The Horror Returns - The Wrestling Returns: AEW Forbidden Door(2022)

Episode Date: July 20, 2022

Brian is back with another TWR Bonus episode. This time Brian takes a peek behind AEW's FORBIDDEN DOOR 2022.   Check out everything Horror Returns at: https://thehorrorreturns.com   Join The Horror Returns Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1056143707851246 THR Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thehorrorreturns   Join The Action Returns Facebook group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/841619946357776   Follow The Action Returns on IG and Twitter: Instagram: @theactionreturns Twitter: @action_returns    Join the THR Presents: Stream Fiends Facebook Group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/3860579827402429 Follow THR Stream Fiends on IG: @thrstreamfiends

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, welcome to another episode of the wrestling returns. What's up, everybody back with another bonus episode of the wrestling returns. Another late one, but, you know, better late than never. This episode, we are going to talk about AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling's Forbidden Door. This took place June 26, 2022, of course, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. This was the first co-promoted event between the two promotions. Let's see. Let's get right into the results.

Of course, we're going to start with the buy-in. Now, I'm going to pre-warn every month. I'm going to butcher these names. If you've heard the main show, you already know I fuck up names left and right, but it is what it is. First buy-in match was Bishamon versus the factory. Bishamon is Heruki, Goto, and Yoshi, Hashi, and the factory is Aaron Solo and QT. Marshall. and Bishamon defeated the factory. Second buy-in match is Lance Archer

versus Nick Comoroto. And this was a pretty decent match. I'm glad they got Lance in there. You know, Lance, the Murder Hawk Monster. They got him in there, get him some exposure. Would have been nice to see him maybe on the main card, but, you know, at least he got on the card, and he defeated Nick Cameroto by Penfall.

Next buying match was Swerve in Our Glory. This is the tag team consisting of Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland, and they defeated Suzuki Gun, El Desperado, and Yashin Yubi Kanmaru. that sounded completely wrong. But I'm digging this tag team of Swerve in our glory, even though they have been kind of teasing already maybe some tension between the two.

Going back to a battle royal they was in when Swerve eliminated Keith and Keith was not too happy about it, but they seem to be on page in this one. I kind of hope they see where, they can go as a tag team instead of already splitting them up. Fourth and final buy-in match on the prelims was Max Caster and the Gunn Club, Billy Gunn, Austin Gun, and Colton Gun, aka The Ass Boys, with Anthony Bowens. They defeated Yuya, Yamura, New Japan, L.A. Dojo, and, yeah, this is a

a another short one you know prelimbs you know they're not going to go long but um essentially this was a kind of a handicap match because uh dan housing came out and distracted uh the younger gun billy gun's sons the austin and colton distracted them had them run after him so just left billy gun and max castor to to go uh four on two but they pulled it out um billy gun he's he's still in there doing it You know, you got to give them credit. And, you know, I like this whole thing they got with the gun club. Him kind of mentoring his sons in the wrestling business. I dig it.

All right. Let's get into the main card. Minoro Suzuki and Les Sex Gods, which is the Les Sex Gods, are Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara with Ty Conti. this is a six-man tag team match they are going up against eddie kingston choto umino and wheeler utah the winning team received a man advantage for blood and guts match which was uh on the next dynamite after this the following week and um minora suzuki and chris jericho and sammy Guevara, they pulled out the win, got the advantage. And if you haven't seen blood and guts, it's exactly what you get, blood and guts.

It was a bloody, bloody match, and there was some good spots in it. So if you haven't seen this, blood and guts on the following Dynamite, definitely recommended. So check that one out. Next match is a three-way winner-takes-all tag-team match for the Ring of Honor Tag Team Championships, as well as the IWGP. team championships. First up you got FTR, which is Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood. They are the Ring of Honor tag team champs. They also are the AAA

tag team champs going against United Empire, which is Great O'Con and Jeff Cobb. They are the IWGP tag team champs and the third team in the match is Rupangi Vice, which is Rocky Romero, a.k.a. King of Sneaky Style. And Trent Beretta. Good back and forth match. The real story of this match was, I believe it was,

uh, was it Cash or Dax? I think it was Cash. If my memory, no, it was Dax. Dax was the one. He got hurt in the middle of the match. He had to leave, but then he made a comeback. Had the arm all taped up.

and great tag team match a lot of good tag team combo moves done in there some some couple high flying moves great technical work from FTR you know they're there's the tag team to be right now they are they're the ones right now and I kind of like to see them maybe oh by the way they pulled out to match FTR wins but I kind of would like to see them get those AEW belts because I think it's just like WWE with the bloodline I just kind of like to see FTR just be draped with all these tag team championships with all these different promotions.

