Just hours prior to AEW Rampage and Countdown to Forbiddden Door, Tony Khan spoke to the media to address injuries, roster depth, PPV buys, additions and exclusions to the card, the company’s wellness policy, the future of the AEW/NJPW collaboration, the potential for more annual PPVs, and more. Below are some of the highlights from the Forbidden Door media call:
Tony Khan Forbidden Door Media Call Recap
The Impact of Injuries and Depth on the Forbidden Door Card
As is well-known by now, both AEWand NJPW have dealt with some significant injuries in the lead-up to Forbidden Door, the biggest of which came when it was announced CM Punk had to vacate his newly won AEW World Heavyweight Championship. Punk had been set for a dream match against Hiroshi Tanahashi, but that will have to wait as instead, an interim champ will be crowned as Tanahashi takes on Jon Moxley. Another major injury was that of Bryan Danielson, who was set for a technician showdown of the century against Zack Sabre Jr. Sabre won the PWI Bryan Danielson Award – Best Technical Wrestler Award for seven consecutive years until Danielson regained his crown in 2021 to mark his 10th such time winning the award that now bears his name. No doubt, this was a match both fans and these two wrestlers had wanted to see happen.
But as Tony Khan noted in his media call, AEW’s depth played a huge role in how the card would develop after the loss of those two matches. Often criticized for having too big of a roster, Khan suggested it is that very depth that helped get them through the pandemic and that has helped in the creation of this supercard. “We have so many wrestlers in AEW that we have no trouble putting on a great show. The depth is there.” Khan also posed an interesting thought, noting that both WWE and NJPW have taken their marquee events (WrestleMania and WrestleKingdom respectively) to two nights given the quality of depth within both companies. Perhaps a two-night All Out is something we’ll see in the near future.
Moxley vs Tanahashi and Sabre Jr. vs ???
It’s no real secret that Jon Moxley has wanted to wrestle Hiroshi Tanahashi for a while now. So when an injury to CM Punk led to an opening on the Forbidden Door card, it was a no-brainer to Tony Khan who would fill it. And that’s why Khan isn’t disappointed that the card needed to change. That said, Khan did express wishing the match had come about under other circumstances. Overall though, the excitement is there for “Moxley stepping up to wrestle the person he wants to wrestle most in the world.”
The same can be said for the Zack Sabre Jr. vs Bryan Danielson match. While there is no doubt fans had wanted this match, as did both men, Khan teased the mystery opponent and the opportunity it provides, telling the media that “there are very few wrestlers that people would want to step in for Danielson but there is one person out there we were able to get and I’m really excited for it.” So while the loss of Danielson and Punk are tough blows to this card, Khan feels fortunate in how things ultimately worked out and how fans will respond to the “great moment” that will happen at the United Center when the mystery opponent is revealed.
Availability and Building the Forbidden Door Card
One of the criticisms ahead of Forbidden Door has been the lack of build and establishment of the NJPW stars as well as high-profile absences from the card. Well, if Tony Khan had his way that wouldn’t have been the case. As Khan noted on the media call, when the idea of Forbidden Door became a reality, he was given a list of NJPW wrestlers and their availability. While he did not name names, Khan did express there being several wrestlers he wasn’t able to get and others he wasn’t able to get until the last minute. That made building creative a little tough. Hiroshi Tanahashi was at the core of it all but Khan knew he needed another NJPW star to help build the card. That’s why he told the media, he had to push to get Will Ospreay in before Dominion. Getting Ospreay in allowed Khan to have the IWGP United States Champion wrestle several matches in an AEW ring as well as to build his six-man tag story heading into Forbidden Door.
Khan added that the availability of NJPW wrestlers meant he only had access to Jay White two weeks out of the PPV and Kazuchika Okada and Zack Sabre Jr. only one week out. “One of the challenges I knew I was going to face was not having people on TV longer,” Khan told the media. He also expressed having wanted to have these guys sooner in order to both build the FD card as well as expose wrestlers to an American audience who may otherwise be unfamiliar with them.
Related to availability, Khan also touched on some of his own wrestlers who were unavailable for this card due to reasons unrelated to injuries. Explaining a little into politics that many wrestling fans may not know, Khan talked about the NJPW/AAA situation and how it impacted his ability to put wrestlers including Rey Fenix and Andrade Il Idilo on the card. It is for that reason that Khan explained why those two wrestlers are opening up the go-home Rampage. “One of the challenges is politics since AAA and NJPW don’t work together so tonight on Rampage, we are doing a match that didn’t make sense for the PPV…we thought it would be great to give them that opening and think they will tear the house down.”
Forbidden Door II: “We have to plan to do it again, a sequel is to be expected.”
