Forbidden Door (2022)

Promotional poster featuring various AEW and NJPW wrestlers

### Tagline(s)

"Pro Wrestling's Best in the World Showdown" (Japanese: プロレス世界一決定戦, Hepburn: *Puroresu Sekai-ichi Kettei-sen*)

### Theme song(s)

"Achievement Unlocked (Forbidden Door Theme)" by All Elite Wrestling

## Information

### Promotion

All Elite Wrestling (AEW)
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW)

### City

Chicago, Illinois, United States

The **Forbidden Door (2022)** was a professional wrestling supershow co-produced by the American All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and Japanese New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) promotions. The event took place on June 26, 2022, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, United States.

The event's name, Forbidden Door, refers to a term that was coined by NJPW wrestler Hiroshi Tanahashi in December 2019 to promote his match against Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom 14 for a opportunity to wrestle for the AEW World Championship during an interveiw with *Tokyo Sports*. The term was later used by AEW co-owner and General Manager Tony Khan, at the time when AEW started, he "prohibited" AEW wrestlers from appearing in other promotions (in televisived appearances) until the end of 2020. At the start of 2021, Khan, along with then-Impact Wrestling Executive Vice Presidents, Don Callis and Scott D'Amore, and NJPW's President and CEO Takami Obari formed a tri-lateral working relationship, with Khan indirectly refering to it as the "Forbiden Door", that "he refrained" AEW wrestlers from "opening it", until he decided he would be the one to "open it". The event was the first co-promoted event between AEW and NJPW.

The event aired live on traditional PPV outlets, in the United States and Canada on Bleacher Report Live, while in Japan, the event aired exclusively live on NJPW World with Japanese language commentary, with the event being later available on-demand worldwide, and on FITE TV streaming services.

Thirteen matches were contested at the event, including four on The Buy In pre-show. In the main event, Jon Moxley defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to become the interim AEW World Championship. In other prominent matches, Jay White defeated Hangman Page, Kazuchika Okada, and Adam Cole in a four-way match to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, PAC defeated Clark Connors, Miro, and Malakai Black in a four-way match to become the inaugural AEW All-Atlantic Champion, and Claudio Castagnoli, formerly known as Cesaro in WWE, defeated Zack Sabre Jr. in his AEW debut match. The event also saw special appearances made by Juice Robinson and Katsuyori Shibata.

The event's name was remarkable for the formation of a new term used in the professional wrestling vernacular to refer to the colaboration between professional wrestling promotions, where sometimes agreements between rival-promotions are often involved.

## Production

### Background

In December 2018, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and several other wrestlers left Ring of Honor (ROH) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), respectively to form their own promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Afterwards, The Young Bucks and Omega shared a bitterned relationship with NJPW's President Harold Meij, and attributed the manner he handled the talent from AEW, as they felt that their loyalty towards NJPW was not mutual, it was rumored that Meij was trying to prevent Omega from working for other promotions in Japan, which Omega denied saying that Meij had nothing to do with his visa issues. On January 5, 2019, The Young Bucks and other AEW officials tried to set up meetings for a potential working relationship between NJPW, ROH and AEW but were shut down by Meij and ROH with the belief was that the group, except Omega, were expendable, and also felt that AEW would not do well due to an unproven track record, and was run by wrestlers, and if AEW wanted a working relationship, Tony Khan needed to come to them, which made Meij and other NJPW officials being upset, leading them to shut down the negotiations about the partnership. This hurted his reputation backstage within the promotion and on September 29, 2020, Meij was fired from his position and replaced by Takami Obari, with the move being described publicly as a "change in NJPW's directorship" due to Bushiroad's executives being unhappy about his management of the promotion with the wrestlers being also unhappy about the way he managed the promotion.

The relationship between the two promotions began improving, with AEW mentioning NJPW in their television programming. Shortly after, at Wrestle Kingdom 14 in Tokyo Dome, Chris Jericho faced Hiroshi Tanahashi, where should Tanahashi defeat Jericho, he would have received a future title opportunity for the AEW World Championship. Jericho, Tanahashi, and NJPW's booker Gedo had the idea to use the possible shot at AEW World Championship to add intrigue to Wrestle Kingdom 14, with Tanahashi referring to the match as the opening of a "Forbidden Door". AEW's owner Tony Khan and Rocky Romero were involved in the deal, with Khan approving and working with Romero for the use of the championship as part of the storyline. Khan made the decision to allow it for the show, but he did not allow it to be used as part of an All Elite Wrestling storyline, mentioned within All Elite Wrestling on television, or social media by the company.

In 2020–21, the COVID-19 pandemic prevented the then-IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley from travelling to Japan for NJPW events while keeping his commitments with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), with whom he is also contracted. His AEW contract also prevented him from appearing on NJPW's American events. This resulted in the championship not being defended from February 2020 to February 2021, when an arrangement was made between the two promotions to allow Moxley to appear on NJPW's American television show *NJPW Strong* in a title defense. In February 2021, the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling started a partnership with the Japanese promotion, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), with KENTA being the first NJPW wrestler to appear on AEW's primary weekly television program, *Dynamite*. Since then, both AEW and NJPW have had their wrestlers appear on each other's shows in the United States. On April 15, 2022, it was reported that a planned co-promoted event held by the two promotions was in the works.

The event's name, Forbidden Door, was coined by NJPW wrestler Hiroshi Tanahashi and was later used by AEW President and General Manager Tony Khan, at the time when AEW started, that he "prohibited" AEW wrestlers from appearing in other promotions (in televisived appearances) until the end of 2020. At the start of 2021, Khan, along with then-Impact Wrestling Executive Vice Presidents, Don Callis and Scott D'Amore, and NJPW's President and CEO Takami Obari formed a tri-lateral working relationship, with Khan indirectly refering to it as the "Forbiden Door", that "he refrained" AEW wrestlers from "opening it", until he decided he would be the one to "open it". On May 19, Khan referred to himself as the "Forbidden Door" after personally adressing the rumors of WWE's President Nick Khan trying to negotiate a potential working relationship with NJPW with Khan later addressing during a media scrum that NJPW had the idea behind that promo to shut down the rumors about the partnership with WWE. Afterwards, AEW filed a trademark for the terms "Forbidden Door" and "Forbidden Portal".

