The man who will challenge Jon Moxley for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door has been revealed!
At NJPW Dominion this morning, Jon Moxley successfully defended his IWGP World title against EVIL. Despite regular interference from his opponent’s House of Torture allies due to the match’s Lumberjack stipulation, Moxley retained after hitting a Death Rider onto a barbed wire baseball bat.
While celebrating his victory alongside Shota Umino, Yuji Nagata, Tiger Mask, Togi Makabe and Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Moxley grabbed a microphone and encouraged anyone who wanted a title shot to come to the ring and go face-to-face with him.
His proclamation attracted the attention of the man he defeated for the title in April: Tetsuya Naito. The Los Ingobernables de Japon leader laid down the gauntlet for an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door later this month, which Moxley accepted.
Tetsuya Naito has picked up a gauntlet offered by Jon Moxley- do we have an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match set for Forbidden Door?https://t.co/CPDYDtSkGl#AEWxNJPW#ForbiddenDoorpic.twitter.com/9CRJTQjvfJ
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) June 9, 2024
This will mark only the third singles match between the two men. Moxley emerged victorious in their previous clashes at night 10 of the 2019 G1 Climax and Windy City Riot earlier this year, where he captured the top prize in New Japan.
Jon Moxley Is One Of Several Champions Defending At Forbidden Door
Jon Moxley vs Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship is the fifth title match to be confirmed for AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door. The only non-title match official for the pay-per-view so far is Zack Sabre Jr. vs Orange Cassidy.
Other title matches announced for Forbidden Door include Swerve Strickland vs Will Ospreay for the AEW World Championship; Mercedes Mone vs Stephanie Vaquer for both the AEW TBS and NJPW Strong Women’s Championships; Toni Storm vs Mina Shirakawa for the AEW Women’s World Championship; and a ladder match for the vacant TNT Championship.
In recent news, a NJPW star suffered a fractured hip during a AEW Rampage taping.