Fantasy Booking AEW x NJPW’s Forbidden Door PPV

AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door: 10 Dream Matches

…creak… AEW and NJPW’s Forbidden Door is opening….

Tickets for All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling’s crossover event Forbidden Door sold out in less than a day, and with good reason! At Forbidden Door, we will see the stars of AEW take on NJPW’s best wrestlers at the United Center in Chicago on June 26th.

Just like many things that Tony Khan has done with his pet project and wrestling promotion, this PPV event came to be from a fan’s point of view. And for many of AEW’s fans, this is a blessing since The Forbidden Door benefits both promotions and wrestling fans alike.

For AEW, it continues this streak of being the company that pushes the envelope and revolutionizes the business— but it also helps AEW who is trying to make headway in the Japanese market since the event can be watched on NJPWWorld.com, thus helping to push the momentum in Japan.

For NJPW, this will be the first major event that they have participated in since the start of the pandemic. Japan has had some of the most restrictive Covid regulations during the pandemic, so NJPW has been very limited on what it can do. Travel will be a bit more relaxed, meaning groups of wrestlers can now travel instead of just the one or two who showed up in the U.S. This will show that the company is back and ready to try and get back to normal.

Secondly, with the company celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, grabbing a foothold in the United States is good news. This is something NJPW has been trying to attempt for the better part of 25 years. Working together with AEW, an upstart young wrestling company, can go a long way for NJPW’s presence in America.

So, with TK’s and Ohbari’s booking power, we can now fantasy book a super card for Forbidden Door. 

Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

This initially started off as a tag team match between Wheeler Yuta and Brian Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi. But with the announcement of Wheeler Yuta participating in BEST OF THE SUPER JR. 29, it would make sense to make Danielson vs. Sabre singles match. This match would pin two of the greatest technical wrestlers globally and would be a great opening fight. This match will undoubtedly open the eyes of those in the United States who have not heard of Sabre Jr. Matches like these are a major reason why Danielson left his cushy position with WWE, so now it’s time to reward him with the opportunity to have an all-time great technical match.

Golden Elite (Young Bucks, Omega) vs. Undisputed Elite (ReDragon, Adam Cole), Ft. Kota Ibushi

This is where the culmination of the Golden Elite vs. the Undisputed Elite storyline will come to a head. The Young Bucks and the returning Kenny Omega will take on Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly, and Adam Cole. This will be the only match-up with no true AEW vs. NJPW, as all they are All-Elite. The reason why this will fit so seamlessly, however, is that this is where the Golden Lovers make their long-awaited reunion as the still-injured Kota Ibushi comes out to embrace his former tag team partner.

John Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

John Moxley has been calling out Hiroshi Tanahashi in promos and interviews for years now. It makes sense to pit these two industry titans against each other. Moxley has been pulling double duty in AEW and NJPW, and it’s one of the greatest “What If’ s?” in wrestling history to think how successful Moxley could have been in two promotions at once, if not for the pandemic. Hopefully, fans will get to see a glimpse of this at Forbidden Door.

Keith Lee vs. Jeff Cobb

You read that right. Lee vs. Cobb. Big sweaty, athletic men just throwing each other around to see who can claim the title of, “OMG! He’s too big to move like that,” champion. This match will not need a proper build-up, as the names alone will get people interested. Tony Khan brought in Keith Lee to AEW for moments like these. It would be as good of a time as any to get him in the mix of big events and show the haters and the doubters that Lee can be a superstar and the main player. Look for this match to be incredibly exciting and hard-hitting. And also, fun!

FTR vs. G.o.D.

This one seems obvious. FTR is currently on an all-time tag team run as they have faced The Briscoes, Young Bucks, and EACH OTHER. It only makes sense that they will face another one of the greatest tag teams of the modern era in the Gorillas of Destiny.  G.o.D. has now officially been kicked out of Bullet Club, so a match of this magnitude is a good way to keep the tag team relevant. This has the potential to be the match of the night.

