For months, we’ve seen and heard rumors of a possible “supershow” involving AEW and New Japan. On this past week’s episode of Dynamite, those rumors became fact, and the Forbidden Door pay-per-view was officially announced.
The host venue is the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. That’s the same building that saw CM Punk make his return to the world of pro wrestling last August. It’s also the same building that gave us The Undertaker vs The Undertaker in the main event of SummerSlam 1994, but that’s neither here nor there.
The date of the show is June 26th. That’s the same date that has seen the likes of Jackie Fargo, JJ Dillon, Matt Striker and Mark Jindrak/Marco Corleone come into the world, and Buddy Rogers leave the world, but again… that’s neither here nor there.
As of now, we’ve only heard that this is a “supershow.” We haven’t heard any official word that it’s an “AEW vs New Japan” show, but there have been hints that have people making that assumption. First, during the announcement itself, Adam Cole revealed he would be facing New Japan’s Tomohiro Ishii on Rampage in a “preview of what’s to come.” Then, in an official release about the show, AEW promoted the show as featuring “…marquee matchups between members of AEW and NJPW’s world-class rosters” and that certainly makes it sound like they will be facing each other. That is certainly the most fun option available for us, the wrestling fans. I’m sure it isn’t the most fun for those involved in putting the show together, figuring out who wins each match, and trying to make sure each company doesn’t look “weak” at any point. Luckily for me, I don’t have to get involved in any of those types of backstage politics, so I can just have fun putting a card together. This is going to be a mixture of what I think will be the card, if it ends up being a true company vs company event, and what I think the card should be.
I want to try and make this as realistic a show as possible. If someone is currently injured and the odds of them returning by June 26th are slim-to-none, then they simply won’t be involved here. Because the show is going to be on pay-per-view, I’m going to treat it as such, featuring about as many matches as a show like this would normally feature. Chances are, outside of a WrestleMania-like show with a Battle Royal, a Fatal Four-Way tag match, three six-man tag matches, and so on, there’s probably going to be some big names from both companies that are left off the card altogether. I am fully aware of this. If your favorites aren’t listed here, it’s not necessarily because I think they suck or anything. It’s just the way the cookie crumbles in situations like this.
Also, for those of you who are unaware of what happens in New Japan, they don’t have any women on their roster. That means you won’t be seeing any women’s matches here, as crazy as that seems in 2022. Bushiroad, the parent company of New Japan, also owns Stardom, one of the biggest women’s wrestling promotions on the planet. That would imply that seeing at least one AEW vs Stardom match on the show is a possibility, but because Stardom has not been mentioned anywhere in any of the announcements and press releases, I will be moving forward with no women’s matches here. Honestly, it might behoove both AEW and Stardom if they’re able to get some interaction of their own down the road, even if it doesn’t amount to a full-blown show of their own.
Are you ready for some fantasy booking? Let’s get started with some pre-show matches.
Orange Cassidy vs Toru Yano: Right off the bat… no, I do not care that both men are members of the Chaos stable. This is a one-off match on a one-off show, not a blood feud that requires months and months of build. That means you can just throw a match like this together. Not every match has to be a 27-star classic that Dave Meltzer rambles on about for 15 minutes. Sometimes, you just need some good old fashioned comedy. Toru Yano has been one of the best at that part of wrestling for a long time now, but Orange Cassidy hasn’t been too far behind him. It would be a good choice to start things off, getting the crowd laughing and keeping them loose for the rest of the battles that they’ll be seeing for the rest of the night.
Hook vs David Finlay: The obvious hook (pun intended) here is that you have the son of Taz taking on the son of Fit Finlay. David Finlay raised his profile in America a bit in 2021, as he and Juice Robinson would defeat Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson to win the Impact World Tag Team Titles and have a two-month reign as champions. He also has a reign as a NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champion (with Ricochet and Satoshi Kojima), defeating Adam Cole and The Young Bucks to win the titles. Sandwiched in between is a reign (with Juice Robinson) with the IWGP Tag Team Titles in 2020. He would easily be the toughest and most high-profile opponent in Hook’s young career, and would be a showcase for both men. Hook, the second-generation phenom, and Finlay, the third-generation star, could have a fun one here.
