Tag: Forbidden Door

10 best AEW PPVs of all time: Which AEW shows were the greatest so far?

AEW has put on some classic pay-per-views since it came into existence in 2019. Here’s our list of the top 10 to date.

No matter how you feel personally about All Elite Wrestling, there’s no denying the boost that the company has given the U.S. pro wrestling scene in just its first few years of existence. A truly healthy, strong alternative to WWE had been missing for more than a decade before AEW came to life in 2019, and almost anyone you ask in the business will tell you that it’s been a net positive.

One of AEW’s calling cards from the very start has been a strong offering of pay-per-view shows. Driven by his days as a wrestling fan, Tony Khan tries to load up each event in a way that he might have once dreamt about, and while they often tend to run a little long and occasionally seem to come together at the last minute, they nearly always deliver in terms of the in-ring product.

That makes picking the best AEW PPVs to date a bit challenging. Since the company has been cautious about not running too many big cards — though that’s starting to change with the addition of Forbidden Door in 2022 and All Out and WrestleDream in 2023 — it’s not like there have been a bunch of mediocre shows to help separate the ones that have shined brightest.

Still, if there’s one thing that unites wrestling fans, it’s opinions on which things are better than others, and no site is better for that than Cagematch. Using both the user votes on that site and Dave Meltzer’s ratings, we’ve cobbled together a bit of a consensus opinion on the top AEW PPVs, just like we did for WWE.

You’ll see that even the awe-inspiring backdrop of 80,000+ fans at Wembley Stadium in 2023 didn’t sway these ranking too much, since All In London isn’t even in the top 10.

Which shows are? You’ll have to read on to find out.

Report: AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door will be at Arthur Ashe Stadium this year

A report suggests AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door will take the place of Grand Slam at Arthur Ashe Stadium this year.

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 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.

AEW making creative adjustments due to Bryan Danielson injury

Bryan Danielson’s arm injury is affecting some upcoming plans for AEW.

Kazuchika Okada and Bryan Danielson headlined Forbidden Door on Sunday night, but Danielson’s night, despite winning, ended in disappointment when he fractured his arm. He said at the post-show media scrum that the injury will sideline him for 6-8 weeks.

According to Fightful Select (subscription required but recommended), Danielson’s injury forced AEW to make several creative adjustments. They had planned for Danielson to wrestle more on television after Forbidden Door and to be involved in Blood and Guts on July 19 in Boston.

Additionally, Fightful Select reports that people have been praising Danielson for his creative contributions. It was clarified that Tony Khan, not Danielson, was responsible for the Championship Friday episode of AEW Rampage.

Instead, Danielson has been working on the creative for the first few weeks of AEW Collision. He helps in talking to talent about their creative ideas and how to communicate between creative and talent.

While his involvement in Blood and Guts would have amplified the match even more, AEW needs to replace Danielson to team with Claudio Castagnoli, Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta and Konosuke Takeshita for the already grizzly five vs. five (or six vs. six) match between his Blackpool Combat Club and The Elite. Perhaps it adjusts to four vs. four, but for the chaos of this match, it favors more wrestlers involved.

No one teased joining the BCC on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite, but with three weeks left before Blood and Guts, something might come to fruition.

Danielson’s injury timeline predicts that he will return around the time of All In at Wembley Stadium. If he makes it, he will obviously be a huge draw for the likely star-studded match card.

Otherwise, AEW will miss Danielson unless something else transpires for the Blackpool Combat Club before Blood and Guts. We’ll see how the company handles the injury.

Even Eric Bischoff loves Will Ospreay: ‘A tougher Shawn Michaels’

Eric Bischoff enjoyed the way Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega blended modern ring work with old school psychology at Forbidden Door.

It’s fair to say that Will Ospreay is having a moment.

While fans of New Japan and aficionados of the wider world of pro wrestling have been aware of how good the 30-year-old Englishman is for some time, this past weekend’s Forbidden Door event allowed Ospreay to compete on the biggest stage yet in front of a North American audience.

