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Credit: All Elite Wrestling
All Elite Wrestling returns to Chicago on Sunday night with an international, inter-promotional pay-per-view that also features the stars of New Japan Pro-Wrestling called Forbidden Door.
What initially looked to be a dream card of AEW vs. NJPW matches has faced some considerable setbacks of late, with injuries keeping top-tier talent on the sidelines and a maligned lineup creating more disappointment than intrigue.
However, the powers-that-be in the two companies have still managed to construct what should be a card full of superb in-ring action, headlined by an AEW Interim World Championship match between Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Who will leave the event with the title in their possession and what else can fans expect from the blockbuster show? Find out with this updated card and early predictions for the PPV, which will be streamed exclusively in the United States via the B/R app.
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We have seen Orange Cassidy show out against the best in the business before, in matches against PAC, Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho.
He will have the opportunity to add to that list when he battles Will Ospreay in a contest that may have come from out of nowhere but should still be awesome.
One thing it won’t be, though, is unpredictable.
No matter how great it proves to be, and it could well steal the show on a card packed with potential for strong in-ring work, this is absolutely Ospreay’s to win. He is one of the most celebrated wrestlers in the world and responsible for Match of the Year candidates nearly every time he sets foot inside the squared circle.
Cassidy will hang in there with him, and the fans in the United Center will likely be behind Freshly Squeezed, but that will not affect the outcome.
In one of the few instances where a New Japan star is obviously going over, Ospreay will win and further enhance his star on the global stage.
Prediction: Ospreay escapes with a win in a surprisingly competitive match.
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IWGP world tag team champions United Empire sent a message to Roppongi Vice’s Trent Beretta and Rocky Romero and Ring of Honor world champions FTR with a sneak attack that left both duos lying.
They will have a shot at revenge in Chicago on Sunday, when both sets of tag team titles are on the line in a special Winner Takes All match.
This might seem like the perfect opportunity to establish Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb as a dominant force in the States or a feel-good moment for the oft-underrated Beretta and Romero, but this is all about FTR and adding to their growing collection of titles.
Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood have been the best tag team in the industry for a long time, and they are being rewarded for it in 2022 with the biggest push of their careers and reigns as both ROH and AAA titleholders.
Sunday will see them add more gold to their collection ahead of what should be an even more significant Winner Takes All match in August against AEW tag team champs The Young Bucks.
What should be a strong match from an in-ring perspective will see the Top Guys earn a win and likely six more stars from Dave Meltzer.
Prediction: FTR add to their resume with another title victory be dethroning United Empire and stopping Roppongi Vice’s momentum.
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Credit: All Elite Wrestling
The most randomly thrown-together match on a card full of them will see Chris Jericho reunite with Sammy Guevara and partner with Minoru Suzuki to battle Eddie Kingston, Wheeler Yuta and Shota Umino.
Other than the ongoing rivalry between Kingston and Jericho, there is no reason for this match beyond getting everyone on the card.
That won’t stop it from being very good, but it would have been nice for there to be some semblance of effort from creative to explain why these six will be fighting, other than Jericho announcing the match out of the blue.
All signs would seemingly point to the heels going over, if for no other reason than Jericho and Guevara being more established and Suzuki being internationally revered.
Kingston will put up a fight, Yuta will have his moments, and Umino will have an emphatic answer to anyone asking, “Who?” entering the contest.
Look for Jericho and his society to worm their way to a win in a match that will have little in the way of long-reaching effects.
Prediction: The heels go over to further enhance the feud with Kingston and Blackpool Combat Club and add more heat to the upcoming Blood and Guts match.
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AEW will introduce its newest title, the All-Atlantic Championship, at Forbidden Door in a four-way contest featuring PAC, Miro, the winner of Malakai Black vs. Penta Oscuro, and a representative from New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
While two of the combatants are not yet known, there is little reason to doubt the match will be fantastic. PAC is, arguably, the most underrated wrestler in the world while Miro has repeatedly proved himself against the best AEW has to offer. Throw in the always-great Black or the otherworldly Penta, and sprinkle in an unknown NJPW star and you have the recipe for a fun introduction for another title.
Seeing as how it is slated to be an AEW championship, it would make sense for it to be held by one of that company’s stars first. PAC seems like a perfect fit, but his inconsistent appearances and travel issues in the wake of the pandemic, make him a questionable option.
Miro is fresh off a return to television and is as ferocious as ever. He would make a perfect champion, but it might be too early.
That leaves Black, whose House of Black faction is rolling and recently added Julia Hart to the mix. A big win at Double or Nothing in the best match on the card only fueled his momentum. Winning a championship would not only be a boost to his credibility but it would also enhance the sense of dread his faction imposes on AEW as a whole.
Prediction: AEW continues to correct the inconsistent booking of the House of Black, adding leader Malakai’s name to the history books with one of his most significant wins to date
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Thunder Rosa will defend the AEW Women’s Championship Sunday against Toni Storm, who rides a wave of momentum into the title bout, thanks to a much-needed signature win over Britt Baker on the June 15 episode of Dynamite.
This one is actually relatively difficult to predict.
On one hand, it appears as though AEW has lost a bit of confidence in Rosa as champion if her booking is any indication. Inconsistently utilized and with no real storyline to speak of, she still delivers but rarely feels like the big deal she was prior to capturing the gold.
Storm, on the other hand, shook off questionable creative early in her run and finally appears to be the star many expected her to be from the moment she set foot on the AEW stage.
As much as it may seem AEW is pushing for Storm to win the title, it still feels too early, with not nearly enough backstory to support such a significant victory. Rosa should win here, potentially setting up a rematch or maybe even a three-way dance with Baker down the line.
Not only does that prevent Storm from earning the disdain of fans who might think she is being pushed to fast, but it also buys AEW some time to craft a storyline that is not quite as underwhelming.
Prediction: Rosa survives her toughest test to date with a hard-fought victory.
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The main event of Forbidden Door is the most obvious outcome on the entire card, no matter how much AEW may attempt to convince us otherwise.
Jon Moxley will defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi to win the AEW interim World Championship.
Why? Because the company needs a champion in the wake of CM Punk’s foot surgery and choosing a guy like Tanahashi, who does not even work for AEW, would be an illogical step back.
Yes, Ace is a legend in the industry and one of the best wrestlers New Japan has produced and the recipient of much admiration. But to think he can be the interim champion for a company he does not work for, that needs him to travel to TV every week and occasionally defend the title on Dynamite or Rampage while Punk recovers, is ludicrous.
Moxley, on the other hand, is having some of the best matches of his career and is perpetually over. He is also a former world champion who proved himself in that role and would make for an excellent opponent for Punk upon the Chicago native’s return.
The match will be awesome, though. Moxley and Tanahashi are grizzled vets who will tear the house down Sunday night in what may well be a Match of the Year candidate, but make no mistake about it: There will be a Paradigm Shift, a three-count and a new champion around whom the next few months of television is built.
Prediction: Moxley etches his name in the history books as the first two-time AEW world champion.
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