House Of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King & Buddy Matthews) vs House Of Torture (EVIL, Sho & Yujiro Takahashi): In an initial draft of this card, I initially had Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish in the AEW spot here, but I felt that the trio (especially Cole) were too “big” for the pre-show. Then, I couldn’t bump a match from the main show to the pre-show, so I had to compromise by switching out the AEW team. It actually ended up working out pretty well. The “House Of ___” connection alone makes this look good on a card.
With a jam-packed pre-show, it’s time to move on to the pay-per-view itself before I hyphenate anything else in this sentence.
The Young Bucks vs FTR vs Guerrillas Of Destiny vs A Mystery Team: Humor me here. After the other three teams have made their entrance, I would have the mystery team revealed as Time Splitters, reuniting Kushida and Alex Shelley once again. Kushida’s WWE contract expired, so he is free to appear for any promotion at any time. That won’t be an issue. This would end up being a mix of styles, as well as a mix of the past and the present. In this column, I’m not looking to fantasy book the winners and losers, but for this match, I think one thing should happen. It doesn’t matter which team wins the match, but one team that should LOSE is Time Splitters. Then, after the match, Kushida could turn heel on Shelley before revealing that he has joined one of New Japan’s heel stables. My reasoning is simple… Kushida wants it. Not necessarily the turn on Shelley, but a turn nonetheless. It is being reported that he has been looking to return to New Japan as a heel in a bit of an MMA-inspired gimmick change. This would be a good way to make that happen, and would allow him to return to Japan with a lot of heat after breaking up one of the best and most popular junior heavyweight tag teams of the 2010’s.
20-Man Battle Royal: Really, you could take the names left after putting this card together and take just about any ten from each company to put together something fun here. Just for fun, I almost went completely random and put 20 together, and this is the lineup: Sammy Guevara, Ricky Starks, Andrade El Idolo, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, Eddie Kingston, Powerhouse Hobbs, Wheeler Yuta, Chris Jericho, Darby Allin, Hirooki Goto, Yoshi-Hashi, Master Wato, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tomohiro Ishii, El Desperado, El Phantasmo, Taiji Ishimori, Bad Luck Fale and Minoru Suzuki. To show how insanely loaded this show could be, you could make a real case for almost all 20 men I just named having their own singles or tag match on this show for a bigger spotlight. As it is, throwing them into a match here is going to be your usual 500 miles-per-hour AEW Battle Royal, but the clash of styles should make for some quality entertainment.
Pac vs Will Ospreay: Ospreay himself seemed to hint at this one. In the immediate aftermath of the show’s announcement, Ospreay took to Twitter with a screenshot of a wrestling result from February 15th, 2019. On that night, at RevPro’s High Stakes 2019 show, Ospreay and Pac wrestled to a 30-minute time limit draw in the main event. That was their first, and to this point only, singles match (they were also involved in a Four-Way match two months later) against each other. If Ospreay wants a rematch here, you have to think Pac will have zero issues with it. Works for me.
Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish vs Tetsuya Naito, Hiromu Takahashi & Bushi: As I said earlier, I moved The Undisputed Elite around a bit before finalizing their spot here. I’ve had Cole in singles matches while Fish and O’Reilly were in tag matches, and I’ve even had Cole in singles matches while Fish and O’Reilly were left off the card altogether. Here in my final version, we have The Elite going up against Los Ingobernables de Japon, as two of the biggest and most successful factions in wrestling today go to battle against each other.
Samoa Joe vs Shingo Takagi vs Wardlow vs Jeff Cobb: Big meaty men slappin’ meat! Four big, badass motherfuckers stepping into the ring together, and their only goal is to destroy each other. This is like if Godzilla and Mothra vs Keizer Ghidora and Gigan was changed from a tag match to a Fatal Four-Way at the last minute, and quite honestly, I don’t think I could describe this one any better than that, so I’m not even going to try going any further.
Jon Moxley vs Zack Sabre Jr.: At first glance, this might be a weird matchup to some people. In a lot of these “fantasy card” scenarios I’ve seen from people, Moxley is lined up against some sort of brawler like Minoru Suzuki, Tomohiro Ishii, Jeff Cobb, and so forth. Those would be more than acceptable, for sure, but as you’ve learned by reading my work, I love a good clash of styles. ZSJ is largely recognized as one of the greatest in-ring performers in the business today. Moxley performs very well against those types of wrestlers, from Bryan Danielson to Kenny Omega to AJ Styles to Kevin Owens to Seth Rollins, and the list goes on and on. With Moxley being surrounded by Danielson, Wheeler Yuta, and even William Regal, you might be able to say he wants to remind some wrestling fans that he’s more than just the hardcore brawler who is willing to bleed in his matches. There is a world of potential here.
CM Punk vs KENTA: This match has been talked about for YEARS now. It goes back to 2011, when KENTA went on record in an interview saying that Punk “stole” his move. KENTA, of course, is the originator of the Go 2 Sleep finisher that Punk began using in WWE when he was told he could no longer use the Anaconda Vise. Some say KENTA’s shots at Punk are a work, while others feel the shots are a shoot. Really, does it even matter? No, I don’t think it does. This is a feud that has been building and building for over a decade, and these two have never had the opportunity to cross paths before. Strangely enough, KENTA’s WWE tryout at the Performance Center came the day after Punk walked out of the company following the 2014 Royal Rumble. Clearly, Punk heard that KENTA was on his way and decided he wanted nothing to do with that level of smoke. I’m kidding, of course. Work, shoot, or something in the middle… this is something that can be promoted as a big-time feud. On a card like this, where it could end up being mostly “dream match” style bouts, something like that would stand out, and it would be greatly needed. Let’s also not forget that Punk could very well be the AEW World Champion by the time this show rolls around, as it appears Punk is the next challenger for “Hangman” Adam Page. Not that the title would be on the line here, but it’s still something that warrants mentioning, as the match would get an added layer of promotion if the World Champion is involved.
Kenny Omega vs “Switchblade” Jay White: Yes, you’re seeing Kenny Omega listed here. No, Kenny Omega has not returned to AEW programming yet. The injuries that forced Omega onto the shelf are healing after he underwent multiple procedures. The last anyone heard, Kenny was recovering from knee surgery that had a recovery period that could have him ready to go from that particular injury in late-May, but June was probably more likely. He was also scheduled to undergo surgery to deal with a sports hernia back in March that would’ve had a recovery period that would also potentially have him ready to go in the late-May/early-June window. A lot of the news about his surgeries and recovery have been kept quiet, so we don’t truly know what the deal is. However, if he’s aiming to be ready for an in-ring return in June, wouldn’t this be the perfect event for that return to happen? You could even have him make an appearance at Double Or Nothing (AEW’s version of WrestleMania) on May 29th to set this match up. There is plenty of history here, of course. White replaced Omega as the leader of Bullet Club in 2018, and they have feuded before in New Japan. They even looked like they would continue that feud in Impact Wrestling, as White made his debut for the company to confront Omega, who was the Impact World Champion at the time, but nothing ever came of that. These two have faced each other in singles competition twice, with each man winning one, although White’s victory saw him take the IWGP United States Title from Omega. Having this be the “rubber match” in their feud only adds to the stakes, not that there needed to be anything else added.
Bryan Danielson vs Kazuchika Okada: I will be perfectly up front with all of you right now. For the last decade, there has been no bigger “dream match” on my list than Bryan Danielson vs Kazuchika Okada. Not only are they two of my favorite wrestlers of all-time, I will go so far as to say that they are both in the top five when it comes to the best in-ring performers of all-time, and yes, I mean that wholeheartedly. I will gladly admit that I will be incredibly disappointed if we don’t get to see this match, no matter what the rest of the show ends up looking like. Something I will also admit is that I will probably hype this match up too much in my own head. We could get it, and it could end up being an instant Match Of The Year classic, but I would still think a five-star match could’ve been six, and so on. That, of course, is a “me” problem and not a “you” problem, but it’s worth sharing, anyway. That’s how good I think this match would be.
“Hangman” Adam Page vs Hiroshi Tanahashi: For this match to make the most sense, I think Adam Page needs to successfully defend the AEW World Title at Double Or Nothing. That is because of the backstory of this match. To briefly cover it, when Page was wrestling for New Japan, there was a storyline where Tanahashi basically said Page was the future of the wrestling business, but only if he could escape the “poison” that was Bullet Club. Here we are, years later, and “Hangman” is (for now) the AEW World Champion, placing him in one of the biggest spots in all of wrestling. Tanahashi saw this potential when Page was just a Young Lion in New Japan. What better way for Page to show that he fulfilled that potential than to step into the ring with Tanahashi as THE guy in AEW? Like I said with Kenny Omega and Jay White, there’s added intrigue here as it would be the “rubber match” in their singles history. Page defeated Tanahashi at a Ring Of Honor show in 2018, while Tanahashi beat Page in a New Japan ring two months later. It’s pretty clear to see that the 2022 version of Adam Page is not on the same level as the 2018 version, though, so what would he have in store for Tanahashi this time around?
