CM Punk began AEW Dynamite by teaming with FTR to beat Max Caster and The Gunn Club. Later, the three cut promos about Forbidden Door coming up next month in Chicago, with Punk requiring to understand who his challenger would be. This prompted Hiroshi Tanahashi, an eight-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion and thought about by many to be among the best Japanese wrestlers of all time, to advance and posture on the entryway ramp. It's unclear if the match would be for Punk's AEW World Championship, though the commentary team validated it would be the match at the crossover pay-per-view.
Up until now, the only other match teased for Forbidden Door is FTR vs. Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan of the United Empire as the pair crashed last week's Dynamite to interfere in FTR's ROH Tag Team Championship defense against Roppongi Vice.
" It's a fantastic relationship, I actually delight in working with New Japan. It's changed a lot, because when AEW first started off I think they were pretty pissed off with me. As wrestling went on I believe they saw that I actually wasn't attempting to stop them from doing anything and I actually made a lot of friendly gestures along the way," Khan stated in a media conference call last November. " I believe they saw this as a good relationship and I have a good track record for being a truthful individual.
So despite the fact that I kind of came out of left field and was a new player in the game, I believe I raised their antennas early and made them quite worried. And then (as) I developed more of a track record in this sport I think they wanted to work with me. And so now I speak to them on a routine basis and put matches together.".