The women will steal the show at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door III

AEW x Forbidden Door III is a stacked showcase with 13 matches and potentially more to come. There’s a lot to look forward to on Sunday, June 30. Including the idea that the women’s division will steal the show once the weekend is done.

Forbidden Door currently features four women’s matches. Mercedes Mone will take on Stephanie Vaquer. Toni Storm defends against Mina Shirakawa. Kris Statlander and Momo Watanabe team to take on Willow Nightingale and Tam Nakano. Mariah May and Saraya will battle in a first-round matchup of the Women’s Owen Hart Cup. After years of pleading from fans, AEW is finally turning the corner with its presentation of women’s wrestling and this is the fruit of that change.

What’s important to discuss with these matches is that they are all packed with story and purpose. The “AEW doesn’t tell stories” narrative is clearly false, and that’s consistently been the truth when it comes to the women’s division. The women find a way to make the most of the limited time they get on television, and that limited time has turned into the division being some of the most interesting aspects of the promotion.

The outcome between Shirakawa and Storm is predictable but still captivating. After that end to AEW Dynamite, it makes sense that May is going to side with Storm. But that only heightens the moment of when they face off as the story being told there is May’s the woman to eventually take that title from the Timeless One.

Mone versus Vaquer will be for the fans of wrestling. Go back to their May 21 match for an example of what these two ladies can do. This match currently sits at an 8.05 rating on Cagematch via 183 total votes. Wrestling fans who aren’t too familiar with Vaquer are in for a treat when she faces off with Mone. The outcome here is predictable as well, as it is too early to beat Mone and NJPW wanted her to hold that NJPW Strong Women’s title.

Nightingale versus Statlander is a MEAT match in the women’s division if there ever was to be one. Adding in Watanabe and Nakano makes sense for those familiar with Stardom but wasn’t necessary for the story being told. Still, these four women are going to tear it down and continue the story between the two AEW women’s division standouts.

May versus Saraya continues the angle between those two groups and builds the tournament. Expect May to go over in what should be a well-wrestled match. Saraya hasn’t translated in the way that many hoped in AEW, which could be equally tied to Tony Khan’s booking of the women’s division. But she’s still over with fans and a strong character in front of the camera. This will be another fun match with May getting the win, while hopefully teasing the eventual split between here and Storm.

There was a time when it would be wild to see an AEW PPV with four women’s matches but here we are. AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door III will be a huge night in wrestling. Expect many to be talking about the action in the women’s division as these ladies can all steal the show and the entire weekend.