Category: NJPW News & Results

AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door returns as centerpiece of Canadian tour

Forbidden Door 2023 will be the debut AEW PPV in Canada and the first to ever take place outside the U.S.

The Forbidden Door will swing open again in 2023, but this time, it will lead to Canada.

AEW announced today that its popular Forbidden Door pay-per-view held in conjunction with NJPW will take place Sunday, June 25, at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. That event will serve as the centerpiece of a larger Canadian tour by AEW that includes Dynamite/Rampage tapings in Hamilton and Edmonton, a swing through Saskatchewan for Dynamite in Saskatoon and Rampage in Regina, and an AEW House Rules live event at the Saddledome in Calgary.

The first AEW shows in Canada were held in Toronto in

“Canada has a rich wrestling heritage, and our debut in Toronto last year served as a special moment in our incredible relationship with fans throughout the country,” AEW CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan said in a press release. “Now, we’re not only entering new markets but also paying homage to the history of Canadian wrestling with unique moments like AEW House Rules taking place from the iconic Calgary Stampede. This summer is shaping up to be massive with the return of Forbidden Door, and
now Canadian fans in six separate markets will get the chance to witness what AEW has to offer up close and personal.”

Last year’s inaugural Forbidden Door took place in a market AEW has visited often, as more than 16,000 fans headed to Chicago’s United Center. The well-received card featured AEW and NJPW talent in every match but one (an AEW Women’s Championship bout) and was headlined by Jon Moxley defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi in a showdown Moxley had long called a dream match.

AEW’s late summer pay-per-view, All Out, typically takes place in Hoffman Estates right outside Chicago, which may have contributed to the desire for Forbidden Door to be held elsewhere. It will be the first ever AEW PPV at a venue outside the U.S.

Tickets for Forbidden Door and all of the Canadian tour stops go on sale Friday, March 24 at AEWTix.com.

WrestleMania events 2023: Full list of all the wrestling in L.A. during WrestleMania week

Get the when, where and how much for all the WrestleMania week wrestling shows in Los Angeles.

Prior to the pandemic, WrestleMania week had a history of becoming the epicenter of the entire pro wrestling universe. Promotions from all over the country, and indeed, the world, would converge on the host city, offering fans a smorgasbord of options leading up to WWE’s biggest show.

Things have been trending back in that direction, and it’s safe to say that for WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles, that same feel has fully returned. Starting several days before the Showcase of the Immortals, there is pro wrestling of all kinds running straight through the weekend — and even into Monday night, counting the always intriguing Raw After WrestleMania.

If you’re heading to L.A. or just want to keep tabs on everything going down during WrestleMania week, we’re here to help. We’ve gathered up all the wrestling shows by day, along with links to tickets where there’s still some left.

Scroll on down and find the stuff that interests you most, and we hope to run into you sometime during WrestleMania week.

(All times PT)

If Jay White is on his way to WWE, that’s news to insiders

White himself has spoken about wanting to explore all his options, but many still expect he’ll end up in WWE eventually.

It’s possible Jay White will show up in WWE in the near future after finishing his contract with New Japan Pro-Wrestling. But if it’s a done deal, some of the people who would usually know about it either don’t know or are keeping it very quiet.

In this week’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription needed), Dave Meltzer confirmed earlier reports from the Super J-Cast that White’s NJPW deal had officially expired and he was free to sign with anyone. That was the direction he had been trending for some time, first dropping a Loser Leaves Japan match to Hikuleo, then tasting defeat at the hands of Eddie Kingston with a Loser Leaves NJPW stipulation at Battle in the Valley in San Jose last month. It’s hard to signal any harder that someone is leaving a promotion.

Yet while White has been tight-lipped, perhaps out of contractual necessity, about his next move, the rumor and scoop mill has been churning with reports that WWE was his likely landing spot. Meltzer threw at least a little cold water on the hopes of it being imminent in the newsletter.

While all the circumstances seem to indicate he’s headed to WWE, there has still been no confirmation of that. If he is going to WWE, it’s not something well known within the company by many because multiple people who normally know haven’t heard his name mentioned.

Could White be signed and the circle who knows about it just be smaller than usual? Of course.

It could also be a matter of timing. WrestleMania is now less than a month away, and even though only four matches have been announced so far, a number of others are far enough along in terms of the seeds WWE has planted for them that the show appears pretty full.

White would make more sense as a post-WrestleMania addition, someone to help shake things up as new storylines begin after the big event in Los Angeles. All of which is to say WWE fans might get to breathe with the Switchblade at some point, but they shouldn’t hold their breath waiting for it on any Raw or SmackDown for the next few weeks.

