AEW & NJPW Announce Joint 'Forbidden Door' Super Show For 26 June
Tony Khan's huge AEW Dynamite announcement was exactly what you thought...
All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling will hit the United Center in Chicago, Illinois for the two promotions' first joint pay-per-view, Forbidden Door, on Sunday 26 June.
This was confirmed during last night's episode of Dynamite. Having hyped a "huge announcement" all week, AEW founder and president Tony Khan hit the stage to deliver the reveal, only to be interrupted by Adam Cole. The former Bullet Club man referred to himself as one of the biggest stars in Japanese wrestling history (a clear dig at the absent Kenny Omega) before revealing the name, date, and nature of the show, along with a cross-promotional match pitting him against New Japan's Tomohiro Ishii on Friday's episode of AEW Rampage.
Cole then introduced a surprise guest in NJPW star Jay White, who also revealed details on the show. NJPW president Takami Obhari had been brought out onto the stage by Khan prior to this.
The latest escalation in the AEW/NJPW working relationship, that 'Forbidden Door' was in the works was first reported by the Super J-Cast, who hinted at it during an episode last week.
AEW and NJPW have released the following joint press release on Forbidden Door:-
AEW and NJPW Announce First-Ever Joint Pay-Per-View Event, “AEW x NJPW: FORBIDDEN DOOR”
-- Live from the United Center in Chicago on Sunday, June 26, this landmark PPV represents the next step in professional wrestling’s revolution --
April 20, 2022 -- Moments ago on AEW: Dynamite live on TBS, the hinges were fully ripped off the Forbidden Door, as it was announced that AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling will present their first ever joint pay-per-view special this summer. “AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door” will take place live on Sunday, June 26, at the United Center in Chicago, featuring marquee matchups between members of AEW and NJPW’s world-class rosters.
Tickets for the historic PPV event go on sale on Friday, May 6, at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT at AEWTix.com and Ticketmaster.com. Fans in the United States and Canada can watch the PPV via purchase on the Bleacher Report app or via their local Cable or Satellite provider. The program will be available with both English and Spanish commentary. The PPV will be available in international markets on FITE.tv. Fans in Japan can watch on iPPV on NJPWWorld.com with live Japanese commentary.
“As the world continues to reopen, I’m making sure the Forbidden Door follows suit and we can finally give fans the dream events they’ve always imagined,” said Tony Khan, CEO, GM and Head of Creative of AEW. “The United Center was home to one of AEW’s biggest events of all time, The First Dance, where CM Punk made his return to wrestling after a seven-year hiatus. This summer, fans of AEW and NJPW can expect the unexpected during this extraordinary, first- of-its-kind pay-per-view between our two incredible companies.”
“As we have done for more than 50 years, the power of pro-wrestling can energize people by fulfilling their dreams,” said Takami Ohbari, President of NJPW. “Now, it’s quite an important mission for us, the pro-wrestling industry as a whole. We are not only opening this door. We will show you NJPW’s genuine Strong-Style beyond the Forbidden door.”
This announcement furthers the opening of the Forbidden Door, coming just over a month after Tony Khan announced that he agreed to acquire the assets of Ring of Honor, and less than three weeks after he produced the ROH Supercard of Honor pay-per-view in Dallas, featuring a number of major title changes and ROH alumni appearances including Samoa Joe, The Young Bucks, Wheeler Yuta, Jay Lethal, Lee Moriarty, Matt Sydal, Sonjay Dutt and Mercedes Martinez.