AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door already has fans ravenous with anticipation as The American Dragon Bryan Danielson takes on The Rainmaker Kazuchika Okada in a never-seen-before-dream match. The eagerly-awaited rematch between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay is also a huge draw and now IWGP Heavyweight Championship SANADA will defend his title adding further excitement to the event.
On the June 25th episode of Dynamite the IWGP Heavyweight Championship appeared via video to offer up his title in an open challenge at the upcoming pay-per-view.
I am the IWGP Heavyweight Champion SANADA. On June 25th, I plan to show the world the strength of an IWGP Champion. At Forbidden Door there will be an open challenge for this IWGP Heavyweight Championship.
I look forawrd to seeing who steps up. AEW roster, I am waiting for your reply. See you next time.
He didn’t have to wait long as one of the promotion’s four pillars wasted little time answering his open challenge.
Jungle Boy Jack Perry Answered SANADA’s AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door Challenge
Later on in the show, Jungle Boy and Hook conducted an interview backstage where the former World Tag Team Champion declared himself as the one to step up to the IWGP Heavyweight Champion.
We are hyped because the summer of Jungle Hook is in full swing, but I’m going to be honest. I’m starting to feel a bit naked standing here next to Hook with a title of my own. Now I’ve said I was going to win a title this year and I meant it. So, that is why right now, I am officially accepting Sanada’s open challenge for IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Forbidden Door.
After Jungle Boy’s major announcement, he turned to his partner Hook and asked him to be his corner for the match, to which he silently agreed. The match was then made official and will take place on Sunday, June 25th, at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The title match will be the champion’s third defence since claiming the coveted gold when he defeated Okada at NJPW Sakura Genesis 2023 on April 8th.
The special title bout wasn’t the only significant addition to the inter-promotional event to occur on the show. The Ace of NJPW Hiroshi Tanahashi also made an unannounced appearance to challenge MJF for the All Elite Wrestling World Championship.
However, despite the match being made official and scheduled for the event, MJF revealed he wasn’t interested and threatened to no-show.
At the time of writing the card is as follows:
- MJF (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi – World Championship
- Sanada (c) vs. Jungle Boy Jack Perry – IWGP Heavyweight Championship
- Kenny Omega (c) vs. Will Ospreay – IWGP United States Championship
- Kazuchika Okada vs. Bryan Danielson
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