On the April 20, 2022, episode of *Dynamite*, AEW President Tony Khan introduced NJPW President Takami Obari to make a major announcement regarding their respective companies. They were interrupted by AEW wrestler Adam Cole, who officially announced that a co-promoted event titled Forbidden Door would be held on June 26 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. NJPW had previously partnered with Jersey All Pro Wrestling (JAPW) for the NJPW Invasion Tour 2011 and since 2014 they have been partnered with Ring of Honor (ROH), co-producing shows annually in North America. Pre-sale tickets went on sale on May 5 and sold out in less than 40 minutes, with more than 11,000 tickets sold with only a limited number of tickets set aside to go on sale to the general public on May 6 leading to NJPW and AEW announcing that were going to put additional seats for the show on sale.

Due to a working relationship between NJPW and Mexican promotion Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), Andrade El Idolo was one of the wrestlers that were prevented from working at the event, due to working for CMLL's rival Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (AAA). The plan was for Andrade to work a program with Will Ospreay, but he was later told that Mexican wrestlers, who work with AAA could not work with NJPW wrestlers, due to their relationship with CMLL; despite AAA allowing him to work for other promotions.

### Storylines

The Forbidden Door (2022) featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portray villains, heroes, or less distinguishable characters in the scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match or series of matches.

On the June 1st episode of *Dynamite*, newly crowned AEW World Champion CM Punk, called out his NJPW Forbidden Door opponent. Hiroshi Tanahashi would make a surprise debut, indicating he would face Punk for the title at the supershow. However on the June 3 episode of *Rampage*, Punk announced that he would be needing surgery and would be taking time off; however, AEW owner Tony Khan had informed Punk he would not have to relinquish the championship. Later that night, it was announced that a battle royal would take place at the start of the June 8 episode of *Dynamite*, with the winner facing the number one ranked singles competitor, Jon Moxley, and the winner of that match would be placed in the match to crown the interim AEW World Champion at Forbidden Door. It was then announced on AEW's social media that the winner of Hiroshi Tanahashi against Hirooki Goto at NJPW's Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall would be the other competitor in the interim championship match at Forbidden Door. On the June 8 episode of *Dynamite*, Kyle O'Reilly won the Casino Battle Royale, but was defeated by Moxley later in the night. At Dominion, Tanahashi defeated Goto, setting up NJPW's half of the match.

On the June 8 edition of *Dynamite*, Hangman Page wrestled his first match since losing the AEW World Heavyweight Championship to CM Punk at Double or Nothing, defeating David Finlay. After the match, Page called out IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, challenging him to a title match at Forbidden Door. However, Page was interrupted by Adam Cole, who pointed out that Okada may not be champion by Forbidden Door, due to his scheduled title defense against Jay White at Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall. At Dominion 6.12 in Osaka-jo Hall on June 12, White defeated Okada to win the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, before berating Page after the match. Page personally addressed the situation on the June 15 episode of *Dynamite*, but he was once again interrupted by Cole, who also wanted a title match against White. Afterwards, White attacked Page from behind, laying him out with the *Blade Runner*. White went on to explain that he would not defend his title against Page, pointing out to their singles match record, which was 2-0 to White, much to Cole's amusement. However, much to Cole's dismay, White also stated he would not defend the title against Cole either, leaving White's Forbidden Door opponent a mystery. On the June 22 episode of *Dynamite*, Cole and White once again attacked Page, however, Okada made his AEW debut, helping Page fend off Cole and White. It was later announced that White would defend the title in a four-way match against Okada, Page, and Cole.

Also on the June 8 episode of *Dynamite*, AEW unveiled a brand new men's singles championship, the AEW All-Atlantic Championship, to be a secondary championship of the promotion and to "represent the AEW fans watching around the world in over 130 countries". It was announced that four wrestlers, determined through qualifying matches, would battle in a fatal four-way match at Forbidden Door to be crowned the inaugural champion. PAC defeated Buddy Matthews that same night to qualify. On the June 15 episode of *Dynamite*, Miro defeated Ethan Page to become the second qualifier. The others to potentially qualify will be the winner of Malakai Black against Penta Oscuro. On June 20, at *New Japan Road*, Clark Connors and Tomohiro Ishii defeated Tomoaki Honma and Yoshinobu Kanemaru, respectively to qualify to the fourth qualifier match. The following day, Ishii defeated Connors to become the fourth qualifier and consequently became the NJPW representative in the inaugural title match. Malakai Black would be the last qualifier, defeating Penta Oscuro on the June 22 edition of *Dynamite*. On June 23, it was announced that Ishii sustained a left knee injury. Therefore, it was announced that Clark Connors, who had originally qualified to the fourth qualifiers, would take Ishii's place.

On the May 25, 2022 episode of *Dynamite*, the United Empire's Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan interrupted a match for the ROH World Tag Team Championship between FTR and Roppongi Vice, attacking both teams. The following week, the stable's leader Will Ospreay made his surprise debut in AEW along with other United Empire stablemates Aaron Henare and Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis), attacking Beretta and FTR. On the June 10, edition of *Rampage*, Beretta and FTR picked up a victory against Ospreay, Davis and Fletcher.

Ospreay competed in his first singles match at Road Rager on June 15, facing Dax Harwood in a winning effort. Afterwards, Ospreay and United Empire, including new IWGP Tag Team Champions Cobb and O-Khan attacked FTR and Roppongi Vice once more, only to be interrupted by Orange Cassidy, who stared down Ospreay. Shortly after, it was announced a match between the two for Ospreay's IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship at Forbidden Door. A few days later, a winner takes all triple-threat tag-team match between FTR, Roppongi Vice, and Cobb and O-Khan for the ROH Tag Team Championships and the IWGP Tag Team Championships was announced for the show as well. A few days later, a Winner Takes All triple-threat tag-team match between FTR, Roppongi Vice, and Cobb and O-Khan for the ROH Tag Team Championships and the IWGP Tag Team Championships was announced for the show as well.

Since the announcement of Forbidden door, Zack Sabre Jr. had continuously called out “The American Dragon” in post match interviews, challenging Bryan Danielson to find out who was the best technical wrestler. However, following the Blackpool Combact Club's defeat in the Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing, it was speculated that Danielson had suffered an injury during the match. This was confirmed by Danielson on the June 22 episode of *Dynamite*, yet acknowledged Sabre’s challenge, revealing that he had organised a replacement as “the one person” he trusted to take his place at the PPV and the subsequent AEW Blood and Guts special episode of AEW ‘’Dynamite’’ with Sabre making his AEW debut, staring down Danielson.

Following their defeat in the Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing, Eddie Kingston along with Santana and Ortiz continued to feud with the Jericho Appreciation Society. On the June 1 edition of *Dynamite*, Blackpool Combat Club’s manager William Regal and Kingston issued a challenge to the Jericho Appreciation Society to fight the trio and the Blackpool Combat Club in a Blood and Guts match, which Chris Jericho declined. Ortiz then jumped Jericho from behind and cut a lock of Jericho’s hair off, which led to Jericho accepting the match, while also challenging Ortiz to a Hair vs. Hair match. On the June 15 edition of *Dynamite: Road Rager*, Jericho defeated Ortiz in the match after seemingly receiving outside help from Fuego Del Sol, only for it to be revealed as Sammy Guevara under the mask, who would later be revealed to have joined the Jericho Appreciation Society along with his fiancé Tay Conti, turning both heel. Later in the night, Jericho interrupted the face-to-face confrontation between Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi, and both men were immediately attacked by Suzuki-gun members Lance Archer and El Desperado, despite additional help from Wheeler Yuta. Jericho announced that he and Sammy would team up with their leader, Minoru Suzuki, to face Kingston, Yuta and NJPW wrestler Shota Umino in a six-man tag team match.

On the June 8 edition of *Dynamite*, Thunder Rosa successfully defended her AEW Women's World Championship, against Marina Shafir, only for Shafir to attack her after the match. Toni Storm rushed out to the ring to stop Shafir's assault. Storm then picked up the championship belt, admired it, and handed it back to Rosa, indicating a possible future match against the two. Soon after, the match was made official for Forbidden Door. On the June 22 episode of *Dynamite*, Storm defeated Marina Shafir, before being attacked by Shafir and Nyla Rose, after the match, only for Thunder Rosa to make the save, with both having staring down with Storm handing the title to Rosa.

In June, reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly) began feuding with Darby Allin and Sting, which led to reDRagon challenging Allin to match at *Rampage*. On June 17 episode of *Rampage,* Allin defeated Bobby Fish, before being attacked O'Reilly, however, Sting made the save, helping Allin fend off O'Reilly, with Allin breaking Fish's leg.  On June 22 episode of *Dynamite*, O'Reilly and The Young Bucks challenged them to a match at Forbidden Door with their partner being Hikuleo, rejoining Bullet Club for one night only. Allin and Sting accepted their challenge with their partners being Los Ingobernables de Japón's Hiromu Takahashi and Shingo Takagi. On June 23, it was announced that O'Reilly would be forced to miss the event, due to an injury, being replaced by El Phantasmo. On June 25, it was announced that Hiromu would be forced to miss due to registering a fever, and as a result, the match was subsquently changed to a six-man tag team match.

## Event

### The Buy-In

Four matches were contested on the Buy-In pre-show. In the first match, The Factory (Aaron Solo and QT Marshall) faced Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi). Marshall went for a 450º splash, but Hashi avoided it. Hashi and Goto performed the *Fierce Flash* on Solo for the win.

Next, Lance Archer took on Nick Comoroto. Comoroto attempted to attack Archer before the match had begun, but Archer prevented it and took out Comoroto with a cannonball. In the end, Archer performed the *Blackout* on Comoroto to win the match.

After that, Swerve In Our Glory (Keith Lee and Shane "Swerve" Strickland) took on Suzuki-gun (El Desperado and Yoshinobu Kanemaru). Strickland hit a backbreaker on Desperado, who came right back with a clothesline, which was followed by Strickland hitting him with a flatliner. Kanemaru took a swig from a whiskey bottle at ringside and spit the whiskey into Lee's eyes, which led to a nearfall. In the end, Lee performed the *Big Bang Catastrophe* on Kanemaru to secure the win.

Following the match, Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs spoke from a luxury box. Hobbs stated that Strickland and Lee think they are Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, and then compared himself and Starks to Michael Jordan and Scotty Pippen. Starks questioned how Strickland and Lee could call themselves the best tag team when they haven’t beaten him and Hobbs.

In the final match of the pre-show, Max Caster (accompanied by Anthony Bowens) and Gunn Club (Billy Gunn, Austin Gunn, and Colten Gunn) faced the LA Dojo (Yuya Uemura, Alex Coughlin, The DKC, and Kevin Knight). Before the match began, Danhausen appeared on the screen and introduced a new "Ass Boys” theme, which caused Austin and Colten to run to the back. The NJPW dojo wrestlers took advantage of the numbers advantage while Austin and Colten were gone. In the end, Caster performed the *Mic Drop* on the DKC for the victory.

### Preliminary matches

The actual pay-per-view opened with Minoru Suzuki and the Jericho Appreciation Society (Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara) (accompanied by Tay Conti) facing the team of Eddie Kingston, Wheeler Yuta and Shota Umino, with the winning team receiving the man advantage for the upcoming Blood and Guts match between the Jericho Appreciation Society and Blackpool Combat Club. Early in the match, Yuta performed multiple German Suplexes on Jericho. Later, Yuta and Kingston performed suicide dives on Guevara and Jericho, respectively. In the final moments, Suzuki hit a Gotch-Style Piledriver on Kingston. Umino knocked both Guevara and Suzuki down, but Jericho took advantage and dropped Umino with a Judas Effect for the win, thus giving the Jericho Appreciation Society the advantage for Blood and Guts.

Next was a Winner Takes All three-way tag team match for both the ROH World Tag Team Championship and IWGP Tag Team Championship between ROH World Tag Team Champions FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood), IWGP Tag Team Champions United Empire (Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan), and Roppongi Vice (Beretta and Rocky Romero). During the match, Harwood legitimately injured his left shoulder, leaving Wheeler to wrestle alone. Later, Harwood returned with his shoulder wrapped. Romero performed a suicide dive onto Harwood and Khan on the floor. As Romero went for a move, FTR hit Romero with the *Big Rig* to win the IWGP Tag Team Championships and retain the ROH World Tag Team Championships.

Backstage, Tony Schiavone interviewed Juice Robinson and Jay White. Robinson had the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship and White noted that Robinson never lost the title and called NJPW's decision to strip him of the title unfair. White also spoke about his match and opponents before declaring that he would retain his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship later in the night.

After that was the inaugural AEW All-Atlantic Championship four-way match between PAC, Miro, Malakai Black and Clark Connors. Outside the ring, Connors landed a Spear on Miro through a table. Back in the ring, Miro applied the *Game Over* on PAC, but was broken up by Black who sprayed a dark mist into Miro's face. As Black and Connors were fighting over an armbar, PAC performed a 450º Splash on Black and applied *The Brutalizer* on Connors, forcing him to submit for the win to become the inaugural AEW All-Atlantic Champion.

The next match was between Dudes with Attitudes (Darby Allin, Sting, and Shingo Takagi) against Bullet Club (Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, and El Phantasmo) (accompanied by Hikuleo). As the Bullet Club was making their entrances, Sting dove onto Bullet Club from the top of one of the entrance tunnels. Allin hit a cutter on Phantasmo, but the Young Bucks took Allin out with a *Double Superkick*. Takagi performed the *Last of the Dragon* on Phantasmo to win the match.

Next, Thunder Rosa defended the AEW Women's World Championship against Toni Storm. Rosa ended up at ringside and stuffed a Tornado DDT attempt and suplexed Storm. Storm executed a Tornado DDT on Rosa on the floor. Back in the ring, Rosa performed a *Fire Thunder Driver* on Storm for a near fall. Storm attempted the *Storm Zero*, but her shoulder gave out. Rosa then performed the *Final Reckoning* on Storm to retain the title. After the match, Rosa and Storm shook hands and afterwards, Storm left the arena.

In the sixth match, Will Ospreay (accompanied by Aussie Open) defended the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Orange Cassidy. Cassidy performed a *Stundog Millionaire* and a *Michinoku Driver* on Ospreay for a near fall. Cassidy removed his elbow pad and attempted an *Orange Punch* on Ospreay, who countered and hit Cassidy with a cutter. Ospreay went for a *Storm Breaker*, but Cassidy countered into a frankensteiner for a near fall. As Juice Robinson was looking at the top of the arena, Cassidy held up his thumb and Ospreay performed the *Storm Breaker* to retain the title. Following the match, Ospreay instructed Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis to take out Cassidy. Roppongi Vice (Beretta and Rocky Romero) ran out to Cassidy's aid, but they were cleared from the ring. They were interrupted by Katsuyori Shibata, who attacked Ospreay and Aussie Open. Cassidy approached Shibata and teased putting his sunglasses on, but instead put them on Shibata and struck his thumbs-up pose.

Subsequently, Zack Sabre Jr. came out for his match against an opponent who was pre-selected by Bryan Danielson. The opponent was revealed to be Claudio Castagnoli, who made his unannounced AEW debut as Sabre's opponent and also became the newest member of Blackpool Combat Club. At the start of the match, Castagnoli performed the *Gotch-style* *Neutralizer* on Sabre for a near fall. A short time later when Sabre stood up, Castagnoli dropped him with a forearm shot. Castagnoli performed the *Swing* on Sabre and attempted a Sharpshooter, but Sabre countered into a heel hook submission. Castagnoli broke free and later hit Sabre with the *European Uppercut* and a lariat and then performed the *Ricola Bomb* on the latter to win the match.

In the penultimate match, Jay White (accompanied by Gedo) defended the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Kazuchika Okada, Hangman Page, and Adam Cole in a four-way match. Cole attempted the *Boom* on White, but White ducked it and performed a Uranage Slam on Cole. Cole hit White with the *Boom*, Okada landed a dropkick on Cole, Page executed a lariat on Okada and all four men were down temporarily. White attempted a *Bladerunner* on Page, who countered with a *Dead Eye*. As Page performed the *Buckshot Lariat* on White, Okada broke up the pin. Cole hit multiple superkicks on Page and Okada for a near fall. White executed another *Blade Runner* on Okada and pinned Cole to retain the title. After the match, White celebrated, as The Young Bucks and Kyle O'Reilly went to check for Cole, as White ignored them and left the arena.

### Main event

In the main event, Jon Moxley took on Hiroshi Tanahashi to determine the interim AEW World Champion. Early in the match, Moxley performed a piledriver on Tanahashi for a near fall. Outside the ring, Tanahashi landed a crossbody block on a bloodied Moxley. Back in the ring, Moxley applied a *Bulldog Choke* submission on Tanahashi, who escaped the hold. Tanahashi slapped Moxley multiple times and ran the ropes, but Moxley hit him with a clothesline. Moxley pinned Tanahashi, but Tanahashi kicked out at one. Moxley applied the rear naked choke submission, who later released the hold and executed the *Death Rider* on Tanahashi to become the interim AEW World Champion.