Rey Fenix vs. Will Osprey Vs. Dante Martin vs. El Phantaso

Is that a bird? Is that a plane? No, it’s just four of the best highflyers in the world jumping around the United Center. You know it couldn’t be an AEW/NJPW event without a wild match of highflyers and crazy acrobats. The casual fan is something that is mentioned almost in the daily banter on internet wrestling forums. What better way to get some of those elusive casual viewers than by showing them four of the best high flyers in the business. Martin and Fenix showed crazy chemistry together, so to put that against two of NJPW’s best would be one for the ages.

Samoa Joe vs. Ishii

Do you want to see two grown men, that are built like bowling balls collide with each other? Well then, I got the match for you!  We saw a preview of this match when Joe took on Suzuki and they chopped the ever-living life out of each other for the Ring of Honor Television title. So why not let him go at it with another all-time great bruiser in the Stone Pitbull. If we can get Fenix and Osprey to fly around, why not get Joe and Ishii to beat each other into the ground.

Forbidden Door Casino Battle Royale

A Casino Battle Royale-style match would be a fantastic way to get wrestlers that don’t have a match already booked into the card. Names such as Lance Archer, and Andrade El Idolo, quickly come to mind, but it can also work the same for New Japan, as they can add familiar names that they might want to be added to the PPV. This could also serve as a platform to potentially build a star, as the winner gets a title shot at the TNT title or the IWGP US Title.

Darby Allin vs. Jay White

You cant leave two of the most popular names in wrestling out of Forbidden Door, so why not book them in a match against each other? The clash of styles between the two would make this very interesting to see how they can make it work, but neither of these guys has let us down in the past. And this doesn’t have to be White’s only appearance of the night since he is sure to have some sort of influence in the Elite Civil War.

Chris Jericho vs. Shingo Takagi

There is absolutely no way that Chris Jericho does not make an appearance in this PPV. Jericho is one of the biggest wrestling stars ever, so not having such a big name on this monumental event would be irresponsible. Plus, Jericho has a history with NJPW as an Intercontinental champion and as the Painmaker. Shingo Takagi makes a lot of sense as an opponent for Jericho, as they do have history against each other. Expect Judas to fill the United Center!

MJF vs. Kenta

Just like Chris Jericho, not having MJF on the card would be a major oversight by Tony Khan. MJF has incredible crossover appeal, and people will tune in to try and see him lose. Kenta wants CM Punk. He said as much on Twitter, but what if, instead of Punk, he will have to deal with Punks’ leftovers. Kenta is no stranger to AEW, as he made his All Elite debut during the pandemic when he teamed up with Bullet Club colleague Kenny Omega and defeated John Moxley and Lance Archer. Perhaps we will finally get the answer to who attacked Moxley backstage at Dynamite?

Eddie Kingston vs. Minoru Suzuki

Eddie Kingston has made a made for himself at AEW. Coincidently so has Minoru Suzuki. During the pandemic, Suzuki has seen major action and has wrestled some of AEW’s top stars. Now it’s time to take on Kingston, who is a student of Japanese wrestling. Kingston’s style is so much like the legends of Japanese wrestling that it only makes sense to give him a one-on-one match against a Japanese wrestling legend. Not only for all of that reason, but Kingston is also so incredibly over with the AEW faithful. To hear his music blaring at a sold-out United Center, while Suzuki waits for him in the ring, would be something dreams are made of. Not only for Eddie but for all AEW fans as well.

CM Punk vs. Kazuchika Okada

Just like John Moxley, CM Punk has also been calling out a NJPW star. Instead of Hiroshi Tanahashi, the Best in the World has been calling out the Rainmaker himself, Kazuchika Okada. A match between them would be intriguing when you consider that both CM Punk and Okada will be champions of their respective promotion. That’s right. CM Punk should defeat Adam Page at Double or Nothing and enter the Forbidden Door as AEW World Champion. And if so, this could be the main event, and with the homegrown hero as the World Champion, the atmosphere should be legendary. It will be something to behold and something that will be remembered for generations of wrestling fans.

Here’s my address, come see me:

1901 W Madison St
Chicago, IL 60612
United States@rainmakerXokada pic.twitter.com/y5p19szjQl

— player/coach (@CMPunk) January 4, 2022

AEW and NJPW’s Forbidden Door will be a revolutionizing event, one that will bring together two different styles, fans, and atmospheres. No matter who Tony Khan books to wrestle, the talent is too great to let us down.