Backstage drama seems to be All Elite Wrestling’s new norm but when the bell rings, the young promotion routinely delivers.
Forbidden Door this past Sunday was just the latest example.
With the help of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, AEW presented what will probably be the best pure wrestling show all year. There will be shows with hotter finishes and more dramatic moments, but as far as in-ring action goes, it would be hard to find something that matches what we witnessed in Toronto this past Sunday night.
However, that does not mean Forbidden Door was a perfect show by any means. Here are my takeaways from the event:
Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay have a bloody good time
The encounter between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom got quite bloody toward the end, but this one was somehow even bloodier.
If you’re squeamish about seeing blood, you may want to skip this one because plasma was everywhere. If that wasn’t enough, Omega and Ospreay beat the crap out of each other for nearly 40 minutes.
And the finish — my lord the finish! The match ended with Ospreay delivering a brutal-looking Tiger Driver ’91 to Omega, which is saying something considering how awful that particular Tiger Driver already looks. The level of danger involved doesn’t necessarily need to be heightened.
With all of that said, I still really enjoyed this match, and it was probably my favorite of the night. I know the blood can be overwhelming for some, especially considering the health risks involved. But in my opinion, it added to the tension of the match and enhanced it. Omega and Ospreay went on a mission to tear down Scotiabank Arena brick by brick, and they succeeded.
Bryan Danielson and Kazuchika Okada have a less bloody, but still brutal main event
While Omega versus Ospreay was the bloodiest match of the night, the most painful-looking contest was the main event between Bryan Danielson and Kazuchika Okada.
For nearly 30 minutes, Danielson and Okada punished each other with devastating moves. At least they looked devastating because both of these men looked to be in a great deal of pain for a good chunk of the match. Sure, that could be tremendous selling, but I am willing to bet some of that was real.
(Editor’s note: Turns out it was, as Danielson says he broke his arm during the bout.)
The fans got a little spooked during the match when Danielson looked to be having some sort of medical episode in the ring. Given his injury history, it was not outside the realm of possibility that Danielson could suffer such an event. Fortunately, it was just a ruse, which meant Danielson was OK, but I think the fans were a little taken aback by it.
Speaking of taken aback, the finish came sort of out of nowhere. I mean, you look at the way Danielson was bending Okada’s arm during the modified version of the LeBell lock and I’m sure I would have quickly tapped out as well.
However, it didn’t feel like the crescendo to a high-stakes encounter. It just felt like the end of a match. Hopefully, there is more in store from these two in the future so they could potentially rectify it.
Jack Perry turns on Hook
After being a good guy for his entire AEW career, Jack Perry is turning a new leaf: He is entering his bad boy phase.
Gone are the days of catering to the fans. Gone are the days when fans sang along to “Tarzan Boy” by Baltimora. Gone are the days of Perry being “Mr. Nice Guy.”
I can see it now. Perry walks out on Dynamite in dark shades and a black leather jacket despite being indoors at the end of June. He then berates the fans and says he doesn’t need their support anymore. Signs with “Why, Jungle Boy? Why?” written on them are scattered throughout the arena, but Perry doesn’t even give any answers because he is playing by his own rules now.
In short, Perry will be acting brand new, and while that sounds extremely cliché, I am kind of here for it.
This is a necessary step in Perry’s progression. Being “Jungle Boy” was only going to get him so far. The character had very little depth outside of being the late Luke Perry’s son.
Now, he has an opportunity to show a little bit more of his personality, which MJF routinely criticized him for not having a whole lot of during the lead up to Double or Nothing.
Also, what a great first opponent in Hook. The fans LOVE Hook, which should make it easy for Perry to immediately garner heat.
Forbidden Door featured zero skips
I don’t recall a match on this card that I would flat out skip upon a second viewing of this show. Every match is worth a re-watch.
Everyone will talk about Okada-Danielson, Omega-Ospreay, MJF-Hiroshi Tanahashi, and even the 10-man tag. But a match that I believe is a hidden gem will be the AEW Women’s World Championship bout between Toni Storm and Willow Nightingale.
I wrote in my predictions for the show that Nightingale was set to have a star-making performance, and I believe she lived up to that expectation. I also like that the door (not of the forbidden variety) was left open for Storm and Nightingale to have another match in the future. I personally would like to see more from these two.
Does every match need dueling chops/slaps/forearms?
I mean, come on. Do they have to happen in every single match? All of them?
I know that’s part of Strong Style wrestling, but when every match has the same standoff in the middle of the ring, where the combatants trade either chops, slaps or forearms, it gets pretty repetitive.
The best one of the night by far was when Eddie Kingston squared off against Jon Moxley during the aforementioned 10-man tag. At least that particular encounter had some backstory behind it, making it more meaningful.
The others, however, just felt routine. At some point of a match, it inevitably becomes time to just stand in the middle of the ring and willingly wait for your opponent to hit you real, real hard. Besides the fact that it defies common sense, it also bogs down matches for me sometimes.
To clarify, I am not against the spot itself. When it has meaning, it can make for a pretty cool moment. What I am against is its over-reliance, especially at one singular event.