Satoshi Kojima Comments On Match With CM Punk At AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door

Sunday night at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, it was Satoshi Kojima — not KENTA — who stepped in to face CM Punk in the Owen Hart Foundation Men's Tournament. And while the Japanese wrestling legend doesn't have a victory to show for his efforts, a series of tweets on Monday reflected how grateful he is both for the opportunity and his opponent.

"Come to think of it, why did the company decide to match me with Punk?" Kojima initially tweeted. "But I don't care what happened. The important thing is that my experience has improved. I am honored to continue this job. Thanks Punk-san."

AEW President Tony Khan responded several hours later with a simple GIF response from "The Mandalorian" that read, "Because you're a legend!" to which Kojima replied, "Thank you for giving me a happy time. I am grateful."

The 52-year-old star also had nothing but praise for Punk, tweeting, "His appearance was charismatic. I stared at him dumbfounded for a while. He had great energy."

The two-time former IWGP Heavyweight Champion gave "The Best in the World" all he could handle Sunday night before ultimately succumbing to the GTS after about 15 minutes of in-ring action. Though, he did make sure to apologize for an elbow drop to Punk's nether region that fans won't soon forget, stressing that it was an accident.

Nevertheless, Khan praised Kojima once more, thanking him for his appearance and applauding the match, only this time there were no more words left to express his gratitude. So instead he settled for a series of seven emojis that included five smiley faces, one loaf of bread, and a single heart. This was Kojima's second match with AEW, as he also lost to Jon Moxley at All Out in September 2021.