Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay steal show

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The thought going into Forbidden Door was it has the potential to be one of the best pure wrestling shows we have seen in a long time.

It lived up to the lofty expectations.

Both main events absolutely delivered, and people will be talking about Kenny Omega against Will Ospreay at the Scotia Bank Arena on Sunday night for a long, long time. The majority of the matches either met or exceeded expectations. Couple last year’s strong showing with what we saw this year and Forbidden Door is quickly becoming a very special event.

Here are five takeaways:    

Something Truly Special

Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay gave us something exceptional, something right on par with their classic at the Tokyo Dome in January. It was a three-act play of both wrestling’s beauty and brutality that only leaves you wanting to see the trilogy completed.

Ospreay got his revenge on Omega and reclaimed the IWGP United States championship. He did receive some help from the slimy Don Callis — who had been tossed from ringside, was still allowed to return and slip the challenger the infamous screwdriver — but thankfully that didn’t play a role in the actual finish. After Omega got a foot on the rope after the first Storm Breaker and kicked out at one after taking a One-Winged Angel, it took an elbowpad-less Hidden Blade and a second Storm Breaker to put Omega away.

The match itself played out in acts. First, with the counter-attack and ballet style of wrestling Omega and Opsreay made their names on and left out of their first meeting. Ospreay’s callback to take it physically to Omega as he did to him in Japan started Act II. The violent portion left both men bloody and brutalized.

Ospreay repeatedly smashed Omega’s head into the announce table in a callback to their earlier meeting, and Omega DDTed Ospreay on the propped-up ring step to open him up. Everything — including plenty of knees — was stiff and with purpose. Act III started when Callis, continuing his betrayal angle with Omega, came back out. You could make the case the ref not tossing him again at some point was the one logical blemish on the match. But it was needed to advance the story. Omega did land awkwardly on his head on a Tiger Driver 91; hopefully he is OK.

Thought taking the moment lick to Omega’s blood off and stealing the Canadian flag from a fan shows how far Ospreay has come as a storyteller outside the moves.

Wrestling Excellence and Injury

On almost any other pro wrestling card, the dream match that occurred between Bryan Danielson and Kuzuchika Okada would have been the highlight of the night. It was that good — in a very different way — from what we saw from Omega and Ospreay.

Danielson and Okada crafted a sensational and logical clash of technical excellence. Each man came in with a plan, each going after the other’s arm to try to take away a finishing maneuver. Okada looked to have done it better, as Danielson sold his right arm being out of commission and being unable to get the LeBell Lock fully on during the first try. On the second attempt — as the world’s best wrestler would — he got creative. The American Dragon modified the hold, stacking his legs to put added pressure. It forced a stunning tap out by the Okada — his first since a loss to Shinsuke Nakamura in 2015 — that should set them up to run it back at in the Tokyo Dome in January.

It was the conclusion of a match that saw Danielson come out to “The Final Countdown” song for the first time since his Ring of Honor days decades ago — seemingly erasing any ill will from his recent heel run with the Blackpool Combat Club for one night. It was a contest where each move and countermove felt logical. No spots here, just physical chess between two masters. Danielson seemed to have new life every time Okada looked in control. He at one point got the refs to step in to give him a window to turn the match.

(Danielson revealed after the match in the media scrum that he fractured his right forearm 10 minutes into the match and will likely be out for 6 to 8 weeks. He also said it did alter the finish.)

Handling His Business

MJF and Hiroshi Tanahashi turned in about as good a match as you could have hoped for considering the limitations of the New Japan “Ace” at the age of 46. This was a story-heavy match that had the crowd into the opener despite a bit of a lame finish and MJF seeming to sell his knee in every match.

MJF’s ring robe had “New Japan is an Indie” on the back, and the shenanigans flowed for the first five minutes to play into his reluctance to have this match for his AEW world championship. He even sent out a scheduled tweet saying he’d beaten Tanahashi by now — even though he hadn’t. The action eventually picked up, and MJF did an excellent job selling for Tanahashi. These two told a solid story of the arrogance MJF has for the Japanese legend, who seemingly had a counter for all of the champ’s attempts at anything underhanded until the end.

