Tag: Jack Perry

AEW Dynamite Blood and Guts preview 07/19/23: Will BCC or Golden Elite triumph?

Blood and Guts is the draw, but this week’s AEW Dynamite will also have a title bout and a tag team tournament final.

If given the choice, The Elite and the Blackpool Combat Club might just do what the name of AEW’s video game suggests and fight forever. Alas, the conventions of pro wrestling demand that even the most baked-in grudge eventually gets settled, preferably in the most spectacular way possible. In AEW, that generally means Blood and Guts, which is taking place between these two teams tonight on Dynamite in Boston.

Taking its inspiration from the classic WarGames match of years gone by (and thus not making it a ripoff of WWE’s current version of the same), Blood and Guts features two groups facing off inside two rings covered by a roofed steel cage. Weapons and pretty much everything else are legal, and the match can only win with a submission or surrender.

Both sides in this particular bout have some fun additions. The Elite has morphed into The Golden Elite with the arrival of Kenny Omega’s friend and former partner, Kota Ibushi. The BCC was dealt a blow when Bryan Danielson hurt his arm, but has recovered nicely by teaming with a man whose perpetually foul temperament seems perfect for Blood and Guts, Pac.

And while Blood and Guts is the obvious centerpiece and should get plenty of time, it’s not like it’s the only match on the card in Boston. The final of AEW’s silly but strangely compelling Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament will see Adam Cole and MJF square off against Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara, with the winning duo assured a title shot. And the not official but still defendable FTW Championship will be on the line when Hook faces Jack Perry.

Add it all up and this is a Wednesday night you’ll want to be tuned in to TBS, just as we will be starting at 8 p.m. ET. If you can’t watch Blood and Guts, our apologies, but we’ll have live updates for you here at Wrestling Junkie so you can keep up with the carnage.

AEW Dynamite results 07/05/23: ‘Can they coexist?’ gets a workout

Edmonton is also set to welcome Kenny Omega in singles action against Wheeler Yuta on AEW Dynamite.

If you think WWE is the promotion that made “Can they coexist?” into its own trope, AEW is about to say “hold my Canadian beer” tonight for Dynamite in Edmonton.

Odd couples are the name of the game for this show, including the first match with the pairing of MJF and Adam Cole. You may recall that not long ago, Cole came within a whisker of defeating MJF and earning a shot at his world title. He probably isn’t thrilled about this partnership, but MJF seems pretty enthused about it — likely because he thinks he can keep Cole from coming after his beloved BBB. We’ll see if they win despite themselves tonight.

Another match in the Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament will see an actual former tag team reunited. Alas, the days of Swerve in Our Glory are long past, and since Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland weren’t always on the same page even in the best of times, heaven only knows if they’ll be able to make it five minutes into their matchup with Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy without trying to destroy each other.

Then we’ve also got matches of the more traditional variety, meaning the combatants just flat out can’t stand each other. That goes for Kenny Omega vs. Wheeler Yuta, an offshoot of the feud between The Elite and Blackpool Combat Club that is headed toward Blood and Guts, as well as the Women’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament bout between Britt Baker and Ruby Soho.

But you know who can coexist? You, dear reader, and your friends here at Wrestling Junkie. We’re ready to serve up the latest AEW Dynamite results fresh out the oven, so let’s get to it.

AEW Dynamite results from Edmonton:

Renee Paquette lets Darby Allin give Keith Lee a pep talk before they meet in the ring. Interesting motivational ploy. Lee’s response? “Ballsy. Stupid. But ballsy.”

Orange Cassidy and Darby Allin def. Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland by pinfall in a Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament match

Lee doesn’t even acknowledge Swerve as he walks down the ramp to get this started. The announcers sell the idea that Cassidy’s Orange Punch is losing some of its steam as he gets worn down from defending his championship every week, and indeed, Lee eats two without even leaving his feet.

In an “only Darby” bit, Allin ends up trapped under the steel steps. Swerve ends up hitting a 450 splash on his own partner while trying to break up a pin, then kicks him in the head by accident as well. Allin and Cassidy end up prevailing, then fist bump Lee afterward.

Allin narrates a video about the arrival of Nick Wayne in AEW. And it’s “to be continued” so there’s more to come.

Jack Perry pulls up and tells Tony Schiavone he’s going to demand an FTW Championship match. But when Hook runs up and tries to get a piece of him right there. Perry jumps back in his SUV and has the driver speed him out of there.

