AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door II Predictions
The second annual All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling crossover event, Forbidden Door, is finally upon us. The event takes place on Sunday, June 25 in the Scotiabank in Toronto, Ontario, Canada all but promises to surpass the first installment. It may even be in contention for the best AEW pay-per-view of 2023. The reported main event is slated to be the IWGP U.S. Championship match between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay. Other matches include Danielson vs. Okada, MJF vs. Tanahashi, and SANADA vs. Jack Perry.
Here are our predictions for every match announced thus far:
SANADA [C] vs “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry for the IWGP Championship
The announcement for this match may have left some fans scratching their heads. Jungle Boy, who recently lost his main event world title match at Double Or Nothing, felt like an odd choice to accept SANADA’s open challenge for the IWGP Championship. A win over an established, future main event player, could help cement SANADA’s championship reign. Since winning the title,
Prediction:
Jack Perry loses to SANADA in a hard-fought back-and-forth match that elevates both competitors. Hopefully, this helps set both competitors on the right trajectory. It’s not a stretch to say the result isn’t exactly in doubt, but after a major title loss for Jungle Boy and a few lack-luster defenses for SANADA, this could push each man to try to outwork the rest of the roster on this card and prove why they deserve their spots.
Athena vs. Billie Starkz
Not much to say about this one, as there hasn’t been much build on AEW programming. Both women are great in the ring and it could be a fun match. Hopefully, they’ll be given enough time to show what they can do on this massive card.
Predictions:
Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Minoru Suzuki vs. Sting, Darby Allin, and TBA
The build for this match has been very intriguing. The dynamic between Darby, Jericho, and Guevara is probably the only actual “story” we’ve gotten to build this match, but it doesn’t require much more. This really feels like a house show main event, but this dynamic might elevate it to something special. The growing tension between the two J.A.S members is something that has been explored very minimally in the past. Hopefully, Sammy shows a little more agency and starts to prove why he should break out on his own with Darby’s persuasion. Sting and Jericho coming face to face for the first time feels like a fake statistic and adds to the “dream-match” element of the card. As for the mystery opponent, two possible choices are either Shingo Takagi or Tetsuya Naito. Shingo because of the very fun “Dudes With Attitudes” team from last year’s show and Naito because of his NJPW feud with Jericho in 2019.
Prediction:
Darby, Sting, and TBA will take the victory. It seems like Sammy Guevara won’t be able to stay under Jericho’s thumb much longer. This might either be his breaking point or push him to it. Either way, it should be a fun under-card match.
Blackpool Combat Club, Shota Umino, Konosuke Takeshita vs. The Elite, Eddie Kingston, and Tomohiro Ishii
This one could go either way. There are an unbelievable amount of moving parts in this match. The BCC’s history with The Elite has created one of the most brutal blood feuds in company history. Eddie Kingston’s on and off again friendship with Moxley, which Dynamite gave us a small glimpse into. What problem does Ishii have with the BCC? Tony Khan might want to have the Elite get their win back after Anarchy in the Arena, but he might want to establish Takeshita as a main-event talent. The united front of the BCC with an all-star team really seems unbeatable, especially without Kenny Omega.
Prediction:
The BCC takes this one. Two major losses on PPV for The Elite will lead to a better story than if they get their revenge here. With the BCC standing tall and The Elite down and out, they could really pull together for an all-time classic in Blood and Guts. They might just need the addition of one truly golden star to bring them to full strength.
CM Punk vs. Satoshi Kojima
Yeah, I have no idea. This is one of the most random matches on an AEW card ever. It’ll be great, no doubt, but this could have been way bigger for Punk. Coming off his highly anticipated return it seemed like there would be something big in the works. It seems like the Owen Hart Tournament will be his direct line to Samoa Joe in the semi-finals. Do I really need to do a prediction for this one?
Predictions:
Okay, fine. CM Punk wins.
Bryan Danielson vs Kazuchika Okada
Yes, this is a real match we will actually get to see live on pay-per-view. This is the type of dream match all wrestling fans hoped for at the original Forbidden Door in 2022. Last year’s event truly seemed cursed. Roster members were getting injured left and right, and it made for an odd card. Fans were satisfied with the show but were definitely left hungry for more one-on-one dream matches. We finally have two of the best in-ring wrestlers of all time facing off at this year’s edition.