(Though it must be said, Ospreay’s match with Orange Cassidy at Forbidden Door 2022 slapped pretty hard as well.)

Ospreay didn’t disappoint, as he and Kenny Omega managed to somehow top their already incredible first meeting at Wrestle Kingdom in January. Their IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship match is being hailed as an instant classic, the type that will live in memory for years to come.

It was the kind of performance that makes new fans, even those who have been around the business for years. Case in point: Former WCW, WWE and TNA executive turned part-time curmudgeon Eric Bischoff.

While he has done some work with AEW, Bischoff has been outspoken about how he dislikes much of what that company does. We’re guessing that would apply to NJPW as well were he exposed to more of it.

But guess who he does like? Ospreay, after getting a chance to watch Omega-Ospreay II. In fact, on his 83 Weeks podcast (h/t Fightful), Bschoff had high praise for the match and for Ospreay in particular, comparing him to a WWE Hall of Famer and unquestioned all-time great.

I did see it. I will also admit that I have not seen much of Will Ospreay’s work, or Omega’s, for that matter. I was blown away. I hate to make comparisons because everybody’s unique and different in their own way, but Ospreay reminds me of a tougher Shawn Michaels. He’s got the look. His in-ring capabilities are just otherworldly at this . It was like the new school, the very athletic, physical, dynamic, incredibly difficult and high-risk type of offense, it had all of that, but it also had Nick Bockwinkel, Verne Gagne-esque psychology.

Bischoff said the match was “awesome,” something with which many fans no doubt agree. Maybe he’ll even tune in for the rubber match between Ospreay and Omega if it happens, and that’s not something he likely would have said prior to Forbidden Door.

Will Ospreay, Kenny Omega say nice things about each other after their bloody Forbidden Door epic

Both victorious Will Ospreay and defeated Kenny Omega said complimentary things about each other after their amazing rematch at Forbidden Door.

Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega pushed each other to the limit for the second time this year at Forbidden Door Sunday night in Toronto. In what seems certain to be a Match of the Year finalist for anyone who gives out such honors, they took huge risks, showed incredible heart and bled what seemed like buckets of blood.

They also probably don’t like each other any more now than they did before the sequel to their equally mesmerizing meeting this January at Wrestle Kingdom. But it sounds like they do respect one another.

In a tweet sent earlier today, Ospreay called his victory over Omega “legitimately the most challenging and yet rewarding task of my life” and said that the Canadian superstar had earned the right to say he was “above elite.”

That followed Omega saying that the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship — which Omega had claimed from Ospreay in their first matchup — “is in good hands” while imploring Ospreay to keep it away from Don Callis, who aided the new champ by slipping him a screwdriver.

Omega is apparently OK after a wince-inducing spot during the bout where he appeared to land directly on his head taking a Tiger Driver ’91 from Ospreay. AEW CEO and GM Tony Khan declined to give a detailed update on Omega’s health while talking to the media after Forbidden Door but said he hoped Omega would be fine.

The fact that the series between the two wrestlers is now tied 1-1 raises the prospect of a potential rubber match, with two big events looming as possibilities. AEW is holding its biggest show ever, All Out London in Wembley Stadium, later this summer, and Khan has mentioned that he expects some NJPW talent may be involved.

If that’s too soon to run it back, Wrestle Kingdom is always an option next January in Tokyo. If a third bout does happen, it’s probably not going to see Ospreay and Omega be buddies leading into it, but at least wrestling fans know now the mutual respect between them is definitely there.

Will Ospreay def. Kenny Omega – Forbidden Door 2023 best photos

Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega put it all on the line again at Forbidden Door 2023. Relive their epic match through some of its best photos.

If there were any doubts that Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega could top their incredible first match from Wrestle Kingdom earlier this year, they erased them by about the 15-minute mark at Forbidden Door.

Fortunately for fans, there were still about 30 more minutes of breathtaking risks, bloody violence and unbelievable drama before Ospreay had his hand raised and the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship back in his possession.

