likely opponent for ZSJ at Forbidden Door, saying that he’s the only one who fits the description given by Danielson.
“I think the betting line guy is Claudio Castagnoli [Cesaro]…the way Bryan Danielson talked sounded to me like the way he talks about Claudio. So, Claudio’s in AEW, I guess, if it is him. There’s possibilities it’s somebody else, but I can’t think of anyone else that would be in that spot that’s available right now where people wouldn’t crap on it.”
Signing with WWE in September 2011, Cesaro was a one-time United States Champion, alongside multiple reigns with both the Raw and SmackDown Tag Team Championships. WrestleMania XXX also saw him win the inaugural Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal in 2014.
He last wrestled on SmackDown’s 11 February broadcast, losing to Happy Corbin in less than four minutes.