Big Update On Booking Plans For AEW X NJPW 'Forbidden Door'

What matches can fans expect when AEW and NJPW present Forbidden Door on 26 June?

Forbidden Door Kenny Omega Kazuchika Okada
AEW/NJPW

This week's announcement of the upcoming AEW x NJPW 'Forbidden Door' pay-per-view has understandably sent fantasy bookers into a frenzy, given that such a supercard has been high on many a wrestling fan's wishlist since the two promotions' working relationship started bearing fruit in early 2021.

Without a single match (or even talent) announced for the 26 June event in Chicago, Illinois, the lineup is a total mystery. What fans should expect, however, is something unlike the ROH x NJPW 'G1 Supercard' that took place in Madison Square Garden over WrestleMania 35 weekend (2019).

Where that card was largely comprised of ROH vs. ROH and NJPW vs. NJPW matches, Dave Meltzer writes in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the Forbidden Door matches are expected to be inter-promotional. AEW wrestlers are likely to face off against NJPW counterparts.

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This isn't set in stone, however, and there could still be bouts pitting wrestlers from the same promotion against each other.

Nonetheless, potential inter-promotional dream matches are unquestionably the event's biggest draw. Various combinations of Kazuchika Okada, CM Punk, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Bryan Danielson, and countless others are what will sell the most tickets, so it'll be interesting to see what the pay-per-view yields.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.