Bully Ray Says AEW Was Right To Open Forbidden Door 2023 With MJF Vs. Tanahashi
At AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, it was on AEW World Champion MJF to open the show against Japanese wrestling legend Hiroshi Tanahashi. And given the circumstances, specifically, the fact that Bryan Danielson versus Kazuchika Okada was headlining the card — not to mention the mileage Tanahashi has accumulated throughout his 20-plus year career — Bully Ray thought it made perfect sense to kick the show off with that match.
"I don't think they had a choice," Bully said on "Busted Open" with regards to Danielson and Okada closing out the night. "I think they started the right way."
Bully would normally agree with those complaining about the world championship going on first due to its prestige. However, there was more than that to consider on Sunday. Plus, this isn't the first time MJF hasn't closed a pay-per-view with a title match. Instead, Bully looked at it from the perspective of how fans were going to react by the end of a nearly four-hour show. In the end, it ultimately came down to expectation versus reality. On the day, reality won out.
"What would have happened if Tanahashi and MJF would've went on last?" Bully wondered.
"Everybody would've went home," Mark Henry immediately quipped.
At the same time, host Dave LaGreca echoed the sentiment, suggesting, "It would've been a bit of a downer."
Bully agreed, pointing to Tanahashi's ability in the year 2023 and why it would've been unfair of AEW to put those expectations out there in the first place.
Fans Were Never Going to Get the Main Event Version of Tanahashi
Tanahashi, who is now 46 years old, has absolutely nothing left to prove inside a wrestling ring. Since beginning his career in New Japan Pro-Wrestling back in 1999, he's won title after title — including the IWGP Heavyweight Championship eight times. But fans were never going to get the very best version of him this past Sunday. And, they only needed to look as far as his match with Swerve Strickland on "AEW Collision" one night prior.
"The years and years of tearing the house down, and having the best match of the night, and being 'The Ace' has caught up with him a little bit," Bully continued. "So we can't get that Tanahashi main event that we've all come to know and love."
With him kicking off the show instead, AEW could take advantage of the years of goodwill he's accumulated. That way, he didn't have to worry about a potentially underwhelming reaction or the possibility of not living up to potentially lofty expectations. At the same time, however, Bully wasn't about to take anything away from MJF.
"I thought they used the bells and whistles wisely," Bully added. "They had a good enough match. It's a credible win for Max, he can say he beat Tanahashi. That's it. Smart move to put that match on first."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open" with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.