MJF and Adam Cole are shown working out together and bond over mocking Schiavone, and MJF seems stunned by how strong Cole is.

The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass def. The Blade and Bollywood Boys by pinfall

Max Caster gets in both Canadian wildfire and Justin Trudeau’s blackface incident punchlines during his entrance rap, for those of you who track such things. Despite the best efforts of Skinny Goldberg, a.k.a. The Blade, The Acclaimed win with a Caster Mic Drop.

Afterward, the winners are interrupted on the big screen by Harley Cameron. She claims she made a video and will drop it on The Acclaimed next week. She also appears to still be after Anthony Bowens, but Daddy Ass says he has two words for her, and you know what they are.

Jon Moxley says he wishes Eddie Kingston would embrace what’s next and help train up the next generation, but he knows that’s not reality. He also tells Eddie to answer his phone.

Matt Hardy watches as RJ City draws his tag team partner, and it’s Jeff … Jarrett.

Wheeler Yuta cuts a promo promising to end Kenny Omega tonight.

Chris Jericho comes to the ring and says it’s time for him to reevaluate things and make some changes. And what better place for that than Alberta, where he started his wrestling career?

Hearing this talk, Don Callis arrives to plenty of boos and says he can help Jericho make a change. Callis calls Jericho his best friend and that he’s there to ask if Chris will join the Don Callis Family.

Jericho almost seems offended by that, but then says “maybe” before leaving the ring.

Paquette gets a medical update on Roderick Strong, who gets a quick visit from Cole ahead of his tag team match with MJF.

MJF and Adam Cole def. Matt Menard and The Butcher by pinfall in a Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament match

Pretty sure Taz called the team of Daddy Magic and The Butcher “Magic Meat,” which, if so, well played. MJF peer pressures Cole into lending a hand with an abdominal stretch, some rulebreaking he clearly doesn’t want to do.

Cole is able to get the pin for his team in the end, but that’s not the end of the segment …

… because MJF grabs the mic afterward to put over Cole and asks the fans if they want to see another hangout session this weekend. The champ seems psyched when Cole accepts, then wishes Cole happy birthday, leading a cheer complete with streamers.

Alas, after MJF brings out a cake and leads the birthday song (remember he actually can sing!), Cole smashes his face into it. But Adam does thank him, sounding sincere, for doing all of this.

Paquette catches up with Britt Baker, who says Ruby Soho lied to people when she said she took everything from Britt. Now, Baker says she plans on winning the Owen Hart Cup tourney again, starting by beating Ruby.

Jericho is confronted by Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara, but tells them “you can’t be with me forever, think about that.”

Ruby Soho def. Britt Baker by pinfall in a Women’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament first round match

The other Outcasts are on hand, naturally, providing just enough of a distraction to allow Ruby to get the upper hand. Once they get down to brass tacks, there’s a pretty damn good match going on.

But of course the Outcasts spoil that, cheating to hit a belt shot and set up the No Future. Baker kicks out of that, but the cheating continues and helps Ruby get the pin and advance.

Skye Blue, who Soho will meet in the next round of the tourney, comes out for a brief staredown.

Kenny Omega def. Wheeler Yuta by pinfall

The announcers point out that Omega is coming off consecutive singles losses for the first time in his AEW career. Kind of reinforces the idea that he’s not losing here, but we shall see.

Omega sells some of the damage he suffered during his Forbidden Door bout against Will Ospreay, leaving Yuta very confident as he goes about his attacks.

Let’s be real, though: It’s still Kenny, even at less than 100%. He’s still able to run through most of his trademark offense, though he can’t get the One-Winged Angel off on the first try and has to scramble to kick out after Yuta pulls the seat belt pin on him again.

Callis comes down the ramp and is chases back up the ramp by security, but that gives Konosuke Takeshita a chance to sneak in from the other side of the ring for a Blue Thunder Bomb. Yuta hits a splash and covers, but Omega kicks out.

As Yuta goes up top, Omega uses that as leverage to hoist him for a One-Winged Angel that ends it.

Right after the bell, Takeshita and Claudio Castagnoli invade the ring, but the Young Bucks and Hangman Adam Page arrive with chairs. As the show fades out, however, after overrunning the time slot by a few minutes, the Dark Order is seen taking the chair away from Hangman.

