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Hiroshi Tanahashi is the man who created the term "forbidden door," referring to the portal between NJPW and AEW before his match against Chris Jericho at Wrestle Kingdom 14. Following his recent vignette on Dynamite, it looks like The Ace will be the latest New Japan star to arrive in All Elite Wrestling.
Tanahashi defeated AEW's Lance Archer to win the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship at NJPW Resurgence on Saturday in Los Angeles. Following the main event, Archer invited The Ace to come to AEW and face him in a rematch. All signs point to Hiroshi Tanahashi coming through the forbidden door and facing the top stars of AEW.
Tanahashi is undoubtedly one of the biggest and most influential performers in the history of New Japan Pro Wrestling. His arrival in All Elite Wrestling would be a landmark moment for both companies. In this article, let's take a look at the five dream matches for Hiroshi Tanahashi in AEW.
#5 MJF - AEW
When looking at the AEW roster, there are many tantalizing matchups to choose for Hiroshi Tanahashi. However, there aren't many characters and promo experts quite as good to put against The Ace as MJF. The Pinnacle leader has a personality that plays off of the traditionalist that is Tanahashi.
MJF is one of the best promo-cutters in AEW. The Ace's first language is of course Japanese, so he would need an exceptional talker to do the heavy lifting of building anticipation for their clash.
Chris Jericho has been the defining rival of MJF since their story began almost one year after AEW All Out 2020. The two men were tag team partners and stablemates before Friedman turned on him and The Inner Circle to form his Pinnacle stable. Tanahashi was Jericho's last opponent in NJPW with the former AEW World Champion defeating The Ace inside the Tokyo Dome.
MJF can claim that he has done what Tanahashi couldn't in defeating Chris Jericho. The purity of Tanahashi vs. the evil ways of MJF make for a juxtaposition that is too good not to explore.
#4 Andrade - AEW
Andrade recently debuted for AEW after his release from WWE earlier this year. His current feud with PAC looks on its way to culminating at All Out, but there is plenty more for the former NXT Champion to achieve. Before his WWE career, Andrade made his name in CMLL and NJPW, which included a clash with a certain Ace.
In 2013, Andrade, then known as La Sombra, faced Hiroshi Tanahashi. It was a very entertaining bout with The Ace getting the win. With that history in mind, this would be two completely different performers. Andrade has evolved and only gotten better since that bout eight years ago, while Tanahashi has become an all-time great since.
Andrade blends a Lucha libre arsenal with NJPW's strong style strikes in a wonderful way that makes him unique from everyone else in AEW or in the business today. Tanahashi is an absolute genius in match layout and simple psychology, making for riveting clashes regardless of his opponent.
The winner of this contest is a real toss-up. Tanahashi could get the win on his way to bigger matches with the more established AEW stars, and Andrade could avenge his loss from years ago. What's for sure is that, the exchanges will be very engaging, and the closing stretch is guaranteed to be breathtaking. This could be one of the best possible encounters for Hiroshi Tanahashi in this promotion.
#3 PAC - AEW
PAC has proven himself to be one of the very best wrestlers in AEW and in the world. From his days in NXT to his awesome matches in All Elite Wrestling, the Bastard shows tremendous high flying ability as well as a diverse arsenal that is one of a kind in the business.
PAC has faced the who's who of the top stars in AEW from Kenny Omega to Jon Moxley. Facing The Ace would mark another big-time contest and potentially open the forbidden door for the Death Triangle leader to go to NJPW with a victory. Hiroshi Tanahashi would be hard-pressed to find a competitor in the ring that has the versality of PAC.
The matchup has a simple yet effective story to tell. PAC could work over the notoriously bad legs of Tanahashi before going to work over his neck to set up for the Brutalizer. This would lead to the inevitably magical babyface comeback of Tanahashi.
For PAC, a victory over Tanahashi would mean the biggest win of his career and a chance to go over to NJPW for more top-notch encounters with the likes of Kazuchika Okada and Shingo Takagi.
For Tanahashi, this win would give him a victory over one of the top ranked contenders and possibly a chance to get a shot at the AEW World Championship. This is a dream match waiting to happen.
#2 Jon Moxley - AEW
Hiroshi Tanahashi challenged the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship Match winner on the July 28th AEW Dynamite Fight For the Fallen special. Lance Archer beat Hikuleo to retain the title and set up the NJPW Resurgence main event.
Jon Moxley was not too happy about this and called out Hiroshi Tanahashi. Jon claimed that The Ace had been ducking a clash with him for months. He also challenged the entire NJPW roster to come through the forbidden door to face the Purveyor of Violence. Moxley was at ringside during the Archer vs. Tanahashi IWGP US Heavyweight Title Match, but he left in anger after The Ace's win.
This sets the stage for Tanahashi to come through the forbidden door and show up on AEW Dynamite to challenge Moxley in person. This is an encounter that many New Japan Pro Wrestling fans have wanted to see since Moxley's arrival in the promotion.
Moxley has shown that he can put on classics against the best NJPW offers, from Tomohiro Ishii to KENTA. Tanahashi is a completely different performer from the men Mox has overcome in the past, whether in New Japan or AEW. The Ace has more heart, will, and determination than anyone. This will be a sensational match that could be a Match of the Year candidate.
#1 Malakai Black - AEW
Malakai Black made a dramatic debut in AEW on the Road Rager special episode of Dynamite. He shocked the Miami crowd and nailed both Arn Anderson and Cody Rhodes with Black Mass kicks. Malakai followed this up with a dominating victory over Cody on AEW Homecoming in just four minutes and laid out Rhodes with a crutch after the match.
Malakai Black's first month in AEW has to be considered a success, with him decimating a bonafide top star and taking him out of action in the process. This is a far cry from most of his booking in WWE, where Aleister Black was the victim of many start and stop pushes.
To continue on his journey in All Elite Wrestling, a confrontation with one of the most important stars in NJPW history would be a welcome sight. Malakai Black has expressed wanting to perform for New Japan Pro Wrestling. With Tanahashi's arrival in AEW and the forbidden door being opened, he can stay at his home promotion and face the very best from Japan.
Hiroshi Tanahashi is a consummate babyface. This makes for a perfect story heading into this encounter with Malakai Black's character relying on darkness and mystery to gain the mental edge against his opponents. It would be a better light vs. dark feud than Black's rivalry with the much-maligned Cody Rhodes.
A victory for Malakai Black could propel him even more than his annihilation of Cody. Beating Hiroshi Tanahashi would mark a huge turning point in his career that could lead to opportunities at not just the AEW World Championship but the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in NJPW.
Tanahashi could create magic with a performer as layered in character and in-ring ability as Malakai Black. Not only would the leadup be deeply compelling, but the matchup could be phenomenal with two amazing professional wrestlers going at it.
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