It’s almost time for the door to open wide again — the Forbidden Door, that is.
The first jointly produced card between AEW and NJPW proved a success last summer in Chicago, so a sequel just seemed like the right thing to do. That made it no surprise when both promotions announced that Forbidden Door 2023 would indeed become a reality this June.
What raised some eyebrows was the location: Toronto. Forbidden Door will be the first ever AEW pay-per-view to take place north of the border and its first ever outside the U.S. (though it will be followed in short order by All In London, which looms as its largest event to date). That will allow a whole new group of fans to enjoy the card, which has already revealed a pair of dream matches.
Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay met in a highly regarded bout at Wrestle Kingdom earlier in the year, with Omega winning and claiming the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. Ospreay will have a chance to avenge that loss and reclaim the gold in one fell swoop if he can win in Toronto.
And in a meeting that AEW has billed as the best wrestler of all time vs. the best in the world right now, Bryan Danielson will take on Kzuchika Okada in the first ever match between two men who have helped define the art form over the last 10-15 years.
Considering that last year’s show featured nine matches (with four more on the pre-show), there’s bound to be plenty more added as the time draws closer. AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door 2023 goes down on Sunday, June 25. The main card will have a start time of 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on PPV, though it’s expected to once again have a pre-show with additional bouts that should start one hour earlier.