Category: NJPW News & Results

Tony Khan says no Forbidden Door 2 in Japan, but open to AEW stars going overseas

Tony Khan says Forbidden Door 2 can’t happen in Japan but is open to having AEW talent appear with NJPW on its home turf.

If there’s a Forbidden Door 2, it won’t be in Japan.

So said AEW CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan in a recent interview with the New York Post. But while laying out his reasons, Khan also left the door (no pun intended) open for AEW talent to participate in an event in Japan.

It’ll just need a different name.

“The idea of doing an event over there with AEW stars and New Japan stars is very potentially interesting, but if it happens it won’t be ‘Forbidden Door’,” Khan said to the Post’s Joseph Staszewski. “‘Forbidden Door’ is gonna stay in North America. It wouldn’t make sense with the time zones, the revenue.”

He’s probably right on both counts. To grab the widest possible audience in the U.S., a Forbidden Door in Japan would need to start in the morning — there’s a 14-hour time difference between Tokyo and Chicago right now — and that wouldn’t be great for Japanese fans.

In terms of the gate, the biggest NJPW show of last year, Wrestle Kingdom, had an announced attendance on night one of just over 12,000. That’s thousands less than were in the United Center a few weeks ago, where Khan said the gate was over $1 million.

All of this might come as a bummer to NJPW, whose president Takami Ohbari has already said he’d love it if Forbidden Door 2 could happen in Japan later this year. That seems unlikely given Khan’s comments, but if he allows AEW wrestlers to head overseas for a dual-branded card, does it really matter what it’s called?

The big takeaway here is that there appears to be a desire on the part of both companies to keep working together going forward. Whether that leads to a full-on card in Japan remains to be seen, but we probably haven’t seen the last AEW-NJPW collaboration, no matter what name it ends up sporting.

Zack Sabre Jr. on Claudio Castagnoli Forbidden Door surprise: ‘That was not technical wrestling’

Zack Sabre Jr. complained that facing Claudio Castagnoli in his AEW debut at Forbidden Door wasn’t what he signed up for.

Zack Sabre Jr. wanted a match with Bryan Danielson at Forbidden Door to prove who was the best technical wrestler in the world. What he got instead, thanks to Danielson missing the event due to injury, was the AEW debut of Claudio Castagnoli, known to wrestling fans everywhere as Cesaro during his time with WWE.

Castagnoli came out on top in the all-European matchup, pinning Sabre after 18-plus minutes of action. The change in opponents didn’t sit well with Sabre, who stayed on-brand by complaining about it in a video posted to social media by AEW.

“That was not technical wrestling,” Sabre said. “I did not sign up for that. I was coming for you, Bryan, because we were going to find out who the best technical wrestler in the world is. You didn’t bloody show up, did you? And surprises, I bloody hate surprises.

“And sodding Claudio, did he not get the memo? That was supposed to be a technical wrestling match. Where was the technique? You Swiss bastard.”

Sabre ended his rant by saying that if any American wrestlers wanted to take him up on his original challenge, they can head to either Japan or the U.K. to face him, because he has no intentions of returning to the U.S.

That idea has at least a chance of becoming a reality. Earlier this week, NJPW president Takami Ohbari planted the seeds for a Forbidden Door 2 in Japan, saying he’d like to see it and that the company’s “50th anniversary year is a good opportunity to make it happen” … which just so happens to be this year.

Danielson vs. ZSJ in the Tokyo Dome for technical supremacy bragging rights? We’re on board for that and would guess Sabre would be too, as long as there are no surprises this time.

Could Forbidden Door 2 take place in Japan? NJPW would like to see it happen

NJPW’s president said he’d like to see a Forbidden Door 2 in Japan … and soon.

Tony Khan may have already considered the possibility of making Forbidden Door an annual event in the U.S., but NJPW’s president is thinking about a sequel even sooner than that — on New Japan’s home turf.

Speaking to Tokyo Sports (h/t to Fightful for the translation), NJPW president Takami Ohbari said he’d like to see AEW stars return the favor and compete in Japan for the next Forbidden Door.

“In my opinion, there are some wrestlers who were unable to come (to the U.S.) at the last minute. There are still wrestlers and matches I would like to see. I would like to see a continuation of this event. I think there is a need to see this event in Japan. The 50th anniversary year is a good opportunity to make it happen. I think there are some (AEW wrestlers) who would like to compete in front of Japanese fans.”

