AEW × NJPW Forbidden Door 2023: Matches and Predictions

Preview & Predictions: First things first - let me give all the props in the world to Athena for her amazing run as the ROH Women's World Champion and salute Billie Starkz's burgeoning career (PLUS SHE JUST GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL!). This should be a fun Zero Hour matchup between two highly competitive members of the AEW women's roster. Athena has that killer instinct in her that's kept her reign as the current queen of the ROH mountain intact, so I'm choosing her as the winner here.

Preview & Predictions: Here's the PPV opener for this stacked AEW/NJPW crossover show, y'all! At last year's Forbidden Door, Hiroshi Tanahashi challenged Jon Moxley for the interim AEW World Championship and came up short. Now NJPW's most reliable ace is making another bid at AEW's top prize and it isn't an interim version of the title this time around, so the stakes are much higher than before. MJF initially denied Tanahashi's challenge, but Tony Khan made it his duty to make sure the champ shows up at this PPV to fulfill his obligations as the defending champion. Tanahashi will definitely give MJF a run for his money. But in the end, MJF will be his usual slimy self by whipping out that trusty Dynamite Diamond Ring of his to secure the dirty victory and retain his most coveted prize.

Preview & Predictions: WHAT HAPPENED, KENTA? He talked all that ish on Twitter about Tony Khan giving him a bag and wanting to run up on CM Punk for stealing his finisher. But then the wrestling dirtsheets noted that Kenta ultimately declined the match, so now CM Punk has been given an entirely different opponent to square up with at Forbidden Door. And to be honest, I'm not that mad at the NJPW representative being placed in this matchup. Satoshi Kojima is a Puroresu legend who still has a ton of gas left in the tank - he still moves around well, as evidenced by his match with Jon Moxley back at All Out 2021. This will be a great test for Punk in a solo capacity - I'm confident that he'll hold up his end of the bargain and put on a good match with his current NJPW foe. As for the winner, I'm predicting a clean Punk victory here!

Preview & Predictions: This is quite the motley crew of wrestlers we have here, huh? So you got Orange Cassidy, the current AEW International Champion that's been enjoying the best run of his career as he's beaten every single challenger put in his way thus far. Then you have Zack Sabre Jr., the wily technician that's been going strong as the NJPW World Television Champion. Another titleholder is in the mix here - "The Wrestler" Katsuyori Shibata, who's back in good health and running roughshod over the competition as the ROH Pure Champion.

And finally, we have the wildcard pick in Daniel Garcia, who has the capacity to catch his foes off guard and strategically pick them apart in a multi-man setting. So who's winning here? It's obviously Orange - his reign isn't ending in a multi-man match like this one. I see him retaining here and holding it until he runs into a true international threat during a one-on-one encounter (which should be Jay White or my boy Miro!).

Preview & Predictions: Toni Storm and Willow Nightingale are the sorts of lady wrestlers that hit hard...LIKE REALLY HARD! I'm excited about them locking up here since we're all going to be treated to some "Strong Style" brutality on behalf of the AEW women's roster. While I'd love to see Willow walk away from this match holding two championship belts, I just know deep down in my heart that that dream scenario won't come to pass here. Miss Storm is retaining the title here, which she'll be holding onto until Jamie Hayter comes back to reclaim her glory and the championship she unfairly lost (at All In, perhaps?).

Preview & Predictions: Tetsuya Naito has finally stepped foot in AEW! And he's done it just so he can get his hands on his former nemesis Chris Jericho, who was the man that gave Naito hell back at NJPW Dominion 2018 and Wrestle Kingdom 13 in 2019. The trio of Jericho, Sammy Guevara, and Minoru Suzuki had a great showing at last year's Forbidden Door. The same can definitely be said about Sting and Darby Allin, who looked great fighting alongside the beefy LIJ powerhouse Shingo Takagi. This match going to be a wild one, folks - I'm proof positive that Naito and Sting are going to have some fun exchanges with Jericho, plus Allin is going to test his luck against NJPW's killer grandpa Suzuki and it will be so glorious. At the close of this six-man war, I can totally see Naito getting an extra bit of revenge on Jericho by pinning him with a crisp Destino for the win!

Preview & Predictions: Ay man, shout out to Sanada! I have been following that man's ascension since his days competing in Wrestle-1 and am overjoyed that he's finally reached the top of the mountain in New Japan. I was hoping and praying Bandido would step up here to answer his open challenge for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, but I'm still cool with "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry pulling up to take Sanada to the very limit. Calling the winner of this match isn't hard whatsoever, folks - I and everyone reading this right now already know Sanada isn't dropping that all-important strap anytime soon, especially since his reign hasn't really gotten going yet. Perry will put up a great fight, no doubt. But he's going to fall in defeat to the stable leader of Just 5 Guys and the current king of NJPW.

Preview & Predictions: THE BCC VS. ELITE WAR RAGES ON! These guys have been at each other's throats for a good while now, yet I'm still fully invested every time they talk down on each other and decide to rip & tear up the ring whenever they lock up. This 10-man tag has some interesting wrinkles thrown into it that intrigue me - the newly heel-turned Konosuke Takeshita and NJPW's Shota Umino will rep the BCC side, while Eddie Kingston and Tomohiro Ishii are stepping up to aid The Elite.

This match is going to be pure mayhem - I'm gonna lose my mind when Jon Moxley and Eddie end up standing nose to nose while the crowd comes unglued! And I damn sure can't wait to see Claudio Castagnoli and Takeshita exchange blows with the "Stone Pitbull" himself. Who's my pick for the winners here, you ask? I foresee the BCC prevailing here with a crucial assist from Takeshita that will see him standing tall over the prone body of Ishii after the final bell rings. Got to set that man up even more as a dangerous menace before his inevitable singles meeting with Kenny Omega!

Preview & Predictions: If you haven't seen the greatness that is Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship from Wrestle Kingdom 17, then go watch that ASAP! The high quality of that dream match points to the exact reason why everyone that watched it is anticipating this rematch so damn much. Ospreay had to climb back from an injury and overcome Lance Archer at this year's NJPW Dominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall to claw his way back to his most hated rival to date. With an even bigger chip on his shoulder, Ospreay is gunning toward a version of Omega that's going through a lot at the moment.

The continued grudge between Omega's Elite stable and the Blackpool Combat Club, plus his newfound beef with Don Callis and Konosuke Takeshita have the "Best Bout Machine" a bit flustered at the moment. I have no doubt that he'll put his working boots on here and produce another banger with Ospreay. But his mental state will be shaken to the point where he'll slip up more than he usually does and give Ospreay the opening needed to reclaim his prize. That's right, ladies and gentlemen - I'm predicting an Ospreay triumph here!

Preview & Predictions: HO-LEE-SHIT! When I watched that vid of Bryan Danielson delivering a badass challenge promo to Kazuchika Okada while walking around a sandy domain, I just couldn't fathom what was happening before my very eyes. The "American Dragon" is healthy and ready to make up for his absence from last year's Forbidden Door by taking on another strong candidate for "Best in the World." And that man is none other than the almighty "Rainmaker!" This one's a 2023 Match of the Year candidate in the making - both men employ a methodical style that tends to see their matches start at a slower pace and evolve into a barnburner that eventually has the crowd in the palm of their hands.

Picking the winner of this one is so hard to do - either man could walk away with the ultimate W here and no one would bat an eye because they're both so deserving of it. I'm of the opinion that Danielson won't take the loss here on his company's home turf because I'm fully expecting him to pin NJPW's current megastar here. No shenanigans will come into play here, folks! A devastating running knee will KO Okada and wrap up this amazing matchup with a nice bow. This won't be the end of Danielson and Okada's feud, however - both men will definitely run it back in Japan!