Scene set for Forbidden Door Wednesday
June 9’s AEW Dynamite would see significant ground laid for AEW and NJPW’s Forbidden Door, as United Empire took the headlines.
Trent Beretta hit the ring and address the assault he and Rocky Romero endured after Great-O-Khan and Jeff Cobb interfered in their ROH Tag Team Championship match two weeks ago. Beretta called out the fighting champions FTR and asked for a rematch, which Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood agreed to, but said that Beretta’s problem should be with ‘Will Ospreay’s b*tch boys’ in United Empire. That prompted Ospreay himself to make an appearance. He, Aaron Henare and Aussie Open would hit the ring and take down FTR, before a Hidden Blade from Ospreay laid out Beretta.
Also on Dynamite, former AEW World Champion Hangman Page took on David Finlay. Page was wrestling his first match since losing the title to CM Punk, while Finlay, wrestling in an AEW ring for the first time, was aggressive at the outset but taken down early. Finlay would look to outleverage Page, but was dropped with a heavy bodyslam and a boot. As Finlay was taken to the floor, a tope suicida followed as Page kept control.
An unforced error from Page in the corner would see Finlay capture his opponent’s foot, and a chop block followed; Page created some distance and looked to dive to the floor again, but he was trapped in the apron by Finlay, who pounded away at the former champion. Keeping on the knee, Finlay’s work was paying off until a high cross was caught into a fallaway slam. A plancha followed for Hangman, wo was still hobbled and fell into a backbreaker from Finlay, who looked to close.
Finlay wanted a second rope European Uppercut, and though he was caught, would adapt with an inside cradle for two. Page was decidedly on the back foot, but a lariat was followed with the Buckshot for three.
Post match, Hangman Page declared that since he wouldn’t have an AEW World Championship shot ‘any time soon’, he wanted the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Page called out Kazuchika Okada but was interrupted by Adam Cole, who said that Jay White could well be champion by Forbidden Door, and, as Owen Hart Tournament winner he deserves a shot more than Page.
The main event of the evening would see Kyle O’Reilly of the Undisputed Elite take on Jon Moxley for the chance to face Hirooki Goto or Hiroshi Tanahashi at Forbidden Door. A hard fought and violent encounter would end with the Regal Knee from Moxley setting up the Death Riser/Paradigm Shift for the victory.