One part of that quote that jumps out at you is Ohbari saying the 50th anniversary year is the best time for a Forbidden Door 2 in Japan … because that’s right now. NJPW was founded in 1922, and has been celebrating 50 years of strong style all year.

Could Forbidden Door 2 be put together that quickly? Perhaps. Considering NJPW would be handling the bulk of the logistics by hosting, it wouldn’t be as much strain on AEW except for, of course, making talent available.

AEW’s final PPV of any calendar year is Full Gear, which takes place in mid-November. There is a stretch in-between that and New Japan’s big early January Wrestle Kingdom two-day extravaganza that might work.

It does seem fair, for lack of a better word, for AEW stars to make their way to Japan, and FTR has already said they’d love to defend the IWGP titles they just won in their country of origin. If you’re a believer in speaking things into existence, you have to appreciate what Ohbari is going for here.

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Who’s who in New Japan: A beginner’s guide to the NJPW stars on the Forbidden Door card

Never watch NJPW and need a quick briefing on who’s who? Read our beginner’s guide to the top New Japan stars before Forbidden Door.

It goes without saying that Forbidden Door is a big deal. A collaboration between the second-largest pro wrestling promotion in the U.S., All Elite Wrestling (AEW), and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), the biggest wrestling company in Japan, it’s not the first event of its kind, but it is being done on a scale that isn’t often seen.

Not only is the card loaded with bouts that feature talent from both brands, there are multiple matches in which an AEW wrestler could win a NJPW championship — or vice versa. That means what takes place at the United Center on June 26 could have ripple effects for months down the road, and AEW boss Tony Khan has already stated that he’s thought about how Forbidden Door could become an annual event.

If that happens, it’s possible the top NJPW talents could become household names among the masses in the U.S. But it’s possible, maybe even likely, that Forbidden Door will be the first time (or one of the first times, since some New Japan wrestlers have been on AEW TV leading up to the event) that many American fans are seeing them.

Perhaps even you.

With that in mind, we’ve put together a beginner’s guide to the top NJPW wrestlers who are appearing on the Forbidden Door card. There are many resources out there to learn more about these stars, and tons of videos to watch them in action. But if all you need is a brief overview to get ready for Sunday night, just keep scrolling down, as we’ve got you covered.

AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door — Everything you need to know

Get ready for AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door with our preview, including predictions for each match, start time, how to watch and more.

Considering AEW is only three years old, the company still enjoys a fair amount of firsts. Not many, however, are as significant as AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door, a pay-per-view being held in conjunction with Japan’s top pro wrestling promotion. Once only a dream in the minds of most wrestling fans, it’s about to become a reality in Chicago’s United Center.

That’s not to say the road to get here has been easy. The logistical hurdles in building a show between companies half a world apart have been apparent at times, with a good chunk of the card coming together only in the final week. Injuries haven’t been kind; in a perfect world, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Kenny Omega would all be on this show.

Despite that, there are some tantalizing matchups of the kind many probably never dared imagine prior to this year. They begin with the interim AEW World Championship being contested between Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi. With Punk out, one of them will carry the banner for AEW for the next few months, and even the possibility that it will be NJPW’s Ace is enough to be intriguing.

NJPW’s top title will be up for grabs as well. Jay White, who only recently secured the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Kazuchika Okada, now needs to defend it against not only the Rainmaker, but his friend Adam Cole and former AEW world champ Hangman Adam Page. Four-way matches are definitely not every fan’s cup of tea, but four performers of this caliber figure to make it compelling.

As the match count has made it to double digits, including a pre-show bout, the card figures to be close to final now. Keep reading for everything you need to know about AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door.

AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door

  • When: Sunday, June 26
  • Where: United Center, Chicago
  • Start time: 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT/5 p.m. PT
  • How to watch: On PPV through Bleacher Report, or InDemand through cable or satellite providers, as well as in select movie theaters in the U.S. On Sky Deutschland in Germany, and on FITE TV internationally. In Japan, Forbidden Door will be available exclusively via NJPW World, with Japanese commentary.
  • Matches announced: 10 (including one on pre-show)

Who will Jay White face at Forbidden Door? Tonight’s Dynamite will have the answer

Tony Khan confirmed that the June 22 episode of AEW Dynamite would reveal who Jay White will face at Forbidden Door, plus more matches.

Not having IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White on the Forbidden Door card would be pretty strange, but just four days out from the joint AEW/NJPW event, that was the case. Fortunately, the June 22 episode of AEW Dynamite looks set to rectify that situation.