Post-match, Moxley celebrated his victory. Chris Jericho and Daniel Garcia ran out and attacked Moxley and Tanahashi. Eddie Kingston ran out and went after Jericho, but Garcia put him in a sleeper. Wheeler Yuta, Santana, and Ortiz ran out and attacked Jericho and Garcia. Jake Hager, Matt Menard, Angelo Parker, and Sammy Guevara ran out to help Jericho and Garcia. Castagnoli ran out and went after Jericho, afterwads Angelo Parker went to attack Castagnoli before he put him in the *Giant Swing*. The Jericho Appreciation Society fled and lost the brawl, culminating in the Blackpool Combat Club celebrating. As the show went off the air, Castagnoli and Kingston showed their differences, as Kingston left the arena and afterwards, the Blackpool Combact Club and the Jericho Apreciation Society stared at each other before leaving the arena.

## Aftermath

The episode of *Dynamite* on June 29 following Forbidden Door was the special episode Blood and Guts. Due to Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara and Minoru Suzuki defeating Eddie Kingston, Wheeler Yuta and Shota Umino, the Jericho Appreciation Society earned the advantage in the Blood and Guts match. Additionally, due to Bryan Danielson's injury preventing him from participating in Blood and Guts, Claudio Castagnoli took his place in the match. The match resulted in the Blackpool Combat Club, Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz defeating the Jericho Appreciation Society.

Due to Bishamon's win over The Factory, The Young Bucks challenged them to a match on the special *Rampage* edition of Blood and Guts for an opportunity at the AEW Tag Team Championships, which they lost. On July 13, at *Dynamite'*s edition of *Fyter Fest*, they lost the titles to Swerve in our Glory (Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland) in a match also involving Team Taz's Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs, ending their reign at 28 days.

During the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship match, Adam Cole suffered a severe concussion, during a spot where Cole landed on his head on the concrete after receiving a *Landslide* from Kazcuchika Okada during the match. Following the match, Cole collapsed backstage and was taken to a nearby hospital. This lead to a long absence from AEW programming. Cole returned to AEW *Rampage* on August 3, 2022, by making his way to the ring accompanied by The Unisputed Elite (Bobby Fish, Kyle O'Reilly, and Nick and Matt Jackson). Cole told the audience that he was pleased to be back and, while not fully cleared to return to in-ring action, he wanted to celebrate loyalty and address the issue of the upcoming AEW World Trios Championship tournament. Cole, then told The Young Bucks that if he was not doing the tournament and they would not be teaming with Bobby Fish, therefore they would not take part in the tournament, with Cole later correcting himself and stating that they were not "physically capable" to do the tournament. This led to The Undisputed Elite turn on The Young Bucks and Brandon Cutler before Hangman Page ran in at the aid of The Young Bucks. This would be Cole, Fish and O'Reilly's latest appearance, as Cole and O'Reilly are currently healing their injuries while Fish left AEW in August after his contract expired.

Soon after Claudio Castagnoli made his AEW debut, on the July 15 episode of AEW's *Rampage*, during the first week of Fyter Fest; Jonathan Gresham, in a post-match interview, claimed to be the best professional wrestler in the world, before being confronted by Castagnoli. As a result, Gresham would face Castagnoli for the title at ROH's Death Before Dishonor, marking Castagnoli's first ROH match in over a decade. On July 23, at ROH's Death Before Dishonor, Castagnoli defeated Gresham to win the ROH World Championship, thus winning his first world championship.

After the event, the term "forbidden door" gained the connotation of the colaboration between professional wrestling promotions, where sometimes agreements between rival-promotions are often involved. The most recently remarkable use was made by WWE wrestler Shinsuke Nakamura as a reaction to his match against The Great Muta at Pro-Wrestling NOAH's NOAH The New Year event. The event was later awarded the Best Major Wrestling Show from Dave Meltzer of the *Wrestling Observer Newsletter* in the 2022 *Wrestling Observer Awards*. A documentary was released on June 18, 2023, involving sit-down interviews with William Regal, Sting, Tony Schavonie, Chris Jericho, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Shingo Takagi with a retrospective of the event and its lead-up, as well as backstage interviews made at the event, involving FTR, Jay White, Clark Connors and Minoru Suzuki. The documentary is available for free until June 26.

## Results

### AEW All-Atlantic Championship tournament bracket

#### Qualifying Matches

##### New Japan Road - June 20 (Korakuen Hall - Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan)

 2

* (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
* – refers to the video of that match

### Interim AEW World Championship Tournament Bracket

#### Casino Battle Royal

##### AEW *Dynamite* - June 8 (Cable Dahmer Arena - Independence, Missouri, U.S.)

* (c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
* – refers to the video of that match

## Notes

1. ↑ Tomohiro Ishii was originally qualified to the match. However, on June 23, it was announced that Ishii had sustained a left knee injury and would not be medically cleared to compete. Therefore, it was decided that Clark Connors, who originally qualified to the fourth qualifier of the tournament, would take Ishii's place.
2. ↑ Defeated Wheeler Yuta in a 21-Man Casino Battle Royal to qualify for the tournament.

