13 Match Star Ratings For AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door

2. Jay White Vs. Kazuchika Okada Vs. Adam Cole Vs. Hangman Page - IWGP World Heavyweight Title Match

Will Ospreay Orange Cassidy
AEW

This was trending towards excellent before the enforced anti-climax of the finish.

It wasn't ideal initially. Jay White and Adam Cole did the expected, clichéd two-heels-team-up story beat before the inevitable turn. This WWE device was a sharp and suboptimal compromise to Kazuchika Okada's phenomenal match-building in the one-on-one context. With that out of the way, the action developed into something verging on the incredible. The timing on the eventual four-way spots was magic, and before the lightning-fast exchange of moves, Cole countered Page's Orihara moonsault with a superkick to the face in a spot that they do every time, and is so good that they should continue to do it every time. Page was on superb individual form; his counter-driven exchanges with White were so furious and telepathic that fans glimpsed a proper Match of the Year candidate for a tantalisingly brief moment.

Okada ran wild with dropkicks following a four-way move exchange so astonishing and complex it was a wonder they all remembered their part in it - but even then, Okada working a high-end PWG-style sequence was still a reminder of the compromise at the core of this match. An apparent concussion suffered by Cole enforced an anticlimax of an audible that practically ruined the whole thing. The star rating awards the strength of the work while it lasted, but sadly, the match will only ever be remembered as one last curse.

The question won't be asked now, in the afterglow of such a euphoric event, but should Adam Cole have been involved in the first place?

Star Rating: ★★★¾

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!