I don't know, maybe go to Impact and go after those ones. Prove that they are the tag team, the best tag team in the world. You know, that would be kind of cool. All right, next up is a fatal forward. match for the inaugural AEW

All Atlantic Championship, which that title for that belt makes no sense, but that could be a whole other episode. We get Pac PAC Let's see, versus Clark Connors from New

Japan versus Mero versus Malachi Black. I don't know much about Clark Connors, but it kind of seemed like he was just thrown in. I know the previous I forgot who he was, but there was a different

guy from New Japan that was supposed to be in a match, but he got hurt and he was not able to be in it. So Clark Connors was filling in, but he had his moments, but it just kind of seemed like he was the guy that was just everybody was

just hitting moves on, throwing him out the ring, throwing him against the guardrail, just slamming him everywhere. And I don't know. Not not the best of showing for New Japan in this match. Pock and, uh, excuse them,

my windows open. That was a bird. Malachi Black, uh, they continued their rivalry, you know, kind of going after each other, you know,

almost like there wasn't a championship on the line. And Mero, the Redeemer. I don't, I don't know, I don't know how to take him during this match. He was just, non-selling everything just kind of i know he's supposed to be this monster coming back from injury you know

he's redeemed and just unstoppable but there was a lot of times where he was just non-selling almost everything in my opinion and he i thought he was going to the way there was he they were pushing him through this match i thought he was going to pull it out but um it ended up being a pock uh defeated uh uh everybody and became the first AEW All Atlantic Championship. But I think out of this match, we might see a new beef between Mero and Malachi Black, which I kind of like to, you know, because we've been getting Death Triangle and the House of Black going at it for a minute. But that was getting kind of old for me.

So I like to see this new angle here where. they start beefing with Mero and I don't know is Mero just going to take on the entire house of black is he going to have someone having his back I don't know we'll see moving on to the next one which was a six-man tag team match with the this is the dumbest name but I guess this is what they went with the dudes with attitudes Darby Allen sting and shingo Tagagi and they were going against the bullet club L. Fantasmo and Matt and Nick Jackson,

the young bucks with the Ikaloo. I don't know. I don't know how to pronounce his name. I haven't seen much of him. He's the son of Haku. You don't know Haku. He was also Ming in WCW.

Definitely a throwback there. Dudes with attitudes, pull it out with this one. I think the real star of this match was Sting. Sting is still doing it.

He still has it. You know, they kind of did the thing where they hit his music. He didn't come out with his entrance. And then the bullet club came out and thought it was going to be like a three on two situation. But then

Sting's music hit, the lights went out. Lights, a little spotlight came on. He was in the rafters. And then the spotlight went out and then lights came back on and he was on top of one of the the entrance structure and just dove

this guy at his age with the injuries that he had because if you don't remember he had to semi-retire when he was in WWE because of a neck injury this guy dove off the entrance onto everybody and he's still doing it and hats off to him young bucks look good El Fantasmo this is my first time really seeing him

and he just was doing all the old old school cheap moves, the eye gauges, the low blows, the rake to the back, which he did it all comedic. Everything was done comedic and just kind of showboating, even when he did the, he does the little nipple twist and he tried to do it to sting, but it wasn't working. And then sting turned around did it, did it to him. And it was hilarious. This match was a fun one And the dudes with attitudes pulled this one out Let's see

We got the women's AEW championship match Thunder Rosa Tony Storm I was completely bored with this one I have not liked I'm a big fan of Thunder Rosa I have not liked her title run so far I think her Her run to get the title was excellent

but since she's gotten the title, her defenses were just kind of lackluster for me. And I was really looking forward to this one. I liked that they were giving Tony Storm a chance to show what she can do. But not that the match was bad. It's just I kind of wanted them to pull it all the stops out, you know, just kind of go zero to 100 and just, I don't know. I was just kind of bored with this one. I'm just maybe it's time to get the belt off of Thunder Rosa. I don't know.

