CM Punk vs. KENTA no longer planned for Forbidden Door
Added 2023-06-21 15:05:40 +0000 UTCKENTA and CM Punk are no longer facing each other at NJPW Forbidden Door, at least as this past weekend.
Fightful Select has learned that KENTA expressed to NJPW and AEW that he isn’t facing CM Punk at the Forbidden Door show, as word started to make way around Collision this past week. As of the first episode of Collision, AEW was considering who CM Punk should face at Forbidden Door, or if he’ll even be wrestling on the show.
NJPW sources had confirmed to Fightful that KENTA and CM Punk had been planned for the event, but as of this weekend, it wasn’t happening. We weren’t given a reason as to why, but were told that by the time KENTA had tweeted "Kenta vs Punk is never going to happen" that was in response to him actually being out of the match.
Based on what we've heard, Punk was open to the match and there were other options being evaluated for him as of Saturday. When Fightful spoke with NJPW sources about KENTA, they confirmed that most top NJPW talent were booked for other opponents, though not officially announced.
We're told that there were big AEW programming plans for KENTA to set up the program. Satoshi Kohima, El Phantasmo and Jeff Cobb have all been pitched internally, as well as simply having Punk be a part of the broadcast as an announcer. There were adjustments made to AEW programming this week, as Ibou from WrestlePurists highlighted on Twitter.
CM Punk is backstage at AEW Dynamite and is planned for the show, as we'd reported this past weekend. To clear up confusion, the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega were never planned for the show, and there pre-tapes were done well before Collision -- it wasn't reactionary based on the Collision promo.
Comments
Lucky break for Punk. If he's constantly complaining about Hangman working stiff, just wait until he takes offense from KENTA.
The Lane Family
2023-06-21 23:21:50 +0000 UTC*Kojima
Excellence of Flexecution
2023-06-21 23:01:40 +0000 UTCYeah no one will riot cause of Punk.
Evnmrg dada
2023-06-21 21:40:25 +0000 UTCThe show was sold out when no one knew if Punk would ever be back, much less on the PPV.
Dan Morrow
2023-06-21 20:51:47 +0000 UTCPunk will be booed at a NJPW/AEW show, NJPW fans love the Elite.
Matty Nice
2023-06-21 20:51:20 +0000 UTCKenta saw how great Jay White was presented as last week and said "no thanks"
Dan Morrow
2023-06-21 20:49:37 +0000 UTCSounds like Kenta is a baby
CMRN
2023-06-21 20:42:02 +0000 UTCFirst the match is planned. Then Punk doesn’t want to work with kenta. Now kenta says the match isn't happening but punk wants to work. Feels like it’s happening and they’re just trying to throw you off the trail.
Hold up I just googled Dick Marcinko and this dudes beard grows all the way up to his eye balls what da hell is da beard doin
2023-06-21 20:37:27 +0000 UTCIn a match where the story is who is the true owner of the GTS, i would prefer for KENTA to go over. But with Punk's return promo of "whoever beats me is the true AEW champion", you cant have him immediately lose. This may be a save it for next year situation... that or KENTA was told he would lose and that don't work for him brother.
BC_Auron
2023-06-21 18:12:12 +0000 UTCKent's knew the match actually happening would ruin the bit 🤣
Talia
2023-06-21 17:53:36 +0000 UTCNobody is going to riot over a match that was never confirmed lol. Especially when we getting okada and danielson.
Elaquent
2023-06-21 17:29:49 +0000 UTCPunk needs to go to Tony and demand he wrestle at Forbidden Door. The fans in Toronto may literally riot if AEW's biggest star who just got back isn't on the PPV.
Aristidis Fantis
2023-06-21 16:58:35 +0000 UTCAlso, they just did that with Cargill and Valkyrie.
Doogie
2023-06-21 16:50:24 +0000 UTCI suspect tonight will set that up, I don't think you can wait until Saturday for that
Arthur Nienaber
2023-06-21 16:39:30 +0000 UTCConsidering Punk was slated to face Tanahashi last year before injury, I think you’re right. This seems like a big work.
Brian Carpenter
2023-06-21 16:26:48 +0000 UTCWhat are the odds they pivot to Jay White given some of Whites social posts about Punk in the past 24 hours. Someone make this happen :) Also, given “as of this weekend” I still think it’s KENTA.
KK
2023-06-21 16:21:22 +0000 UTCI thought Punk wasn't keen on working with Kenta?
Jeffrey Pollard
2023-06-21 16:15:03 +0000 UTCI still think MJF "no shows" forbidden door and CM Punk steps in his place.
Arthur Nienaber
2023-06-21 16:09:09 +0000 UTCStupid question but why does CM Punk have to be separated from The Elite for Dynamite and Collision but they can be on the same PPVs? Punk was wrong at the start but this whole thing has gotten very childish.
Neil
2023-06-21 16:07:18 +0000 UTCKatsuyori Shibata Please 🙏
Peter
2023-06-21 16:00:39 +0000 UTCReplacement idea: Toru Yano.
CSDX
2023-06-21 16:00:30 +0000 UTCgood. "they do the same finisher" is the weakest level booking ive seen.
Ben Sherman
2023-06-21 16:00:27 +0000 UTCKENTA said Tony had to pay him that fuck money or he wouldn’t do it. KENTA knows cm punk gets that fuck money, so he knows it’s there, but Tony prob won’t give it. Don’t blame KENTA. This is a high profile match. And holy shit, I love punk, but his gts is garbagio compared to KENTA.
Geo
2023-06-21 15:51:07 +0000 UTCKENTA has nothing to gain by losing to a rusty and old CM Punk
TorchCrawler
2023-06-21 15:43:37 +0000 UTCThe match was never going to be great, but it makes Punk look like an even bigger problem when he's the center of plans changing or being nixed
MrDoubleOmeg
2023-06-21 15:39:24 +0000 UTCOh good, than I won’t have to suffer thru a boring KENTA match
Talk About Your Psalms Talk About John 3 16 Femboy 3 16 Says I Just Licked Your Ass
2023-06-21 15:36:23 +0000 UTCNah this is funny af this mf was whining about wanting to face punk for years and calls it off last minute SHUT UPPPPP
M
2023-06-21 15:29:46 +0000 UTCKenta was campaigning for that match for years. Then when it looks like he was gonna get his wish he calls it off. I guess..
Busby
2023-06-21 15:25:27 +0000 UTCThis is what it sounds like to me
Kyle Longwar
2023-06-21 15:20:58 +0000 UTCThe wording is a little confusing for me. “Fightful Select has learned that KENTA expressed to NJPW and AEW that he isn’t facing CM Punk at the Forbidden Door show.” Does this mean KENTA is the one who called it off?
Anthony M
2023-06-21 15:18:59 +0000 UTC
