Let’s F’ing Go (Ace)!

21 comments

1. I hope there’s better buildup for it

2. Big fight feel

3. Punk doesn’t deserve to be champ, and Tanahashi shouldn’t have to eat that L.

   shame.

4. Poor Tana is gonna have to carry CM Punk to a solid match just to take an L. At least against KENTA it’d be worth it for the punchline.

5. If someone can make the most of Punk’s shaky conditioning, it’s Tana. Go Ace!

6. [deleted]

7. Just make sure Punk doesn’t try to do any springboards of the ropes.

8. strange amount of negativity in this thread. I’m very excited for this, one of the biggest matches you could ask for in Forbidden Door.

   and for those calling Punk washed and saying Tana will have to carry him, he’s had as many great matches in the past year as Tana has.

9. New Champ!

10. Tana a guy who has earned respect is going to be forced to do the job for CM Punk…

    Yay.

11. It seems people are pretty negative on this match, or at least there’s a vocal minority. While it’s subjective and we’re all entitled to our own opinions, I’m psyched for this match, for the following reasons [Sorry, a little long]:

    -This is one of the biggest marquee matches that they can put on the card. Tanahashi is certainly the most beloved wrestler in New Japan, a top draw and one of the most over guys on the roster (second only to Naito, in that regard?). Punk is the top draw in AEW and the most over guy on the roster. Win-win. Tanahashi, while most likely in the position to lose the match, will lose nothing from it (he doesn’t need the win, and it wouldn’t make sense for him to win the title), but he gets the benefit of being in one of the top matches on the card (as he should be), if not the main event itself, fighting for the other company’s prestigious title. JR and Excalibur will talk him up (they already started the process) and he will be presented to AEW fans who are unfamiliar (shame on them) as the biggest deal possible. Sure the match is predictable, but so will be the likely match where Okada defends his title. Punk gets the honor of facing one of the greatest wrestlers of all time and will get the boon for his title reign of a successful defense.

    When it comes to in-ring work, we can agree that Tanahashi is one of the absolute best to ever do it. If we’re being honest, at 45 years old he doesn’t move quite like Tanahashi in his prime, but he is still putting on masterpieces in the ring on a regular basis because his pacing, orchestration, and psychology are still world-class. I think fans are being a bit unfair to CM Punk. He has had some awesome matches since his return: v. Darby Allin, Eddie Kingston, MJF, Matt Sydal, Daniel Garcia, Dax Harwood, etc. I think he’s being unreasonably compared to some of the uber-workrate guys (of which NJPW and AEW have plenty), but he’s never really been that. I think the long-term story of his return has been done well and his psychology in matches and between matches, and his prowess on the mic have been terrific.

    His two botches in the DoN main event were unfortunate, as was his slip off the top rope and subsequent sequence on Dynamite. It’s certainly not a good look and the champion should be held to a higher standard, but I also think it’s been sort of blown out of proportion. He hasn’t been a botch-machine since returning and I don’t think he’s been as blown-up as people have been saying: I think he’s selling and slowing the pace for drama (psychology!). CM Punk isn’t in his athletic prime and he might seem an outlier due to the wrestlers surrounding him, but dude knows how to wrestle, pure and simple. As Tanahashi knows, when you lose a step athletically, you make up for it with something else.

    Much like Tanahashi, Punk’s pacing, fire, selling, psychology, is top notch. Is Punk at Tanahashi’s level in the ring? No, but very few ever have been. However, he’s not out of his depth. It’s not like Punk is going into the ring with Ospreay, where there might be legitimate question as to whether he can hang. I don’t expect a 5+ star work-rate Tokyo Dome/G1 Finals match between these two: it’s not Omega/Naito. What I do expect is a masterclass in pro-wrestling, the perennial art, that would work in any era. I’m stoked.

12. I’m just happy Okada will have a different opponent (love Punk tho)

13. Unexpected but I am really looking forward to that match

14. Tana got a lot of weight to carry in this match.

15. Some of y’all are weird.

    This is gonna be awesome. I’d love if Tana won, but AEW is pretty locked in on their booking.

16. They promised once in a lifetime dream matches for this card and CM Punk vs Tanahashi is the definition of that.

17. I love Tana and hope this will be a great match.

    I’m very happy Okada will be facing someone other than Punk as well. No shot Punk is loosing this match.

    I dont want to see Okada take a loss either, especially since he’s being introduced to people who maybe haven’t really seen him before – Okada needs a win here.

    I’m assuming Okada may end up facing Danielson(?), which I wouldn’t hate… although I’d rather see Danielson fight ZSJ (Dream match of mine). Not sure who else it would be if not him though.

18. Maybe strange to the extent that Kenta would have been a more natural fit.

19. Well… I guess not?

20. Oops

21. Soooo…….Battle Royal on Dynamite for a place against Moxley at Forbidden Door to determine an interim champion who then at some point has a unification match with Punk.

    What?

    Why not just have a Battle Royal or a one night mini tournament with some of the New Japan guys at Forbidden Door for the actual title?

    Then Punk gets a shot at them when recovered.