Wrestling fans enjoy fantasy booking just about any big card in their heads as a matter of habit, but Forbidden Door lends itself to that pastime more than any other show. The first AEW and NJPW co-branded event in 2022 was a big hit, which only kicked the anticipation up even higher for the follow-up this year.
Of course, both companies had their own big events to get through first. But as soon as Double or Nothing was in the rear view mirror come the beginning of June (and with the very real added twist of AEW: Collision launching just a week before Forbidden Door and including the return of CM Punk), thoughts started turning toward the card in Toronto.
NJPW Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall started laying some of the foundation for Forbidden Door in earnest, turning two dream matches into reality: one a rematch of a highly praised bout at Wrestle Kingdom in January, and the other featuring two of the best wrestlers in Japan and the U.S. over the past two decades.
If last year’s event is any guide, there will likely be championship and multi-person matches added before June 25 arrives. There’s also an interesting question about whether the card will feature more women’s wrestling than the single match in 2022 given NJPW’s increasing (though still small) steps toward incorporating women into their promotion.
We’ll update this post as more matches are made official. For now, here’s what been revealed for Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
(Last update: June 14, 2023, 9:40 p.m.)
AEW Forbidden Door 2023 card:
- Kenny Omega (c) vs. Will Ospreay – IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship match
- Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada
- Sanada vs. “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry – IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match
- MJF (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – AEW World Championship match