AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door II featured two epic matches packed with storytelling magic

AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door II lived up to the hype and delivered two matches that fans will not forget. 

Forbidden Door II was an exceptional night of professional wrestling. There were many high moments that sent fans home with a smile on their faces. The focus immediately swung to the debate about which was the better match, the rematch between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay, or the dream match between Kazuchika Okada and Bryan Danielson. While everyone will have their opinions, one thing did happen – fans experienced two separate pathways to the outcome; powerful professional wrestling stories told in the ring.

The rivalry between Omega and Ospreay was built on a level of dismissiveness and hatred that’s boiled over for years. Omega played up the idea that Ospreay failed to fill his shoes when he left New Japan Pro Wrestling, and Ospreay was out for blood after the beating he took at Omega’s hands at Wrestle Kingdom earlier this year. They faced the challenge of living up to that match and when the dust settled, they had reached that goal.

Omega vs Ospreay II featured everything. Brutality that elevated from where they left things back in January. An intentional swing in momentum, as Ospreay made it a point to be on top for 80 percent or more of the match – as he claimed Omega had done to him earlier in the year. Omega was battling to not let Ospreay surpass him, even eliciting rage when Ospreay used the One-Winged Angel. Even all the Don Callis stuff served a point to push the story in this match. They succeeded, and while some will argue that the first match was better, this was still an epic tale in wrestling.

Then came the main event. There was no history. No animosity. Just two men who carved a path to greatness in wrestling standing across the ring from each other. The story was simple: “We both can’t be the best in the world.”

For 27:47 they battled for that right. It was a match that featured layers built around Okada trying to put Danielson away with The Rainmaker. In the end, it was a counter that allowed Danielson to lock in a brutal submission to get the victory.

Where Omega and Ospreay broke out all the high-risk, and sheer violence, Okada and Danielson stuck with a level of technicality that was brutal in its own sense, but worthy of two men battling for a title that doesn’t have a championship belt. It was almost as if they were working to show the world there’s a level beyond what fans see today and it may be a dying aspect of the industry.

Debate culture in professional wrestling isn’t new. With so much history and years of performances, there’s a lot of material to tap into. AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door II put two classics in the record book and all four men should be praised for their involvement.