Two of AEW and NJPW’s biggest stars are set for a face-to-face encounter on tonight’s Road Rager edition of Dynamite.
Tony Khan announced on Twitter that Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi will meet in a segment ahead of their clash for the AEW Interim World Championship at Forbidden Door.
The Ace of NJPW, Tanahashi was scheduled to face AEW Champion CM Punk at the inter-promotional pay-per-view. However, this match was pulled due to Punk’s foot injury, which has taken him out of action for several months.
Punk’s injury and subsequent time away resulted in the company creating an Interim World Championship.
On the AEW side, Kyle O’Reilly won a Casino Battle Royale on the June 8th edition of Dynamite, which set up a match against the number one ranked Jon Moxley in the main event. In a suitably hard-hitting clash, Moxley eventually claimed the win.
Meanwhile Tanahashi saw Hirooki Goto at NJPW Dominion to book himself a spot against Moxley at Forbidden Door.
The match between the top stars has been a long time coming as Moxley has called out Tanahashi for years. But before they head into battle at the history-making PPV on June 26th, they will come together in a face-off three years in the making at the Chaifetz Arena in St Louis on Dynamite.
The stacked show also features The Young Bucks challenging Jurassic Express for the Tag Team Championships in a Ladder Match. While Chris Jericho faces Ortiz in a Hair vs Hair Match, Britt Baker takes on Toni Storm and Ethan Page faces Miro in an All-Atlantic Championship Tournament Match.
The Ladder Match was originally set to feature The Hardys, but the bout was changed in light of Jeff Hardy’s recent arrest. As a result of his legal issues, Hardy has been suspended by AEW.