Tag: Forbidden Door

AEW Rampage quick results: Last stop before Forbidden Door

Get quick AEW Rampage results for the June 24 episode from Milwaukee, the last stop before Forbidden Door.

Milwaukee isn’t quite Chicago, but it’s sort of close. That’s relevant because it’s gotten very close to Forbidden Door, set to blow into the Windy City this Sunday. Tonight’s episode of AEW Rampage, taped last Wednesday, should put the final finishing touches on the card, maybe even adding a few last matches.

We’ll add the latest results as they happen, making this as close to a live report as possible for a pre-recorded show.

AEW Rampage results in 30 seconds:

  • Andrade El Idolo def. Rey Fenix by pinfall with some help from Rush, and the duo unveils La Facción Ingobernable shirts
  • Eddie Kingston cuts a promo touching briefly on Forbidden Door, but he’s even more psyched for Blood & Guts and can’t wait to taste the blood of Chris Jericho
  • Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee say they’ll get another ‘W’ on Sunday against Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado, but Lee isn’t quite ready to say they’re back on the same page yet
  • Serena Deeb and Mercedes Martinez def. Sierra and Laynie Luck by submission
  • Tully Blanchard Enterprises is a thing, and includes … Brian Cage? Tully also interrupts Jonathan Gresham, and ends up booking a tag team match, it seems
  • Hook def. The DKC by submission to remain undefeated
  • Billy Gunn informs Max Caster and the Gunn Club that they have a match on the Buy-In against four members of NJPW’s LA Dojo, and the Ass Boys think they’re going to Japan
  • Also added to the Buy-In on Sunday: QT Marshall and Aaron Solo vs. Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi

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Tony Khan expects Forbidden Door 2, but not more AEW pay-per-views … yet

AEW head Tony Khan expressed a desire to see Forbidden Door isn’t just a one-time deal but doesn’t envision adding more AEW PPVs to the schedule soon.

Just like Hollywood starts thinking about sequels before promising new movies even hits theaters, Tony Khan has already thought of what a Forbidden Door 2 might look like even before the first one hits Chicago on June 26.

AEW’s president and CEO has mentioned his hope that Forbidden Door might become an annual event in passing, but spoke in more detail about that possibility during a media call on Friday.

“I’ve thought a lot about it, and we’ve already discussed the possibility of Forbidden Door 2 based on the success already we’ve had from this event, selling well over a million dollars in tickets,” Khan said. ” … I think it’s been so successful of an event that we have to plan to do it again.”

Khan’s enthusiasm comes despite the challenges he admitted were part of putting the collaboration between AEW and NJPW together this year. Injuries to top stars CM Punk and Bryan Danielson have received a lot of attention, but Khan said there were logistical hurdles even before they got hurt, noting that he wished he was able to have top NJPW talent like Kazuchika Okada on TV earlier than he was available.

Forbidden Door is also an addition to AEW’s schedule of pay-per-view events, which has held steady at four per year so far. Khan said he’s considered what expanding that slate might look like but doesn’t expect it will happen soon.

“It has crossed my mind,” Khan said. “We have great events that we’ve built up from the beginning. I think when we launched, that was the number that made the most sense for us … and now the company has become something of a global powerhouse.

“I think there is definitely the star power in AEW to support more events. They would produce more revenue for the company. It’s something to consider, but it’s not something I imminently plan to get into either.”

Khan added that every AEW PPV so far in 2022 has shown an improvement over 2021, and that he hoped All Out, which should be announced for September, would keep that streak going.

For now, however, his focus is on sticking the landing for Forbidden Door, ensuring that fans want to see it become a perennial affair.

“Hopefully we’ll do many Forbidden Doors going forward based on the success of this one.”

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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.

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.

Who’s in the running for the new AEW All-Atlantic Championship?

See who is in contention to be the first ever winner of the AEW All-Atlantic Championship when its awarded at Forbidden Door.

When AEW announced it was revealing a new title during the June 8 episode of Dynamite, most fans expected it was going to be a trios championship, as the promotion has put more of an emphasis on three-person teams than most. Instead, it introduced the AEW All-Atlantic Championship, a new title for its men’s division.

In the finest pro wrestling tradition, the inaugural winner is being decided via a tournament — and the first match already took place Wednesday night, with Pac defeating Buddy Matthews. There are still three other qualifying matches yet to take place:

  • Ethan Page vs. Miro – Page hasn’t had much to do as of late except for being part of the mixed trios match at Double or Nothing, while Miro has just returned from injury and already looks like his usual, dominant self. This match will take place on Wednesday, June 15 at Road Rager (a themed episode of Dynamite).
  • Penta Oscuro vs. Malakai Black – This is an offshoot of the continuing issues between Death Triangle and the House of Black, and could also be on the Road Rager card. Now that Matthews is out, the likelihood of Black advancing figures to be even higher.
  • Two yet-to-be-named NJPW wrestlers will meet in the other quarterfinal. New Japan has so far only announced that its entrants will be announced soon. It does have a big event, Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall, coming up this weekend, and could put the qualifier on that show.
Image credit: All Elite Wrestling

What’s interesting about the All-Atlantic Championship tournament is that instead of having semifinals and a final, all four first-round winners will meet in one four-way match at Forbidden Door. That spices things up a tad and also makes the tourney easier to pull off from a logistical standpoint given the NJPW involvement.

Speaking of which, could a NJPW star be the inaugural winner? Though several AEW championships are expected to be on the line at Forbidden Door when the card is finalized, the thought of someone who could only make sporadic appearances on AEW shows holding one of them feels far-fetched. But a new title is a whole different ballgame, and fans might be a bit more accepting of someone outside the promotion holding it to start.

We’ll find out which way AEW is leaning when the inaugural All-Atlantic Champion is crowned at Forbidden Door on Sunday, June 26 in Chicago.

Watch: Hiroshi Tanahashi challenges CM Punk for Forbidden Door

See New Japan’s ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi, arrive on AEW Dynamite to challenge CM Punk at Forbidden Door.

Go Ace … all the way to a match with CM Punk at Forbidden Door.

It looks like New Japan’s Ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi, will be the one to test the mettle of new AEW World Champion Punk at the collaborative Forbidden Door pay-per-view later this month in Chicago.

Punk, who won the title from Hangman Adam Page at Double or Nothing last Sunday, teamed up with FTR for a trios victory over Max Caster and the Gunn Club on this week’s episode of Dynamite. Afterward, he told the fans in Los Angeles that he still needed to learn and improve, even as champion.

He then turned his attention to Forbidden Door, asking who he was going to face. Tanahashi walked out onto the stage just a moment later, and even though he didn’t speak (at least on the TV broadcast), he made it clear he was challenging Punk — perhaps even for that newly won gold.

You can watch the entire segment below.

While we’re not sure every fan would agree that Tanahashi’s appearance was the No. 1 moment of the week — an honor that would probably be reserved for MJF’s passionate promo — it was a great bit to set up the first in what should be a series of dream matches booked for Forbidden Door.

Considering Tanahashi’s list of accomplishments, including his record eight reigns as IWGP Heavyweight Champion and three reigns as IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion, he makes for a logical opponent for Punk, especially considering they are close in age as well (Tanahashi is 45, Punk 43). Though Kenta has been publicly lobbying for a chance to face Punk on social media, this matchup is an even bigger one, all things considered.

AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door will take place on Sunday, June 26 at the United Center in Chicago, and will broadcast as a pay-per-view available through Bleacher Report in the U.S., FITE TV internationally, and NJPW World in Japan.