Mercedes Moné signs with agency to secure opportunities ‘across film, television, theater and more’

Moné has signed with one of the largest talent agencies in the world.

Mercedes Moné may be a pro wrestling champion again after winning the IWGP Women’s Championship at NJPW Battle in the Valley, but that doesn’t mean her ambitions outside the ring are slowing down.

Quite the opposite, in fact. Variety broke the news that Moné — real name Mercedes Varnado, and known to wrestling fans everywhere as Sasha Banks during her time in WWE —  has signed with United Talent Agency, or UTA.

UTA is one of the biggest talent agencies in the world, with hundreds of agents representing clients across every form of entertainment imaginable. The article suggests the agency will help Moné “secure new opportunities across film, television, theater and more.”

That would seem to mesh pretty well with her stated plans of taking her brand global. Working with NJPW is a big step in that direction already, though Moné has yet to work in Japan or outside the U.S. since agreeing to a deal with the company in January. She’s expected to make her in-ring Japanese debut in April.

Moné also started dipping her toes into the world of TV and film during her stint in WWE. She made a high profile TV debut playing Koska Reeves on the Disney+ series “The Mandalorian,” a well-regarded and popular part of the Star Wars universe. Appearances on unscripted reality and competition shows followed, but Moné has yet to have another significant acting role.

Signing with UTA signals that may change sooner rather than later. Fans will have to keep an eye on not just when Moné will wrestle again, but where else she might be popping up since the agency should help her have more options that ever.

For more on Moné and her plans for the near future, check out her recent appearance on our Under the Ring podcast with host Phil Strum below.

Tony Khan on Forbidden Door 2: ‘We’re looking forward to doing it together again’

Forbidden Door 2 feels less like a matter of if and more a question of when and where.

AEW’s next big pay-per-view event, Revolution, is just a few weeks off. But it’s another potential card that is on the mind of many fans, and that’s a sequel to last year’s Forbidden Door show that brought AEW together with New Japan Pro-Wrestling in Chicago.

The two companies have so far not announced a Forbidden Door 2, but AEW boss Tony Khan has mentioned it as a possibility enough times that it feels highly likely. He talked it up again on a recent appearance on the In The Kliq podcast (h/t Ringside News), discussing how much he enjoys working with NJPW.

“We always build up this big event, AEW and NJPW coming together for Forbidden Door,” Khan said. “I think Forbidden Door 1 was such a big success, we’re looking forward to doing it together again. They send a lot of their top stars to AEW and to ROH and I love working with them. It’s been a great relationship and there’s a lot of trust between the parties.”

The inaugural Forbidden Door drew more than 16,000 fans to Chicago’s United Center last June. The card was a hefty one featuring 10 matches (plus several more on the pre-show), and was headlined by a four-way match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship and an AEW World Championship match between Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi.

Khan has so far not signaled where or when a Forbidden Door 2 might take place, except to express his feeling that it should remain in the U.S. There is a fairly lengthy time between AEW’s Double or Nothing each May and All Out in September that make the summer appear a perfect time to keep holding the event if the companies so choose.

AEW has also had great success in the Chicago market to date, but with All Out traditionally held in that area too, it might make sense for Forbidden Door 2 to head somewhere else. In any case, it’s safe to say fans and industry observers will be watching carefully every time Khan teases a big announcement — something he’s done for this week’s episode of Dynamite.

What’s next for Mercedes Moné after winning IWGP title? Maybe a world tour

Moné says she’s willing to “join any company that has the right bag.”

It’s Mercedes Moné‘s world, and we’re just living in it.

Moné made the most of her debut for New Japan Pro-Wrestling at Battle in the Valley this weekend in San Jose, defeating Kairi to become the new IWGP Women’s Champion. Not too shabby for her first match of any kind in nine months.

NJPW figures to lean on Moné’s star power to help it promote its efforts in women’s wrestling, which are still in their infancy — the title Moné just won has only been in existence since November. But she has more than one career iron in the fire, and many potential options in front of her going forward.

For some insight into what Moné, Under the Ring host Phil Strum spoke with her ahead of Battle in the Valley to find out what she might have her eye on during the part of her career where she’s calling her own shots.

“Like I said at my press conference at Wrestle Kingdom, I’m on my world tour,” Moné said, referring to her first appearance in NJPW in January. “I think after tomorrow night, when I successfully beat Kairi and I become the IWGP Women’s Champion, I plan to take that title absolutely everywhere, all over the world.

“So New Japan won’t be the only place that I’ll be wrestling. I plan to make this global and join any company that has the right bag for Mercedes Moné, you know?”

