3 Face and 3 heel turns that could happen at AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door this year

This year's edition of Forbidden Door is AEW's next pay-per-view, and the promotion has now begun building up several storylines for this. But could fans be in store for several surprises during the show?

This will be the second crossover pay-per-view of the year, with Wrestling Dynasty in January being the first. Stars from NJPW, CMLL, and Stardom may be set for major appearances alongside the best of the best from the Tony Khan-led company.

Face and heel turns are a commodity in the business, and seeing as there have already been so many so far this year, there is no ruling out the possibility of some others taking place at Forbidden Door.

Given the number of teases on-screen, here are some of them that could take place at AEW Forbidden Door:

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Face: Christian Cage

At AEW All In: Texas, a few weeks ago, Christian Cage was about to fall victim to a ConChairTo from his former prodigy Nick Wayne, if not for Adam Copeland coming to his aid. That night, both The Patriarchy and FTR teamed up to take out Christian. The Rated-R Superstar did not immediately reunite with his former best friend, as he wanted him to "find himself."

At Forbidden Door, FTR may end up being the ones to challenge The Hurt Syndicate for the tag team titles. Post-match, Cope could decide to go after them. Seeing as he is legally not yet allowed to put his hands on FTR, Christian Cage could be the one to do it for him, and this could be the grand reveal that they were reuniting. This could set up a tag team match between the two teams at AEW All Out: Toronto in September.

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Heel: Eddie Kingston, when he returns to AEW

Eddie Kingston has been absent from AEW for over a year due to a severe leg injury. But he may be coming back to a company that has changed drastically, and for the better.

Currently, The Death Riders are still active, as they are trying to get back everything they had lost, including the world title. One interaction that many have been anticipating is The Mad King confronting Jon Moxley. In an interesting turn of events, Kingston could suddenly side with Mox and turn his back on the company.

This would be a major swerve given how, before his injury, he was willing to defend AEW against the likes of The Elite. This change in his demeanor may be due to his long-standing relationship with Jon Moxley, and Eddie feeling like the promotion gave up on him when he sustained his injury.

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Face: Hurt Syndicate

The Hurt Syndicate has never been officially face, even during their time in WWE in a different combination. But based on recent hints, they may still end up turning on one of their current members, MJF, one of the biggest heels on the roster.

Last week on AEW Dynamite, tensions rose, with Bobby Lashley getting physical with Friedman and reminding him that they were not his lackeys. He revealed during that moment that he wanted him out of the Syndicate. At Forbidden Door, MJF may be in action against one of his recent enemies, like Mistico or Mark Briscoe.

He may once more demand his stablemates' help, and this could be the straw that breaks the camel's back, leading to them walking away from him.

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Heel: Kris Statlander

Kris Statlander has been a conflicted soul as of late. She has wanted to mend her friendship with Willow Nightingale, but has only received the silent treatment and a cold shoulder so far.

She has also been through a series of disappointments over the past few months, some of which were connected to Willow, and this has brought her to a vulnerable and frustrated state. The Death Riders have been taking advantage of this and sowing the idea into her head that they understood what she was going through.

In the end, she could finally give up and join the group. She could exact her revenge on everyone who turned their backs on her, including Willow Nightingale. She would also be reuniting with Wheeler Yuta, given how they were stablemates in Best Friends a few years ago.

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Face: Wheeler Yuta

Wheeler Yuta's face turn has been something that fans have been anticipating, seeing how badly he has been treated by Jon Moxley. But seeing as it is now a new era, and Mox is no longer the man on top, he could gain enough courage to turn on them.

Should The Death Riders be in action at Forbidden Door, he could turn on them during their match and side with the faces and with AEW. Last week, he was in action against 'Hangman' Adam Page. This ended up being a squash match, and Hangman even threatened to hang him by the neck using a chain, but spared him.

The fact that he was spared, and not even a single Death Rider came to his aid, may awaken something within him and push him to turn a new leaf.

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Heel: Anthony Bowens

Anthony Bowens split up with Max Caster as he believed that he was the better of the two and would have a better singles career. This ended up being true as Caster would, since then, go on to lose every single one of his singles matches. But things aren't the best for Bowens, too, as he always comes up short in high-stakes moments.

Funnily, Max Caster has become more over than him among the AEW fans, and this has fueled his frustrations. The Five-Tool Player's frustrations could boil over, and he could finally turn heel, attacking Caster once more, and turning on his mentor, Billy Gunn, and the fans.

Another major pay-per-view is coming up, and stars from some of their partner companies are set to take center stage at the O2 Arena in London, along with the AEW roster.

It remains to be seen what sort of surprises fans will witness on the day.

Edited by Harish Raj S