"That is not high praise" - Jim Cornette slams AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door title match
Wrestling veteran Jim Cornette has slammed the recent four-way title match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from the AEW and NJPW joint pay-per-view, Forbidden Door.
The match featured current champion Jay White attempting to fend off Kazuchika Okada, Adam Cole and former AEW World Champion Hangman Page.
Despite being a non-stop rollercoaster of action, the match ended in an unexpected manner as White ended up pinning Cole to retain. It was subsequently revealed that Cole suffered an injury during the match, which led to the rather abrupt finish.
Speaking on the latest edition of the "Drive-Thru," Jim Cornette gave his thoughts on the match and stated that Hangman Page was the most impressive person in the contest. However, in the eyes of the wrestling veteran, that isn't a good thing.
“Adam Page was the most impressive guy in this match, and that is not high praise," said Cornette. "But, again this is the one obviously because [Jay] White is their champion and I said if you’re going to have an inter-promotional showdown, then your promotion, the show that it’s on, you need to win most of them but the other guys have to win something, this is the one they needed to win, but god d** it’s America, who gives a s**? Shouldn’t White have beaten [Kazuchika] Okada instead of beating one of the AEW guys?” [5:49-6:30].
A well-earned beverage for #Hangman @theadampage, after last night's battle for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at #ForbiddenDoor. Order the replay & watch on @BleacherReport & internationally on @FiteTV / @PPV_com
#AEWxNJPW https://t.co/XijqbEyyRG
Cornette then summed up the bout by stating that, despite the obvious star power of the four men involved, the match was the same as any other modern four-way.
“It’s a four-way with the same s*** that everybody does in every match done again for a long period of time," Cornette added. [6:32-6:39]
What's next for the IWGP Champion after AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door?
After a busy few weeks preparing for his title defense at Forbidden Door, it's now time for Jay White to prepare for arguably the most anticipated portion of NJPW's year, the G1 Climax.
The buzzworthy competition, which has been won by the likes of Kazuchika Okada and former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega, is a month-long round-robin tournament. The winner will earn a title shot in the main event of NJPW's biggest event of the year, Wrestle Kingdom.
The four blocks for G1 Climax 32!!! https://t.co/oF9bqOVAEm
White has been placed in the "B Block" against six other NJPW stars. He will compete against Chase Owens, Tama Tonga, former IWGP Tag Team Champion Great-O-Khan, Tomohiro Ishii, Taichi and SANADA.
White's tournament will begin on the opening night of the G1 against SANADA on July 16th. It is a hugely anticipated match as it will only be the second singles clash between the two men.
What will happen in this year's G1 Climax? Tune into the NJPWWorld.com to see all of these exciting matches play out!
Please credit "Jim Cornette's Drive-Thru" and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling when using quotes from this article.