AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door 2023 - June 25th

[Chris B]

5 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

Omega vs Ospreay III at Wembley is going to blow the roof off!

Good thing it's retractable then.

[The King of Old School]

1 hour ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

Omega vs Ospreay III at Wembley is going to blow the roof off!

Are New Japan going to let AEW have the rubber match for there belt at an AEW show? I'm not sure but it would be a superb place to do it.

Edited June 26, 2023 by The King of Old School

[TheScarlettChad]

The Final Countdown gave me goosebumps. 

[Mr Kennedy]

4 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

I've only watched 3x matches as I really only wanted to see them and don't care about the others, but those 3 were very good to great.

CM Punk is such a wonderful dickhead. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand and him screaming "Lariat! Lariat! Kojima! Kojima!" whilst mugging into the camera was hilarious. I am sure there is added context to that I don't get as someone that doesn't watch a lot of wrestling (does Kojima do it?) but still so funny.

Kenny Omega is, and has been for years, LEVELS above everyone else in wrestling. He is just incredible at what he does.

I enjoyed their NJPW slightly more but this was still probably MOTY for me. Amazing, and I really don't often like matches that long.

Danielson vs Okada was great, but I don't know if it should've main evented. 

I'm torn on the 'convulsing' as it's just a part of selling, but it still seemed a bit...off.

Anyway, Bryan is one of my all time favourites so was always going to enjoy this, but can see why it's not for everyone.

https://twitter.com/promojoeyt/status/1671784059742175232?s=46&t=VI8LMQ8LyP9wLypkULMtMg

[CavemanLynn]

2 hours ago, Accident Prone said:

Omega vs Ospreay, once again, transcended pro wrestling. I remember the dope on the hardcam during Collision with their "Please don't hurt yourselves!" sign, and I hope they cried with their head in their hands watching Omega get spiked on a Tiger Driver '91. Along with their first match in January, they proved that pro wrestling at it's highest peak was back. I remember an argument on here once where someone was saying "Oh MOVEZ don't matter, STORY is more important" and in response to that tired argument someone said, "Yeah, but imagine how you'd feel if you saw a match that had BOTH?". I like to think that Omega and Ospreay are living proof of that counter-argument. You can keep your amateur dramatics at the local community theatre, I'll happily take this any day of the week.

If you mean "transcended pro wrestling" as in "buried all the quality work they did beforehand with an absolutely disgusting head drop made famous by a wrestler who died as a direct result of head drops", then yeah, sure.

Omega and Osprey ALWAYS ALMOST have me. Great spectacles, just enough character work to excuse the occasionally ridiculous stunt spot, all building wonderfully,... And then they'll do something so utterly stupid I'm taken right out of the match and it's made painfully clear these are two human beings hurting each other for entertainment. Give me am dram over vertebrae being concertina'ed any day. Completely unnecessary. I'm sure it'll be argued by fans that it was all part of the escalation and Osprey going to extreme lengths to put Kenny away, but he didn't even do that - he still went back to his regular finishes. Fuck off.

I always get a kick out of my man Tana. It looked weird on paper, but MJF is probably the best guy in AEW to get a quality match out of the basics, and both guys thrived here. MJF’s selling of the knee was brilliant as ever, just the right mix of chickenshit comeuppance and hardworking sympathy.

Similar vibes for me for Kojima, who I think really comes across well on TV, with his bright and stocky look, game but curmudgeonly facials, and solid offence. Punk stepped up here, and was really good foil. However, this was the first of a fair few matches that had a big deal made of guys doing other guy's moves. Busting out the Anaconda Vice was a nice touch, but having your opponent lie there for a bit so you can make a joke about you being compared to Hulk Hogan is a bit too cute for me.

Umino didn't get the memo about everyone on both teams wearing black and white.

Garcia solidifying his place as a Pillar purely by grind-dancing his way into a punch up. Give him a Sambo suplex finisher called the Power Bottom and stick a rocket on his back.

SANADA vs Jungle Boy was another fairly pedestrian outing for the NJPW champ. It's mad that they again pulled the trigger on a rising talent years too late, and not only that, stuck the belt on him after removing absolutely everything that made him stand out. Stoic punk? Crystal skull pirate? Nah. Bloke with a short back and sides and pants. Whoop. Great workhorse, but pure filler until the damp squib of a turn only salvaged by Taz's emotional involvement. 

Suzuki has the best eyebrow work since the Rock. Le Suzuki Gods' pose was fantastic. Match wasn't up to much, and Naito especially seemed fairly inoccuous. Still fun for the Divas piss break spot.

Okada had an Okada match, which is crisp but u involving if you don't know him. He's practically the NJPW Greg Valentine, for the fact it takes him 40 minutes to warm up. It might have been a nice bucket list ticker for Danielson, and a dream match for a lot of fans, but I really feel that the injury drama stalled this one from getting out of 2nd gear.

[Accident Prone]

57 minutes ago, CavemanLynn said:

If you mean "transcended pro wrestling" as in "buried all the quality work they did beforehand with an absolutely disgusting head drop made famous by a wrestler who died as a direct result of head drops", then yeah, sure.

Omega and Osprey ALWAYS ALMOST have me. Great spectacles, just enough character work to excuse the occasionally ridiculous stunt spot, all building wonderfully,... And then they'll do something so utterly stupid I'm taken right out of the match and it's made painfully clear these are two human beings hurting each other for entertainment. Give me am dram over vertebrae being concertina'ed any day. Completely unnecessary. I'm sure it'll be argued by fans that it was all part of the escalation and Osprey going to extreme lengths to put Kenny away, but he didn't even do that - he still went back to his regular finishes. Fuck off.

Never understood this line of thinking. Ospreay and Omega are adults working in a dangerous media that has saw moves as simple as a baseball slide cause massive injury. Getting annoyed at them for making the decision to make a pro wrestling audience wince with a decades-long tribute in the closing moments of a long, gruelling, layered match is their choice and I guarantee that the spot was performed in the safest possible way.

Also, I could not give a fuck if they injure themselves as, again, they are adults. Adults that I do not know as I'm not their mate or family, I'm just a mere fan, and I'm especially a big fan when they're upping the ante on what can be done in a wrestling ring.

So let them do insane highspots and head drops all day long. The crowd in attendance ate it up and so did I. It wasn't "unnecessary" as the crowd popped big and everyone is talking about it. The safety police are up there with the most annoying members of the wrestling fanbase, up there with front-row fans who will not sit down and those who still chant "WHAT?" in 2023. 

Edited June 26, 2023 by Accident Prone
Grammar and shite.

[AndyUK]

Omega v Ospreay 3 at Wembley would be amazing though feel like NJPW might want it to end there and doubt AEW will want another promotion's title headlining their biggest ever show. Still though, that was a stunning watch and a definite MOTY candidate.

It probably should've main evented because it was always going to be virtually impossible for Okada/Danielson to live up to that even without Bryan breaking his arm, but considering those circumstances the match was still very good. Hearing Final Countdown again was amazing.

Special mentions to the ten man tag which was great, as well as the fatal four way while Punk/Kojima far exceeded expectations as the second best singles match on the show.  MJF/Tanahashi and Sanada/Jungle Boy were fine but time wise were never going to get out of second gear, the six man tag was a bit clunky at times and a lot of the AEW womens matches still feel like they're used as mid noughties cool down matches.

Really good show though.

 

Edited June 26, 2023 by AndyUK

[BrodyGraham]

It's worth mentioning that including  Zero Hour, Kevin Kelly and Excalibur had 3 different 3rd men on this show and both were excellent with all 3.

I'm not suggesting that they fire Nigel McGuinness and hire Chris Charlton but  y'know..........

[Cousin Jim Bob]

Ospreay for all his faults is really bloody good now. I know he is in there with Kenny but he played his part perfectly here. Angry at the beating he took in the first match and using that to fuel him here. Just being a hateful, violent dickhead wanting to piss of the crowd and seriously hurt Omega to revenge that loss. I can't wait to see how they play out the trilogy. Especially if it is at Wembley. There is a lot they can play with.

 

[RIDDUM_N_STYLE]

Only up to the 10 man, owing to trying to get a working stream and switching between my TV and laptop, but it’s been a fun show

I got a kick out of it last year as well but I love the contrast having Justin Roberts (and Dasha oddly for the Punk/Kojima match) and Takuro Shibata doing the ring announcing, hearing a lot of the AEW talent being announced in the Japanese style that haven’t before like Jungle Boy, Orange Cassidy, Daniel Garcia etc is really cool

On JB, they pulled the trigger on his heel turn and it totally worked, especially happening with Taz on commentary trying to juggle staying professional with going into Dad mode

Of the remaining matches, I know the results but I’m looking forward to the Omega/Osprey and Danielson/Okada matches and seeing a clearer video of the Final Countdown entrance for Danielson

[David]

This was probably the best show I've ever attended live. And being not quite the spring chicken anymore, I've seen a few. The crowd during the Omega match was insane. So many near-falls and highlights that it was difficult to pick who was going to win. 

The reaction to Punk was again split, with the boos being from what I'd describe as a slight minority, but definitely more vocal. One thing I did note was the sheer amount of Punk shirts being worn in the queue, and also when I was moving around the arena at the food stalls and bathrooms. The guy definitely has a ton of fans, but they're maybe not as vociferous as his detractors. It also seemed on the night that he was moving into definite heel territory with his reactions to the crowd and so on.

The show went long. A little too long for many I think, as I noticed fans leaving while the Danielson match was in progress. This was because people had to get home, and it was also Pride weekend in Toronto, so Ubers, taxis, and transport in general was a bit of a nightmare. A shame, as a match like that didn't deserve a crowd that was already jaded and looking to get back home. Hopefully it didn't come across that way on TV.

But yeah, what a show. It'll take something special to top that.

[TobyK]

Very solid 4 hours of wrestling, worth the £20. They worked hard. Surely next year they need to take it to Japan, it did feel very much an AEW event, with guests. 

[Guest]

I’d not be surprised if the many you seen in punk shirts are booing him too, most big punk fans I know want to see heel Punk and happy to influence it. Much prefer that kinda audience to those that cheer heels they like, booing is the right reaction 

[The King Of Swing]

The crowd clearly wanted to get into Danielson/Okada and gave it a go but I don't blame them for either being knackered or having to leave.

Didn't come across horribly on TV  (like say Hunter/Jericho from Wrestlemania) but was noticeable.

Anyway overall I absolutely loved the show. And my man OC retained again, my heart is going to break when he finally drops the belt. 

[BomberPat]

I'd rather not see people doing the Tiger Driver 91, but I also trust one of the best wrestlers in the world to know how to take it and manage the risk levels. It's a bit odd having the "but what if it hurt someone?" debate when Danielson broke his arm on an elbow drop on the same show.

Didn't watch the pre-show, so it felt like a pleasingly PPV-length show. Not a match I disliked; the Jericho match came closest, but there was enough fun in there to make up for it. Convinced Sting was supposed to get out of the way of Sammy and not go through the table himself - he was rolling off it when Sammy hit him, and then was up and making the save while Sammy was still selling dead.