AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2 Match Ratings and Commentary
Omega vs. Ospreay 2 (Credit-AEW)
Here’s how we rated AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2 from Toronto. Curious how we rank matches? We’ve got a rubric for that.
AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2
MJF def. Hiroshi Tanahashi to retain the AEW World Championship: ★★
CM Punk def. Satoshi Kojima: ★★★
Orange Cassidy def. Katsuyori Shibata, Zack Sabre Jr., and Daniel Garcia to retain the AEW International Championship: ★★★★
SANADA def. “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: ★★★
“Hangman” Adam Page, The Young Bucks, Eddie Kingston, and Tomohiro Ishii def. Blackpool Combat Club, Konosuke Takeshita, and Shota Umino: ★★★★ 1/2
Toni Storm def. Willow Nightingale to retain the AEW Women’s World Championship: ★★★
Will Ospreay def. Kenny Omega to win the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: ★★★★★
Sting, Darby Allin, and Tetsuya Naito def. Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, and Minoru Suzuki: ★★
Bryan Danielson def. Kazuchika Okada: ★★★★ 3/4
CM Punk (Credit-AEW)
Show Highlight—
Ospreay vs. Omega. “Imposter syndrome” would be the first phase that comes to mind when thinking of how Will Ospreay the wrestling character, and perhaps, the actual real-life person, views himself in contrast to Kenny Omega. The video beforehand and the announcers helped accentuate the story, that for as talented and as great of a performer Ospreay is, is still something of a cover version of Omega, and even his heel-ish “sick fuck” actions aren’t better than the real thing. A contrast from their first match in the Tokyo Dome, favoring methodical violence over athletics, depending on your tastes as a viewer this is the best or second best match of the year, and in strong consideration for one of the best matches of all time. It’s certainly the greatest match that ever took place on Canadian soil. The run of near falls in its conclusion is easily one of the best endings to any match I’ve ever watched. This match elevated Forbidden Door 2 to be one of the top ten PPVs of all time.
Omega vs. Ospreay 2 (Credit-AEW)
What Worked—
CM Punk. Being a Tweener really is the perfect casting for Punk. Only he could walk this line so masterfully without tipping his hat and he clearly enjoys the ever-loving-hell outta playing the crowd. Shaking Kojima’s hand and treating him like an icon made him a better heel in the end.
Orange Cassidy. It’s funny how it’s so not-that-insane-anymore to imagine that OC was not the odd man out in this group of professional wrestling-ass wrestlers. And the most sports-entertainer of them all was Garcia, who danced through the pain, eating strikes. Of course, on paper, you’d want to see OC vs ZSJ but there were too many singles matches and this kept the show moving in its formatting as a fourway. Hopefully it’s ZSJ taking the International Title in Wembley.
Jungle Boy turns heel. It had been a long time coming and it was executed perfectly. The nice fakeout of cutting to another part of the production combined with Taz’s serious sell-job made this into the big moment that Jack Perry needed to take his character to its next iteration. He’s got every right to be a heel. His justification can be like Rocky Maivia’s in 1997 (doubt it’ll have the same result, but hey, weirder shit’s happened) of hurt feelings that the fans shit on him so severely.
10 Man tag. Takeshita got to shine and he finally looks like the big deal and threat that he showed the potential to become. Eddie Kingston is so 1997 Mick Foley in that he can take whatever’s given to him and flips it into something so great that skims the surface of the top guy that-could-be-the-top-guy-should-the-office-get-behind-him—and Eddie did that just by his walk to the ring! And speaking of ultimate team players, nice to see Ishii get the fucking duke, too.
Danielson over Okada. Going into the show, before it was cemented that this would be the main event, I predicted whatever match was the semi-main would get all the crazy star ratings and steal the show. People can say the crowd was dead but I don’t know that to be totally accurate, they still lost their shit when it was needed and AEWs audio is never a real read of how the audience responds and what the feeling is like in the building. This ought to take on a second life in knowing that Danielson wrestled with a broken arm. And in fact, hearing “The Final Countdown” I wondered if it was indeed Danielson’s final match.
Eddie and Mox (Credit-AEW)
What Didn’t Work—
Don Callis. The black mark on an otherwise perfect match. The stupidity of his ejection->unchecked re-entry was indefensible. Not only was his inclusion just in general unneeded, it gives the always cucked AEW referees even less authority in that there’s no point for a heel to stay in the back now for any match.
Sammy. The table spot was stupid and unneeded for Sting, but that’s on Sting for allowing it. Sammy’s motivation and character makes no sense yet again and he’s even further irrelevant by being in Jericho’s orbit of recycling angles. And on that topic, if you’ve ever earnestly sung a cover of “Lick It Up,” maybe you should excuse yourself from pitching ideas for a while.
Okada and Danielson (Credit-AEW)
Show Cringe—
Tanahashi. You know why MJF’s mean-spirited impression of Tanahashi was so pitch perfect? Because that’s all Tanahashi is. Tana’s fucking done and it’s a bad faith gesture to see him trotted out in this presentation still. It was disappointing enough to have him wrestle MJF when there was a bevy of more interesting matchups with younger talent. I mean, it makes sense in a fucked up kinda way of the contrast between someone whose genius rises in unparalleled speed to someone whose physical decline falls at the same rate. But dude, just don’t run the ropes! Or wear tights that don’t make you pull at them more than Ronda Rousey fidgets with hers! Let him heal and give him one last Wrestle Kingdom moment to restore his dignity.
Okada taps! (Credit-AEW)
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