AEW Dynamite results 06/28/23: MJF, Adam Cole play odd couple, Sting takes flight

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite from Hamilton will also see Chris Jericho and Sting in the ring together again, plus The Elite in action.

The “can they coexist?” bit has become so well-worn in storylines by the biggest U.S. wrestling promotion that it’s almost self-parodying at this point. Not so much for AEW, but it’s leaning into that vibe hard for what should be one of the more notable parts of tonight’s episode of Dynamite from Hamilton, Ontario.

MJF successfully made it out of Forbidden Door with the AEW World Championship still around his waist. Adam Cole would like to change that status quo, and is seeking a title rematch after taking MJF to a time limit draw a few weeks ago.

The problem is that AEW is also having a tag team tournament where the pairings are decided by a blind draw (wink, wink), and wouldn’t you know it, the first two names picked were MJF and Cole. The two men can’t stand each other and would love nothing less than to rearrange the other’s facial features, but for the time being, they need to work together.

OK, need is a strong word. They can certainly throw down if they want, but the guess is that if they do, it will prevent them from getting what they truly desire. We should find out more on that score tonight.

Elsewhere, there’s going to be a strong Forbidden Door fallout vibe in Hamilton. Tomohiro Ishii is still in Canada, and will tangle with Jon Moxley. The Young Bucks and Hangman Adam Page, or the Hung Bucks if you like that kind of humor, will be in action. Plus Chris Jericho and Sting will be in the ring on opposite sides of a match for the second time in less than a week after somehow not doing that for decades.

Time to dive into Dynamite.

AEW Dynamite results from Hamilton:

Jon Moxley def. Tomohiro Ishii by pinfall

No fooling around for these two gents, who just go right at each other, smash-mouth style. The Blackpool Combat Club is ringside to support Mox, but Eddie Kingston shows up before the picture-in-picture segment wielding  chair to deter any hijinks.

Ishii takes a nasty shot later that still probably isn’t quite as ridiculous as the one he took from Konosuke Takeshita at Forbidden Door. Kingston and Claudio Castagnoli aren’t taking their eyes off each other on opposite sides of the floor.

They eventually end up head butting each other bloody, because of course. Moxley finally wins with a Death Rider, but it took a huge effort.

Renee Paquette catches Adam Cole on his way into the arena, but he’s soon joined by an enthusiastic MJF, who says he thinks they got off on the wrong foot. To that end, he asks Cole if he wants to hang out this weekend, and even presents some “tag merch.” Heh.

Paquette asks Moxley what is going on and tries to play peacemaker when Kingston comes looking for him. It’s a serious yelling match, and Renee gets in the last word, telling Kingston he better fix this.

Orange Cassidy, El Hijo del Vikingo and Keith Lee def. Daniel Garcia, Matt Menard and Angelo Parker by pinfall when Lee pins Menard

There’s a peek at how this particular face trio came together, but honestly, does it matter? It’s just a fun trio. Also, Garcia teases his dance but doesn’t do it, but since fans dislike his dance, wouldn’t the heel play be to do it? Please ponder that.

Vikingo’s craziest dive to the floor hits only Lee, who picks him up and uses him as a weapon, then hurls him to the turnbuckles. He misses whatever he was going to try as he slips, but still launches into a moonsault.

Poor Daddy Magic ends up alone with Lee a little later, and welp.

The Elite wants to do a trios open challenge, and Hangman Adam Page is caught off guard when the Dark Order is upset that he ghosted them and wants to be their opponents tonight.

Chris Jericho says he and Sting in the ring together should be on TBS and should be commentated by Tony Schiavone. He also says it’s time to get into the “primordial ooze” of Jericho and summon the Painmaker. Sammy Guevara looks less enthused about the whole thing.

The Elite def. Dark Order by pinfall when Hangman Adam Page pins John Silver

Page looks conflicted, saying “we don’t have to do this.” No one does that emotion in pro wrestling like he does. When he finally becomes the legal man, he has a discussion with John Silver but finally gets hit in the face, and instead of punching back, he tags Matt Jackson in.

But Evil Uno finally pushes Hangman too far, and he comes in firing. The announcers note that Dark Order has no issues taking it to their friend as they’re trying to get the win. Page hesitates again when he has a chance to hit the Buckshot on Silver and nearly gets pinned. But he pulls it together to hit the Deadeye, and after a BTE Trigger by the Bucks, he finishes Silver with a Buckshot … and looks like he’s apologizing afterward, but …

… the Blackpool Combat Club invades the ring with chairs after the bell, and the Dark Order doesn’t stick around to help. Eddie Kingston tries, but he’s soon in as much trouble as The Elite. Page is bloodied as Konsuke Takeshita arrives to assist.

