AEW CEO Tony Khan Confirms NJPW's Callum Newman Was Supposed To Work Forbidden Door

When Callum Newman and the United Empire showed up to have the back of Will Ospreay against the Death Riders in April, many thought it was a precursor to the group showing up in AEW again, this time at Forbidden Door. In fact, there was no presence from the United Empire on the show, although it wasn't for a lack of trying on Tony Khan's part. During an interview with Case Lowe of "Q101," the AEW owner talked about who from New Japan he had been interested in using at Forbidden Door before revealing that Newman and other United Empire members had been set for the event.

"There were plans to use Callum Newman and the United Empire," Khan said. "And when Callum Newman got injured, they [New Japan] held him back from the show. So that was a major change."

Newman is believed to have suffered several injuries at NJPW Dominion, where he dropped the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship to Yota Tsuji. Newman has since made a full recovery, however, and will participate in Block B of the upcoming G1 Climax tournament; his first match will take place this Saturday in Chicago, Illinois, where he'll battle Yuya Uemera. While Khan didn't comment on what the plans were for Newman and United Empire at Forbidden Door, reports have suggested that Newman would've challenged Jon Moxley for the AEW Continental Championship. 

The match would've continued the issues between United Empire and the Death Riders from April, with the added wrinkle of Osprey's allegiances being torn due to his association with the Death Riders over the last few months. With Newman unavailable, Moxley instead successfully defended the championship against Bandido, while Ospreay defeated Swerve Strickland to win the Finals of the Men's Owen Hart Cup tournament.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Q101" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription