Report: Other AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door Opponents Considered For CM Punk Revealed

CM Punk will be in action at the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view when he goes one-on-one with Satoshi Kojima for the first time ever. The match will be one of the headline matches at the show on Sunday, June 25.

CM Punk was originally planned to face KENTA at Forbidden Door, with the issues between both men over Punk adopting the Go To Sleep as his finisher providing an easy story for the match. The encounter ended up being scrapped, though, after KENTA turned down facing Punk at the pay-per-view, a decision which has reportedly led to him having heat with NJPW.

While AEW and New Japan ultimately went with Kojima as Punk's emergency opponent, other names considered were El Phantasmo and Jeff Cobb, according to Fightful Select. Another option was just to have Punk be part of the Forbidden Door broadcast as a commentator.

Jeff Cobb is a part of the United Empire and has competed in AEW before. El Phantasmo, meanwhile, is currently without a faction in NJPW after being kicked out of Bullet Club. He represented the stable at last year's Forbidden Door as he and The Young Bucks lost to the Dudes with Attitudes of Sting, Darby Allin, and Shingo Takagi.