Report: Why AEW Booked MJF vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi for Forbidden Door 2023

By Connor Casey

AEW World Champion MJF is booked to face Hiroshi Tanahashi at Forbidden Door later this month. And while Friedman is outright claiming he'll no-show the match given how little he thinks of New Japan as a promotion, the two promotions have continued to advertise the match. The announcement came as a bit of a surprise given Friedman's ongoing storyline with Adam Cole (the two went to a 30-minute draw minutes before Tanahashi's announcement) and the fact that "The Ace" challenged for the same title at last year's event. 

The reported reason behind the match actually has less to do with Friedman going up against one of New Japan's most decorated stars and more with how New Japan views Tanahashi at this point in his career. Dave Meltzer explained on Wrestling Observer Radio that New Japan has a group of wrestlers that it typically won't let lose matches if they go overseas for a cross-branded event. He used New Japan's previous crossovers with Ring of Honor from the 2010s as an example. 

"...There are four guys that New Japan was like, 'If we come to the United States,' or whatever, like when they were working with Ring of Honor, it's like, 'You can't beat these guys. You can do whatever you want.' ...The point is that you couldn't. And then Tanahashi is no longer on that list, so he's a star who can lose, and that's why he wrestled Moxley on the last Forbidden Door show," Meltzer said (h/t WrestlingNews.co).

"Do I have to wrestle at Forbidden Door? F— that. Oh god, it's a f—ing indie fed, dude. I don't know, man. Jesus Christ. Look, with all due respect, their greatest legend probably couldn't lace my boots," Max said during the Double or Nothing post-show media scrum. "I think I would make anybody on that roster look silly, and I don't want to waste my time. I'm a very busy man," he said. "I think New Japan Pro Wrestling sucks. Except for that Great-O-Khan guy, he f—ing pops me. I like him. But everyone else there is the drizzling s—s. I don't know. It reminds me of just like a local indie fed."

AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2023 Card (As of Now)

  • AEW World Champion: MJF vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
  • IWGP United States Championship: Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay
  • IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Sanada vs. "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry
  • Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada

AEW Collision Full Card (June 17, 2023)

  • CM Punk & FTR vs. Samoa Joe, Jay White & Juice Robinson
  • AEW TNT Championship: Wardlow vs. Luchasaurus
  • Andrade El Idolo vs. Buddy Matthews
  • Skye Blue & Willow Nightingale vs. Toni Storm & Ruby Soho
  • Miro vs. TBA
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