Dolfan in NYC Posted August 1, 2025 Posted August 1, 2025 and new.... Forbidden Door later this month! 4
EVA Posted August 1, 2025 Posted August 1, 2025 So this is going to be the saddest Forbidden Door ever, right? Even worse than last year, from an NJPW integration perspective. And even last year they had to headline with AEW vs AEW. Naito is gone. The only two NJPW guys who actually got some traction in the West this year are injured (Kidd, Goto). None of the young guys are over. Basically gonna get a ZSJ title defense (please, not Ospreay again), a Tanahashi retirement tour match, someone from Stardom for Mercedes, and then…? Bleak. 1
Shartnado Posted August 1, 2025 Posted August 1, 2025 (edited) Man, horrible luck for Colton Gunn, coming back after being away (along with Austin) for a long while and getting injured right off the bat. Still way behind on stuff so avoiding spoilers, but does anyone know how badly his leg was hurt on that spot? Well, at least Juice is a very over replacement! Damn, are they going with a double turn with Bowens and Caster? Wonder if that was the plan, or damage control because Bowens didn't work out so well and Caster is over at least ironically (I'm not sure)? Edited August 1, 2025 by Shartnado Double Turn thoughts...
dorfus malorfus Posted August 1, 2025 Posted August 1, 2025 1 hour ago, EVA said: So this is going to be the saddest Forbidden Door ever, right? Even worse than last year, from an NJPW integration perspective. And even last year they had to headline with AEW vs AEW. Naito is gone. The only two NJPW guys who actually got some traction in the West this year are injured (Kidd, Goto). None of the young guys are over. Basically gonna get a ZSJ title defense (please, not Ospreay again), a Tanahashi retirement tour match, someone from Stardom for Mercedes, and then…? Bleak. I hope they just book a deep midcard and have a mostly AEW vs AEW upper card . Bringing over some of the really smart, more understated workhorse guys like Desperado and Taichi would be really fun if paired with the right opponents. In terms of putting together a bunch of really hot dream matches I just don't think the name value is there on the New Japan side. Something totally left-field and idiosyncratic like, say, Darby vs Great O Khan sounds more exciting to me than using guys like Finlay or Tsuji or Umino who already work the AEW "house style" to a large degree. 3
COLETTI Posted August 1, 2025 Posted August 1, 2025 Get wild with it. Mox vs Despy vs Jun Kasai and I'll buy it immediately. 9 1
stuntmanc Posted August 1, 2025 Posted August 1, 2025 43 minutes ago, COLETTI said: Get wild with it. Mox vs Despy vs Jun Kasai and I'll buy it immediately. I mean, the next step in AEW's violence progression would absolutely have Kasai walking to the ring with a Meat Cleaver Board, so I'm all in for that 2
Dolfan in NYC Posted August 1, 2025 Author Posted August 1, 2025 1 hour ago, dorfus malorfus said: I hope they just book a deep midcard and have a mostly AEW vs AEW upper card . They announced Storm vs. Athena this morning as one of the main events. So, I guess you got your wish? 2
AxB Posted August 1, 2025 Posted August 1, 2025 Forbidden Door isn't AEW x NJPW, it's AEW x NJPW x Stardom x CMLL. But I could see them doing it less as a series of Interpromotional dream matches (because there really aren't as many out there as there was a couple of years ago), and more as a multi-company showcase card. So we get AEW vs AEW matches, NJPW vs NJPW matches, Stardom vs Stardom matches, and CMLL vs CMLL matches. Like the Weekly Pro Wrestling show in the 90s, where loads of promotions put on real classics, and then NJPW shit the bed in the main event. 1
Craig H Posted August 2, 2025 Posted August 2, 2025 Forbidden Door season is always the weakest booking season of the year and I don't see this year being any different. The run from All In until now has been great, but now we're kinda moving into trying to create matches for Forbidden Door. While The PPV itself is always good to great, it's just the booking is weak. I think Forbidden Door had its place early on, but I think that time has long passed. And Forbidden Door is so close to All Out that they could have just done without it this year. Or drop the Forbidden Door name and call it something else so TK isn't pigeon holing himself into trying to make "dream matches" when we've already lived through those dreams in the past. 1
The Natural Posted August 2, 2025 Posted August 2, 2025 Be interesting to see whether it's AEW vs. AEW for the AEW World Championship and NJPW vs. NJPW for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship or AEW vs. NJPW.
The Natural Posted August 2, 2025 Posted August 2, 2025 Liking the Kazuchika Okada vs. Swerve Strickland and Timeless Toni Storm vs. Athena matches. Looking forward to those. Wonder who gets Hiroshi Tanahashi? Zack Sabre Jr vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi as Tana tried to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship for the first time before retiring at next year's Wrestle Kingdom?
