Sharing the ring with Sting was surreal to ELP.
The inaugural installment of AEW/NJPW Forbidden Door took place in 2022 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. There were a total of 13 matches on the night and one of those bouts saw Darby Allin, Sting, and Shingo Takagi take on El Phantasmo and The Young Bucks (Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson).
Phantasmo looked back on that as he was speaking to The Wrestling Classic. He dove into the moment when he and Sting twisted each other's nipples in the ring. Originally, Phantasmo had it in mind for Sting to no-sell it, but Sting came back to him with the idea to do it back to Phantasmo.
"That’s also surreal as well (sharing the ring with Sting). Who knew that would ever happen? And then, the first time you’re meeting him, you’re like, well -- I was in the BULLET CLUB back then so, ‘I do this thing where I twist people’s nipples and I think it’d be funny if you no-sell it’ and he was like, ‘That’s a good idea,’ and then he walks away and then he comes back 20 minutes later and he’s like, ‘Hey, you know what? I think I should do it back to you’ and then you’re like, ‘Yeah, Sting, you definitely should twist my nipples.’ That’s what people will talk about and remember. No one cares about doing head flips and all that stuff, Sting. Jump off the stage and twist my nipples… That’s surreal."
The 2025 installment of Forbidden Door is scheduled for August 24th at The O2 Arena in London, England.
If the quote in this article is used, please credit The Wrestling Classic with an H/T to Fightful for the transcription.
