On Sunday 25th June at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada the second inter-promotional pay-per-view AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door took place. The event saw stars from both promotions go head-to-head in a multitude of never-seen-before-dream matches such as Bryan Danielson vs Kazuchika Okada and the epic rematch between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay.
Omega and Ospreay faced off against each other for the first time since their instant classic at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom earlier this year. In the Tokyo Dome on January 4th, the Best Bout Machine defeated the Aerial Assassin for the IWGP United States Championship.
In their rematch, they once again went to war over the title. For over 30 minutes, they destroyed one another in an epic encounter that both men bloodied and Ospreay with his hand raised in victory.
In the main event of the history-making show, the American Dragon went one-on-one with the Rainmaker in a first-time-ever matchup. The outing saw two of the best wrestlers of all time compete in a back-and-forth battle that was eventually won by the leader of the Blackpool Combat Club.
The PPV also saw SANADA beat Jungle Boy Jack Perry to retain the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, CM Punk defeat Satoshi Kojima and MJF successfully defend the AEW World Championship against Hiroshi Tanahashi.
It is matches like these that make the show so special and has fans flocking to the arena in huge numbers resulting in a record-setting gate.
Tony Khan Reveals AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door’s Record-Breaking Numbers
After the event, AEW President Tony Khan took to social media to reveal that the PPV is the biggest live gate in the promotion’s history.
Tonight #ForbiddenDoor in Toronto is officially the biggest live gate in @AEWhistory at about $1.2 million (USD), and it’s one of the top 3 biggest live gates in the history of pro wrestling in Canada!