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Forbidden Door Makes History For AEW

By Lyle Kilbane • Published 26th June 2023
Kenny Omega Will Ospreay AEW Forbidden Door

Forbidden Door saw the best of AEW and the best of New Japan Pro Wrestling do battle in an event littered with dream matches in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The show’s main event saw Kazuchika Okada take on Bryan Danielson in a match that not too long ago seemed like it would never happen. Danielson laid claim to being the best wrestler in the world as he made Okada tap out but the victory did not come without cost for The American Dragon.

The other match which had the most chatter going into the show was Kenny Omega defending his IWGP US Championship against Will Ospreay. In what could well be match of the year by the time 2023 is done, Ospreay managed to avenge his Wrestle Kingdom loss and win the title from Omega.

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Taking to social media, Tony Khan touted Forbidden Door’s success for AEW with the event now giving the company its biggest-ever live gate:

“Tonight #ForbiddenDoor in Toronto is officially the biggest live gate in @AEWhistory at about $1.2 million (USD), and it’s one of the top 3 biggest live gates in the history of pro wrestling in Canada!”

The two wrestling live gates that remain above Forbidden Door in Canada both, unsurprisingly, belong to WWE. WrestleMania 6 at the SkyDome which was headlined by Ultimate Warrior vs. Hulk Hogan had a live gate of $3.4 million with WrestleMania 18 taking the record with a gate of $3.9 million. Although the match did not go on last, the promotion for that event centered on Hogan taking on The Rock.