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/AEW; Facebook.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.
