It appears the Forbidden Door may be swinging open to an outdoor location in 2024.
The annual AEW and NJPW co-branded pay-per-view event has become a fan favorite after being held in Chicago and Toronto the past two years. Now it will apparently head to a location AEW knows well in New York City.
According to Andrew Zarian of Wrestling Observer and the Mat Men podcast, this year’s event will take place at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens.
AEW will hold the Forbidden Door PPV at Arthur Ashe Stadium in NYC this June! pic.twitter.com/wRFJy3I7xm
— Andrew Zarian (@AndrewZarian) February 22, 2024
AEW has run the venue for several years for its “Grand Slam” editions of its weekly shows. There had been speculation for some time that the company might try to turn Grand Slam into its own pay-per-view, but hosting Forbidden Door at the famous tennis stadium might be an even better solution and give AEW and NJPW a chance to sell out the building.
As for the fate of Grand Slam, Zarian first posted, then deleted his report on where it would be held, apologizing that it was “Too soon to announce the location. Things are changing.” But the implication is that Grand Slam will live on and will simply move to a different city and venue for 2024.
Both iterations of Forbidden Door to date have taken place in June, so that month makes sense this time around as well. Grand Slam has taken place in September for all three years that it’s been held, from 2021 to 2023.