Huge stipulation added to Jon Moxley's match at Forbidden Door
An intriguing stipulation has seemingly been added to Jon Moxley's upcoming match at Forbidden Door 2024. The pay-per-view will be held on June 30, 2024, at the UBS Arena in the Long Island hamlet of Elmont, New York.
The Purveyor of Violence is scheduled to defend his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Tetsuya Naito of New Japan Pro-Wrestling at the Forbidden Door 2024 Pay-Per-View. Moxley had defeated The Stardust Genius in their previous encounter to capture the title from the latter at NJPW Windy City Riot earlier this year. The result of their imminent rematch may have repercussions beyond deciding who will hold the coveted title.
During an interview with Tokyo Sports, Tetsuya Naito speculated on Jon Moxley being left out of the 2024 G1 Climax tournament. 18 out of 20 participants have been declared for the prestigious tournament, and the list surprisingly included budding AEW star Konosuke Takeshita.
Naito brought up the case of the legendary Satoshi Kojima offering his spot in the 2016 edition of the G1 Climax to his long-time partner and rival, Hiroyoshi Tenzan. He went on to stipulate that if Moxley retains the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at Forbidden Door 2024, he will hand over his spot in the A-block of the 2024 G1 Climax to the former AEW World Champion, arguing the latter would be a more worthy entrant than himself if he loses to Mox.
"I wonder if they didn't offer him the tournament, or if they did and he turned them down. I don't know if Moxley will have the schedule open, or if New Japan will approve it. However, there have been cases in the past where it was approved (when Satoshi Kojima handed it over to Hiroyoshi Tenzan before the 2016 tournament). If I don't get the belt back, the IWGP World Champion who has beaten me consecutively will be a much more deserving opponent than me. After all, it's a Grade 1 fight," Tetsuya Naito said. [H/T Fightful]
What the future has in store for the former WWE Superstar remains to be seen.
Jon Moxley was hit with a stablemate's move during a brutal matchup
Despite being one of the biggest stars on the AEW roster, Jon Moxley is well-known for frequently competing in shows organized by other promotions, including major companies like NJPW and CMLL as well as relatively smaller companies like GCW and DEFY.
In his latest non-AEW outing, Moxley squared off against Josh Barnett at the Bloodsport Bushido on June 22, 2024. The bout was an incredibly brutal and violent one and saw the former WWE Champion get busted open. At one point in the match, Barnett delivered a Giant Swing on Moxley before chucking him into a ring post. The move is familiar to the Ohio native, as it is a staple of his Blackpool Combat Club stablemate Claudio Castagnoli's repertoire.
Check out a clip of Barnett hitting Moxley with the Giant Swing here.
Jon Moxley walked out of Bloodsport having defeated Josh Barnett. It remains to be seen if he will walk out of Forbidden Door 2024 with the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship.