B/R Wrestling Staff Predictions for AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2023 Card

All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling are teaming up for the second time to put on the Forbidden Door pay-per-view. This year's event takes place at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto and will see stars from both organizations battle as both opponents and allies.

The show is packed with huge stars, but Gedo and Tony Khan have also made sure to book a couple of certified dream matches for us on Sunday.

As usual, we have predictions and questions related to matches on the cards. Before we get to the picks, here's our lineup of contributors:

• Chris Mueller (CM) (@BR_Doctor)
• Erik Beaston (EB) (@ErikBeaston)
• Graham Matthews (GM) (@WrestleRant)
• Kevin Berge (KB) (@KevinBerge)
  
• Donald Wood (DW) (@RingRustRadio) 

Match Card

Here is a look at the card as it currently stands:

• Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada
• Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay (IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship)
• Sanada vs. "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry (IWGP World Heavyweight Championship)
• MJF vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (AEW World Heavyweight Championship)
• Sting, Darby Allin and TBD vs. Chris Jericho, Minoru Suzuki and Sammy Guevara
• CM Punk vs. Satoshi Kojima (Men's Owen Hart Cup Tournament)
• Orange Cassidy vs. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Daniel Garcia vs. Katsuyori Shibata (AEW International Championship)
  
• Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale (AEW Women's World Championship)
• Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Konosuke Takeshita and Shota Umino vs. The Young Bucks, Adam Page, Eddie Kingston and Tomohiro Ishii
• Adam Cole vs. Tom Lawlor
• Athena vs. Billie Starkz (Women's Owen Hart Cup Tournament)

Kevin Berge

Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada

If you had booking power, who would win this match?

Okada may be one of the biggest stars of this era, but there are still some U.S. fans who may not know him. Defeating Danielson would make him even more of a household name. It could also set up a rematch in Japan, maybe the Tokyo Dome, where Danielson can get his win back.

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BCC, Konosuke Takeshita and Shota Umino vs. The Elite, Eddie Kingston and Tomohiro Ishii

Lay out how you think the finish of this match will go. Who gets the win and who takes the pin?

Most of the men in this match are fully established, though Takeshita will benefit from picking up another victory. He should take a cheap win by pinning Matt Jackson to continue building his feud with The Elite.

Donald Wood

MJF vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi

If you could book any special stipulation for this bout, what would you choose?

MJF vs. Tanahashi doesn't need a stipulation. MJF is AEW's world champion and Tanahashi is a bona fide legend. Their match should be about storytelling, with MJF using every heel tactic possible to steal a win in this technical showcase. With the chance to pin Tanahashi clean, or at least wrestle to a time-limit draw, this match should be a throwback to NWA-style championship bouts of the 1980s.

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Athena vs. Billie Starkz

Athena has been on a roll for months. Offer an argument for why Starkz should win this match.

Starkz is widely considered one of the best female prospects in the industry, and pinning Athena clean at a major pay-per-view would be the ultimate way to make a proper first impression. Athena will likely dominate her challenger before earning the victory, but Starkz will shine.

Graham Matthews

Sanada vs. Jungle Boy

Do you think Jungle Boy is a big enough star to pair with the IWGP champion? Who would you pick other than him for this spot?

Jungle Boy is definitely a star on the rise, but he's not an exciting opponent for Sanada on paper. AEW has plenty of top talent to choose from but went with Perry because it will be a device to turn him heel. Jay White, Joe or Allin would have been a better fit, but none of them are possible for a variety of booking reasons, so it's understandable why AEW settled on Perry.

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Orange Cassidy vs. Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Daniel Garcia vs. Katsuyori Shibata

If Cassidy was going to drop the international title, which of the three challengers would be the best option to win it?

Shibata and Sabre would both be excellent in the role of international champ (specifically Shibata to allow him to compete on AEW TV more often), but if Cassidy doesn't retain as expected, Garcia winning is the next most likely outcome. He's the only one in the match without gold at the moment and could embark on a strong string of title defenses like Cassidy has.

Chris Mueller

Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay

Simply put, who do you think will win this epic rematch?

Omega scored the win at Wrestle Kingdom 17, so it feels like the only logical outcome would be for Ospreay to get retribution by winning back the IWGP United States Championship. These two will put on another high-quality performance, so the outcome is almost inconsequential. Either decision will have its supporters, but this feels like Ospreay's time.

One possibility is interference from Don Callis and Takeshita. Callis already offered Ospreay his own private security services, so that could come into play.

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Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale

Would you have anyone else get involved in this match or would it be better if it was a clean singles bout?

It feels like the story AEW has set up almost requires Saraya and Ruby Soho to get involved. A clean match is usually the right way to go, but this is one of the few times when the storyline almost necessitates interference.

Storm will likely retain her AEW women's world title thanks to some help from her friends, but it will continue the ongoing feud between The Outcasts and the AEW homegrown talents.

Erik Beaston

CM Punk vs. Satoshi Kojima

A lot of people reacted with surprise when Kojima was announced. Would you have booked Punk to face someone else?

Booking an inter-promotional show like this is tough because there are definitely stars you hope to highlight without taking away from others. If you book Punk with a bigger NJPW star who is not necessarily pleased with the idea of losing on a big stage, you risk hurt feelings and strained relationships.

Kojima is a grizzled vet with a ton of built-up equity and respect in the industry. He will deliver a strong performance, should mesh well with Punk's skill set and will put him over strong. This was the right call, all things considered.

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Sting, Darby Allin and TBD vs. Chris Jericho, Minoru Suzuki and Sammy Guevara

Who would make the best surprise partner for Sting and Darby?

Tetsuya Naito. There is an established backstory between him and Jericho, and he is one of the biggest stars in New Japan. It elevates the significance of the match, if nothing else, and gives fans a little more meat on the bone for what is essentially a midcard trios match.

Predictions

Respondents' picks are represented by their initials:

• Danielson (DW, EB, CM) vs. Okada (KB, GM)
• Omega vs. Ospreay (EB, KB, GM, DW, CM)
• Sanada (EB, KB, GM, DW, CM) vs. Perry 
• MJF (EB, KB, GM, DW, CM) vs. Tanahashi 
• Sting, Allin and TBD (EB, KB, GM, DW, CM) vs. Jericho, Suzuki and Guevara
• Punk (EB, KB, GM, DW, CM) vs. Kojima 
• Cassidy (EB, KB, GM) vs. Sabre vs. Garcia (DW, CM) vs. Shibata
• Storm (EB, KB, GM, DW, CM) vs. Nightingale 
• BCC, Takeshita and Umino (KB) vs. The Elite, Kingston and Ishii (EB, GM, DW, CM)
• Athena (EB, KB, GM, DW, CM) vs. Starkz