AEW and NJPW were faced with a lot of challenges heading into Forbidden Door, most of which were injury based. CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, and Kenny Omega are just a few of the names that would have definitely been on the card had they been 100 percent. Nevertheless, the show was a good one, and it ended with Jon Moxley surviving a brutal battle with Hiroshi Tanahashi to become Interim AEW Champion.
Royal Rampage
With no word yet on when Punk, the true champion, will be back, Moxley will have to continue defending the interim title for the time being. No rest for the wicked, as before Mox stepped into a Blood & Guts match just three days after Forbidden Door, a Royal Rampage match was announced for this Friday. The winner of that match will be the first to face Moxley for the Interim Title.
20 wrestlers competed in the match which actually took place right after Dynamite on Wednesday night. Well, right after the carnage caused by the Blood & Guts match was cleaned away. Orange Cassidy, Matt Hardy, Hangman Page, and Keith Lee were among the talent in the match, but if you want to wait until Rampage airs on Friday to find out who won, stop reading now.
A New Challenger Emerges
A lot of talent in that match, but a somewhat surprising winner emerged. None of the names already mentioned, some of which would have been among the favorites. It was actually Brody King who was the last man standing once all of the other 19 competitors had been thrown over the top rope. Darby Allin was the runner-up, just missing out on the chance to face Moxley again with the Interim Title on the line.
When exactly Moxley versus King will happen hasn't been revealed. The situation will likely be addressed on Dynamite next week, with the title match happening on a future episode. If King can win, he will be the one who has to face Punk upon his return to unify the titles. If not, that task will remain at the feet of Moxley.
TheSportster Podcast has returned! Check out latest episodes of the show where Jim Parsons and Norman Quarrinton cover the latest news and events happening in the worlds of WWE, AEW and more!