The PPV portion of Forbidden Door, the second show by AEW and New Japan Pro-Wrestling together, began June 25 with Maxwell Jacob Friedman defending his world title against the Ace of the Universe.
MJF agreed to the match against Hiroshi Tanahashi just last Wednesday, goaded by his reluctant tag partner Adam Cole. Friedman acted as if Tanahashi and the “indie feds” he represents were beneath him. He even had it embroidered on the back of his robe.
When the beginning wasn’t as easy for Max as he thought…
…the AEW champion left the match and suffered a countout loss. But Tanahashi got the Toronto crowd yelling “Co-ward” (same thing Cole did last week) to get MJF to continue the match.
This was a slower affair. With 46 years and decades of experience in strong style matches, that’s a given for Tanahashi these days. But he still has an amazing connection with audiences — something he shares with 27-year-old Friedman. Both men had numerous chances to play in front of the Scotiabank Arena crowd.
MJF did it by disrespecting the one, True Ace, calling him a joke and even spitting on him. Tanahashi pulled it off by getting the fans, who were cheering on both men right from the start, to chant “Go Ace” in unison. In that comeback, Tanahashi hit Slingblade, but when he went for High Fly Flow, the AEW champ stuck his knees high. The problem is that Max struggled with a knee injury for most of the game, so both men were down after the penalty spot.
Familiar MJF tactics followed. He retrieved his belt and when referee Bryce Remsburg took it from him, he missed Tanahashi Friedman marking for more than three points. While the New Japan legend claimed so, Max used his Dynamite Diamond Ring to stop Tanahashi and claim victory.
Get full Forbidden Door scores and coverage of the entire show Here.
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