10 Times AEW Were Moments From Disaster

5. Forbidden Door Loses Its Main Event

Daniel Garcia
AEW/NJPW

When CM Punk got injured as AEW Champion (the first time), a pay-per-view that took years of careful planning to negotiate suddenly lost a Championship match, dream combination and bona fide headline attraction all at once.

As usual, All Elite Wrestling turned to the one man who - as usual - could be relied upon to do absolutely anything. Helpfully, the ever-excellent Jon Moxley had Hiroshi Tanahashi history of his own.

Mox had been working his way through the Dads of New Japan Pro Wrestling throughout much of 2021, keeping a figurative forbidden door between the two companies wedged open when such a supershow felt closer to fantasy booking than reality. 'The Ace' was a natural payoff to the whole thing before injuries and absences got in the way.

The need for a big match and a new Champion all in one go was fulfilled by the contest, and the Forbidden Door pay-per-view got a memorable and immensely satisfying finale.

 
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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