Dave Meltzer has revealed his match ratings for the latest cross-promotional spectacular involving New Japan Pro-Wrestling and AEW.
Forbidden Door 2023 was the second event to be run under that banner, following on from the success of 2022.
The card was headed by the dream match between Bryan Danielson and Kazuchika Okada. After a hard-fought battle, it was the American Dragon who got the win, but that victory came at a cost. It has since been revealed that Danielson broke his arm with 10 minutes of the match still remaining, but continued to wrestle to the finish.
The biggest talking point from the show was the latest showdown between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay. The pair met back in January at Wrestle Kingdom 17 as Omega won the IWGP United States Title. With revenge on his mind, many expected Ospreay to push Omega into a match-of-the-year candidate, and it would be tough to argue that’s not what happened.
Ospreay scored the win when all was said and done at the end of a 40-minute classic.
Writing in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer has now given his thoughts on the night’s action. Unsurprisingly it was the clash between Omega and Ospreay that topped the scores.
Dave Meltzer Match Ratings For AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door
- Tom Lawlor vs. Serpentico NO RATING
- Mogul Embassy vs. Chaos ***1/4
- Athena vs. Billie Starkz – Owen Hart Tournament **1/4
- El Phantasmo vs. Stu Grayson ***1/4
- Los Ingobernables de Japon vs. United Empire ***1/2
- MJF (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – AEW World Championship ***1/4
- CM Punk vs. Satoshi Kojima – Owen Hart Tournament ****
- Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Daniel Garcia vs. Katsuyori Shibata – International Championship ****
- Sanada (c) vs. Jungle Boy Jack Perry – IWGP World Heavyweight Championship ***3/4
- The Elite & Eddie Kingston, Tomohiro Ishii vs. The Blackpool Combat Club ****3/4
- Toni Storm (c) vs. Willow Nightingale – AEW Women’s Championship ***1/4
- Kenny Omega (c) vs. Will Ospreay – IWGP United States Title ******
- Sting, Darby Allin & Tetsuya Naito vs. Les Suzuki Gods ***
- Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada ****3/4