The first collaborative pay-per-view betweenAll Elite Wrestlingand New Japan Pro-Wrestling has a new change to its lineup. An injury to Tomohiro Ishii, one of Forbidden Door’s competitors, has altered the lineup for the crossover event that is already without some of the sport’s biggest competitors. Ishii will be replaced in his match by the man he defeated to qualify for Forbidden Door.
AEWX NJPW: Forbidden Door’s card is stacked with 10 matches, six of which are for championships. NJPW will have its IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, IWGP United States Championship, and IWGP Tag Team Championship on the line. AEW will defend itsWomen’s World Championship, crown an interim World Champion, and an inaugural All-Atlantic Champion. The collaborative event hopes to become an annual occurrence between the two promotions.
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The fatal 4-way to crown an inaugural All-Atlantic Champion at Forbidden Door has seen a slight change to its lineup. NJPW revealed that Tomohiro Ishii, who was set to compete against PAC, Miro, and Malakai Black in the tournament, had suffered a left knee injury and was not medically cleared to compete. The company went on to reveal Clark Connors wouldtake Ishii’s place at Forbidden Door. Ishii had previously defeated Connors to qualify for a spot in the fatal 4-way for the inaugural All-Atlantic Championship. With Ishii unable to compete, the opportunity to win the gold and represent NJPW in the tournament has fallen on Connors’ shoulders.
On June 8, following the announcement of a match between PAC and Buddy Matthews, AEW revealed the match between the two men would have high stakes. It would be the first match in a tournament to crown an inaugural AEW All-Atlantic Champion. AEW credited the tournament and championshipto represent their viewershipfrom over 130 countries. The tournament would draw to a close with a fatal 4-way at Forbidden Door between the men who were victorious in their matches. Each of those involved in the tournament represented a different country: PAC (United Kingdom), Buddy Matthews (Australia), Miro (Bulgaria), Ethan Page (Canada), Malakai Black (Netherlands), Penta Oscuro (Mexico), Ishii (Japan), and Connors (United States).
Prior to taking on Ishii to qualify for Forbidden Door, Connors had defeated Tomoaki Homma, a former IWGP Tag Team Champion. Ishii defeated Yoshinobu Kanemaru, a six-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champion prior to his match with Connors. Connors is the first and only winner ofNJPW’s Lion’s Break Crown. Connors won the honor back in 2020 after defeating Danny Limelight in the finals. Connors received training from Lance Storm and Katsuyori Shibata, which should give some promising indication to those who have yet to see Connors perform in the ring.
Ishii isn’t the first person fans were excited to see at Forbidden Door to suffer an injury. Bryan Danielson was called out by NJPW’s Zack Sabre Jr. and is not medically cleared to compete. Instead, Danielson hand-picked an opponent for Sabre Jr. to face, and the identity of that competitor will be revealed on Sunday. AEW World Champion CM Punk is also unable to compete on the card, as he recently underwent ankle surgery. Former AEW Champion and long-time NJPW competitorKenny Omegais also not scheduled on the card, as he departed from in-ring competition shortly after his loss at AEW Full Gear. Despite the disappointment some may feel toward the Forbidden Door lineup, its card, including Connors’ addition, is certain to make it unforgettable.
AEW X NJPW: Forbidden Doorwill be live from the United Center in Chicago on June 05, 2025.
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