Relive all of the memorable moments with some of the best images from Toronto (photos courtesy of All Elite Wrestling).

Bryan Danielson says he broke his arm during Forbidden Door main event

Bryan Danielson says he expects to be out 6-8 weeks after injuring himself during an elbow drop by Kazuchika Okada at Forbidden Door.

Fans watching the second annual AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door card from Toronto on Sunday night were concerned about the health of Bryan Danielson during the main event. While his twitching on the mat turned out to be just a way to lure in Kazuchika Okada, the American Dragon really was injured in the course of the bout.

It wasn’t Danielson’s neck, which earlier in his career had caused his retirement for several years, that was the issue in Toronto. During the media scrum after the event, Danielson said he broke his right arm before his eventual victory over Okada (h/t Daniel Yanofsky of The Sporting News).

Danielson was notably favoring his left arm late in the match, with the announcers noting that his right arm appeared to be hurt. He also had trouble applying his submission hold of choice, the LeBell Lock, due to his ailment.

Instead, Danielson pivoted to use his legs to work over Okada, eventually trapping both of the New Japan star’s arms behind his back. When Okada tapped out, it caused a crowd that had been hot all night to quiet down quickly out of sheer surprise.

If Danielson is on the money with his assessment of how long he’ll be out, it would put his participation at AEW’s next big card, All In London, in jeopardy. That show is slated for Wembley Stadium on Aug. 27, and it’s widely presumed AEW will want as many top names in action as possible for what will be the biggest live audience it’s had to date.

Ironically, CEO and GM Tony Khan just mentioned during his media call ahead of Forbidden Door that one difference between this year’s show and the inaugural event in 2022 was how much healthier the AEW roster was. He may have jinxed himself just a bit with Danielson, so here’s hoping for a speedy recovery for the American Dragon.

Forbidden Door 2023: Top takeaways as AEW, NJPW deliver again

AEW and NJPW teamed to put on the best night of top to bottom wrestling in 2023 at Forbidden Door.

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.

Forbidden Door 2023 results: Bryan Danielson stuns, submits Kazuchika Okada

Despite looking like he was injured in the process, Bryan Danielson managed to submit Kazuchika Okada at Forbidden Door 2023.

The fans start a “holy s–t” chant before the match even officially get underway, so psyched to see these two in the ring together. Bryan Danielson returned to “The Final Countdown” for his entrance, which was fun.

As they go through their initial lockups, the crowd switches to an “Okada” chant for the Rainmaker. Kazuchika Okada almost ends up in an inverted surfboard, but Danielson dishes out some punishment instead and plays to the crowd.

Okada runs over Danielson and runs the ropes multiple times before hitting a lariat. A sliding dropkick catches Danielson on the ear, but the American Dragon gets the momentum back on the floor and knocks Okada into the announce table before dropping a running knee off the apron.

From the top rope, Danielson lands on Okada’s right arm, then covers for a quick two. The American Dragon knees Okada in the back and torques the right arm. Hammer and anvil elbows are dropped, and Danielson transitions to the cattle mutilation. Okada’s shoulders are on the mat, forcing him to kick out at two.

A series of strikes land on Okada’s chest, but they only seem to anger the Rainmaker. Okada tries for forearm shots but sells the previous damage to his right arm, so he opts for a flapjack instead.

A big boot drops Danielson as Okada gets some momentum going. A DDT scores too and leads to a two count. A dropkick knocks Danielson to the floor, then Okada puts him into the crowd for his trademark cross body over the barricade.

They fight back to ringside, and Okada resets the 10 count. Back to the ring they go, where Okada applies the Money Clip. A neckbreaker is next, and Danielson has to kick out again.

Both men end up on the top turnbuckle, where Danielson uses a flurry of strikes to set up a missile dropkick. With both men on the canvas, the ref is counting, but Danielson leads them up and into an exchange of strikes. The European uppercuts are flowing both ways.

