Talk about taking the Forbidden Door to its logical extreme.
AEW head honcho Tony Khan appeared recently on The Ringer’s The Masked Man Show, to discuss his booking style, the AEW arrival of Claudio Castagnoli, and more. On the topic of working with other promotions, however, Khan went for the gusto and said he’d even consider what to many wrestling fans would be the impossible dream: doing a joint supercard with WWE (h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription).
“I’m not sure that’s going to happen, but I would be open to talking about that kind of thing,” Khan said. “It’s not crazy, but it’s a bold prediction.”
It’s easy to see the appeal from AEW’s side. Though Khan has spoken about the logistical difficulties of putting on the recent Forbidden Door event in conjunction with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, many of those were geographical. That wouldn’t be the case in a hypothetical WWE joint card, and pulling it off would cement AEW as a major player on the same level as the top pro wrestling promotion in the world.
But it’s harder to see the benefit from WWE’s side when the company is already atop its industry. A rising tide may indeed lift all boats, but how much does it lift the one that’s already the biggest? It would take a massive shift in the WWE approach to potential competition, which generally is to simply act like it doesn’t exist.
In the words of undisputed WWE champion Roman Reigns, it’s rare to see the company even acknowledge AEW, much less want to work together. Perhaps a post-Vince McMahon version of the promotion would see things differently, though despite his most recent controversy, it doesn’t appear he’s planning on leaving the business any time soon.
Still, Forbidden Door opened the eyes of many wrestling observers to what’s possible when two companies collaborate, so the idea of WWE and AEW joining forces for a show isn’t quite as zany as it would have seemed even a few months back. And at the very least, it’s great to know that Khan is up for it, because it’s fair to say a lot of fans would be too.