AEW World Championship MJF will defend his title against Hiroshi Tanahashi at AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door 2. The bout was confirmed on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
Last year’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view saw Jon Moxley beat Tanahashi for the interim AEW World Heavyweight Title in the main event.
Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio this morning that within NJPW, Tanahashi is no longer seen as a top guy who can’t be defeated by wrestlers in other promotions, such as Kazuchika Okada and Tetsuya Naito.
Meltzer speculated that is the reason why Tanahashi was chosen as MJF’s opponent. Here is the updated lineup for Forbidden Door:
IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA vs. Jungle Boy
AEW World Champion MJF vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
IWGP United States Champion Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay
Kazuchika Okada vs. Bryan Danielson