Three pre-show matches, followed by ten main show matches. That’s a lot, but it’s right in line with what AEW usually delivers. Last month, Revolution had three on the pre-show and nine on the main show. Before that, Full Gear had one pre-show match and nine main show matches, which was the same number as All Out 2021 and Double Or Nothing 2021. I think a show of this magnitude qualifies for having a whopping one extra match than what we’ve been seeing from AEW pay-per-views recently.
Again, I’m well aware that there are some big names left off of my card here, especially on the AEW side of things. It goes to show how deep their roster is, though, that you’re almost always going to have some major players left out in the cold when putting together a show like this.
Your turn, ReaderLand. First of all, what do you think of my proposed Forbidden Door card? Second of all, what are some matches you want to see on the show? As always, hit me up in the comments section below, or on Twitter (@HustleTheSavage), and let me know what’s on your mind.
Weekly Power Rankings
- Randy Orton: You can argue all you want about exactly where Orton ranks on the list of all-time greats, but what can’t be argued is that he is, in fact, on that list. He has been with WWE for 20 years now, and he has been in a high profile spot for what seems like 99% of that time. If he isn’t a World Champion, he’s competing for a World Title, and if he’s not competing for a World Title, he’s still in a very important “spot” with plenty of television time. His character has been able to evolve (pun intended) multiple times, and he has been successful as the top heel as well as the top face. The man is currently doing the most surprising work of his career, as nobody in their right mind expected RK-Bro to be this successful for this long, but there they are, still main eventing and putting on very good matches. To me, the craziest part about Orton’s career is that he’s “only” 42 years old. Barring injuries, he still has a lot of time left in the business should he decide that’s what he wants.
- Trey Miguel vs Ace Austin vs “Speedball” Mike Bailey: If there’s one thing that Impact has done well through the years, it’s the X-Division. This match was so much fun. A bell-to-bell sprint that I’m really glad I didn’t have to do coverage for, as it would’ve been impossible to keep up. All three men put in serious work here. They might not be household names in the wrestling business, but it’s a shame that they aren’t more well-known, as they deserve the recognition that comes with putting on performances like this.
- CM Punk vs Dustin Rhodes: I’ve said this before, but it’s so, so weird how AEW books Dustin Rhodes. I get that he’s 53 years old, but let’s be real… he deserves more than he’s getting. He’ll randomly get involved in a televised match that ends up exceeding everyone’s expectations, and then he’ll disappear again (from television, at least) for a while before they trot him back out to do the same thing months later. With three matches so far in 2022, that’s only a slight bit of hyperbole on my part. I’m not even 100% sure what I want from his booking, but he has proven, time and time again, that he’s still got “it” and he should have more, and better, chances to showcase that.
- Forbidden Door: I just wrote an entire column on this topic, so I don’t need to say too much more here. There is a world of potential for what can happen at this event. I’m very excited.
- Mustafa Ali: So… do you folks still want him to be “freed” or does this count? It was good to see him back on WWE programming after several months, and on top of that, he got a win over The Miz. I’ve said it a lot recently, but working with The Miz doesn’t really “advance” anyone these days, but hey, this is the first singles victory on television for Ali over a former World Champion, so it’s worth celebrating. We’ll see where it goes from here.
- Darby Allin vs Andrade El Idolo: I fear for Darby’s health and well-being when he turns 40. The amount of shit that he’s put his body through already is insane. As for Andrade… well, I fully admit to thinking he would’ve been a bigger deal in AEW by now, but that’s going to happen with so many people under contract. Only so many people can be pushed at any given time, so there are always going to be people who are losing more matches than you thought they would, if they’re even appearing on television. There are literally dozens of people on the AEW roster you can say that about.
- Wes Lee: The man was dealt a shit sandwich when his tag team partner was fired, causing the NXT Tag Team Titles to become vacant. He is working hard to turn that sandwich into an edible meal, though, and he seems to be going back to the more serious character than he has sometimes portrayed in the past. Honestly, if you’re going to move him past the MSK stuff, it makes sense to REALLY move him past the MSK stuff. At one point during his time with Impact, he was viewed as someone who could be a future main event player. Can he reach that level in NXT? It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest. We’ll see.
