6 CM Punk forbidden door matches that are possible with AEW

#5 CM Punk vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi (NJPW)

Hiroshi Tanahashi gave a powerful and emotional address at the end of last night's event in Kagawa.Check out the full video with English subtitles below:https://t.co/B5urNlK8LY#njpw #g129 pic.twitter.com/s0KfrOGIGY

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) July 31, 2019

CM Punk has clashed with several AEW stars, from Colt Cabana in ROH to Chris Jericho in WWE. There are a lot of new possibilities beyond, especially with the forbidden door. When fans think of the forbidden door with AEW, they think of New Japan Pro Wrestling. One of the biggest stars of the past two decades for NJPW is "The Ace" Hiroshi Tanahashi.

Tanahashi is the man responsible for pulling NJPW up from the dolodrums of the 2000s and early 2010s. He became the equivalent of John Cena in Japan as the top babyface star. In addition to his success in raising the profile and business for NJPW, Hiroshi Tanahashi is one of the greatest wrestlers of the century. His storytelling and psychology are top notch in every way possible.

Hiroshi Tanahashi new NEVER Champion, but O-Khan awaits to eliminate:https://t.co/Jt5GmBMuGf#njpw #njnbg pic.twitter.com/iVwsz2myfn

— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) January 30, 2021

CM Punk needs a competitor who could lead with coming back in the ring for the first time in seven years. He would be hardpressed to find a better worker to match up with than Hiroshi Tanahashi. Punk could lead the way and do the work on the microphone, while The Ace would put together a marvelous match layout to hide the ring rust of "The Second City Saint".

Hiroshi Tanahashi could represent NJPW in an invasion type story with CM Punk coming in to try to prove himself as "The Best In The World". Punk created greatness with John Cena in WWE, so the question would be "could he match that excellence with NJPW's Cena?". There is a lot of angles to explore with this encounter and that is what makes it extremely alluring.