Picture Credit: Twitter/AEW
All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling have announced their joined Pay-Per-View called Forbidden Door which will take place on June 26 at the United Center in Chicago. The announcement was made by CEO, GM and Head of Creative of AEW Tony Khan and NJPW President Takami Ohbari during the latest episode of Dynamite.
Khan said, “As the world continues to reopen, I’m making sure the Forbidden Door follows suit and we can finally give fans the dream events they’ve always imagined. The United Center was home to one of AEW’s biggest events of all time, The First Dance, where CM Punk made his return to wrestling after a seven-year hiatus. This summer, fans of AEW and NJPW can expect the unexpected during this extraordinary, first-of-its-kind pay-per-view between our two incredible companies.”
“As we have done for more than 50 years, the power of pro-wrestling can energize people by fulfilling their dreams,” said Takami Ohbari, President of NJPW. “Now, it’s quite an important mission for us, the pro-wrestling industry as a whole. We are not only opening this door. We will show you NJPW’s genuine Strong-Style beyond the Forbidden door.”
NJPW’s Jay White addressed this Pay-Per-View as he said, “let me make this one thing very clear- it isn’t about New Japan Pro-Wrestling, and it isn’t about AEW. This is about the Undisputed Elite and BULLET CLUB because it’s still our era.”
“This is for wrestling fans”
While speaking to Sports Illustrated, Khan talked about how much AEW has grown in the space of last year allowing them to collaborate with NJPW. “This is for wrestling fans. There are many dream matches that can take place now that the ‘forbidden door’ is finally open,” he said.
“It would have been unfathomable to collaborate on a pay-per-view when AEW first started, but a lot has changed since then in the world of wrestling,” continued Khan. “I believe we’ve earned their trust. We started working closely together last year.”
“The more we’ve collaborated, the better the relationship has become and the more trust we’ve built. It’s culminating at this huge event on pay-per-view with the stars of AEW and the stars of New Japan Pro-Wrestling colliding at Forbidden Door.”