In spite of its main event not quite living up to expectations (which were, to be absolutely fair, the highest any could possibly be for a wrestling match), Forbidden Door was a positively-received pay-per-view for AEW, reflecting the broader uptick in opinions of the television show since May's Double Or Nothing.
What it didn't really leave much room for was the traditional fallout or table-setting required for a big post-show Dynamite. Forbidden Door both was and wasn't folded into storylines, making it equal parts special attraction and important checkpoint on the never-ending road. It subsequently made the vibe going into Wednesday's Dynamite a little confused, and that wasn't altered by an extremely strange card.
A rematch of an iconic match sets just as big an expectation as a rematch of a terrible one, and this show effectively tried to deliver both with the opener and headliner respectively. Between them, incidents and accidents and hints and accusations were expected from various key players in promos and angles, but would the latest Canadian crowd still have the energy from a weekend well spent?
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he 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 on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say.
With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling.
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 music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.