Maybe it's trying to. I just, I don't know. I don't know where they're going with this. I know they teased on the following rampage later the week. I think it was rampage. Mirr-Shafear and Nila, Nila Rose was attacking Tony Storm. Thunder Rosa came out to help and they did the handshake thing and then the announcers were kind of like oh it looks like a real thunderstorm like you know

that's going to be their tag team name and I don't know we'll see where it goes but Thunder Rosa retains and I don't even know who they're setting up for her next title defense right now it's just nobody's really sticking out to me. I kind of want my girl, Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. to get that belt back. People were kind of knocking a title run, but I have to say I was entertained every time she got in the ring and she was getting in there. She even got into some hardcore matches with tacks and all that shit, chairs, tables. So, but I think she's taking a break right now. I haven't really seen her on TV. So we'll see.

next match was one that I was really looking forward to and that was for the IWGP United States heavyweight championship and that was Will Osprey versus Orange Cassidy, freshly squeezed Orange Cassidy. And if you've seen Will Osprey, you know what he can do. This guy does stuff that nobody else does, very athletic, high flying. And of course, Orange Cassidy, I know he's. He's got the laid back kind of just cool demeanor, but that guy can go when it's time to go. He goes in the ring.

And this match was one of the highlights for me, and they were going super hard. One of the backstories with the belt is this was Will Osprey's first title defense of the belt, but he does not have the belt because Juice Robinson Bullet Club has the belt. I guess he never defended it. didn't show up for the match or something and Will Osprey ended up winning the match but there was no belt to pass over so we'll kind of see where that goes. I might start doing some New Japan stuff on here with these bonus episodes but uh juice Robinson was there he had the belt he was sitting in the crowd with the bullet club so after the match he was kind of holding up the belt like

I'm still the champ but I think technically Will Osprey because he won the previous match to get the belt is the champ. So we'll see where that goes. But yeah, he he defends his belt and probably my opinion, one of the matches of the night, he retains

the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. Next one was supposed to be Zach Sabre Jr. versus Brian Danielson. Excuse me, Brian Danielson.

but he had got injured, was not able to compete in this, or the blood and guts match that I previously talked about. So he had a mystery guy that he had picked, and there was a lot of speculation. Was it Cesaro? Was it Joddy Gargano? You know, who was the next member of the Blackpool Combat Club? And it turned out to be Cesario,

which he now goes by Claudio, and this was another standout match um if you ever seen claudio as caesaro and wwee completely underused never really got his chance super athletic you know just a fantastic performer in the ring a zach saber junior super technical wrestler knows all these crazy ass submission holds and they were going at it and claudio pulled it out. He he got, he did all the moves that you were, you come to love

to see him do and it was a great back and forth match. I never really thought Claudio as a technical wrestler, but he definitely showed at moments that he can be in this match. And man, those European uppercuts he hit,

those look like they fucking hurt. But he ended up pulling out this match and Claudio is all elite and the newest member of the Blackpool Combat Club. All right. Our co-main event is a four-way

match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Now, that does not make sense here. Oh, the previous one was the United States. Okay, my mistake. I'm stupid. Okay, let me get it together here.

This was for the World Heavyweight Championship, the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. The champion switchblade, Jay White versus hangman, Adam Page, Okada, and Adam Cole, baby. I just love when that happens with that. You wait for the crowd to do it, and it's awesome. Still awesome. And stop body shaming Adam Cole just because he doesn't look like every other wrestler.

I mean, he is what he, he looks like what he looks like, and that man can go into ring. One of the best doing it right now. A story with this match is Jay White, Adam Cole, Bullet Club connections. We're kind of working together for most of the match until Adam Cole said Bucket. He hit Jay White with the backstabber. And then throughout the match, it was just back and forth. Everybody was just hitting big spot after big spot. Really thought Adam, Hangman Page was going to pull it out.