People talk about the Mount Rushmores of wrestling all the time and during his media call, Tony Khan presented his own in a manner of speaking. Citing the fans’ enthusiasm and clamoring for an AEW/NJPW partnership for years, Khan noted that Forbidden Door had to be one of the top events that wrestling fans had wanted to see. So it likely won’t come across as earth-shattering news that Khan essentially confirmed Forbidden Door II is all but a certainty, stating, “Absolutely, we’ve thought a lot about it…we’ve already discussed the possibility based on the success we’ve already had…I think it’s been so successful that we have to plan to do it again, a sequel is to be expected.”
For fans, that comes as music to their ears as with so many injuries and availability issues, Forbidden Door certainly has some matches left on the table. But as Khan noted, anything can change in a year’s time. Other wrestlers could be injured leading up to FD II or could be with other companies. Khan made it a point to say that the focus for Forbidden Door shouldn’t be on who isn’t on the card this year but on the extraordinary wrestlers and matches who will be wrestling in this history-making event. Khan used this opportunity to put over Tanahashi, Okada, Sabre Jr.’s mystery opponent, and Orange Cassidy, noting, “he doesn’t get excited about many things but he does about New Japan Pro Wrestling.”
Inspiration Behind Forbidden Door
A lifelong wrestling fan, Tony Khan also talked to the media about the inspiration behind Forbidden Door coming from the old WCW/NJPW partnership and shows like Starrcade 95. “When I was a kid, I was very excited about the collaboration between WCW and NJPW as that was the way I was introduced to pro wrestling in Japan, was when the wrestlers came to WCW,” Khan said, adding that he hopes Forbidden Door does the same for a new generation of wrestling fans.
Khan spoke about that original partnership, Eric Bischoff and Antonio Inoki‘s “another level” working relationship, and the collaboration with shows in the Tokyo Dome. He suggested the huge opportunities for the marketability of these wrestlers both in Japan and the U.S. and how both companies benefited from the partnership. Khan feels the same about his current partnership with NJPW and believes that Forbidden Door is huge for wrestling as “for a long time there hasn’t been a show on this stage in a big sell-out arena” between two promotions.
But Wait, There’s More: The Buy-In is Still Being Built and More PPVs a Year Are Being Considered
Tony Khan responded to a question during the Forbidden Door media call regarding a shorter buy-in show by noting that the card is still being built. With only one match announced so far, Khan said the go-home Rampage will see more matches announced as plans are still being finalized with some NJPW wrestlers. Khan also noted that Rampage will feature a “very wild fashion” ending that leads right into Countdown, and that a stipulation regarding Blood and Guts will also be revealed as it relates to Forbidden Door and “ties the two together more than they already are.”
In regards to PPVs, Khan knows that there is more revenue to be had for AEW should they increase their number of annual PPVs from four to more. But at the same time, while the idea of adding more shows has crossed his mind, Khan says this not something they are imminently looking to do. That said, it’s not something he is ruling out in the future, especially as AEW’s roster continues to grow and the company continues to expand globally.
The Jeff Hardy Situation and AEW’s Wellness Policy
While Tony Khan was remiss to give too many specifics, AEW’s founder did answer some questions regarding Jeff Hardy‘s current status following his DUI arrest and AEW’s overall wellness policy.
On Hardy, Khan said that “Jeff is doing much better, and as I understand he is in treatment.” Khan also said he has talked to Matt Hardy and let him know that AEW is here to support Jeff through his treatment. Khan remarked on his stern tone as he answered the question, telling the media that Jeff “had to go to treatment” and that this was his “last chance” in order to continue receiving the company’s support. Khan was also quick to differentiate between Hardy’s treatment, which came about through a legal matter, and Jon Moxley’s, which was driven by a self-decision to get help. “I don’t like the two of them being compared,” he said.
On that same topic during the Forbidden Door media call, Khan addressed AEW’s overall wellness policy with more generic information than anything really specific. Saying that there was no policy against drinking as most of the roster drinks responsibly and it would be near impossible to test for alcohol after shows, Khan repeated several times that the main theme of the policy is getting help for anyone who needs it. “The most important thing is they get the help,” Khan said, while stating that AEW offers the same quality of treatment no matter if the wrestler is a top draw or someone who isn’t on TV frequently. “I just want to stress,” Khan added, “we are here to offer help to anyone who needs it.”
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS and AEW Dark: Elevation (Monday nights) and AEW: Dark (Tuesday nights) at 7 PM ET on YouTube. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night. You can rewatch all 2021 NJPW events and plenty more tremendous wrestling content from New Japan Pro-Wrestling on NJPWWorld.com; The King of Sports Streaming. Make sure to catch Forbidden Door on Sunday, June 26th, and stay tuned to LWOPW for Forbidden Door card updates.