After Okada picked up a win at Dominion over the other members of the Blackpool Combat Club, Danielson issued a challenge to the Rainmaker to see who the “true” best in the world really is. Okada happily agreed and that’s all the story we currently have for this match. Quite frankly that’s all the story we need for such an epic clash.
Prediction:
Okada picks up the win over the American Dragon, Bryan Danielson. This is a tough one to call, as both men are on such incredible runs. The result is the least important thing about this match so because of that, we’re including a bonus prediction: This will be the best match of the night, if not the whole year.
Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Daniel Garcia
This four-way match on paper looks hilariously fun. Orange Cassidy quietly becoming the workhorse of AEW was on nobody’s bingo card for 2023. The fact that Shibata had his brain literally removed from his skull, yet still wrestles is bananas. Daniel Garcia meme-ing his way into the hearts of the AEW audience, and ZSJ is…well…he’s the greatest technical wrestler in the world. This is a match no one would have ever predicted. That is exactly why it’s awesome. Not much story other than a little tension between Shibata and Cassidy, but could be a fun one on the night.
Predictions:
My head says, Orange Cassidy. He’s been on the run of his career and deserves to lose the title in a singles match. My heart, on the other hand, says Shibata. I think Shibata could have one of the most insane comeback stories of all time and he clearly enjoys wrestling in the States. Still, the safe answer makes the most sense. Orange Cassidy picks up the win.
MJF [C] vs Hiroshi Tanahashi for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship
This match was officially sanctioned by Tony Khan on this past week’s edition of AEW Dynamite, but whether or not it will actually take place has been put in doubt. The champion referred to New Japan as “a rinky-dink indy promotion in Japan.” and threatened to no-show the event entirely. This storyline development could lead to a number of outcomes. Fans have speculated CM Punk might defend his big red bag against Tanahashi instead. Either way, we have a graphic for this match so it has to be included.
Prediction:
MJF defeats the Ace of New Japan Pro Wrestling. The result doesn’t seem to be in any doubt as MJF is looking to hold the championship until the end of 2023. MJF beating a tenured star like Tanahashi could add another feather to the young star’s cap. If the match doesn’t end up happening, we expect CM Punk to pick up the win in heelish fashion.
This is the least Forbidden Door-esque match on the card. It’s an odd one because both women are AEW contracted talent, but since Willow has a championship on NJPW Strong it counts? It’d have been cool to see either Toni Storm vs. Kairi or at least someone who feels more like a dream match. This exact match has actually happened on both Dynamite AND Rampage before. Odd one for sure.
Prediction:
Toni Storm takes the dub. Toni’s reign is just getting started and Tony Khan simply can’t have her lose. After winning the title in a controversial outcome, Storm needs to win convincingly. This could easily be a great match. The fanbase is into both competitors and they are two of the best in-ring workers on the entire roster.
Kenny Omega [C] vs Will Ospreay for the IWGP United States Championship
It’s okay. We forgot Kenny Omega still held this championship too. He has only defended it once in an episode of Dynamite after winning the belt from Ospreay way back in January. Omega and Ospreay are gearing up to have a rematch from their all-time classic. Their last encounter left fans clamoring for another go around and Tony Khan is granting their wish.
Ospreay was left face down on the mat in their last encounter, and this time, he’s looking not only to regain his championship but avenge the humiliation he suffered at the hands of his opponent. A war of words led up to their match in January in which Omega tore down Ospreay saying he couldn’t fill the Best Bout Machine’s shoes when he left for AEW. This time, Ospreay made a statement without saying anything by attacking Kenny during the show-closing segment to dynamite this past week.
Prediction:
Will Ospreay gets his win back over Kenny Omega. Not only does it make sense for Ospreay to go over and officially tie the score up to 1-1, but Omega is currently wrapped up in multiple feuds. Whether it be the BCC, Don Callis, and Konosuke Takeshita, or controversy with CM Punk, Omega is too busy to keep the title. New Japan needs a champion that can regularly defend the title. This can easily lead to a rematch possibly at All In in August or next year’s Wrestle Kingdom to wrap up their trilogy.
In conclusion:
The second edition of Forbidden Door is set to be a stacked show with lots of exciting match-ups on paper. Can AEW and NJPW create an event that lives up to expectations? With the matches announced, it certainly seems possible. Let us know what you think. Keep updated for changes on the card here at wrestlingheadlines.com