Two of AEW’s press releases this week have promoted the idea that White would defend his title against a “TBD” opponent. Tony Khan confirmed that this week’s Dynamite would hold the answer during his appearance today on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio (h/t to Fightful for the transcription).

It’s going to start the IWGP Champion Jay White coming in tonight and we’re going to find out who he is going to wrestle. We’re going to announce more matches tonight on Dynamite for this big event. … Some of the top stars in new Japan have not been here yet. Tonight on Dynamite, you will see more wrestlers and more involvement from New Japan than we’ve seen so far.

White has been part of the build toward Forbidden Door from the start, crashing the official announcement of the event on the April 20 episode of Dynamite. More recently, he addressed challenges to a match from both Hangman Adam Page and Adam Cole after defeating Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Dominion, but appeared to turn both of them down. A popular theory is that White may face both of the AEW Adams in a three-way dance, or a four-way with another NJPW challenger in the mix as well.

Having White and NJPW’s top title on the show is even more important given that AEW’s top champion, CM Punk, is missing the event due to injury. Instead, Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi will square off for the Interim AEW World Championship, with the victor expected to face Punk somewhere down the road.

As for other matches, a showdown between Bryan Danielson and Zack Sabre Jr. to determine who is the better technical wrestler has been heavily hinted at, but may have been waiting until Danielson’s health status was cleared up as he’s also been battling injuries. A few more bouts would also be welcome since the card as of June 21 had just six matches.

However many matches it ends up with, Forbidden Door is set for the United Center in Chicago this Sunday, live on PPV.

Kushida returns, says he will ‘spend the rest of my wrestling life in NJPW’

Kushida returned on the June 21 New Japan Road show at Korakuen Hall after three years away, making it clear he’s back in NJPW to stay.

After more than three years away, Kushida is back in NJPW — and says he’s home for good.

Kushida made a dramatic return at the end of today’s New Japan Road show at Korakuen Hall, arriving after Taiji Ishimori defeated Hiromu Takahashi to retain his IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Responding to Ishimori’s assertion that there were no challengers left in the division, Kushida made it clear he’s already got designs on the title, though the champ felt he needed to prove himself first.

Saying later that he had “literally just signed my NJPW contract,” Kushida also revealed that his intention was “to spend the rest of my wrestling life in NJPW,” That’s significant since the 39-year-old wrestler left NJPW in the spring of 2019 to compete in WWE’s NXT brand. His arrival was treated like a big deal by WWE — not least because it allowed him to keep his real name — and he experienced some success, winning the NXT Cruiserweight Championship.

Still, the sentiment among a good portion of wrestling fans was that Kushida never reached his full potential in NXT, and his departure seemed inevitable once that brand was revamped into NXT 2.0 with a greater focus on developing young talent. Most of Kushida’s last few months under WWE contract were spent in tag team matches, often on the losing end, and his final NXT match was taped on March 22.

Kushida does have unfinished business with Ishimori as well, as the last time he competed for a championship in NJPW was when he lost the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship to the Bullet Club wrestler at Wrestle Kingdom 13. That show in January 2019 now feels like a lifetime ago, but it should be interesting to see how quickly Kushida reacclimates himself to the NJPW scene, and if he can get back in the title hunt as quickly as he hopes.

Here’s the updated AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door card after the June 15 Dynamite

Get the latest match card for the AEW and NJPW Forbidden Door event coming to Chicago on June 26.

With less than two weeks to go until AEW and NJPW collide at Forbidden Door at Chicago, this week’s AEW Dynamite figured to be a busy one for making more matches official. That’s exactly what happened, with several new bouts announced during the show.

Some emerged from actions that took place during the broadcast, like Orange Cassidy returning from injury to help stand against Will Ospreay and United Empire. Others were simply revealed, though it’s fair to say just about everything has at least some ties to what’s been going on in both companies.

Here’s where the Forbidden Door card stands as of the night of June 15:

  • Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – Interim AEW World Championship Match

This was set up by the tournament that’s gone down over the past few weeks, with the winner of the interim championship expected to face CM Punk for the actual championship when he returns from injury.

  • Pac vs. Miro vs. Malakai Black or Penta Oscuro vs. Tomoaki Honma or Clark Connors or Tomohiro Ishii or Yoshinobu Kanemaru – AEW All-Atlantic Championship Match

Pac won his way into this four-way bout last week, and Miro did the same on Wednesday by defeating Ethan Page. Black and Penta will wrestle next week, and the Honma-Connors and Ishii-Kanemaru matches will take place during New Japan Road on June 20.

  • Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara and Minoru Suzuki vs. Wheeler Yuta, Shota Umino and Eddie Kingston

This match was announced by Jericho during Dynamite, right after he and the Jericho Appreciation Society attacked Moxley and Tanahashi.

  • Will Ospreay (champion) vs. Orange Cassidy – IWGP United States Championship Match

Ospreay and United Empire attempted another attack after Ospreay’s match with Dax Harwood, but Cassidy returned from injury in time to help fend them off.

  • Thunder Rosa (champion) vs. Toni Storm – AEW Women’s World Championship Match

Rosa helped even the odds during Storm’s victory over Dr. Britt Baker on Dynamite, taking care of Jamie Hayter. She then returned to the stage and pointed at Storm, insinuating that she’d get the title shot.

One match that did not get booked on Wednesday was new IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White against anyone, as he turned down both Hangman Adam Page and Adam Cole for a bout at Forbidden Door.

All three men figure to be involved in some way, and other matches, like Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Bryan Danielson, have been teased as well. We’ll update things again as June 26 gets closer.

Zack Sabre Jr. asks if Bryan Danielson can take time off his ‘busy golfing schedule with the Blackpool Country Club’

During his post-match comments at Dominion, Zack Sabre Jr. laid out a challenge for Bryan Danielson at Forbidden Door.

It’s hard to imagine there are too many top wrestler lists anywhere that don’t have Zack Sabre Jr. and Bryan Danielson on them. At Forbidden Door, fans might get the chance to see which one deserves a higher spot on those lists.

Sabre was in a foul mood this past weekend after Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall, where he teamed with his Suzuki-gun mates El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru in an unsuccessful bid to take the NEVER Openweight 6-man Tag Team Championship from House of Torture.

During his post-match comments, Sabre had plenty to say about that encounter and his general disdain for House of Torture. But he then turned his attention toward Forbidden Door, saying it was time to dispense with subtlety and lay out a challenge for the man he’d like to face.

“American Dragon,” Sabre said. “Old dragon bollocks. Can you take some time out your busy golfing schedule with the Blackpool Country Club to find out who the best technical wrestler in the world is? But I’ll tell you now, darling, it’s f–king me.”

You can watch his entire interview below, with Sabre addressing Danielson starting at the 1:27 mark.

Sabre and Danielson have met just once before, in German promotion wXw in 2009. ZSJ won that match by pinfall, so you’d expect that Danielson would be more than willing to run it back to try and even the score.

Even with less than two weeks to go until NJPW and AEW collide at Forbidden Door in Chicago on June 26, the card is still very much a work in progress. Right this moment, the only confirmed matches are Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the Interim AEW World Championship, along with a four-way battle to crown the inaugural AEW All-Atlantic Championship — though currently only Pac is confirmed for that bout, and the two NJPW wrestlers who will compete or a spot have yet to be revealed.

A ZSJ-Danielson match would be a pro wrestling purist’s dream and add to the overall appeal of the event. Don’t be surprised if the American Dragon responds to Sabre’s challenge sometime this week on AEW programming.

NJPW Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall live results

Check out live results from NJPW Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall, including Kazuchika Okada vs. Jay White in the main event.

Mid-June in New Japan Pro-Wrestling can only mean one thing: It’s time for Dominion. Specifically, it’s time for NJPW Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall, where there are multiple titles on the line, a Provisional KOPW 2022 Trophy to award, and one of the pieces of the Forbidden Door will slide into place.

The headliner will see Kazuchika Okada put his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Jay White. Though White has had success against the Rainmaker in the past, he’s never beaten him one on one for a title, and the last time they met in a championship bout (at ROH/NJPW G1 SuperCard in 2019), it was Okada taking some gold away from White.

Tama Tonga will also put his NEVER Openweight Championship on the line against Karl Anderson is a battle between two men better known for their tag team title success. Speaking of tag teams, the IWGP Tag Team Championship is also at stake as the Bullet Club duo of Bad Luck Fale and Chase Owens attempts to hold off the challenge of Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb of United Empire.

And one of the most intriguing bouts on the card doesn’t have any gold up for grabs, but does get the winner a shot at a title on American soil later this month. Hiroshi Tanahashi and Hirooki Goto will do battle at Dominion with the winner advancing to face AEW’s Jon Moxley at Forbidden Door for the Interim AEW World Championship in Chicago.

The card is being carried live for U.S. fans via NJPW World, but if you’re not able to catch the action as it goes down, simply bookmark this page and check back as we update it throughout the (late) night in the U.S. and afternoon in Japan with the latest NJPW Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall live results.