13 Match Star Ratings For AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door

3. Claudio Castagnoli Vs. Zack Sabre, Jr.

Will Ospreay Orange Cassidy
AEW

Quite possibly the greatest make-good in pro wrestling history.

Claudio Castagnoli proved why WWE squandered his brilliance for 10 disgraceful years across 18 technically stunning minutes. A super-worker who also has a complicated relationship with Eddie Kingston, on every conceivable level, this substitution was inspired.

After a superb sequence in which Claudio threatened to squash Zack Sabre, Jr. in under a minute - creating an incredible near-fall on a night highlighted by so many unreal 2.99 kick-outs - the story settled into a gorgeously intricate rhythm. ZSJ focused his assault on Castagnoli's shoulder, countering his jaw-dropping power game by latching onto his colossal frame with a hermetic seal. Claudio's selling was expert here. It wasn't just the wincing, the clutching, the consistency of the story beat; with expert body language, he quietly apologised to the crowd for only being able to perform a truncated version of the swing. Getting the story over was more important to Claudio than getting his sh*t in.

ZSJ drew the heat with sarcastic impressions of Claudio's and Bryan Danielson's signature taunts, which made the bout's most iconic spot soar. ZSJ retained control of Claudio's shoulder despite being thrown outside of the ring, and in response, Claudio held him in place, walked around the ring, and marched up the stairs with a submission hold still applied before blasting ZSJ to the mat.

ZSJ's heel hook looked so good that fans fretted that Claudio's ankle was in real trouble. He then kicked the living sh*t out of the shoulder to intensify the feeling of an imminent upset.

The work here was sublime, and Sabre, Jr. got over huge in defeat; only Claudio's supernatural power swung the match his way.

Star Rating: ★★★★½

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!