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

2. Bryan Danielson Vs. Kazuchika Okada

Kazuchika Okada Bryan Danielson
AEW

Excalibur billed Bryan Danielson Vs. Kazuchika Okada as the Forbidden Door "main event" during his show-closing salvo on the go-home Dynamite, and even if this clash of the in-ring titans doesn't go on last, he's not wrong.

Forbidden Door as a concept exists for Bryan Danielson Vs. Kazuchika Okada. Wrestling should exist for Bryan Danielson Vs. Kazuchika Okada. Two men with the fat end of four decades' experience of being considered the very best want to go out there and show it to be true.

In reality, they have to do it by going out there and producing one of the greatest matches of all time, a certain contender for match of the year, and maybe even something that convinces fans to believe that a second bite of the cherry in a rematch could be even tastier than the first. In the fiction, they need to highlight this by displaying the above attributes disguised as their desire to beat the other man. Wrestling is not legitimate fighting, but the competition for such awards is as real at it gets.

With no titles on the line nor huge storyline implications, it's also the most unpredictable match on the show too. Perfection of this genre has been realised, the pressure now sits on the broad shoulders of both men to some how live up to those expectations.

Winner - Kazuchika Okada

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