Minoru Suzuki’s tenure through the “Forbidden Door” is important
By Byron Smith
The Impact of Minoru Suzuki in AEW
At face level, Minoru Suzuki’s tenure in AEW thus far may seem insignificant.
Suzuki debuted at All Out, challenging Jon Moxley, who had just brutalized Satoshi Kojima. This would lead to a match against Moxley in Cincinnatti, Mox’s hometown. He would later wrestle alongside former tag partner and Suzuki-Gun member Lance Archer against Moxley and Eddie Kingston on AEW’s Rampage Grand Slam show. Both matches would result in a loss for “The King”
His third match in the company will likely also result in a loss, giving Suzuki an 0-3 record in AEW.
On the surface, it seems like Suzuki’s time in AEW is cool and a draw, but is nothing more than an opportunity to give out some dream matches while keeping Jon Moxley busy. However, much deeper, Suzuki’s willingness to take losses from AEW wrestlers is a sign of something much bigger.
Suzuki is a Japanese wrestling icon. He was given the honor of being Jushin Thunder Liger’s final singles opponent for a reason. He has the respect of wrestlers across the world, and not just because he could probably kill them if he wanted to.
Watching AEW roll out the red carpet for Suzuki and treat him like the king that he is will be a huge sign to wrestlers across the world who may not be certain about how they would be treated by an American promotion. Seeing American audiences respond to the extremely different style of wrestling and character that Suzuki brings would likely give Japanese wrestlers confidence that they can come to AEW and get similar reactions to what they get at home. Even the total joke that the “Suzuki Incident” was will tell international wrestlers that American audiences are just as invested in the goofy parts of wrestling that they are invested in.
On top of that, Suzuki kept coming back, showing those watching that he likes what he saw. He did not just come back, he came back to lose, twice!
Suzuki did not just provide assurance to the wrestlers either. He was the perfect candidate for getting American audiences to start warming up to the opening to the wrestlers coming through the “Forbidden Door”.
Minoru Suzuki is a wrestling icon and recognizable to hardcore wrestling fans, yes, but he is also an MMA legend. Minoru Suzuki is one of the most important names in MMA, even if most casual MMA fans do not know it. Bringing in a man with that level of status and telling American audiences about that history shows will give American audiences newfound respect for Japanese wrestling and the wrestlers on the other side of that door. It will likely also encourage the audience to seek out NJPW matches, which will give them context for the next wrestlers coming through the door, and possibly even get them excited as they wait for them to come.
Even if Suzuki’s status does not capture the attention of the audience, his wrestling style definitely does. Violence needs no context, translator, or explanation, and there is no one better at being violent than Minoru Suzuki. He debuted by hitting a bloodied Jon Moxley with shoot-style elbows, showcasing his brutal fighting style right out of the gate. He then proceeded to have a street fight with Kingston and Mox which included him dueling Jon Moxley on the entrance ramp with steel chairs.
American audiences live for this kind of violence in wrestling. Minoru Suzuki brings that en masse. If that does not capture the attention of the remaining audience members, nothing will.
Minoru Suzuki is a legend and you should respect him as such
Has AEW done everything perfectly with Minoru Suzuki? Of course not. His match with Jon Moxley in Cincinnati was much shorter than it should have been. His debut at All Out was a bit awkward and could have been done better.
However, not everything needed to be perfect. For the audiences, all AEW had to do was put Suzuki out there in front of them and let him and the commentary team do what they do best. For Suzuki, all they had to do was treat him with the respect he deserves, listens to him, and let him do his thing.
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Moving forward, all of that will pay off. When a name like Tetsuya Naito, or Kazuchika Okada, or Kota Ibushi, or Shingo Takagi, or Zack Sabre Jr., or Will Ospreay, or Hiroshi Tanahashi comes through and the fans welcome them with open arms, it will be because of Minoru Suzuki and the way AEW treated him.