The forbidden door that has been busted wide open by AEW has changed the wrestling industry in a number of ways. What can be interpreted as an open working relationship between different wrestling companies, having a forbidden door has already proved to work a treat for AEW.
AEW has managed to form working relationships with the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), Impact Wrestling, and New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), which have all proven to be fruitful thus far. The talent that is shared between the companies creates a wealth of new match opportunities, feuds, and cross-promotional events.
The wrestling industry benefits a great deal from the forbidden door, whether it be for promotions like AEW, or the talent who now have the opportunity to work in a number of different places. Furthermore, it helps challenge the monopoly over the industry that has been imposed by WWE for the majority of the past two decades.
How The 'Forbidden Door' Has Been Opened
For a long time, the opening of the forbidden door seemed impossible, as the bridges that connected AEW to the rest of the wrestling world looked to be burned. Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes, 'Hangman Page,' and the Young Bucks choosing not to resign with NJPW and Ring of Honor (ROH) was a big hit to both companies, which caused a lot of tension between all parties involved.
However, the hostilities between AEW and NJPW have subsided recently, with the companies having shared talent since February, starting with the Jon Moxley and KENTA feud. Impact Wrestling also became involved around this time as a part of the Kenny Omega belt collecter storyline, whilst the NWA had begun sharing talent with AEW the year prior.
Since the forbidden door opened, the likes of KENTA, Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata, Hikuleo, and Minoru Suzuki have made appearances in AEW from New Japan. NJPW's Jay White, David Finlay, and Juice Robinson have also appeared on Impact Wrestling, whilst the NWA and AEW women's divisions have been intertwined through performers like Sereena Deeb, Thunder Rosa, and Leyla Hirsch appearing in both companies.
The prospect of further cross-promotion is tantalizing, especially with the further easing of travel restrictions allowing for more spontaneous appearances.
AEW Is Challenging WWE's Monopoly
The constant cross-promotion, and indeed AEW's very existence, is challenging the monopoly that WWE has held over the wrestling industry for over two decades. AEW has managed to go toe-to-toe with the sports entertainment giants like no other company since WCW fell in 2001. The forbidden door has allowed for a more collaborative approach to promoting wrestling, which is better for the industry as a whole.
Under WWE's stranglehold of the wrestling business for the past two decades, talent exchanges between major wrestling companies were few and far between. The initial partnership with ECW in the late nineties was the last time WWE would work with another major company for some time. In recent years, WWE, through NXT, has formed working relationships with minor promotions like Evolve, Progress, and ICW.
However, WWE's partnership with any smaller promotions has only been due to the company wishing to hoover up talent from the indie scene during NXT's 'Super-Indie' phase. This was particularly true when AEW came on the scene and WWE started hoarding their talent until recently when the company seemingly had a change in philosophy.
WWE is too stubborn to work with other companies, which is why they haven't done so for decades.
It's Time To Get Excited About The 'Forbidden Door'
Now that the forbidden door is well and truly open, fans can, in good faith, speculate wildly on potential dream matches. There are potential combinations of stars from AEW, NJPW, NWA, and Impact that would be all-time great dream matches. Will Tanahashi finally confront Jon Moxley after his battles with some of Japan's most seasoned veterans? Will Kenny Omega be challenged by his best friend Kota Ibushi once more? Will Toru Yano face Orange Cassidy in one of the greatest comedy matches of all time?
The potential dream match prospects are scintillating, but perhaps the best thing about the forbidden door being opened is that it makes for excellent television. It is always exhilarating when a star from another company shows up on a rival's show, and this is something that has to be explored fully between AEW, New Japan, and whoever else. AEW even has the opportunity to trump WWE in booking a good invasion angle somewhere down the line.
Fans should hope that the working relationships between these companies remain intact, as the potential for cross-promotional entertainment has never been so high.