AEW x NJPW FORBIDDEN DOOR 2023
MJF vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
This wasn't very memorable or particularly great, but I thought it was a solid match. Tanahashi is definitely showing his age + wear n' tear, but he still of course makes for an effective babyface. MJF with his usually-always good work as well make this for an all around okay fun-time opener. **3/4
CM Punk vs. Satoshi Kojima
LARIAT, LARIAT, KOJIMA, KOJIMA. FOR DEE. Oh hell YES. This was a pretty fun little PPV midcard number. Kojima played the hits & Punk continues to deliver wonderful performances in his return run. ***
Orange Cassidy vs. Daniel Garcia vs. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Loved this. Shibata & ZSJ cock-fighting throughout, Cassidy getting the shit beaten out of him by them two & ultimately finding a way to survive + escape with the title.. Banging stuff. ***1/2
SANADA vs. Jack Perry
This felt like one of those mid-2010s Tokyo Dome ROH Title matches. It felt like those in that there was just absolutely nothing to take away from the match. It's just a match that happened in the middle of the card. *1/2
The Elite, Eddie Kingston & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Blackpool Combat Club, Konosuke Takeshita & Shota Umino
A straight up multi-man tag team bangeroid here. When The Jackson bros do this kind of match well, they do it WELL, alright. Everybody got their shit in & looked fabulous. ***1/2
Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay
My goodness what a match! In their previous match, Kenny was absolutely fantastic dishing out punishment at yung William, but he might've been even better here taking a wonderful beating from Ospreay. Loved how that dynamic flipped from match to match between 'em. Phenomenal visuals, amazing moments, great dynamic continuing from that previous match of theirs. This was amazing. Tiger Driver 91 forever. Unreal Kenny Omega performance. Fantastic fucking match. ****1/4
Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada
Didn't reach its full potential for obvious reasons, but I still loved the hell out of this. Big match feel between two living professional wrestling legends - watching the GOAT kick & stretch the shit out of Okada was an absolute joy. I can't wait for the eventual rematch if it ever happens, and if it does, this will be such a sweet first chapter to remember. ***3/4
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