A shotgun dropkick from Okada breaks the chain, but Danielson responds with a German suplex. Danielson launches into two running corner kicks but takes a dropkick back. There’s another lovely one from Okada after Danielson evades a Rainmaker.

Okada tries a top rope elbow, but Danielson sees it coming and works some submissions. He gets the LeBell Lock applied, meaning Okada must use his legs to reach out for a rope break.

On the outside again, Danielson takes control by the ramp, finally hitting his trademark kicks. Okada finds an awesome answer in a Tombstone on the ramp.

They slowly both make it back to the ring, where Okada hits his top rope elbow this time. Okada strikes the Rainmaker pose, but the ref stops him and calls for the ringside doctor. Okada shakes off the doc, but it looks like Danielson was baiting his foe as he hits a busaiku knee.

Who can get up first? Okada takes wrist control but ends up eating another busaiku knee for a two count. Danielson says he’s going to “kick his f–king head in” and stomps Okada in the face. The LeBell Lock actually gives Okada a chance to try for a pin, getting another two.

Danielson hits a spinning kick and leads some “yes” chants, but he runs into a dropkick and a landslide. The Rainmaker finds the mark, but Danielson kicks out at two.

Maintaining wrist control, Okada keeps beating on his foe. An exchange of counters finds Danielson dragging Okada to the ground even though he’s heavily favoring his left arm. There’s a LeBell Lock again as the fans try to rally Okada.

Danielson uses his legs to trap Okada’s arms behind his back, improvising like crazy. In a crazy predicament now, Okada can’t get to the ropes, and he ends up tapping out.

Click here for full Forbidden Door 2023 results from Toronto.

Forbidden Door 2023 results: Naito, Sting combine to get a fun win

A fun six-man tag featured some AEW and NJPW icons at Forbidden Door.

Sting is in full Joker makeup for this one, the first time he’s done that in a while. The announcers mention the choice of Tetsuya Naito as a partner is partially to get in the head of Chris Jericho, which it definitely is.

Naito starts the match against Sammy Guevara, matching trademark poses early on. Naito manages to hit a couple moves in quick succession, then tags in Darby Allin. Guevara gives way to Minoru Suzuki, but Allin decides to stand and trade with him. That might be a mistake, so he switches to wrestling instead.

Sting gets a big reaction as he steps in against Suzuki. Minoru shakes off requests for a tag from Jericho but relents so the two icons can stand across from each other for the first time. Before they can throw down, Suzuki rushes in and all six men follow.

The ring clears so Sting and Jericho can trade punches for the first time in the same match. Jericho misses a corner charge and ends up in the Scorpion Deathlock. Guevara tries for a top rope stunner from the far side of the ring and basically smashes Sting’s head into the canvas.

Sammy and Chris hit a double shoulder tackle, and all three heels pose. Guevara hands out corner punches to Sting, who escapes and tags Allin back in. He hits a Code Red on Guevara for a near fall, but Sammy answers with a Spanish Fly for two.

Guevara tries his own take on the Stinger Splash and mostly misses, and now he and Darby are both down. Naito and Jericho tag in to face each other, with Naito hitting a swinging neckbreaker as the announcers mention their battles in 2018-19.

All three heels grab sleepers at once, but Sting and Darby escape and Allin launches into his cannonball tope to Suzuki. He tries one on Jericho too, but The Ocho counters with a well-timed Judas Effect.

Jericho gets a table out and sets it up on the floor. Sting ends up on that table, but Jericho and Guevara argue about what’s next. Sammy relents and hits  630 splash that puts the Icon through the table.

Naito and Jericho battle it out, and somehow Sting is already back up. Jericho hits a Codebreaker amidst the chaos, but Naito kicks out at two. He’s in trouble and Sting looks gassed.

Not for long, however, as he comes in and gives Naito the break he needs to do a running rollup and pin Suzuki.

Jericho goes after Naito with his bat, Floyd, but Sting disarms Jericho and the heels limp away.

Click here for full Forbidden Door 2023 results from Toronto.