5 NJPW Wrestlers Who Must Open The Forbidden Door To AEW Next
KENTA opened the door, and Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima, and Minoru Suzuki followed. Who's next?
The sheer premise of the Forbidden Door is enough to bring glee to any wrestling fan's face.
Initially opened by Kenny Omega appearing on IMPACT Wrestling television less than a week after capturing the AEW World Title, it has since remained a hot topic of professional wrestling discourse. Never before has such an event happened to this extent in American wrestling's post-territory era. You tune into a regular AEW Dynamite episode, for example, and you may be casually greeted to an unannounced KENTA appearance. The same goes for IMPACT Wrestling; the teaser trailers for the likes of Satoshi Kojima, El Phantasmo, and FinJuice were sublime
Anything is possible now as far as pro wrestling outwith WWE is concerned. All Elite Wrestling has proven this to be a fact. Take the 2021 All Out pay-per-view as an example. CM Punk's in-ring return, though pre-announced, delivered on so many surreal levels. Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson's debuts were met by legions of jovial fans despite being all but confirmed ahead of time. The same goes for Ruby Soho's entry into the Casino Battle Royale.
Minoru Suzuki showing up to confront Jon Moxley, though? No one saw it coming.
As for who's next?
5. Jay White
Ideal match: vs. Darby Allin
Jay White was once a hot topic within the New Japan regime.
A former IWGP Heavyweight, Intercontinental, and United States Heavyweight Champion, 'Switchblade' is also in the midst of his inaugural run as the company's NEVER Openweight Champion, making him New Japan's first modern Grand Slam Champion, too. They trust him to be a company face, putting him on the same wavelength as the likes of Kazuchika Okada.
Having already stepped through the Forbidden Door, appearing a handful of times for IMPACT Wrestling over their summer programming, a Jay White match in AEW doesn't sound too far-fetched.
It's his debut IMPACT appearance that makes this feel more real. He confronted Kenny Omega, Don Callis, and the Good Brothers at the conclusion of the Anthem-helmed promotion's Slammiversary pay-per-view on 17 July, but the remainder of his time in IMPACT was spent feuding with FinJuice ahead of his title defence vs. David Finlay. Coming face to face with the Super Elite quarter felt a tad forced because of this. They were left in the headlights while White dropped Finlay with a Bladerunner.
For his AEW debut, an ideal debut adversary would be Darby Allin. He's a top babyface, a proven ratings draw, and can have a banger with literally anybody. Go on, Tony, put that NEVER Openweight Title on TNT.