## References

1. ↑ *ja:【AEW×新日本プロレス】歴史が動く6.27…プロレス世界一決定戦！新日本プロレスワールドPPVで国内独占配信！* (in Japanese). New Japan Pro-Wresting (2022-05-06).
2. ↑ Achievement Unlocked (Forbidden Door Theme)  (in English). All Elite Wrestling (2022-06-21).
3. ↑ 2022.06.26 AEWxNJPW: FORBIDDEN DOOR . New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
4. ↑ Gibbons, Aidan 2022-07-07. Tony Khan Confirms Forbidden Door PPV Buys . *Cultaholic*.
5. ↑ *ja:【ＡＥＷ】ジェイ・ホワイトがついにＡＥＷ登場「禁断の扉」を破壊しバレッタとのシングル戦が決定* (in Japanese). Tokyo Sports (2022-06-22).
6. ↑ Staff, AEW 2022-04-20. AEW and NJPW Announce First-Ever Joint Pay-Per-View Event,“AEW x NJPW: FORBIDDEN DOOR” . *All Elite Wrestling*. Retrieved on 2022-04-22.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Blattberg, Eric 2021-12-09. What Forbidden Door? Wrestling's History Working With Other Promotions . TheSportster. Retrieved on 2023-01-06.
8. ↑ Knipper, Justin 2018-12-14. ROH Final Battle live results: Jay Lethal vs. Cody .
9. ↑ Martin, Adam 2018-12-15. ROH Final Battle Results – 12/14/18 (ROH Title, Triple Threat Ladder War, The Elite says goodbye) . *Wrestleview*.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 https://411mania.com/wrestling/even-more-on-backstage-reputation-of-harold-meij-in-njpw-said-to-be-divisive/
11. ↑ https://411mania.com/wrestling/kenny-omega-suggests-story-of-being-stopped-entering-japan-is-way-worse-than-reported/
12. ↑ https://411mania.com/wrestling/the-young-bucks-claim-njpw-big-leagued-aew-in-the-early-days/
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 https://cultaholic.com/posts/report-njpw-talent-didn-t-fully-buy-in-to-harold-meij
14. ↑ https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/harold-meij-says-he-didn-t-want-resign-njpw-president-company-made-call
15. ↑ https://www.f4wonline.com/news/new-japan/harold-meij-resigns-njpw-presidentceo-321291
16. ↑ https://411mania.com/wrestling/even-more-on-backstage-reputation-of-harold-meij-in-njpw-said-to-be-divisive/
17. ↑ https://prowrestlingnewshub.com/aew-news/working-relationship-between-aew-and-njpw-close-to-happening/
18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Notes on AEW title shot stipulation for Jericho-Tanahashi at WK 14  (2020-01-04).
19. ↑ 【新日本】棚橋が米ＡＥＷとの禁断の扉を開く！！ １・５東京ドームでジェリコと激突 – 東京スポーツ新聞社  (in ja).
20. ↑ NJPW News: Hiroshi Tanahashi Thinks Chris Jericho Should Put Up AEW World Title In Possible Rematch, Jericho NJPW Recount Video  (in English).
21. ↑ Renner, Ethan 2021-03-26. NJPW New Japan Cup USA 2021 tournament bracket set .
22. ↑ AEW, New Japan Pro Wrestling Established Working Relationshp . Wrestling Observer Newsletter (2021-02-04).
23. ↑ Update on joint AEW/NJPW show rumor . Wrestling Observer Newsletter (2022-04-18).
24. ↑ https://www.si.com/wrestling/2022/06/24/hiroshi-tanahashi-jon-moxley-aew-njpw-forbidden-door
25. ↑ https://wrestlingworld.co/news/tony-khan-calls-himself-the-forbidden-door-teases-future-impact-appearances
26. ↑ https://411mania.com/wrestling/tony-khan-promo-nick-khan-wwe-njpw-reports/
27. ↑ https://www.si.com/wrestling/2022/04/27/aew-njpw-forbidden-door-partnership-wwe-nick-khan
28. ↑ Tony Kahn Admits He Butchered His 'Forbidden Door' Definition, Which Led To Securing Jay White  (2022-02-10). “The term "forbidden door" has always been used in reference to companies working together and not signing exclusively with one company.”
29. ↑ https://heelbynature.com/wrestling-news/aew-files-trademarks-for-forbidden-door-and-forbidden-portal/
30. ↑ Barrasso, Justin (April 20, 2022). "Tony Khan Announces First-Ever AEW, NJPW Joint Pay-Per View Event". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
31. ↑ Meltzer, Dave 2010-10-03. New Japan Pro Wrestling comes to the U.S. . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Archived from the original on 2010-10-06. Retrieved on 2017-06-27.
32. ↑ Meltzer, Dave 2017-01-15. ROH announces War of the Worlds tour dates with NJPW . *Wrestling Observer Newsletter*. Retrieved on 2017-06-27.
33. ↑ Currier, Joseph 2022-05-05. AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pre-sale tickets sell out in less than 40 minutes . *Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online*.
34. ↑  *Andrade revela TODO LO QUE PASÓ con AAA, CMLL y NJPW*. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4MVWGKATZ0&ab\_channel=LuchaLibreOnline.
35. ↑ Grabianowski, Ed 2006-01-13. How Pro Wrestling Works . *HowStuffWorks, Inc.*. Discovery Communications. Retrieved on 2019-02-08.
36. ↑ McGuire, Colin 2022-06-03. 6/3 AEW Rampage results: McGuire’s review of CM Punk’s announcement, “The Young Bucks” Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson vs. Penta Oscuro and Rey Fenix, Scorpio Sky vs. Dante Martin for the TNT Title, Athena vs. Kiera Hogan . *Pro Wrestling Dot Net*.
37. ↑ Guzzo, Gisberto 2022-06-04. AEW Announces Multi-Stage Interim World Championship Eliminator Series . *Fightful*.
38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 Barnett, Jake 2022-06-08. 6/8 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett’s live review of Jon Moxley vs. the Casino Battle Royale winner for a spot in the Interim AEW World Championship match at Forbidden Door, Pac vs. Buddy Matthews, Thunder Rosa vs. Marina Shafir for the AEW Women’s Title, Hangman Page vs. David Finlay . *Pro Wrestling Dot Net*.
