Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi: 5 alternate finishes that should have happened for the Interim AEW World Championship match at Forbidden Door
Jon Moxley is officially the Interim AEW World Champion after defeating Hiroshi Tanahashi at Forbidden Door. Moxley has been working in New Japan on a part-time basis since 2019. However, he had never stepped into the ring for a one-on-one match with "The Ace," even when both were involved in the IWGP United States Championship picture.
That changed in Chicago this weekend as the dream match finally came to fruition. It only occurred after AEW World Champion CM Punk was unfortunately struck down by injury. Tanahashi advanced to the Interim AEW World Title match by defeating Hirooki Goto at NJPW Dominion.
Meanwhile, the Blackpool Combat Club member secured his spot in the bout when he bested Kyle OβReilly on the June 8 edition of Dynamite. The Forbidden Door clash between Moxley and Tanahashi was intense as expected, but the former eventually came out on top.
Here are 5 alternate finishes we would have loved to see in their Forbidden Door match.
#5 Jon Moxley overcomes interference from Jericho Appreciation Society to become the first 2-time AEW World Champion
Jon Moxley is the first-ever two-time AEW World Champion. His title reign was marred by the pandemic and he was unable to defend his championship in front of fans due to the unfortunate circumstances.
The former WWE Superstar has been fighting to get back into title contention ever since. Since the start of the year, Mox has been on a roll in AEW, linking up with Bryan Danielson and William Regal to form the Blackpool Combat Club.
The alliance is one of the most popular stables in the company and they have been locked in a rivalry with the Jericho Appreciation Society that will culminate at Blood & Guts this week.
While Moxley defeated Tanahashi in a straight up, competitive match, his post-match celebrations were marred by Jericho and his cronies attacking the two wrestlers, taking the attention away from their hard-fought battle. It can be argued that an appearance by The Wizard could have happened during the match to heighten the drama and propel the existing storyline.
It would have been much more satisfying to see Moxley overcome Jericho's attempt to ruin the match and win the title, making the celebrations about the new champion. It felt like a rare misstep by Tony Khan.
#4 Hiroshi Tanahashi becomes the first non-AEW wrestler to win the AEW World Championship
Tanahashi could indeed be credited for coining the term 'Forbidden Door'. The former IWGP Heavyweight Champion is one of the biggest stars in New Japan Pro Wrestling and his presence in the main event lends a whole new level of star power to the event.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, 'The Ace' shared his thoughts about the crossover pay-per-view prior to the match:
βI will be the star of Forbidden Door. I mean, I did think of the name after all. When I first used the term, it was three years ago, and AEW had really only just gotten started. I donβt think anyone really knew how they would develop, but they had some great talent behind them, and I knew we would be onto something great if we crossed over. So coining that phrase, it was my way of putting things into the universe,β Tanahashi said. [H/T Sports Illustrated]
The Japanese legend went on to headline the first-ever Forbidden Door, but he could have created more history by becoming the first-ever non-AEW roster member to win the company's World Title. Tanahashi bringing the title back to Japan would have had far-reaching consequences, essentially holding the title hostage across the Pacific.
The 45-year-old could make sporadic appearances on Dynamite to defend the title, while still reaffirming his commitment and loyalty to NJPW. This essentially leaves owner Tony Khan without a top champion in the meantime. It is a missed opportunity to shake up the world title scene, creating further intrigue for the company going into the summer. Instead, Khan chose to go with the predictable option.
#3 Blackpool Combat Club interferes to help Jon Moxley win the AEW Interim Championship
Jon Moxley might have won the title fair and square. But it would have been so much more interesting had his Blackpool Combat Club teammates made their presence felt in the main event. While William Regal accompanied Mox to the ring, imagine if Wheeler Yuta interfered on his behalf, distracting the referee while Claudio attacked Tanahashi.
Bryan Danielson might not have a match at Forbidden Door due to a minor injury, but an appearance by the American Dragon to distract The Ace could tease a potential feud with the New Japan star down the road. While Moxley is a great babyface, potentially turning him tweener or heel could have opened up more storytelling possibilities.
#2 CM Punk costs Jon Moxley the AEW Interim Championship, allows Tanahashi to win the match
Jon Moxley might be the Interim AEW World Champion but will still have to defeat CM Punk to have it officially placed in the record books. Despite his injury and subsequent surgery, the Straightedged Superstar remains the official champion.
However, the Chicago wrestler could feel hard done by the fact that he never had a chance to have his dream match with Tanahashi. It would have been newsworthy if he had made his presence known at the end of the night in his hometown to distract Moxley, allowing Tanahashi to get the victory with his patented High Fly Flow.
It's nothing personal against Jon Moxley but it's just a matter of doing business to secure his dream match against the Ace of the Universe down the road. While it would be an intriguing option to see two former WWE Superstars in Jon Moxley and Punk clashing for the first time in an AEW ring, the potential dream match against Tanahashi feels like a box-office bout waiting to happen.
While it keeps Moxley in the mix with Punk as well upon his return from injury, it also opens up a potential CM Punk heel turn as he aims to retain his title at all costs.
#1 MJF interrupts the AEW Interim World Championship match to cause a no-contest
MJF has been conspicuous in his absence since his explosive promo segment on the post-Double or Nothing Dynamite. After running down All Elite Wrestling and demanding owner Tony Khan fire him, he has essentially been kept off television. Perhaps MJF wants to run down his contract, but what if the young star is biding his time and waiting for the right opportunity to cause chaos once more?
During the promo, MJF specifically stated that he was not a fan of New Japan Pro Wrestling. He would have despised the entire concept of Forbidden Door and seen it as further proof of Tony Khan's fanboy booking fantasies. It would be in line with his heel character to interrupt the main event of the AEW Interim Championship between Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi, ruining Khan's biggest pay-per-view to date.