AEW and NJPW announce partnership and joint pay-per-view

By Dom Smith
By April 21, 2022 News, Wrestling

On last night’s AEW: Dynamite live on TBS, the hinges were fully ripped off  the Forbidden Door, as it was announced that AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling will present  their first ever joint pay-per-view special this summer. “AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door” will  take place live on Sunday, June 26, at the United Center in Chicago, featuring marquee  matchups between members of AEW and NJPW’s world-class rosters. 

Tickets for the historic PPV event go on sale on Friday, May 6, at 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT at  AEWTix.com and Ticketmaster.com. Fans in the United States and Canada can watch the PPV  via purchase on the Bleacher Report app or via their local Cable or Satellite provider. The  program will be available with both English and Spanish commentary. The PPV will be available  in international markets on FITE.tv. Fans in Japan can watch on iPPV on NJPWWorld.com with  live Japanese commentary.  

“As the world continues to reopen, I’m making sure the Forbidden Door follows suit and we can  finally give fans the dream events they’ve always imagined,” said Tony Khan, CEO, GM and  Head of Creative of AEW. “The United Center was home to one of AEW’s biggest events of all  time, The First Dance, where CM Punk made his return to wrestling after a seven-year hiatus.  This summer, fans of AEW and NJPW can expect the unexpected during this extraordinary, first of-its-kind pay-per-view between our two incredible companies.” 

“As we have done for more than 50 years, the power of pro-wrestling can energize people by  fulfilling their dreams,” said Takami Ohbari, President of NJPW. “Now, it’s quite an important  mission for us, the pro-wrestling industry as a whole. We are not only opening this door. We  will show you NJPW’s genuine Strong-Style beyond the Forbidden door.” 

This announcement furthers the opening of the Forbidden Door, coming just over a month after  Tony Khan announced that he agreed to acquire the assets of Ring of Honor, and less than  three weeks after he produced the ROH Supercard of Honor pay-per-view in Dallas, featuring a  number of major title changes and ROH alumni appearances including Samoa Joe, The Young  Bucks, Wheeler Yuta, Jay Lethal, Lee Moriarty, Matt Sydal, Sonjay Dutt and Mercedes Martinez.

About AEW 

Founded by CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan, AEW is a new professional wrestling league  headlined by Hangman Page, Thunder Rosa, CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega,  The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson), Adam Cole, Sting, Jon Moxley, Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus, Jade  Cargill, Dr. Britt Baker, Scorpio Sky, Sammy Guevara, Matt and Jeff Hardy, Samoa Joe, Swerve  Strickland, Miro, Lucha Bros., PAC, MJF, Darby Allin, Nyla Rose, Red Velvet, Ruby Soho, Toni Storm,  Hikaru Shida, Malakai Black, Andrade El Idolo, Christian Cage, Eddie Kingston, Ethan Page, Orange  Cassidy, Ricky Starks, Powerhouse Hobbs, Lance Archer, Keith Lee and many more. For the first time  in many years, AEW is offering an alternative to mainstream wrestling, with a roster of world-class  talent that is injecting new spirit, freshness and energy into the industry. 

“AEW: Dynamite” airs every Wednesday from 8-10 p.m. ET on TBS and attracts the youngest  wrestling audience on television. The fight-forward show “AEW: Rampage” airs every Friday from  10-11 p.m. ET on TNT. AEW’s multi-platform content also includes “AEW Dark” and “AEW Dark:  Elevation,” two weekly professional wrestling YouTube series, “Being the Elite,” a weekly behind the-scenes YouTube series, and “AEW Unrestricted,” a weekly podcast series. For more info, check  out Twitter.com/AEW; Instagram.com/AllEliteWrestling; YouTube.com/AEWFacebook.com/AllEliteWrestling 

About New Japan Pro Wrestling 

Founded in 1972, New Japan Pro-Wrestling is the world’s premier professional wrestling  organization. Proudly carrying the branding of ‘King of Sports’, stars like Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tetsuya  Naito, Will Ospreay, Jay White and more bring fans worldwide the absolute best in-ring action  worldwide. 

With a 50 year legacy stretching from Antonio Inoki through Tiger Mask and Jyushin Thunder Liger  to Kazuchika Okada, NJPW is renowned for its Strong Style influence on the pro-wrestling  landscape. Based in Tokyo, NJPW operates its U.S. business from Los Angeles, California.

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