You can listen to the entire interview with Moné below:

One place Moné should definitely be appearing is in Stardom, NJPW’s women-only sister promotion. She made reference during her Under the Ring visit to working in Japan in April, with Dave Meltzer reporting on Wrestling Observer Radio that she is expected to compete there for the first time April 8.

One thing that’s clear is that she certainly seems invigorated for this next phase of her career, and that fans will be watching to see wherever she might turn up.

[lawrence-related id=23378]

Mercedes Moné explains why it was an ‘easy, easy decision’ to join NJPW

Moné cited her opportunity to expose the U.S. audience to Stardom as another factor in choosing NJPW.

When Sasha Banks walked out on WWE last May, it was a bombshell that took some time to fully absorb. This was a wrestler at the height of her powers, a champion (who left her tag team title behind when she walked) who was starting to cross over to the mainstream as well.

Surely, the thinking went, Banks would find a way to circle back to WWE — especially once Paul “Triple H” Levesque took over creative. And if not there, then AEW, right?

Not quite. Now known as Mercedes Moné, her next move once becoming a free agent was to show up at New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s biggest event of the year, Wrestle Kingdom in Tokyo. Moné challenged the inaugural IWGP Women’s Champion, Kairi, to a title match at Battle in the Valley in San Jose, a match that’s finally almost upon us.

As Moné told host Phil Strum on the latest episode of the Under the Ring podcast, it didn’t require a ton of soul searching for her to decide it was the right place for her to be.

“This is such a huge honor for me,” Moné said. “It made it a really easy decision to go to New Japan to help kickstart this women’s division for this company. With New Japan being the biggest professional wrestling company in Japan, it was just an easy, easy decision being like, ‘this is the place I wanted to be.’

“I grew up watching New Japan, I grew up watching Pro Wrestling NOAH and all these Japanese women’s wrestlers growing up, so this was such an easy decision. It’s a dream come true for me.”

While NJPW’s women’s division is indeed only in its infancy, all-women’s sister promotion Stardom feels like it’s very much on the rise in terms of its worldwide profile. Part of what attracted Moné to New Japan was the opportunity to work some dates in Stardom as well, which she called one of “the greatest potential companies in the world right now.”

“They have some of the top, top, top wrestlers I have ever seen, and I’m just so excited to introduce the American audience to the style of Stardom women,” Moné said. “I think just giving them the opportunity to show what they can do to a global scale of audience is just going to open up the doors for women’s wrestling all over the world.”

You can listen to Moné’s entire interview on Under the Ring above. Her journey with NJPW and Stardom begin in earnest this Saturday night at Battle in the Valley in San Jose, which is being carried live on pay-per-view by FITE.

[lawrence-related id=23371]

Mercedes Moné, formerly WWE’s Sasha Banks, talks in-ring return at NJPW Battle in the Valley

Moné will challenge Kairi for the IWGP Women’s Championship in San Jose, her first match in nine months.

For fans of Mercedes Moné, which means most fans of pro wrestling, the wait is almost over.

More precisely, it’s been two separate waits: First, seeing where Moné, who went by the name Sasha Banks in WWE, would turn up next after walking away from the company where she established herself as one of the most talented and popular women’s wrestlers in the world last May.

She answered that question by revealing her new identity at Wrestle Kingdom — the biggest annual event for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) — in Tokyo last month, where she challenged IWGP Women’s Champion Kairi to a title match. Even that required everyone to be a little more patient, as the bout was slated for Feb. 18 at New Japan’s Battle in the Valley in San Jose.

Add it up and it’s been nine months since Moné has stepped in the ring for any match, let alone one with so much intrigue around it. As she told the host of Wrestling Junkie’s Under the Ring podcast, Phil Strum, it still feels a bit surreal.

“I’m having a hard time processing that it’s all real, but it is, because it’s tomorrow,” Moné said. “I’ve been waiting for this for months, but I am so excited that my first match back in nine months is against Kairi, who is absolutely one of the best wrestlers in the whole world.

“This is a dream come true. I’ve been preparing for this match for the past couple months, and I’m just ready to go to do this match. I’m ready to get it over with. I have the same feelings that I did at Wrestle Kingdom where I’m just like, ‘oh my God, can it just come, can it just go past already?'”

Moné caught many industry observers off guard by resurfacing in NJPW, as opposed to a return to WWE (there were reports of a possible reconciliation that fell apart over money) or perhaps signing with its primary competition, AEW.

But this is a pairing that could easily pay dividends for both parties. Moné has made inroads into other forms of entertainment, including acting (she was part of the popular Star Wars Disney+ show “The Mandalorian) and music. She’s likely freer to pursue those ventures without being tied down to a multi-year deal with one of the big two United States-based wrestling promotions.

