How opening the ‘Forbidden Door’ gave us a major moment of 2022

2022 was a solid year for pay-per-views and premium live events.  WWE had the first successful two-night Wrestlemania since changing to that format, along with a fun Summerslam.  Ring of Honor had three great pay-per-views with Final Battle being a major contender for the event of the year.  However, AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door was a dream come true.

In front of 16,529 fans at the United Center in Chicago, we witnessed what could be considered the wrestling equivalent to the All-Star game in baseball, basketball, and hockey.  Wrestlers from AEW and New Japan were in some unique and incredible matches along with some dream matches we finally got to witness.

On this night we witnessed wrestlers team up for the first time. We never thought we’d see individuals such as Chris Jericho & Minoru Suzuki, Sting & Shingo Takagi in a six-man tag team match, or even the slow beginning of The Acclaimed with Billy Gunn.  This was truly a night of dreams coming true.

We had the crowning of the first-ever AEW All-Atlantic Champion in a fun four-way match featuring Pac, Miro, Malakai Black, and the last-minute addition of Clark Connors.  This match was one of the many candidates for the match of the night.  It showcased all four men’s abilities in the ring.

Also at the show was the AEW debut of Claudio Castagnoli as he wrestled Zack Sabre Jr. in a technical wrestling fans’ dream match.  Both men looked fantastic in the ring and Castagnoli looked like he hadn’t lost a single step.  While the original opponent for Sabre Jr., Bryan Danielson couldn’t wrestle on this show we still got an amazing match between two of the best wrestlers in the world.

In the main event of the show, we witnessed a match three years in the making as Hiroshi Tanahashi wrestled Jon Moxley to determine the interim AEW World Champion.  From the moment Moxley started competing in New Japan the one wrestler he wanted to face more than anybody else was “The Ace of New Japan” in Tanahashi.  We caught a brief glimpse of that match back in May in Washington, DC but in June we got the full meal.

In a match that went just under twenty minutes, both men laid it all on the line to become the interim AEW World Champion.  Both men go back and forth each taking advantage of the other wrestler.  However, in the end, it was Moxley who was able to get the pinfall and become the interim AEW World Champion.

The show not only entertained the fans and made them go crazy for some of the biggest names in wrestling and matches but it also strengthened the relationship between AEW and New Japan.  There’s no doubt after Forbidden Door was over that we would see AEW wrestlers go and compete for New Japan and we would see New Japan wrestlers go and compete for AEW.

A perfect example of the aftermath of this show and the relationship between both wrestling companies is the upcoming Wrestle Kingdom 17 event.  FTR along with Kenny Omega will both be competing in huge matches at the January 4th event.  FTR defends the IWGP Tag Team Championship and Omega will be competing in another dream match this time against Will Ospreay.

No matter if you’re a fan of AEW, a fan of New Japan, a fan of both promotions, or if you’re a fan of pro wrestling, this show delivered the good in just about every aspect.  From big title matches to surprise debuts to fantastic tag team matches, Forbidden Door was truly an event to remember from 2022.