Tanahashi went for a High Fly Flow and MJF got his knees up but sold that he hurt his knee. MJF brought his belt in the ring. As the ref took it away from him, Tanahashi rolled up MJF for more than a three-count, but the AEW star was able to use his Dynamite Diamond ring to retain.

Friendly Fire

The recently returned Eddie Kingston was at the center of the story in the fantastic 10-man tag match that saw him, The Elite and Tomohiro Ishii get a win over the Blackpool Combat Club, Konosuke Takeshita and Shota Umiino. The place erupted when Kingston and friend Jon Moxley squared off in the ring.

Kingston’s rival Claudio Castagnoli kept getting some cheap offense on him throughout the match and the Mad King didn’t get to return too much back. At one point, Kingston pushed Moxley, whom he is still friends with, out of the way of an attack from The Young Bucks to show his conflicted feelings. The match itself was paced perfectly, everyone got a chance to shine and the tag team offense was superb.

Jungle, Oh Boy

“Jungle Boy” Jack Perry has said he will win a championship in AEW this year, and after not winning the AEW and IWGP heavyweight title, it appears he has his sights set in the FTW belt. After losing to SANADA, Perry officially turned heel by clotheslining Hook on the ramp after that match.

Though this was a big stage for the turn, this feels like it needs to happen in the ring and with a little more tension built. He and Hook is a fascinating feud between two young stars. That being said, Perry and SANADA had a good solid match with the AEW star showing some heel tendencies already. Perry didn’t feel out of his league, but just not quite on the main-event level yet.

Other Matches

CM Punk over Satoshi Kojima, Owen Hart Foundation Cup tournament

CM Punk and the legendary Kojima’s clash met or exceeded expectations. Kojima at 52 can still go, and Punk leaned into the heavy boos he has received in Toronto. Punk even pulled out the Hulk Hogan hand to the crowd and leg drop for the second straight day and trolled Kojima — who had dominated early — with his own signature lariats on the corner.

Kojima eventually returned the favor with a few heavy ones later. Punk, who tried to win with an Anaconda Vise, eventually countered Kojima’s lariat attempt with a DDT. Kojima shut down a GTS the first time, but the second try landed. We are now halfway to Punk vs. Samoa Joe in the second round.   

Sting, Darby Allin and Tetsuya Naito over Chris Jericho, Minoru Suzuki and Sammy Guevara

Yes, we got to see Sting and Chris Jericho come to blows in a ring for the first time and a little strain be put on Jericho and Guevara’s relationship. But if there was one match that felt messy and a miss, it was this one sandwiched between the two main events. Sting felt overexposed and old for the first time in a while after taking a few big moves. Guevara hit a top rope 630 splash through a table on him to the outside.

When things were in the ring, they told OK stories, but it went off the rails too often. Naito pinning Suzuki, with some help from Sting, did nothing other than preserve the AEW guys needing to go at it again. They will, as Jericho crashed the media scrum to ensure we will get Sting and Allin vs “Painmaker” Jericho and Guevara in a tornado tag Wednesday. Allin and Guevara feel like they are playing second fiddle to their legends again.

Orange Cassidy over Zach Sabre Jr., Daniel Garcia and Katsuyori Shibata to retain the AEW International championship.

Man, this was a lot of fun — especially after the two slower-paced matches ahead of it. This was non-stop action with the proper mix of strong-style wrestling and story. Cassidy pushed Shibata out of the way after he landed his Penalty Kick finisher on Garcia to pin the only “sport entertainer” in the match. Sabre Jr. appeared to challenge Cassidy to a singles match after.

Toni Storm over Willow Nightingale to retain the AEW women’s world championship

The more fans get to see Nightingale in the high-profile matches, the more you she is ready for the top of the card. The New Japan Strong women’s champ has a connection to the audience, and her stuff in the ring looks legit like a fight. Nightingale didn’t beat Storm, who pulled the referee in front of her to get the upper hand and the win, but she continues to prove she belongs in the quality of the match she’s put in.   

Biggest Winner: Will Ospreay

Biggest Loser: Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin

Best Match: Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay

Grade: A

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