Tony Khan Nixed Huge Dream Match Multiple Times

AEW

AEW President Tony Khan has revealed that he has nixed a cross-promotional dream match on multiple occasions.

At AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi will face off for the AEW Interim World Championship.

The match was heavily teased last summer, with Moxley notably shown in the crowd following Tanahashi’s IWGP US Title win at NJPW Resurgence in August 2021.

Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Khan noted that the match has been discussed for well over a year.

Explaining why he never allowed the bout to happen up until now, Khan said:

“That’s a match that has been talked about in New Japan for a long time, well over a year. There’s some backstory as to why it never happened. I would never allow it to happen. I’ll make an old WWF reference, Armageddon, Vince (McMahon) came out with the truck to stop the six-way cage match (Hell in a Cell), that’s like me with this match.

“They tried to do it so many times, Moxley vs. Tanahashi, and I’ve always been there to stop it from happening because it’s such a huge match and we had to be involved if it was going to happen. Lo and behold, at a time when everything changed, CM Punk won the world title, he gets injured, we have to set up a huge match to crown an Interim World Champion.

“Going back to the relationship between AEW and New Japan, it’s been building towards this and it’s fate. Moxley vs. Tanahashi was a match that was supposed to happen many times and it never happened. Now, it’s the right time and right place. It could have happened a lot of times and heaven knows I stepped in and tried to stop it and now it’s finally happening at the perfect time for AEW and New Japan and all the fans.”

AEW will also crown its inaugural All Atlantic Champion at Forbidden Door. Following fan criticism,  Khan has explained his reason for introducing the title.

For details on the Forbidden Door pay-per-view, click here.

Transcription via Fightful. 

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• dream match
• NJPW
• tony khan
• AEW

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