10 AEW/NJPW Matches That Need To Happen At Forbidden Door

Time Stamp: April 25, 2022 1:46 PM

10 AEW/NJPW Matches That Need To Happen At Forbidden Door

On the April 20 episode of AEW Dynamite, the promotion’s president Tony Khan introduced Takami Ohbari, president and CEO of New Japan Pro Wrestling, and confirmed that there will be a crossover event between the two companies: Forbidden Door. This partnership is several years in the making as Jon Moxley in his first year with AEW, went over to NJPW to compete in their annual G1 Climax tournament.

Eventually, there were appearances by New Japan wrestlers as Bullet Club leader Jay White and member KENTA started interfering with matches. Just recently, AEW’s Adam Cole fought NJPW’s Tomohiro Ishii in the Owen Hart Cup tournament. The lines were blurred even more when AEW wrestler Samoa Joe won the Ring of Honor TV Championship against New Japan star Minoru Suzuki.

Before we get to Forbidden Door PPV, we have to get through Capital Collision first, which is the New Japan show in Washington DC on May 15. There is a scheduled match between Ishii and Eddie Kingston at Capital Collision which could be a match of the year contender since you have Genichiro Tenryu’s greatest student against one of his greatest admirers. Surely there will be more seeds planted at that event for Forbidden Door as well as AEW television leading up to it, but what matches will be booked?

We’ve put together a small list of the possible fantasy matches that need to happen at Forbidden Door, with some very much being a once-in-a-lifetime scenario.

Danhausen vs Toru Yano:

Both considered pranksters within their companies–with Danhausen being more like a cryptid, popping up like an annoying gremlin handing out curses–this match has the potential to be an all-time fan favorite in terms of entertainment rather than a mat classic. Not to disparage their in-ring skills as Yano is a former GHC Heavyweight Champion and a hardcore guy in his NOAH days, and Danhausen has held his own against Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty just last year.

If Yano doesn’t eat teeth, we riot.

Orange Cassidy vs Minoru Suzuki

Originally slated for Joey Janela’s Spring Break back in 2020 before the world shut down, the world’s greatest apathetic wrestler and your favorite murder grandpa can finally, finally go at it at Forbidden Door. This is a great match-up for a few ones, one being contradicting styles, and the other being they’re both two of wrestling’s greatest characters right now.

On one side, we have Suzuki–a 34-year vet, who has transformed himself into an unstoppable death machine like the ghost from It Follows. Then you have Cassidy–almost approaching his 20th year in the sport, who is seen as a comedy player, but can definitely deliver some aerial offense in a way only he can do.

Makes you wonder how Cassidy will sell the soul-searing chop Suzuki could deliver.

CM Punk vs KENTA

This is one of those no-brainer matches that seems like it could have happened at one point, then didn’t, then seemed like it never would. Who is the Master of the GTS? The GTS, Go To Sleep, was innovated by KENTA and later popularized by CM Punk while in WWE. When Punk left WWE, KENTA, then going by Hideo Itami in NXT, started using it once again.

This is the epitome of surreal should it actually happen.

Guerillas of Destiny vs ReDragon

This feels like a match-up that should have happened already, especially in the tag title scene. GOD were staples of the IWGP Tag Team Championship division while ReDragon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly) were over in the Junior Tag scene, winning the championships twice before heading to WWE. Like ships on fire passing in the night.

With the GOD’s recent face turn and ReDragon being Jay White-adjacent, two of the greatest tag teams going right now could finally square off. While in Bullet Club, GOD made a career known as killers in the ring with some of the most brutal promos to go along with their ringwork. Should this go down, this could be one of the all-time great tag matches.

Adam Cole vs “Switchblade” Jay White

This feels like it’s going to happen, right? White has come to the aid of Cole a few times now and it seems like there’s a budding partnership, but we all know what White is capable of. It’s interesting to also note that Switchblade called out Adam Cole back in November at NJPW Strong: Nemesis.

White, current leader of Bullet Club, and Cole, a former member, have a bit of history. They’ve only faced off just twice before in Ring of Honor and only one of those matches was a singles match. At the time though, Cole was the exponentially bigger star while White was about to head on excursion. He would be reinvented as “Switchblade” Jay White just a year later and become one of New Japan’s biggest and youngest stars.

Things look copacetic now, but when it comes to Jay White, you never know when you’re going to find a knife in your back.

Tetsuya Naito vs Penta Oscuro

You’d think with Naito’s travels and Penta having been part of most wrestling companies at some point in time, they would have faced off, but much like the GOD/ReDragon situation, things just never happened.

Both Naito and Penta have versatile styles and are easily two of the most over competitors around today. Both have competed in CMLL and Impact throughout their careers, with Penta a former Impact World Champion and Naito a three-time former IWGP Heavyweight Champion.

Oscuro is the darker side to Penta’s personality and a good contrast to Naito’s cool and more laid-back persona. This could be really fun if put together.

Keith Lee vs Hiroshi Tanahashi

Just two big meaty men slapping meat. Tanahashi is a living legend and a 20-year veteran having captured the IWGP Heavyweight Championship a record eight times. Keith Lee has been almost up there having made his professional debut in 2005 and competed in PWG, ROH, Evolve, Chicago’s AAW, eventually signing to WWE for three years and now one of AEW’s biggest signees of the year.

Tanahashi has gone up against almost everybody in the past two generations of stars from Kurt Angle, Kenny Omega, Billy Gunn, AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura…you name it, they’ve probably had a match with the Ace.

Keith is just now really getting his stride on the national level having won titles across the board, and if he would get a win over Tanahashi, he’s a made man.

Jon Moxley vs Zack Sabre, Jr.

This is a match that should have happened and was speculated, but never manifested. After beating Minoru Suzuki and retaining his IWGP US title, Moxley was attacked by Suzuki-Gun teammate Zack Sabre Jr., who went on to cut a promo afterward saying how he wants that match.

The two were in the 2019 G1 Climax but on opposite blocks, so they never had a match-up during the tournament that year. This could be the place that it goes down. ZSJ is still proving that he’s one of the best in the world having won this year’s New Japan Cup and Moxley beating Will Ospreay at New Japan’s Windy City Riot event.

Let’s see what happens when you finally let them go at it.

“Hangman” Adam Page vs Shingo Takagi

Both of these guys have had a rising star in the past few years with them becoming world champs in the same year and establishing themselves as top men. Shingo has a bit more experience on his side, being the first graduate of the Dragon Gate Dojo as well as being trained by Animal Hamaguchi, the man who also trained the likes of Tetsuya Naito.

The two have never had a singles match and in the past year have gone up against the best in their respective companies with Page winning the AEW title from Kenny Omega and Takagi beating Kazuchika Okada becoming the third IWGP World Champion.

Could the Hangman noose up the Dragon, or will Shingo rampage through Page? Hopefully, AEW and NJPW can make this happen.

Kazuchika Okada vs Bryan Danielson

This is the dream match and could be the match of the decade.

Both men have talked about facing each other for years and with Forbidden Door, it’s the perfect to time to make it happen. Both have been the face of their company and are considered the best in the world by their own right. Okada is a once-in-a-generation star, and Danielson has competed with some of the best of the best, and signing with AEW gives him a chance to take on the biggest stars of the world.

How many Rainmakers will it take to slay the Dragon, or will Okada submit to the Lebell Lock?

Ohbari-san, Tony. Sign this. You know you want to.

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