And it ended up being a Jay White who Okada ended up hitting some big moves on Adam Cole and he looked like he got hurt in the match. I don't know if it was a part of the storyline or if he actually got hurt I don't know I have to check on that one, but As soon as Okada was going for the pen Jay White came in and hit his move I forgot what his finishers called. It's pretty much what Cody Rose does with the crossroads. Hit him with that.

Threw him to the side. Pinned Adam Cole, retains the championship. Other members of the elite that came out to have connections to Bullet Club, like the Young Bucks came out. Look like they had words with Jay White as they were walking past them on the ramp. went to check on Adam Cole, so I don't know if this is setting up a Bullet Club versus the elite angle, which I would love to see. I think there's a lot of fantastic matches you can

do with AEW and New Japan. So definitely, I don't think we're done seeing this cross-promotion. Hopefully we get a forbidden door, maybe yearly, make this a yearly event, and throughout the year, just continue these these little cross-promotion storylines I think that would be great finally

the main event this is for the interim AEW World Championship we all know CM Pump broke his foot I believe I believe it was his foot that he broke his foot or his ankle

had to have surgery they are going to let him retain the championship but until then they're going to slap an interim championship on somebody there was a little tournament to see who qualifies to be in the match. And we got John Moxley versus Hiroshi Tanahashi. And man, Tanahashi is a fucking legend.

And he showed why in this match, the story behind this match was John Moxley was saying Tanahashi was ducking him for years. And Tanahashi is like, no. I was never ducking you. You just was never on my level for me to wrestle you. And I was like, that's fucking cold right there. But John Moxley pulled it out. It was a hard hitting back and forth match.

John Moxley was busted open, bloody. But it's not the first time we've seen John Moxley like that. And definitely was another standout match. This whole card was definitely entertaining for the most part. I mean, there was a couple matches here and there, mostly. I think I would say Thunder Rosa and Tony Storm was probably on the lower end of the card for me. But great way to finish the card. John Moxley is the new champ, possibly setting up a match between him and CM Punk if he's still the champ when CM Punk comes back.

So looking forward to that. And then after the match, the Chris Jericho Appreciation Society rushed the ring and attacked everybody which led to the Blackpool Combat Club coming in

Eddie Kingston Santano Ortiz everybody was just all out brawl and then an interesting thing I think they're laying the seeds for a Claudio Eddie Kingston feud because he was not happy

with him being there. They have some personal beefs. So we'll see where that goes eventually. But, yeah, forbidden door. Great, great card. Great, great events. I'm just rambling now.

I don't know what I'm talking about. If you're not a fan of New Japan, this would definitely make you a fan of New Japan and want to check out their matches. A lot of great. A lot of great performers come out of New Japan. A lot of wrestlers you already know have been in New Japan and go to New Japan and perform. And I put on great matches.

So definitely check out New Japan. And yeah, that's it. So I truly thank everybody for listening to me. Ramble on about nothing. I'm going to try to do more of these bonus episodes for the wrestling retreat. like I said, Nes will jump on here and you know we're trying to give you more comment content So let me know If you want to keep hearing more of these

We're constantly trying to get better and put out more stuff so You want to find more stuff of the horror returns definitely go to the horror returns. I definitely go to the horror returns And there's links to everything all our new shows the action returns T.R. Present Stream Fiends. We got some more bonus episodes coming up. We got Patreon content coming out. And there are links to the SkaterNez podcast network

and the E Society anchor feed. Definitely check those out. And I think my next, let me check here, my next bonus episode I am going to do is probably should have had this pulled up already. one of the latest GCW paper views, Rock and Roll Forever. I think I'm going to do that one because I believe that was

the Rock and Roll Express's official retirement match. So definitely going to check that one out. And that'll probably be the next bonus wrestling returns review. As far as the main wrestling returns show, we have money in the bank coming out. So be on the lookout for that. that's it. Thank you for listening.

And until next time, make sure everybody, you are good to each other.