Tony Khan Was Interested In Using Stardom Talent At Forbidden Door

Forbidden Door was a monumental coming together of NJPW and AEW, with a fourteen match card showcasing the best of the two companies.

The only bout not to feature any New Japan talent was the AEW Women’s World Championship match between Thunder Rosa and Toni Storm, with fans ahead of the show wondering why fellow Bushiroad owned promotion Stardom wasn’t involved with the event.

During the post-show media scrum after Forbidden Door, AEW President Tony Khan revealed he was interested in using Stardom talent, but logistical issues prevented it from happening:

"I was interested in using Stardom, obviously they have a close relationship with New Japan, and all the wrestlers from Stardom were pretty much booked and they didn't have visas. It was a big obstacle. There is definitely potential there. Certainly, Toni [Storm] is one of the hottest and rising stars in AEW since she arrived in AEW. I thought it made great sense because she's been a champion in Japan, has great experience at Stardom, and someone who has been on our TV. It was a great match we could build to. It was not a blood rivalry. It was forged in mutual respect and fought it with honour. It was a great wrestling match and it was cool.

“I thought Toni was the perfect choice given who was on our TV, who was pushed, and knowing that, while it would have been another challenge, in addition to many other challenges, to take people from Stardom and get them over on our TV, it would have been possible to do it, absolutely, but availability is the greatest ability of all in this business and most businesses. In this case, there was no availability. Toni, for many reasons, was a great choice and they had a great match,” said Khan.

H/T: Fightful