39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 High Fly Flow to Chicago: Tanahashi moves to face Mox .
40. ↑ Adam Page, Adam Cole Vie for Forbidden Door Shot at NJPW's Top Belt  (2022-06-09).
41. ↑ https://www.thesportster.com/jay-white-defeats-kazuchika-okada-to-become-iwgp-world-heavyweight-champion/
42. ↑ https://clutchpoints.com/aew-news-jay-white-doesnt-want-adam-cole-or-adam-page/
43. ↑ https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/kazuchika-okada-appears-on-aew-dynamite-attacks-adam-cole-jay-white
44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 Guzzo, Gisberto 2022-06-22. IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match Made Official For AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door . *Fightful*.
45. ↑ All Elite Wrestling [@AEW] 2022-06-09. All Elite Wrestling on Twitter: "#AEW proudly presents All-Atlantic Championship, a new Title that represents the AEW Fans watching around the world in over 130 countries! Tune in NOW to #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS! .
46. ↑ New Japan Road Night 4 (June 20) Preview . *New Japan Pro-Wrestling* (2022-06-13).
47. ↑ Connors, Ishii advance to AEW Qualifier . *New Japan Pro-Wrestling* (2022-06-20).
48. ↑ 6月21日(火)『NEW JAPAN ROAD』後楽園ホール大会・試合速報中！ . *New Japan Pro-Wrestling* (2022-06-21).
49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 All Elite Wrestling [@AEW] 2022-06-09. All Elite Wrestling on Twitter: "#AEW proudly presents All-Atlantic Championship, a new Title that represents the AEW Fans watching around the world in over 130 countries! Tune in NOW to #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS! .
50. ↑ New Japan Road Night 4 (June 20) Preview . *New Japan Pro-Wrestling* (2022-06-13).
51. ↑ Tomohiro Ishii Injured; Clark Connors steps in AEW 4 Way  (2022-06-23).
52. ↑ NJPW Stars Invade Tonight's AEW Dynamite .
53. ↑ AEW Dynamite Winners and Losers: Moxley Wins Big, Will Ospreay Debuts, & A New AEW Title  (2022-06-09).
54. ↑ AEW Rampage live results: Will Ospreay & Aussie Open vs. FTR & Trent Beretta .
55. ↑ https://wrestlingheadlines.com/aew-dynamite-road-rager-results/
56. ↑ https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/will-ospreay-vs-orange-cassidy-set-for-aew-x-njpw-forbidden-door
57. ↑ https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/will-ospreay-vs-orange-cassidy-set-for-aew-x-njpw-forbidden-door
58. ↑ https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/will-ospreay-vs-orange-cassidy-set-for-aew-x-njpw-forbidden-door
59. ↑ https://www.f4wonline.com/news/aew/roh-iwgp-tag-team-title-match-added-to-aew-x-njpw-forbidden-door
60. ↑ https://www.cagesideseats.com/platform/amp/aew/2022/6/13/23165735/zack-sabre-junior-calls-out-bryan-danielson-video-forbidden-door-aew-new-japan
61. ↑ https://www.f4wonline.com/.amp/news/aew/aew-bryan-danielson-expected-to-miss-1-2-weeks-due-to-injury
62. ↑ https://www.f4wonline.com/.amp/news/aew/bryan-danielson-not-medically-cleared-for-aew-forbidden-door-blood-guts
63. ↑ https://www.allelitewrestling.com/post/aew-dynamite-results-for-june-1-2022#:~:text=Johnny%20cracked%20Miro%20with%20a,Miro%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20Jim%20Ross.
64. ↑ https://www.allelitewrestling.com/post/aew-dynamite-road-rager-results-for-june-15-2022
65. ↑ https://comicbook.com/wwe/news/thunder-rosa-retains-championship-belt-aew-dynamite-kill-bill/
66. ↑ https://clutchpoints.com/aew-news-forbidden-door-gets-massive-will-ospreay-thunder-rosa-boost-ahead-of-june-show/
67. ↑ McGuire, Colin 2022-06-17. 6/17 AEW Rampage results: McGuire’s review of Jon Moxley vs. Dante Martin, Jade Cargill vs. Willow Nightingale for the TBS Title, Darby Allin vs. Bobby Fish, Max Caster, Austin Gunn, and Colten Gunn vs. Bear Bronson, Bear Boulder, and Leon Ruffin . *Pro Wrestling Dot Net*.
68. ↑ Barnett, Jake 2022-06-22. 6/22 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett’s live review of Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Chris Jericho and Lance Archer, Bryan Danielson addresses his future, Will Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher, and Mark Davis vs. Orange Cassidy, Trent Beretta, and Rocky Romero, Penta Oscuro vs. Malakai Black in an All Atlantic Title qualifier . *Pro Wrestling Dot Net*.
69. ↑ Carey, Ian 2022-06-23. AEW's Tony Khan provides injury update on Kyle O'Reilly . *F4WOnline.com*. Retrieved on 2022-06-26.
70. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy 2022-06-25. Hiromu Takahashi Off AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door .
71. ↑ AEW Dynamite live results: Blood & Guts .
72. ↑ AEW Rampage Results: The Young Bucks Defeat Bishamon, Toni Storm Defeats Nyla Rose (07/01)  (2022-07-01).
73. ↑ 7/13 AEW Dynamite results: Powell's live review of Jon Moxley vs. Kenosuke Takeshita in an eliminator match, Wardlow vs. Orange Cassidy for the TNT Title, the Young Bucks vs. Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland vs. Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs for the AEW Tag Titles, Claudio Castagnoli vs. Jake Hager, Serena Deeb vs. Anna Jay  (2022-07-13).
74. ↑ Vashishtha, Nitish 2022-07-03. Adam Cole Breaks His Silence After Suffering Injury At Forbidden Door  (in en-US).
75. ↑ Staff, A. E. W. 2022-08-04. AEW Dynamite Results for August 3, 2022  (in en).
