AEW and NJPW put on one of the best shows of all time with Forbidden Door 2023. The show had some of the biggest matches of all time, much to the joy of the fans.
This show had some incredible dream match for fans to enjoy. However, one match was cancelled at the last minute, and may never be seen again in AEW.
Matches have been cancelled on occasion in AEW, for a variety of reasons. Sometimes these matches are rescheduled for weeks or months down the line.
However, a lot of these matches were once-in-a-lifetime and have never happened (and likely never will)
In this article, we’ll talk you through the biggest matches in AEW that have been cancelled, explaining the reason behind the match cancellation.
CM Punk vs Hiroshi Tanahashi (Forbidden Door 2022)
After Double or Nothing 2022, Hiroshi Tanahashi challenged new AEW Champion CM Punk to a match at the first Forbidden Door event.
This would soon be made official, but only for one week. CM Punk injured his foot before the challenge was made, and was forced to pull out of the event completely.
Instead, Jon Moxley replaced him as Hiroshi Tanahashi’s opponent, defeating The Ace to become the new Interim AEW Champion.
Jon Moxley vs Brian Cage (Fyter Fest 2020)
Brian Cage debuted at Double or Nothing 2020, winning the Casino Ladder match in the process.
This earned him a title shot against AEW Champion Jon Moxley, with the match set to take place at Fyter Fest 2020.
However, the match was soon postponed. This was the height of COVID, and Jon Moxley came down with the illness just days before the match was set to take place.
Luckily for all, he recovered in time for the match a week later, at the special “Fight for the Fallen” event.
The Elite vs Inner Circle (Blood & Guts 2020)
The global pandemic robbed up of many things, one of them being Cody Rhodes teaming with The Elite in the first ever Blood & Guts match.
The bout was set to take place just weeks after the world closed down due to the virus. This would have pitted The Elite against the Inner Circle, marking the debut of AEW’s version of War Games.
It was instead replaced by a different match type, although Cody Rhodes moved out of the group for the bout.
He was replaced by Matt Hardy, leaving in pursuit of the TNT Championship.
Adam Page vs PAC (Double or Nothing 2019)
Adam Page was meant to face PAC at the first ever AEW event. Double or Nothing 2019 was supposed to feature that match, although you may remember Hangman in a different match on the card.
His match with PAC was announced prior to the event, being built up from the very first AEW press conference. However, due to creative difference, the match was pushed back until Full Gear 2019.
Instead, Adam Page won the Casino Battle Royal, earning himself an AEW Championship match against Chris Jericho at All Out 2019.
Adam Cole vs “Filthy” Tom Lawlor (Forbidden Door 2023)
Two days before Forbidden Door 2023, MJF announced that Adam Cole would be taking on “Filthy” Tom Lawlor in a huge cross promotion match.
This was meant to be Lawlor’s first AEW match, and would help continue the feud between Adam Cole and MJF, over the AEW Championship.
Sadly, on the day of the show Tony Khan revealed on Twitter that Adam Cole was ill. He missed the show, and his match with Tom Lawlor was cancelled as result.
Lawlor wrestled against Serpentico in a dark match before the show, but it was not quite the same as he had hoped.
Sammy Guevara vs Eddie Kingston (All Out 2022)
One errant comment from Sammy Guevara caused his match against Eddie Kingston at All Out 2022 to be cancelled.
The pair had been feuding for weeks, but once Guevara referred to Kingston as a “fat piece of shit” in a promo, the pair’s relationship soon deteriorated.
Sammy instead teamed with his wife Tay Melo to face Ruby Soho and Ortiz at the event, while Eddie Kingston did battle with Tomihiro Ishii.
The two did eventually set aside their differences and make up, as shown on the TV show AEW: All Access.
Andrade El Idolo vs 10 (AEW Rampage 7/10/22)
Andrade El Idolo was meant to battle 10 (Preston Vance) on the October 7th, 2022 episode of AEW Rampage.
The match was a rather hastily thrown together match, with a mask vs career stipulation for the duep.
It was clearly just an excuse to unmask 10, although Andrade did not take part in the match.
He got into a backstage fight with Sammy Guevara on the Dynamite that week, and was taken out of the match a backstage precaution.