Sanada is walking into uncharted territory at Forbidden Door.
During a recent interview with Tokyo Sports, Sanada spoke about his upcoming match with “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry. Sanada said that he is not familiar with Perry and questioned if an open challenge was the right way to decide an opponent.
“[I have zero knowledge about Jack Perry]. It’s sad to see someone like that challenge for the IWGP Championship. Is it good that the open challenge is so easily decided? It’s the IWGP [Championship], I think it’s worth more than the AEW belt,” he stated.
Sanada issued an open challenge for his IWGP Championship on the June 14 episode of AEW Dynamite. The challenge was quickly answered by Perry.
The IWGP World Heavyweight Championship was introduced in 2021 as a new title that unified the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. Kota Ibushi was the first champion under the current lineage, winning the title on March 4, 2021.