Sublime Posted August 2, 2025 Posted August 2, 2025 (edited) I would love for Danielson to be cleared and able to face Tanahashi. Maybe him and Omega have one last go. If Okada was free and a face Tanahashi/Okada vs the Golden Lovers would have been rad Edited August 2, 2025 by Sublime 2
Craig H Posted August 2, 2025 Posted August 2, 2025 Tanahashi is such a shell of his former self that I don't want him anywhere near TV, any wrestler, just the US in general. 3
dorfus malorfus Posted August 2, 2025 Posted August 2, 2025 If Forbidden Door ends up just being a high profile version of Wrestle Magic I'd be very happy. Give me Mark Briscoe, Tanahashi, Mascara Dorada and YOSHI-HASHI vs Nick Wayne, Hechicero, Toa Liona and Kanemaru in the main event. 1
Casey Posted August 2, 2025 Posted August 2, 2025 12 hours ago, EVA said: someone from Stardom for Mercedes Pretty sure the 5Star Grand Prix ends that Saturday, and Stardom has a show the Sunday of Forbidden Door. It’ll be… someone, yeah, but it won’t be Saya Kamitani or Sareee or anyone like that. Running a crossover show smack dab at the end of a grueling tournament for New Japan and Stardom doesn’t help things. More forgiving than those month(s) long tournaments, but CMLL’s Grand Prix is a week after Forbidden Door lol.
Niners Fan in CT Posted August 2, 2025 Posted August 2, 2025 On paper it's going to be a good show (Okada vs. Swerve, Toni vs. Athena) but the concept of 'Forbidden Door' doesn't work if talent from CMLL and STARDOM are unavailable. NJPW is a shell of it's former self and they aren't making things easier on themselves. For example, continuing to push EVIL is a crime. 2
The Natural Posted August 2, 2025 Posted August 2, 2025 House of Torture vs. Death Riders in the two most hated factions/stables in wrestling. Both are the drizzling shits but if forced to choose, give me Death Riders any day.
RazorbladeKiss87 Posted August 2, 2025 Posted August 2, 2025 Does Toni lose to Athena? If it wasn't going to be Mercedes I don't know who else is credible to beat her. And what do you do with Toni after? She's such a strong personality that I worry she overshadows the belt. I would have Athena win with some Billie help. Billie tells Athena she deserves a shot since she helped, Athena tells her she hasn't earned it. Toni wants revenge on Billie but gets beaten and sent packing for a little break. Billie gets an ROH shot and wins, says she deserves an AEW Women's title shot, gets it and loses to set up a longterm story. 1
Niners Fan in CT Posted August 2, 2025 Posted August 2, 2025 Megan Bayne seems primed for a title run sooner than later. She fought Toni but it was a slip-on-a-banana-peel loss. 2
RazorbladeKiss87 Posted August 2, 2025 Posted August 2, 2025 I definitely see her with the title down the road but right now they'd have to do a lot of work to make her beating Toni seem credible, at least to me.
mystman Posted August 2, 2025 Posted August 2, 2025 15 hours ago, Casey said: Pretty sure the 5Star Grand Prix ends that Saturday, and Stardom has a show the Sunday of Forbidden Door. It’ll be… someone, yeah, but it won’t be Saya Kamitani or Sareee or anyone like that. Running a crossover show smack dab at the end of a grueling tournament for New Japan and Stardom doesn’t help things. More forgiving than those month(s) long tournaments, but CMLL’s Grand Prix is a week after Forbidden Door lol. I doubt Saya's winning. She's already champ. She could always say screw the final night, I'm fighting Mercedes. That would be on brand for her gimmick.
tbarrie Posted August 2, 2025 Posted August 2, 2025 2 hours ago, RazorbladeKiss87 said: I definitely see her with the title down the road but right now they'd have to do a lot of work to make her beating Toni seem credible, at least to me. You think? As Niners mentioned, Megan kind of dominated her first match against Toni, with Toni surviving by getting a roll-up for the win. And her matches since have been well laid out to make her look like a force - in her team matches with Penelope, she generally dominates unless the faces have a two-on-one advantage. In my opinion, they've done a great job of keeping her looking extremely strong.
RazorbladeKiss87 Posted August 3, 2025 Posted August 3, 2025 Maybe "a lot of work" was an overstatement but she's gotten lost in the shuffle in my eyes. Some strong squashes and big wins over stars would heat her back up but I'm thinking it'd be at least a month to get her there once they make the choice.
SovietShooter Posted August 3, 2025 Posted August 3, 2025 I'm guessing Bayne & Ford were on tap to be a big part of the Ladies' Tag Tournament that was apparently pushed back due to injury. 2
Craig H Posted August 4, 2025 Posted August 4, 2025 Unfortunately, Tony is glued to the hip of NJPW so we're going to wind up waiting awhile for NJPW to be good again. Who is good or worth watching in NOAH or DDT? Is NOAH still the best non-women's Japanese promotion?
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