By Don Murphy, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@DonThePredictor)
I am pleased to be offering predictions for the major shows again, hence my Twitter handle @DonThePredictor. I’ll plan to do these for all of the major AEW, WWE, NXT, and TNA shows, along with some occasional recap pieces with my thoughts as time allows. We start with this weekend’s Forbidden Door event taking place in my backyard, Long Island, New York (I won’t be attending).
Swerve Strickland vs. AEW International Champion Will Ospreay for the AEW World Championship: There’s been a lot of discussion around AEW’s decision to book this match for this show, rather than holding it for the All In show at Wembley Stadium. I would rather have seen Ospreay commit to making the International Championship meaningful, so I’m fine with having this match at Forbidden Door. I expect to Swerve to retain and it will likely be due to some interference from the Don Callis Family (either intentional or accidental) which will end up costing Ospreay the match.
Don Predicts: Swerve Strickland retains the AEW World Championship.
Jon Moxley vs. Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: For hardcore fans of both promotions, this will be an enjoyable match. I’m familiar with Naito’s work but don’t see him as a real threat to take the title here.
Don Predicts: Jon Moxley retains the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.
TBS Champion Mercedes Mone vs. NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer in a title vs. title match: Aside from her match with Willow Nightingale at Double or Nothing, I am waiting for Mone to have breakout performances as a character. She’s not a great promo but is more than the occasional interview and dance. Mone takes the title here which builds her championship stock, but as I said, there’s more to be done here.
Don Predicts: Mercedes Mone retains the TBS Championship and wins the NJPW Strong Women’s Championship.
Ladder match for the vacant TNT Title (Entrants: Konosuke Takeshita, Mark Briscoe, Jack Perry, Dante Martin, Lio Rush, El Phantasmo): This will be the spot-fest match of the night. I’ve enjoyed the qualifier matches that have built to this and I’m thinking this is where Jack Perry brings some more gold to the Elite faction.
Don Predicts: Jack Perry wins the TNT Championship.
Toni Storm vs. Mina Shirakawa for the AEW Women’s Championship: The love triangle storyline with Mariah May has been intriguing but not really for me. Nonetheless, the match should be good and May will ultimately align with Storm before winning the Owen Hart Cup and then challenging her at All In.
Don Predicts: Toni Storm retains the AEW Women’s Championship.
Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi in an Owen Hart Cup tournament match: This match will be right behind Swerve and Ospreay as the best match on the show. In fact, it may even surpass it. I’ve liked the soft build to this match with Takagi refusing to shake Danielson’s hand. Ultimately, I see Danielson winning the tournament and challenging for the title at Wembley, so I expect a win for him here.
Don Predicts: Bryan Danielson defeats Shingo Takagi to advance in the Owen Hart Cup tournament.
Kazuchika Okada, Matthew Jackson, and Nicholas Jackson vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Max Caster, and Anthony Bowens. The Acclaimed has been defined down in the past year, but this feud has been fun. And although he isn’t what he used to be, adding Tanahashi to renew his rivalry with Okada is a nice hook. I expected the babyfaces to get a second win over the tag team champions as AEW continues to build to the title match.
Don Predicts: Hiroshi Tanahashi, Max Caster, and Anthony Bowens defeat Kazuchika Okada, Matthew Jackson, and Nicholas Jackson.
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Orange Cassidy: This will be an interesting clash of styles and could prove to be one of the better matches of the night. I expect Sabre to pick up the win here, as Cassidy can absorb a loss.
Don Predicts: Zack Sabre Jr. defeats Orange Cassidy.
MJF vs. Hechicero: Purely booked to get the hometown favorite on the show. There is a zero percent chance that MJF loses, especially since he dropped the AEW Title the last time they were on Long Island.
Don Predicts: MJF defeats Hechicero.
Samoa Joe, Hook, and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Chris Jericho, Big Bill, and Jeff Cobb. Jeff Cobb has appeared on AEW shows before and is a crowd favorite so he’s a fine addition here. The babyfaces likely go over here to set up an FTW Championship match between one of them and Jericho.
Don Predicts: Samoa Joe, Hook, and Katsuyori Shibata defeat Chris Jericho, Big Bill, and a partner TBA.
Willow Nightingale and Tam Nakano vs. Kris Statlander and Momo Watanabe: A nice preview for Nightingale’s upcoming Owen Hart Cup tournament match with Statlander. Since I see Statlander facing Mariah May in the finals, I think Willow’s team gets the win here.
Don Predicts: Willow Nightingale and Tam Nakano defeat Kris Statlander and Momo Watanabe.
Mariah May vs. Saraya in an Owen Hart Cup tournament match: This will likely be the blowoff match to what has been a standard TV feud. As I noted, May is my favorite to win the Owen Hart Cup tournament to challenge Toni Storm at All In, so I expect a win here.
Don Predicts: Mariah May defeats Saraya.
Hiromu Takahashi, Titan, and Yota Tsuji vs. Mistico, Penta El Zero Miedo, and Rey Fenix: This will likely be the opening, crowd-pleasing spot-fest. Mistico, Penta, and Fenix will go over. As I’ve said before, Penta and Fenix deserve better.
Don Predicts: Mistico, Penta El Zero Miedo, and Rey Fenix defeat Hiromu Takahashi, Titan, and Yota Tsuji.
“House of Black” Malakai Black and Brody King vs. Tomohiro Ishii and Kyle O’Reilly vs. Roderick Strong and Gabriel Kidd vs. “Private Party” Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen in a four-way tag. This will be another live crowd pleaser. Ultimately, the House of Black is in the process of being built back up, so of the four teams, I think they benefit the most from having a win.
Don Predicts: House of Black defeats Tomohiro Ishii & Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong & Gabriel Kidd, and Private Party.
Enjoy the show to everyone watching!
There is no way NJPW are keeping the title on Mox if he’s not in the G1. Plus, Naito is their most over guy and biggest merch seller. He’s carrying that belt to the Dome at least.
Great preview. Can’t wait for the show but unfortunately moat of the matches feel pretty predictable. More than most aew ppvs
I appreciate the feedback…these will always be a work in progress, so if there’s too much of something and/or not enough of something else, definitely let me know. I enjoy doing them!