Jon Moxley Loses Title At AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door

It was a mixed night for the Blackpool Combat Club at Forbidden Door as AEW’s Jon Moxley lost his championship.

Forbidden Door in New York City saw the Owen Hart Foundation Tournaments continue as the Blackpool Combat Club’s Bryan Danielson defeated Shingo Takagi to move on in the men’s tournament. Bryan Danielson has set his sights on winning the tournament and going on to challenge for the AEW World Championship at All In during what is believed to be his last full-time year as an in-ring competitor.

Later in the night, the Forbidden Door was well and truly opened as Jon Moxley put his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship on the line against NJPW’s Tetsuya Naito.

Moxley had defeated Naito for that title back at Windy City Riot in April 2024 but at Forbidden Door, the title went back to NJPW.

Jon Moxley Left Counting Cost Of Near Fall

In New York City, Jon Moxley and Tetsuya Naito clashed again and Moxley thought he had the win after a Death Rider but NJPW referee Red Shoes only counted two. Red Shoes took a chair from Moxley allowing Naito to recover to counter another Death Rider attempt before nailing the Blackpool Combat Club star with a brainbuster and Destino to win the gold.

The win means Tetsuya Naito is now the second NJPW star to have held the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship twice since the title was created in 2021. The only other man to have held that specific title more than once is the current AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada.