Stars And thoughts: AEW NJPW Forbidden Door

 

Stars And thoughts: AEW NJPW Forbidden Door 

(stars and thoughts are my Meltzer style star, radiance mixed with random observations and what not) 

AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door Zero Hour card:

Mogul Embassy (serve  Strickland, Toa Liona and Kaun) vs. Rocky Romero, Trent Baretta and El Desperado  **3/4

(fun opener! Almost everyone in this match is being wasted. ) r

Athena vs. Billie Starkz – Women’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament first round match ***3/4 

(this match exceeded expectations! I love sports these wrestlers!!)

Stu Grayson vs. El Phantasmo *** 

(skip this match no more time and it it’s a humdinger.. as it is the match we got was very entertaining. Hopefully somehow somewhere it’ll happen again, if nothing else just on on the strings on this show!)

United Empire (Jeff Cobb, Kyle Fletcher and TJP) vs. Los Ingobernables De Japon (Shingo Takagi, Bushi and Hiromu Takahashi) **3/4 

(a bit disappointing, essentially a road to match. Main event level talent a preshow match. )

AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 

Onto the the main show Kevin kelly, Taz and Excalibur on the call

AEW World Championship: MJF (c) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi ***

Tanahashi looks like he’s wrestling at the bottom of the ocean. MJF they put together a very smart match, but neither one of them are a miracle worker, and it’s hard to hide. The legend has put on his body.. it’s crazy that wlie Tanahashi is much younger than them is essentially a new Japan dad. MJF is the best there is there is no argument.  He may not be my favorite, but he is truly the full package (he is one of my favorites)

Men's Owen Hart Cup Tournament first round: CM Punk vs. Satoshi Kojima ****

(so simple so brilliant.  Punks ability to go with the flow is Yannick, a true veteran and True pro. In a vacuum this is a slightly above average match. But with crowd this match is a much watch. 

Another thing that is going to be a big topic of conversation is the elbow drop heard round the world!! Kojima Dropped a heavy Elbow to the CM Junk!!  if I was punk, I would have died on the spot! But punk just keeps going! Check this out! )

AEW International Championship Four-Way: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Daniel Garcia ****3/4 

(this match is the best confluence of telling stories and clever spots. They’ve told a clever long running story of orange thriving through his incredible defense schedule to struggling to be downright desperate. In the match proper, they awarded super fans by continuing the intense Shibata V ZSJ feud.  AEW fans in another chapter in the Daniel Garcia V OC. 

Is a match has lots of great action of all different kinds. They twist each other into knots take to the air and beat the crap out of each other.) 

IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Sanada (c) vs. "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry **3/4

(is a smash was mediocre. I like Sanada. There’s. Nothing in the matter with this match, but.. it just didn’t click.) 

10-Man Tag Team match: Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Konosuke Takeshita and Shota Umino vs. "Hangman" Adam Page, The Young Bucks, Eddie Kingston and Tomohiro Ishii ****1/2

(This match did the same great thing as the last, but just not quite as good. The story is great but the delivery was a little bumpy. Everyone in this match is great. Takeshita is amazing. Shooter looks great! Ishii is the best. My only complaint is I think in the overall BCC and Elite story is losing a little heat. There is a Amazing by where Matt Jackson hit a slice bread on Takeshita he grabbed him in the cutter type hold him before he took off in the run towards the turnbuckle he turned and yelled into his betrayers ear “burn in hell!” The Moxley Kingston stuff was awesome but like I said delivered a little bumpy I’m excited to see what comes next with it. But everyone is awesome in this match.)

AEW Women's World Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Willow Nightingale ****1/4

(this match is quite good Tony storm is on fire. At this rate, she’s going to be bigger than her faction taking over like the rock in the nation of domination! They told a great reverse Samson and Goliath style story which is really really hard. The smaller warrior getting the sympathy over there larger is tried-and-true easy in ring story. But to invert that is tough. Do you have to be a real great heal to turn that size difference from heroic fighting form under to “ that little jerk had it coming” great match) 

IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Will Ospreay ******

(here it is this is the match that broke my Melzer scale. The first match came very close. 

If you want to know how good this matches there is a bit of business in regards to outside interference that is so distracting and handled so lousy that even this doesn’t take away from the quality of this absolute masterpiece) image

Six-Man Tag Team match: Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara and Minoru Suzuki vs. Sting, Darby Allin and Nieto **1/2

(kind of a mess. It looks like sting gets killed a couple times and that’s very scary.)

Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada ****

(there is no way this match could live up to my expectations. There is no match on planet earth that could live up to the IWJP UNITED STATES, TITLE MATCH. But this match has some incredible drama the final countdown the silent rivalry the broken arm the via the dreaded elbow drop. Watch the American dragon post show media scrum for even more great sub text)