Moxley gets on the mic and says it’s time to end this: July 19, Boston, Blood and Guts.

A video package shows the contestants in the Men’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament talking about their first round opponents.

Cole tells a concerned Roderick Strong that he’s just playing along with MJF, who comes to scoop him up for “party time.”

“JungleHook was special because of me.” Jack Perry is now definitely a heel since he’s running down the fans and bragging about his bedroom exploits. Perry asks if he turned on Hook or everyone turned on him, and I think we know where he’s headed with this.

He calls Hook an entitled, second-generation prick and mocks the FTW Championship. Hook finally has enough and heads down the ramp, so Perry flees for the back.

With Hook in super hot pursuit, Perry leaps headfirst into the back of a waiting SUV, barely escaping what is almost certainly going to be an ass whooping.

Ruby Soho def. Alexia Nicole by submission

This was supposed to be Soho’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament match against Britt Baker who is out with illness. This … is not that, and Soho gets a quick tapout by using Baker’s own Lockjaw.

The Outcasts spray paint the ‘L’ on poor Nicole, and Soho blames Canada like South Park once did for Baker getting sick. Ruby mocks Baker and Adam Cole a bit more and vows to leave Britt nothing after defeating her.

QTV touts the arrival of Johnny TV, and Hayley Cameron does a poor impression of Brother Zay.

Darby Allin and Sting def. “The Painmaker” Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara by submission in a Tornado tag match as Sting makes Jericho tap out to the Scorpion Deathlock

Guevara enters separately and to his own music, something he teased last week. Jericho has a special entrance and what looks like glow in the dark makeup as the Painmaker, and before anything too crazy starts going down, he and Sting have a duel with their respective baseball bats.

Sting and Allin slowly gain the advantage, setting up two tables on the floor as both of the faces scale a ladder in the ring. It’s not Darby but Sting who makes the jump, and he barely makes it to send Guevara through the first table but looks like he lands hard in the process.

Despite Allin using his skateboard, Jericho is able to send Darby to the floor with a Judas Effect. Sting tries sneaking up on the Painmaker form behind, but Jericho puts him in the Walls of Jericho. There are no rope breaks, but Sting crawls and gets his bat, using it to break the hold.

A bloody Painmaker takes a Stinger Splash but answers a second with a Codebreaker. But the Judas Effect is countered with a Scorpion Death Drop that somehow only gets two.

Jericho tries another Codebreaker, but Sting sees it coming and applies the Scorpion Deathlock, and since the show is now in an overrun, the Painmaker taps and Dynamite quickly says peace.

AEW planning major changes to ‘Jungle Boy’ Jack Perry’s persona

No more “Tarzan Boy”? It sounds like Jack Perry could be getting a new presentation from AEW to go with his change in attitude.

For a while, fans had been expecting “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry to make a heel turn. His increasingly aggressive match work and some of his promos hinted at the classic change of attitude that he was about to bring to AEW programming.

That, of course, culminated at Forbidden Door, when Perry attacked Hook after losing an IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match to Sanada.

With Jungle Boy’s heel turn will apparently come a change in presentation for him, according to a report from Fightful Select (subscription required but recommended).

Since 2021, Baltimore’s “Tarzan Boy” has been Perry’s theme song, getting the crowd to wave their arms while the music plays. Now that he’s no longer a babyface, AEW logically plans to change the song. However, there is no word yet on what Perry’s new song will be or when AEW will introduce it.

While not mentioned in the report, perhaps it’s time for Perry to switch things up with a change of look. A heel turn after four years as a babyface could open the door for a new hairstyle or gear if he and AEW decide to do so. Perry has kept largely the same look throughout his time with the company, so now might be the perfect time for a change to solidify his new status.

Perry and Hook look set to feud into the summer as AEW’s All In and All Out shows approach. A program culminating at All In, at Wembley Stadium, could amplify Perry’s change in attitude and give Hook his biggest platform since joining the company.

It will be intriguing to see how Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite and subsequent shows kick off this new era for Perry and whatever other alterations AEW has in store. There could be a steady unveiling of Perry’s new music and other changes, but either way, it’s a much-needed transformation for a character who has been largely unchanged for the past four years.

