Swerve and Lee were on the same page.
Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland picked up a victory over El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru at AEW x NJPW Forbidden, proving they could co-exist.
The finish saw Swerve wipe out Desperado with a double stomp on the outside while Lee finished off Kanemaru with the Big Bang Catastrophe.
Shane "Swerve" Strickland & Keith Lee vs El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Lee and Kanemaru started the match, with Lee basking in the glory from the fans while Yoshinobu Kanemaru covered his ears. Lee tried to get Kanemaru in greek-roman lock up but got to the top rope. Kanemaru went for Lee's knee, but Lee slammed Kanemaru to the ground. Swerve tagged in, but Kanemaru ran away and tagged in Desperado. Desperado went for the Brock-Lock on Swerve, but Swerve got a rope break. Swerve sent Desperado. Swerve went for a move, but Desperado slammed Swerve into the apron before hitting a Brock lock on Swerve outside the ring. Swerve got some offense on Desperado. Swerve went for a low dropkick but hit Lee instead on Desperado. Desperado and Kanemaru targeted Lee's left leg. Kanemaru got hit with a double-chop on Kanemaru. Lee went for the Spirit Bomb on Kanemaru, but Desperado hit a low-dropkick on Lee, leading Kanemaru to hit a DDT on Lee for a near fall. Lee pushed Desperado to the other side of the ring before tagging in Swerve. Swerve hit a running uppercut on Desperado. Swerve rolled Desperado across the ring before hitting a Brainbuster on Desperado for a near fall. Desperado countered a move on Swerve for a pinfall attempt. Desperado hit a spine buster on Swerve for a near fall. Desperado hit a side slam, with a drop kick from Kanemaru, for a near fall. Swerve and Desperado exchanged strikes before Swerve hit a back breaker on Desperado. Desperado hit a lariat on Swerve, but Swerve popped up and hit an STO on Desperado. Kanemaru hit low dropkicks on Lee before locking in a Figure Four lock, but Lee broke it the hold by tossing Desperado into Kanemaru. Kanemaru went for a sunset flip on Lee, but Lee popped Kanemaru up for a spirit bomb. Kanemaru escaped. Kanemaru spit whisky on Lee's eyes before getting a roll-up on Lee for a near fall. Swerve hit an assisted kick on Kanemaru before hitting a double-stomp on Desperado. Lee hit Kanemaru with a Fireman's Carry Powerslam for the pinfall win.
Winners: Shane "Swerve" Strickland & Keith Lee.
After the match, Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs cut a promo on Swerve & Lee, saying if Swerve & Lee were Shaquille O'Neal & Kobe Bryan then Starks & Hobbs were Michael Jordan & Scottie Pippen.
Fans can find Fightful's coverage of AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door by clicking here. After the show, check out the post-show podcast for a full review of all the action by clicking here.