76. ↑ McGuire, Colin 2022-07-15. 7/15 AEW Rampage results: McGuire's review of Jon Silver and Alex Reynolds vs. Malakai Black and Brody King, Private Party vs. Penta Oscuro and Rey Fenix, Kris Statlander and Athena in action, Gunn Club address their run on The Acclaimed . *Pro Wrestling Dot Net*.
77. ↑ Claudio Castagnoli Takes On Jonathan Gresham For The ROH World Championship . *ROH Wrestling* (2022-07-16).
78. ↑ Powell, Jason 2022-07-23. 7/23 ROH Death Before Dishonor results: Powell's live review of FTR vs. The Briscoes in a best of three falls match for the ROH Tag Titles, Jonathan Gresham vs. Claudio Castagnoli for the ROH Championship, Samoa Joe vs. Jay Lethal for the ROH TV Title, Wheeler Yuta vs. Daniel Garcia for the ROH Pure Rules Title . *Pro Wrestling Dot Net*.
79. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy 2022-02-10. Tony Kahn Admits He Butchered His 'Forbidden Door' Definition, Which Led To Securing Jay White . Fightful. “The term "forbidden door" has always been used in reference to companies working together and not signing exclusively with one company.”
80. ↑ *ja:中邑真輔が激白！ノアマットで〝奇跡のムタ戦〟実現の舞台裏* (in Japanese). Tokyo Sports (2022-10-31).
81. ↑ Meltzer, Dave 2023-02-27. February 27, 2023 Observer Newsletter: 2022 Observer Awards issue .
82. ↑ The Forbidden Door  (in English). New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2023-06-18).
83. ↑ Powell, Jason 2022-06-26. AEW-NJPW Forbidden Door Buy-In pre-show results: Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru and El Desperado, Max Caster, Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn, and Billy Gunn vs. The DKC, Kevin Knight, Alex Coughlin, and Yuya Uemura, and Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi vs. QT Marshall and Aaron Solo . *Pro Wrestling Dot Net*.
84. ↑ 84.0 84.1 84.2 Powell, Jason 2022-06-26. AEW-NJPW Forbidden Door results: Powell’s live review of Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for the Interim AEW World Title, Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada vs. Hangman Page vs. Adam Cole for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title, Thunder Rosa vs. Toni Storm for the AEW Women’s Title, Will Ospreay vs. Orange Cassidy for the IWGP U.S. Title . *Pro Wrestling Dot Net*.
85. ↑ 85.0 85.1 Guzzo, Gisberto 2022-06-24. Two Tag Team Matches Announced For AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door Buy-In . *fightful*.
86. ↑ Guzzo, Gisberto 2022-06-22. Eight-Man Tag Team Match Announced For AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door Buy-In . *Fightful*.
87. ↑ All Elite Wrestling [@AEW] 2022-06-15. All Elite Wrestling on Twitter: ".@IAmJericho decides now is an appropriate time to introduce the new members of the #JerichoAppreciationSociety, @sammyguevara, @TayConti\_, @LanceHoyt and @ElDesperado5, and makes a challenge for #ForbiddenDoor LIVE on PPV! It’s #AEWDynamite: #RoadRager LIVE on @TBSNetwork! .
88. ↑ Guzzo, Gisberto 2022-06-24. Stipulation Added To AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door Match That Affects Blood And Guts . *fightful*.
89. ↑ Guzzo, Gisberto 2022-06-17. Winner Takes All IWGP And ROH World Tag Team Title Match Announced For AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door . *Fightful*.
90. ↑ Guzzo, Gisberto 2022-06-22. Dudes With Attitudes vs. BULLET CLUB Made Official For AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door . *Fightful*.
91. ↑ 91.0 91.1 Guzzo, Gisberto 2022-06-15. Will Ospreay vs. Orange Cassidy, AEW Women's Title Match Announced For AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door . *Fightful*.
92. ↑ Guzzo, Gisberto 2022-06-22. Zack Sabre Jr. To Face Opponent Handpicked By Bryan Danielson At AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door . *Fightful*.
93. ↑ Lambert, Jeremy 2022-06-12. NJPW Representative Set In Interim AEW World Title Bout At AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door . *Fightful*.
94. ↑ 94.0 94.1 94.2 6/8 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of Jon Moxley vs. the Casino Battle Royale winner for a spot in the Interim AEW World Championship match at Forbidden Door, Pac vs. Buddy Matthews, Thunder Rosa vs. Marina Shafir for the AEW Women's Title, Hangman Page vs. David Finlay  (in en-US) (2022-06-08).
95. ↑ Powell, Jason 2022-06-15. 6/15 AEW Dynamite results: Powell’s live review of Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus vs. The Young Bucks in a ladder match for the AEW Tag Titles, Chris Jericho vs. Ortiz in a hair vs. hair match, Toni Storm vs. Britt Baker, Will Ospreay vs. Dak Harwood, Ethan Page vs. Miro in an All Atlantic Title qualifying match  (in en-US).
96. ↑ 6/22 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Chris Jericho and Lance Archer, Bryan Danielson addresses his future, Will Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher, and Mark Davis vs. Orange Cassidy, Trent Beretta, and Rocky Romero, Penta Oscuro vs. Malakai Black in an All Atlantic Title qualifier  (in en-US) (2022-06-22).
97. ↑ Tomohiro Ishii advances to Forbidden Door Four Way 【NJoA】  (in English) (2022-06-21).
98. ↑ NEW JAPAN ROAD  (in English) (2022-06-20).
99. ↑ NEW JAPAN ROAD  (in Japanese) (2022-06-20).
100. ↑ 100.0 100.1 New Japan Road Night 4 (June 20) Preview  (in English) (2022-06-13).

## External links

* All Elite Wrestling's Official Website
* New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Official Website