10 Wrestlers Who Could Realistically Cross WWE’s Forbidden Door

While the border between NJPW and AEW was initially dubbed as the ‘Forbidden Door’, the real forbidden door is actually between WWE and the rest of the professional wrestling world. Especially in recent years, WWE has shown such a hesitancy to work with other promotions in any way due to it not really benefiting them from a business standpoint.

There is a very small and minor chance though that some wrestlers could cross the line and appear in WWE or go out of the WWE sphere and appear elsewhere, but if anyone has the smallest of chances, it is these following individuals. Whether that be due to them going through the door recently (both in and out of WWE) or due to their good graces with the company, it could well happen at some point.

10 Matt Cardona

Matt Cardona clearly likes working on the independent scene and competing as a champion in the likes of IMPACT and GCW over the last few years. He has been teasing a WWE return on twitter recently, though whether this means a full-time deal or something short term is unclear.

With his partner Chelsea Green now in WWE, the possibility of him appearing in WWE feels more possible, though the only issue would be whether or not he can keep the Matt Cardona name and gimmick or if he would have to be ‘Zack Ryder’ once again.

9 Carlito

This one is a more obvious pick, as non-WWE contracted Carlito made an appearance in the company as recently as this year when he made his first appearance since the 2021 Royal Rumble match (which in itself was his first appearance for over a decade).

He became an honorary member of the LWO and was greeted with a major ovation, and the success of this comeback could make WWE want to bring him back into the fold at another point down the line for more cameo returns.

8 Shinsuke Nakamura

great muta and shinsuke nakamura — via NOAH

Shinsuke Nakamura is a recent example of someone in WWE who has gone the other way out of WWE’s forbidden door and competed in another promotion.

Earlier this year, Nakamura was allowed to compete in Pro Wrestling NOAH to be a part of The Great Muta’s retirement tour. Seeing Nakamura back in Japan was an incredible moment, and this could well happen again down the line given the fact that it already happened once. Nakamura isn’t a huge priority for WWE, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see it happen again.

7 Mickie James

Back at the 2022 Royal Rumble, Mickie James entered the women’s match whilst reigning as the IMPACT Knockouts Champion. This was a major surprise, though it was only a one-off appearance to strengthen the field of a weak Rumble match.

However, this shows that it is possible for James to cross the forbidden door of WWE. She seems to be on the back end of her career in professional wrestling, so she may cross the line and compete in WWE one last time before she hangs up her boots on what has been a very successful career.

6 Charlotte Flair

It feels like Charlotte Flair has different rules than many others on WWE’s roster. She takes a lot of time off and has even been backstage at events in which her husband Andrade El Idolo has been working.

It wouldn’t be a shock to see her somewhere like AAA either ringside or briefly backstage, though an appearance in AEW does seem like a step too far.

5 Dustin Rhodes

There has been talk amongst fans about Dustin Rhodes crossing the Forbidden Door between WWE and AEW, or at least appearing in the company once he (likely) steps away from AEW later this year.

Involving him in a storyline with Cody Rhodes is something that is almost a certainty at some point down the line, especially with the whole ‘finishing the story arc’ he has been going on. If he is allowed to not be Goldust, then he would undoubtedly make one or two appearances to help promote or story or at least team with his brother one more time before retirement.

4 Will Ospreay

NJPW and WWE have a very loose and tender relationship, though there is some form of communication there, as shown by the fact that WWE-contracted Karl Anderson reigned as the NEVER Openweight Champion and competed at Wrestle Kingdom this year.

Another NJPW name, Will Ospreay, has recently made it clear he would be open to working with someone like Seth Rollins, who responded to Ospreay on twitter to seemingly hint towards the fact that he would be open for the same thing. It is unlikely, but never say never if all parties are on board.

3 GUNTHER

WWE has a good relationship with GUNTHER’s former home turf of the wXw promotion in Germany, with some of their content existing on the WWE network too. In fact, when GUNTHER was still in NXT UK, he was allowed to go overseas and appear in the company.

It wouldn’t be a shock given the good graces between the two sides to see GUNTHER being able to do the same thing again down the line.

2 Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho has already crossed the forbidden door between WWE and AEW by appearing on the Broken Skull Sessions with Steve Austin and even discussing AEW on the WWE Network show.

Appearances in this form, whether it be interviews, video packages or documentaries could well happen again. Jericho is someone who always keeps his doors open, so bringing him in would be more likely than most for WWE and their strict forbidden door.

1 Billy Gunn

Late last year when D-Generation X had yet another reunion on a special Raw show, an appearance from AEW’s “Daddy Ass” Billy Gunn was apparently very close to happening, though the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement on a cameo.

However, the fact that both sides were actually open to talking sets a decent precedent for the future, as inevitable DX reunions will happen again on special episodes of Monday Night Raw, and on another day an agreement could well be made between WWE and AEW to allow Billy Gunn to appear.