10 HUGE AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door 2023 Predictions You Need To Know

4. MJF (c) Vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

Kazuchika Okada Bryan Danielson
AEW/NJPW

Yet another dream pairing even if Hiroshi Tanahashi's body of work may have caught up with his body, MJF loathing the sacrifices he's made and taking that out on 'The Ace' will make for some incredible drama, and if anybody can luxuriate in dulling one of the most glorious babyface blades in industry history, it's the AEW World Heavyweight Champion.

The title's not changing hands and AEW foreshadowed as much during the humorous but flawed segment with 'The Salt Of The Earth' and Adam Cole earlier this week. That's unfortunate for the pair but hopefully won't get in the way of something that should take on an entirely different tone to anything else on the show.

It should also go on first - MJF's resentment of even having to work the card was underplayed somewhat. Insisting on opening so he can leave (and, conveniently, be nowhere near CM Punk or Cole later on) would be an excellent character detail for one of the very best in the world.

Winner - MJF

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett