AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door II Media Call: Jungle Boy & SANADA, Madison Rayne Injury, Bellator Purchase Rumor, Goldberg

AEW CEO Tony Khan held a media call earlier today to promote this Sunday’s AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Forbidden Door II event at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Some of the topics discussed included Khan’s thoughts on The Elite and CM Punk being on the same card for Forbidden Door II. Khan stated it is great to have so many superstars for Forbidden Door II and feels really excited for both Punk and the Elite for the show.

On the topic of AEW’s backstage locker room dynamic since Punk returned, Khan stated that it has been a positive experience so far at their recent two shows in Chicago.

On the topic of the booking of Jungle Boy vs. SANADA for the event, Khan stated that Jungle Boy was his first choice and the whole company believes in him and he has continued to develop as a star over the past couple years.

On the topic of the upcoming Bryan Danielson vs. Kazuchika Okada match, Khan stated that this upcoming match ranks near his top ever in terms of his excitement to book and his anticipation to watch as a promoter or fan. Khan also stated that he has been happy over how they have been building up the match in recent weeks.

On the topic of the lack of Canadians participating in this year’s Owen Hart Cup tournament despite it taking place in Canada this year, Khan stated that the reason was due to he just wanted to give the strongest field possible for this year’s tournament. Khan also stated that there will be future Owen Hart Cup tournaments in Canada and more chances for Canadian talent to get involved.

On the topic of the CM Punk vs. KENTA match not happening for Forbidden Door II in favor of Punk vs. Satoshi Kojima instead, Khan stated that Punk vs. Kojima is the match he wants to see. Khan gave a non-response when asked a question regarding the rumors and reports of other people who were considered as potential opponents for Punk at the event.

On the topic of the lack of Stardom participation for Forbidden Door II, Khan stated that the reason is due to Stardom holding their own event on the same day in Japan. Khan also stated that he is hopeful of being able to work with Stardom in the future.

On the topic of the recent report from Ariel Helwani about his family was interested in purchasing Bellator MMA in 2011, Khan stated:

“I was surprised to see that report. I haven’t had any conversations with them about that. I don’t know what that was about. My father hasn’t had any conversations with them either. I don’t even know who owns the promotion. Is Scott Coker the owner, the President? I’m not sure. I’m familiar with Bellator. I’m familiar with MMA. I’ve never worked professionally in the space, other than having some stars from UFC appear at times in AEW. I saw that report, and there’s really nothing to that. I’m not sure where that rumor got started. I’ve honestly never had any talks, and my father has never had any talks, about buying Bellator, so I was surprised to see that. Was that someone Ariel Helwani reported? It would not be the first inaccurate thing Ariel Helwani has reported. That is completely inaccurate, but that’s Ariel Helwani for you.“

On the topic of the makeup of AEW’s current creative team, Khan stated that Madison Rayne and Sarah Stock are among those who have contributed to AEW’s creative process and team and praised both of them for their work. Khan also revealed that the reason for Rayne’s absence from AEW programming is due to foot injury she is currently dealing with.

“Madison Rayne and Sarah Stock are both very involved in the coaching and producing of matches. I have a lot of people who come in and make suggestions and bring ideas. Sarah has added a lot since she’s been with us and Madison has been here a bit longer. She had been out of wrestling with an injury, she’s still backstage with us, dealing with a foot injury she had in a match a couple of months ago. Excited to get her back in the ring at some point. She is tremendously useful backstage. It’s great to get their perspective on the women’s division.

“

On the topic of AEW’s interest in opening a Forbidden Door with other companies, Khan stated that they have strong relationships with other companies but nothing quite like what they have with NJPW. Khan stated that he would be interested in working with more Lucha promotions but also mentioned the challenges regarding the rivalry between Lucha Libre AAA and Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre.

On the topic of CM Punk calling himself as “One Bill Phil” during his promo segment at this past Saturday’s Collision show, Khan stated that Punk’s comment about Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav was a throwback to when wrestlers on TNT would refer to former WCW owner Ted Turner.

On the topic of Goldberg’s potential involvement with AEW in the future, Khan stated:

“I have had nice conversations with Bill about being involved with AEW at times. It’s a good thought. I don’t know if it would be the perfect fit for who Sting and Darby are going to bring to Collision this weekend, but I also want to leave all the doors open for them and their partner for Forbidden Door. It would ideally be somebody that would step in and be a good fit for the Forbidden Door show. Bill Goldberg is a legend in pro wrestling, one of the biggest names in the sport, and I have certainly had nice conversations with him at times. As for who Sting and Darby bring in this weekend, there have been a lot of guesses, and a lot of them have been more in line with New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s biggest names. Goldberg has gone over and competed in New Japan too. I’ve had nice talks with Bill about doing things with AEW, and that’s probably all I can say.“

On the topic of the recent rumors of CM Punk having an ownership stake in AEW, Khan stated:

“That’s just a colloquialism. I own the business. I own the business, but he’s one of the top stars here and has an interest in AEW being a strong box office business. His return is helping us and helped launch AEW Collision with a great rating and he drives interest in our TV shows, pay-per-views, and merchandise. He’s a huge star for us. He’s definitely interested in the bottom line being strong and he wants the company to do well. That’s a colloquialism though.“

In a follow-up statement to David Bixenspan, Khan clarified his comments stating that Punk does not own any sort of ownership stake in AEW.

For those trying to parse the wording of Tony Khan's answer to my question on the conference call about whether or not CM Punk has an ownership stake in AEW:

He sent me a follow-up message making it 100% clear that the answer is that no, Punk does not have any ownership in AEW.

— David Bixenspan (@davidbix) June 22, 2023

Full media call audio: Fightful.com

Source: F4WOnline.com, Fightful.com 1, 2, 3, 4