Top 5 Matches We're Most Excited For at Forbidden Door 2024
A new contender has entered the ring at the crossover event Forbidden Door. Here are details, our top 5 matches, and how to stream the PPV live with Sling.
Pop culture is full of grand, combat-themed crossovers. Marvel vs. Capcom, Alien Vs. Predator, Batman vs. Superman, Bojack Horseman vs. Mr. Peanutbutter. Wrestling too, is no stranger to interpromotional warfare. From the days of the Invasion angle between the then-WWF and “WCW/ECW”, even back further to the NJPW vs. UWFi angle that inspired the NWO, the notoriously competitive wrestling business has a surprisingly rich history of combatants from rival promotions repping the honor of their companies in the confines of the squared circle.
Possibly the most high profile of these in years has been the Forbidden Door series, pitting the stars of AEW against their cross-Pacific rivals at NJPW. This being the third year of the event, it is fitting that a third company has entered the fray: the luchadores representing CMLL. Let’s take a look at the card for this triple threat:
AEW World Championship Match: Swerve Strickland vs. Will Ospreay
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Match: Jon Moxley vs. Tetsuya Naito
AEW TNT Championship Ladder Match: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mark Briscoe vs. Jack Perry vs. Lio Rush vs. More TBD
TBS Championship/NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship Match: Mercedes Mone vs. Stephanie Vaquer
AEW Women’s World Championship Match: Toni Storm vs. Mina Shirakawa
Owen Hart Foundation Tournament First Round Match: Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi
Zack Sabre Jr vs. Orange Cassidy
MJF vs. Hechicero
The bell rings live from UBS Arena in Long Island NY on June 30, 2024 at 8PM ET. Here’s a look at our Top 5 Matches; to order the AEW Forbidden Door PPV with Sling, navigate to “On Demand” and click the “Rentals” tab in the Sling app, or just the link below to order now!
Match #1 - AEW Women’s World Championship Match: Toni Storm vs. Mina Shirakawa
https://www.youtube.com/embed/att4aTIK9uM?si=pAWlh2Gplri2gTZO
The story - Toni Storm has continued her dominant run with the belt, having dispatched Serena Deeb at Double or Nothing. A constant in the Timeless one’s run has been her number one fan, Mariah May, who has been fawning at her side since debuting with AEW several months ago. That being said, her challenger also has a history with Mariah and Mina Shirakawa forming the tag team Rose Gold in Stardom over in Japan. There is clearly still a connection, with the two sharing champagne and a kiss that broke the wrestling internet several weeks back. The question on everyone’s mind should be: who will take home the title? Instead, it is: who will Mariah May side with, and what role will she play?
Why we’re excited - Some of the best stories in wrestling are all about callbacks, and this match does it masterfully on several levels. You have Mina and Mariah’s shared history; you have Toni Storm’s own time in Japan; and then you have the Timeless Toni Storm story, which itself is a call back to old Hollywood. The involvement of Mariah really is the fulcrum on which this whole thing pivots. She clearly still has loyalty to Mina (after all, MIna has come to her aid in recent attacks), but she’s also Toni Storm’s number one fan. That being said, in keeping with the old Hollywood theme, Tony Khan himself has said the Toni Storm storyline draws influences from All About Eve. With that in mind, we can be sure a twist in this story is coming, but when? Also, while we weren’t super familiar with Mina before she started showing up on AEW, her charisma jumps off the screen. We certainly know her name now, and will be excited to see if she can run out the clock on the Timeless one’s reign.
Match #2 AEW World Championship Match: Swerve Strickland vs. Will Ospreay
The story - If there is one thing you can say about the Mogul vs. the Aerial Assassin, it is that these guys earned it. Both are true wrestling success stories of grind and hustle, working their way up the card to the top of their craft. Thus it is fitting they are battling for AEW’s top prize. Further complicating an already high-stakes match is the Don Callis family (because of course Don Callis). Ospreay has made it clear he is going to do this on his own, but the Invisible Hand has never been one to have terms dictated to him, so we’d bet Callis is up to something (besides trying to recruit Rush, which we are so here for). Swerve has already long-ditched the Mogul Embassy, so while this match is positioned to be one-on-one, we have a feeling it will be more complicated than that. Wrestling usually is.
Why we’re excited - This is a match that should just make you appreciate the talent in the ring. Not only are these two of the most legitimately entertaining superstars in AEW (we’d watch Ospreay in a match vs. a ham sandwich), but these are guys that organically built their following and got themselves over. Now they are the best-of-the-best, but there can be only one. Sit back, get your popcorn ready, and try not to choke on it when one of these guys does something you’ve never seen before. Let’s just hope Don Callis doesn’t crash the party.
Match #3 - AEW TNT Championship Ladder Match: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mark Briscoe vs. Jack Perry vs. Lio Rush vs. Dante Martin
https://www.youtube.com/embed/6R3P_ySlZHA?si=Dis0DPbHAWhekV55
The story - Oh man, where to start with this one. Mark Briscoe, the blue collar (or no collar) everyman vs. the smug son of Hollywood Elite, Jack Perry. The budding but uneasy alliance of Dante Martin and a returning Lio Rush. Dante Martin returning to the same type of match where he broke his leg. Konosuke Takeshita – the alpha of the Don Callis family – who just feels too talented to not have a strap over his shoulder. Tony Khan saw all of that, and thought: ‘You know what will elevate this match? Ladders.’ Buckle up fam, alliances will be made, and alliances will be broken. We just hope someone punches Jack Perry in his smug face. Thank goodness upper management decided to overturn the EVP’s decision to hand Perry the title. Championships should be earned, and whoever walks out of this match (assuming they can walk) will have paid for it with bruises and blood.
Why we’re excited - This is going to be bonkers. The championship ladder matches of old were often one-on-one (think Shawn Michaels. Vs. Razor Ramon), or consisted of several teams competing. As crazy as these matches could get, the alliances were at least predictable. That is not the case with this match. This could shake out in all manner of ways, and the stakes are raised by the fact that this match features pure athletes who don’t need a ladder to get serious hangtime. Ladder matches are always a sort of poetic car crash, and we are sure we won’t be able to look away.
Match #4 - TBS Championship/NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship Match: Mercedes Mone vs. Stephanie Vaquer
The story - You can make the argument that money is a globally understood language. At this point, so is Mone. In her post-WWE travels, the CEO FKA Sasha Banks made stops all around the world, from New Japan Pro Wrestling to even the land of luchadors. Her opponent Stephanie Vaquer is no stranger to globetrotting as well, holding the CMLL tag team title with her partner Zeuixis (who she promptly sent to soften up Mercedes ahead of this clash) to being the current NJPW Strong Women’s Champion. Vaquer is also no stranger to Mercedes, having lost a close match to her last year. Now with both combatants holding gold, we get the rare title for title opportunity. Will the Dark Angel of CMLL cast judgment on Mercedes? Or is Vaquer writing a check her ass can’t cash?
Why we’re excited - Mercedes Mone is a natural for an event like Forbidden Door. Not only does she possess arguably the most star power in AEW, but her interpromotional history makes her a believable champion in any federation. Sometimes title opportunities are rare in these crossover PPVs, with neither promoter wanting to risk their title going to someone they don’t deem worthy. In this case, both challengers make for especially credible champions with either belt. This match has the feeling of going either way, and we wouldn’t be shocked if Vaquer evens the series against Mone, setting up a brutal rubber match between the two. Then again, we’d feel like fools for not following the money with Mone either.
Match #5 - Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Orange Cassidy
https://www.youtube.com/embed/YoDIn4JbVIY?si=5NGsrxVp4I5OFXGN
The story - These two have some history, with Orange Cassidy defeating Zack Sabre Jr. and several others to retain the International Championship last year. Zack cites this match for his “unfinished business” with the master of Sloth Style. No titles this time, just two wrestlers who are amongst the best at what they do, repping their respective promotions. Will Orange Cassidy be able to start building momentum towards another title opportunity? Or will he find out just why Sabre’s stable is called the Mighty Don’t Kneel.
Why we’re excited - This one is simple: these guys are two of the best in the world at what they do. Expect shocking reversals, body bending counters, and the brutal beauty of pro wrestling personified.