AEW Dynamite preview 06/28/23: Painmaker returns amid Forbidden Door fallout

The fans in Hamilton will also hear from MJF and Adam Cole on Dynamite in Ontario.

Forbidden Door was once again a sight to behold this past weekend in Toronto. But AEW isn’t done with Canada yet, and it may not be completely done with Forbidden Door either on tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite in Hamilton, Ontario.

That’s because if there’s a big wrestling card, there must be fallout. Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara were on the losing side of their match Sunday night, and they’re looking for some payback. Did they take the ‘L’ because Jericho wasn’t in his Painmaker persona? Maybe, maybe not, but he’ll at least rectify that tonight by becoming the Painmaker once again in a Tornado tag match against Darby Allin and Sting.

(Also, Jericho and Sting never appeared in a match together during decades in the business until Sunday, now they’re facing off twice in four days, not too shabby.)

NJPW stalwart Tomohiro Ishii also suffered defeat at Forbidden Door, though most of the chatter where he was concerned was taking one hell of a shot from Konosuke Takeshita. He’ll try to put that behind him when he battles Jon Moxley in Hamilton.

Want one more man who failed to seize victory on Sunday? We present “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry who came up short in his open challenge bid for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. There’s no shame in that. What was shameful was the way Perry turned on tag team partner Hook, which may turn out to be a mistake. We’ll see if it bites him in the rear right away on Dynamite.

Plus we’ll hear from MJF, breaking up this streak of sob stories since he won his match, and Adam Cole, who didn’t compete at Forbidden Door due to illness but finds himself MJF’s tag team partner.

Add it all up and we’ve got the makings of something explosive in Hamilton. Fitting for Dynamite, eh?

Tune in and find out on TBS at 8 p.m. ET, or come back to Wrestling Junkie for full results.

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: Jack Perry turns sore loser against Sanada

See how Sanada was able to keep the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Jack Perry at Forbidden Door 2023.

Hook accompanies Jack Perry for his walk to the ring for this big title opportunity. Sanada has just Douki with him from Just Five Guys. Red Shows is the referee for this one and gets some love from the crowd.

Chants break out for both wrestlers as the referees discuss how neither man was familiar with the other’s work. Perry gets the Snare Trap applied, but the champ quickly gets to the ropes.

Sanada does a couple of leapfrogs and hits a beautiful dropkick. But Perry blasts him off the apron to the floor and hits a tope suicida before hurling Sanada into the barricade.

They trade shots before Sanada looks for the Paradise Lock. Neither he nor Perry can get it applied, but the champ gets it on tight the second try before booting Jack from behind with a dropkick and using an arrogant cover for two.

Now chops are exchanged in the middle of the ring, with Perry taking the worst of it. A big boot crashes home for Sanada, but Perry rallies with a thrust kick and a running lariat. A Tiger Driver forces the champ to kick out at two.

Sanada buys himself a breather with a neck screw as Red Shoes checks on both wrestlers. They rise to their knees to exchange more strikes, and Jack doesn’t look out of place in these Strong Style spots. He catches Sanada with a backslide for two, then drops into Skull End, Sanada’s own hold. The champ’s boot eventually reaches the bottom rope for a break.

A series of counters leads to a Sanada TKO for  two count. Perry rolls away from a moonsault to hit a poison rana; he also counters Skull End into a pinning predicament.

Sanada hits his own poison rana and a Shining Wizard for another near fall. His moonsault is on target now, and that’s it for Jungle Boy.

But the real drama comes afterward, when Perry turns on Hook, clotheslining him on the ramp and holding his tag team partner’s FTW title aloft, seemingly turning heel in the process.

Click here for full Forbidden Door 2023 results from Toronto.

AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2023 results: All the winners from Toronto

AEW and NJPW come together once again for Forbidden Door. See who had their hands raised in Toronto.

It’s time to see which side of the Forbidden Door reigns supreme.

For the second straight year, AEW and NJPW are coming together to do something that only a few years ago would have been unthinkable, putting some of the top pro wrestling stars from North America and Japan (and all around the world, frankly) together on one massive card.

Following the success of the first Forbidden Door last year in Chicago, the sequel is coming to us from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. If anything, the card for 2023 looks even better than the original, with most of both companies’ big stars participating.

