13 Match Star Ratings For AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door
11. BUY-IN: Swerve In Our Glory Vs. Suzuki-gun
Much better than the usual pre-show fare, this was still worked in the same fun, low-stakes spirit; if the idea is to gently get the crowd going without exhausting them, this was a perfect illustration of it.
In a cracking comedy spot, Keith Lee challenged the diminutive Yoshinobu Kanemaru to a test of strength. Kanemaru only accepted when he ascended the top turnbuckle. He then kicked Lee in the face, and while he was successful in lulling Lee into wild, lunging strikes, he was still dropped on his back with a pleasing, gruesome bump.
Swerve Strickland and El Desperado worked a more serious sequence to layer the tone after which Swerve sold his knee very well. The storyline between the babyface team was advanced subtly too; Swerve implored Lee to "tag, damn it" to elevate the usually hokey miscommunication bit. Lee on defence was a joy; even on one leg, he was close to powerbombing dudes onto other dudes, and the handicap disadvantage meant that he could take a wild, crowd-popping DDT in a halfway realistic spot.
Even in a frivolous undercard attraction, the work was to be applauded; when Swerve swept Despy's leg, he got caught in the ropes. This enabled one of the least contrived double foot stomp spots you'll ever see.
Star Rating: ★★★½