NJPW, meanwhile, is trying to become a bigger presence in the U.S. market. It only recently established a women’s title after years of featuring only male wrestlers — it does have a sister promotion, Stardom, for which Moné will also appear — and Moné helps give that effort both credibility and star power.

That hopefully symbiotic relationship begins Saturday night at Battle in the Valley, which is being broadcast on pay-per-view by FITE.

“I’m ready to enjoy every moment in this magical time in my career,” Moné said. “I’m so ready for tomorrow.”

Jay White on post-NJPW plans: ‘Impact, AEW, WWE — we’ll see’

On his time in NJPW, White said “I don’t know if there is much more I could have done.”

Jay White might have lost his Loser Leaves Japan match with Hikuleo, but that doesn’t mean he’s done with New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Maybe.

At the very least, the former IWGP Grand Slam Champion has a match coming up this weekend with Eddie Kingston at NJPW Battle in the Valley in San Jose. White has suggested that if he wins, he’ll simply carry on in NJPW Strong, but the match has added a Loser Leaves Town stipulation, lending extra heft to reports that he might soon be completely finished with NJPW.

If that’s the case, where to next? White didn’t tip his hand in an interview with Sports Illustrated ahead of Battle in the Valley, seeming like he’s open to working wherever makes the most sense.

“So much is possible,” White said. “Impact, AEW, WWE — we’ll see.”

White has experience with Impact Wrestling, first appearing at Slammiversary 2021 and confronting Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson. That led to a larger angle that featured White inviting Chris Bey to join Bullet Club, and White teamed with Bey and others several times through the summer of 2022.

AEW fans have seen White several times as well, beginning on the Feb. 9, 2022 episode of Dynamite. Still holding the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at the time, he had a match a week later on Rampage against Trent Beretta and even got to spoil Tony Khan’s Forbidden Door announcement. White starred in the main event of the AEW/NJPW co-branded show last June, successfully defending his title against Adam Cole, Hangman Adam Page and Kazuchika Okada.

If this weekend marks the end of White’s time in NJPW, he leaves with few regrets, as he told SI.

“I don’t know if there is much more I could have done,” White said. “I don’t feel like I left a bunch of boxes unchecked. I’ve been living it, so it can be hard to appreciate it in the moment, but as I move on, I’ve started to look back at the weight some of it holds. As time goes on, I hope people appreciate it even more.”

Kenny Omega challenges ‘replacement’ Will Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom 17

Kenny says he wasn’t interested at first but wants to do it for the fans and the good of pro wrestling.

Kenny Omega just made his AEW return at Full Gear on Saturday night, but he made it clear Sunday morning that he already has his mind set on a return to Japan as well.

In a video posted by New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s official Twitter account after it played during the company’s Historic X-Over event with Stardom, Omega announced a challenge for Will Ospreay and the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship at Wrestle Kingdom 17.

Omega suggested that once AEW was created, NJPW felt the need to replace him with Ospreay.

“And how did that turn out, hm?” Omega said. “The crowds have gotten smaller. We can’t hear them cheering.”

He went on to call Omega and United Empire “second rate Kenny Omega knockoffs,” and that while he initially wasn’t interested, he felt the need to accept the invitation from NJPW for the fans and the good of pro wrestling.

You can watch his entire announcement below.

Omega and Ospreay have gone back and forth quite a bit over social media this year, and did face off in the ring once when Ospreay and Aussie Open lost to Omega and the Young Bucks on the Aug. 31 episode of AEW Dynamite. They’ve tangled a fair number of times as part of tag team matches during Omega’s time in the Bullet Club in NJPW too, particularly between fall 2016 and the end of 2018.

But perhaps surprisingly (and because Ospreay was a junior heavyweight at the time), they never had a singles match in NJPW. Their lone solo meeting came in PWG in December 2015, when Omega pinned Ospreay.

Ospreay is now no stranger to AEW audiences, having appeared on TV multiple times around Forbidden Door this summer, where he successfully defended his IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Orange Cassidy. He kept his title at Historic X-Over with a victory over Shota Umino.

AEW boss Tony Khan was asked during the press conference after Full Gear Saturday night whether the company would send talent to Wrestle Kingdom. He replied that his discussions with NJPW had been productive, but noted that the event was the same day as AEW’s debut in Seattle, so most of his big stars would be needed there.

Omega’s challenge shows that he really meant “most” and not “all.” Wrestle Kingdom 17 will take place in its annual home, the Tokyo Dome, on Jan. 4, 2023.