- Tomohiro Ishii vs Adam Cole: I know I’m going to end up saying this for almost every match at Forbidden Door, but it’s still so weird to see a lot of these New Japan wrestlers appearing on television on this side of the world. This was a good match. Not that it surprised me. Cole, of course, has spent time wrestling in Japan, and has actually been in the ring with Ishii twice before, albeit in six-man tag matches both times. A nice Forbidden Door preview, of sorts.
- Asuka: The WWE women’s division sorely missed Asuka, not just as far as her in-ring work goes, but also her star power. It’s a nice touch to have her immediately rekindle her feud with Becky Lynch, but a feud with Bianca Belair could, and should, be a ton of fun. The only time Asuka and Bianca have faced off in singles competition was at an NXT house show in 2017. Needless to say, the Bianca Belair of 2022 is miles ahead of the Bianca Belair of 2017. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, though. For now, it’s just good to have Asuka back.
- Riddle vs Jey Uso: It seems like we get a good match whenever Riddle is in the ring with Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, or both Usos. I do think it’s time for different directions for both RK-Bro and The Usos, and maybe… maybe… that’s coming after WrestleMania Backlash and the Tag Team Title unification match between the two teams, which will probably be yet another good match.
- Moose vs Josh Alexander: An entertaining main event that featured plenty of emotion and the right person winning. Isn’t it amazing how a concept as simple as that continues to be a successful go-to in pro wrestling?
- Yet Another Lacey Evans Video Package: Another “thumbs up” for the latest Lacey Evans video package. However, we’re getting dangerously close to the point where I’m going to say “Okay… and?” I’m looking forward to seeing how this character shift translates to her working in front of live crowds, and I’m REALLY looking forward to seeing how much improvement, if any, she has made with her in-ring work.
- Xavier Woods vs Butch: I still don’t know why the hell WWE decided to take Pete Dunne and turn him into Peaky Blinders Scrappy Doo, but at least the man is still capable of having good matches. We already know that Xavier Woods is one of the most dependable and consistently good workers on the roster.
- Impact Wrestling’s Upcoming 20th Anniversary: A lot of jokes have been made about this company through the years. I know because I’ve made a lot of them. However, here they are, about to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Time and time again, it seemed like they were on death’s doorstep, but they fought their way back. Like I said about the competitors in the X-Division match at Rebellion, it’s a shame that more people aren’t watching Impact. Shit, I should look in the mirror, as I admit to watching less than I should. There’s a lot to like about the current Impact product, though. If you aren’t already watching, you should check them out.
- The Viking Raiders: After losing a Handicap Match to Omos, both Erik and Ivar really need this change of scenery that NXT will provide them. Even if it just lasts the one match that they’re scheduled for, it’s an opportunity to show the wrestling world that they’re a lot better than what they’ve been able to show recently. This match against The Creed Brothers should be a banger.
This Week’s Playlist: “Brambleton” by Pusha T… “Neck & Wrist” by Pusha T, Jay-Z & Pharrell Williams… “Diet Coke” by Pusha T… “Scrape It Off” by Pusha T, Lil Uzi Vert & Don Toliver… “I Pray For You” by Pusha T, Malice & Labrinth… “Hurt You” by Living in Fiction… “LOVE.” by CHVRCHES… “So Into You” by Childish Gambino… “Bulls On Parade” by Denzel Curry… “Can You Stand The Rain” by New Edition… “Can You Stand The Rain” by Boyz 2 Men… “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals… “Keemy Casanova” by Akeem Ali… “Time Machine” by Big K.R.I.T. & Chamillionaire… “Keep It Like That” by Rittz & Vinnie Paz… “Picture Perfect” by Rittz & Tech N9ne… “Make Me A Believer” by Yelawolf & Shooter Jennings… “Tote The Bag” by Yelawolf & DJ Paul… “TiP TOE 4” by Riff Raff & Yelawolf… “Catfish Billy 2” by Yelawolf… “Hard White (Up In The Club) (Remix)” by Yelawolf, Lil Jon, T.I. & Slaughterhouse… “Billy Crystal” by Yelawolf & Rock City… “Pop The Trunk” by Yelawolf… “Box Chevy” by Yelawolf & Rittz… “Good To Go” by Yelawolf & Bun B