MJF Threatens To No Show AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door Following Hiroshi Tanahashi Match Announcement

All Elite Wrestling might be without their world champion for AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door on Sunday, June 25.

MJF has been less than complimentary about NJPW in recent years, beyond that he is a big fan of Great-O-Khan, and Friedman didn't react kindly to the news that he had been booked to defend the AEW World Championship against Hiroshi Tanahashi at Forbidden Door.

Following a challenge on Dynamite from Tanahashi in which the 'Master of the Century' noted the AEW World Title couldn't shine with MJF as champion, Friedman stated from the trainer's room that he wouldn't be giving a title shot to "to some rando from a rinky-dink indy fed in Japan." MJF then complained about Tony Khan already making the match official, saying Forbidden Door wouldn't be the first time he has no-showed an event he was booked for.

Friedman's statement appeared to be a reference to him no-showing the AEW Double or Nothing 2022 fan fest due to unhappiness with his AEW contract. There were fears Friedman wouldn't work the following day's pay-per-view but he ultimately did put over Wardlow before he went on a profanity-laden rant about Tony Khan on the post-PPV edition of Dynamite.

Friedman took time off following the rant before he resurfaced at All Out a few months later. MJF then went on to win the AEW World Championship from Jon Moxley and he noted last year that he had signed a new contract with AEW on improved terms. MJF has claimed his new deal didn't include a contract extension, however.