The night will start and end with big matches. The AEW World Championship is on the line right off the bat, with MJF (reluctantly, as is his wont) defending his title against the Ace of New Japan, Hiroshi Tanahashi. The main event is a dream meeting between two of the very best wrestlers on the planet over the last 10-15 years, Bryan Danielson and Kazuchika Okada.

Yet neither may be the best bout of the night. That honor could very well go to a rematch of a pairing that many consider a top candidate for match of the year, Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay. The two men absolutely thrilled during their first meeting at Wrestle Kingdom in January, where Omega prevailed. Ospreay will pull out all the stops to get his win back, and there’s no reason to think the result won’t once again be spectacular.

We’ll be updating this post in real time as the action plays out.

AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2023 results from Toronto:

(click any match with a link for full details)

AEW Rampage results: Jungle Boy passes pre-Forbidden Door test

AEW Rampage also featured a first round match in the Women’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament.

If you’ve never watched New Japan Pro-Wrestling before, that’s OK. But it would probably be a good idea to watch this episode of AEW Rampage before Forbidden Door this Sunday night.

That’s because there’s a whole bunch of NJPW talent on tonight’s show, which is fitting since they will also be a big part of the second annual supershow in Toronto. Also, MJF will be on tonight’s show, a first for the AEW World Champion.

So even though Rampage has slipped to third in the pecking order of AEW shows, this should be one hour that’s worth watching. Let’s see what we’ve got.

AEW Rampage results:

  • United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Kyle Fletcher and Will Ospreay) and Swerve Strickland def. Chaos (Best Friends, Rocky Romero and Yoh) by pinfall
  • Toni Storm says only her title is on the line when she faces Willow Nightingale at Forbidden Door because Willow would lose her title if it was on the line
  • Adam Cole goes to the ring but is quickly interrupted by MJF, who says he has talked to Tony Khan and got him to book Cole in a match at Forbidden Door against Tom Lawlor; Lawlor and Royce Isaacs attack Cole while MJF mockingly acts like he’s on the way to save his tag team partner, then wishes Cole good luck this weekend
  • The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass def. Local Talent in a very short match; afterward, Harley Cameron tells the group they should work together on music as a distraction for QTV to debut new member Johnny TV, who lays out Daddy Ass
  • Prince Nana and Swerve deliver a warning to Hiroshi Tanahashi, who Strickland will face on Collision
  • Skye Blue def. Anna Jay by pinfall in a Women’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament first round match
  • “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry def. Douki by submission by using Sanada’s Skull End hold, in a match that saw much of the crowd cheering for Douki …
  • … but Sanada comes out and walks to the ring for a staredown to end the show

Forbidden Door 2023 predictions: Who will win each match in Toronto?

Who will come out on top when AEW and NJPW come together once again in Toronto for Forbidden Door 2023?

While All Elite Wrestling treats a drama-free work environment like its own forbidden door, the actual Forbidden Door event looks to be the best pro wrestling show of the year on paper.

The card has a little bit of everything. It’s got a dream match between Bryan Danielson and Kazuchika Okada. It also features a grudge match between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay. We’ve even got arguably Japan’s biggest star going against AEW’s young sensation.

And yes, it even has CM Punk, who missed last year’s event due to injury. The show has got it all, and the backstage drama could make an unwanted cameo, too.

With that said, here are my predictions for the event, which emanates from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto:

IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Will Ospreay

The first encounter between these two (Wrestle Kingdom 17) was arguably the best match of 2023 to this point, and it took place all the way back on Jan. 4. I have no reservations in believing that they will do everything in their power to top that at Forbidden Door.

As far as a winner, I’m going to go with Ospreay to regain the title he lost back in January. Ever since Omega left New Japan Pro Wrestling and joined AEW, Ospreay has been one of the people in line to replace him as the promotion’s top foreigner. Whether he has succeeded in filling Omega’s shoes is up for debate.

However, Forbidden Door presents an opportunity for Ospreay to not only win back the title he lost at Wrestle Kingdom, but also put the world on notice that he is indeed capable of fulfilling the role Omega once held and thrived in.

By the way, I have a not-so-sneaky suspicion that Don Callis will have some involvement in the outcome.

Winner: Will Ospreay

Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada

If there is one match I have to watch on this show, it’s this one. Before this match was announced, it had never occurred to me that Danielson and Okada never had a match together — and that I also wanted to see it so very badly.

The story tells itself: Danielson is widely regarded as the best technical wrestler in the world. Okada, while not quite as technical as Danielson, can lay claim to being simply the best all-around wrestler on the planet given his classics with Omega and others. These two worlds collide (no pun intended) on Sunday, and it should make for an absolute classic.

So who will win this match? For me, this is one of those proverbial toss-ups. You really can’t go wrong either way, but my gut is telling me that Danielson will pull off the victory.

Winner: Bryan Danielson

AEW World Championship: MJF (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

MJF has had some pretty big matches during his short career, but I believe Hiroshi Tanahashi represents his biggest contest to date.

MJF, as he has reminded everyone on many occasions, has proven that he can hang with the best in the world time and time again. But I’m not sure he has faced someone with both the star power and the longevity like Tanahashi. Yes, MJF has gone up against the likes of Danielson, CM Punk and Chris Jericho, but none of them were the face of a major promotion for as long as Tanahashi was with New Japan.

MJF has many feathers in his cap, but I believe beating Tanahashi will be the biggest.

Winner: MJF

AEW Women’s World Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Willow Nightingale

Since Toni Storm recently won the title, I’m going with her to retain. However, I think Willow Nightingale will put on a star-making performance in defeat.

Winner: Toni Storm

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Sanada (c) vs. “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry

No matter who Sanada faced in this match, I was probably going to pick him to retain. Seeing that his opponent was going to be Jack Perry only confirmed my thoughts. Nothing against Perry, who I am a big fan of, but I could not imagine New Japan putting its top title on him at the moment.

Winner: Sanada

Men’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament (Quarterfinal): CM Punk vs. Satoshi Kojima

According to reports, Punk was originally scheduled to face KENTA in what would have been another dream match over the who is the master of the GTS.

However, that never came to fruition and in steps Satoshi Kojima, who is a tremendous replacement.

Regardless of whether it was KENTA or Kojima, I’m still picking CM Punk to win and advance in the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament.

Winner: CM Punk

10-man tag: The Elite, Eddie Kingston and Tomohiro Ishii vs. Blackpool Combat Club, Konosuke Takeshita and Shoto Umino

This match feels like it will be pure chaos. When the dust settles, however, I think the bad guys come away with the win mainly because I think AEW wants to maintain the momentum the Blackpool Combat Club has built up in recent months.

Winner: Blackpool Combat Club, Konosuke Takeshita and Shoto Umino

Six-man tag: Le Suzuki Gods (Chris Jericho, Minoro Suzuki and Sammy Guevara) vs. Sting, Darby Allin and ???

As of this writing, it has not been confirmed who Sting and Darby Allin’s partner. However, that will be unveiled on the second episode of Collision Saturday night.

Regardless of who the mystery partner is, I’m going with the good guys with this one.

Winner: Sting, Darby Allin and their mystery partner

AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Daniel Garcia vs. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Orange Cassidy has found miraculous ways to retain his title, and I think his run of good fortune continues at Forbidden Door. Although the outcome feels like more of the same, I believe this is a match that could steal the show.

Winner: Orange Cassidy

Adam Cole vs. “Filthy” Tom Lawlor

SPOILER WARNING IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED RAMPAGE YET …

… but Tom Lawlor shows up on the show and attacks Adam Cole, setting up a match between them at Forbidden Door.

Lawlor is great, but I have no reason to expect Cole to take a loss in this one on his way to getting another match with MJF.

Winner: Adam Cole

Women’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament (Quarterfinal): Billie Starkz vs. Athena

This may be a nitpick in some people’s eyes, but I think it would have been nice to get this onto the main card instead of the pre-show. Obviously, something has to be on the pre-show, but the main card currently features only one women’s match.

Shoving the other women’s match to the pre-show is a move fans lambasted WWE for routinely doing just a couple of years ago.

No one can make the excuse that there just isn’t enough time. AEW’s pay-per-views typically run well over three hours because everyone is trying to have their own mat classic, which can make for a lot of great wrestling, but it typically comes at the expense of the women’s roster.

I feel like AEW’s women’s division is deep enough to have two matches on every pay-per-view, and if that means having a men’s match on the pre-show then so be it. If that meant putting the International title match (for example) on the pre-show, then so be it.

As far as the winner, I’m going to roll with the Ring of Honor women’s champ.

Winner: Athena