5 months ago
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The next challenge in Jon Moxley's IWGP World Heavyweight Championship reign has emerged in the form of a former world champion. At NJPW Dominion, the ever-resilient Moxley defeated EVIL in a Lumberjack match to retain his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. After the bout, Moxley wasted little time to procure his next opponent, laying out an opportunity for anyone in the New Japan Pro-Wrestling locker room to face him at the upcoming AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view on June 30.
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This proposition quickly piqued the interest of Tetsuya Naito, whom Moxley had unseated to claim the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at NJPW's Windy City Riot event in April. With Moxey ultimately accepting Naito as his Forbidden Door challenger, the two are now officially set for a rematch.
Following his victory over Naito at Windy City Riot, Moxley has produced a string of successful title defenses against the likes of Shota Umino, Ren Narita, and fellow AEW star Powerhouse Hobbs. Moxley has also emerged victorious in a pair of eliminator matches against Rocky Romero and Konosuka Takeshita, the latter of which took place at the 2024 AEW Double or Nothing event.
For Moxley, 2024 will mark his third appearance on the Forbidden Door stage. In 2022, the former "Lunatic Fringe" notably defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi to capture the Interim AEW World Championship. Last year, Moxley found himself in ten-men tag team competition alongside Konosuke Takeshita, Shota Umino, and his Blackpool Combat Club stablemates Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta. Elsewhere on the 2023 Forbidden Door card, Naito, Darby Allin, and Sting beat the trio of Minoru Suzuki, Chris Jericho, and Sammy Guevara.
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