AEW Grand Slam comes to Flushing, Queens, New York at Arthur Ashe Stadium on September 25, 2024 and will be taping both Dynamite and Collision.
I normally do not do TV previews but I feel like the event is big enough to do so and I’m also struggling to think of content at the moment.
Back in 2023 I talked about how AEW had to book on Nightmare Mode from the summer to the fall. 2024 is a repeat of the Nightmare Mode booking. From Forbidden Door June 30 to Blood and Guts July 24 to All In August 25 to All Out September 7 to now Grand Slam September 25 ending with WrestleDream October 12. That’s six events in four months (Forbidden Door is the end of June so I’m not counting the whole month) with only one 30 day break in between Blood and Guts and All In.
That’s Nightmare Mode. Following Grand Slam will be the run to WrestleDream, which will be only two weeks away. It’s hard to tell what from Grand Slam is setting up a match for WrestleDream and what is just tying loose ends.
I will cover what’s announced for Dynamite followed by Collision later this week.
AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam 2024
FTW Championship
Roderick Strong versus Hook (c)
Hook finally gets away from The Learning Tree only to get himself hooked into Undisputed Kingdom. This doesn’t really feel like a long term feud at least, as I think this is just a way to get the New York native on the Dynamite card. Hook worked with Action Bronson on Grand Slam Rampage 2022 and worked a mixed trios match on Grand Slam Rampage 2023.
As for Roderick Strong? I really don’t know what the plan is for him anymore. Undisputed Kingdom is dead in the water, with the only exciting thing going on anymore is Frank Mortos: Attorney at RAWR. The group needs to essentially split up and let everyone move onto different things. I’ve pushed for AEW to maybe have Roderick Strong tag team with Kyle O’Reilly. I know Kyle is in The Conglomeration, but who is to say Roddy couldn’t fit?
My hope is this is just a veteran for Hook to work against for a big win in New York and maybe AEW starts planning a way to turn Roderick Strong babyface and lose the Undisputed Kingdom for good.
Winner: Hook
AEW World Tag Team Championship
Kyle Fletcher and Will Ospreay versus The Young Bucks (c)
I was not a fan of Fletcher and Ospreay winning the Tag Team Casino Gauntlet, nor was I fan of the current International Champion neglecting to defend his championship just to do a “favour” for Don Callis in teaming with Kyle Fletcher.
Maybe this is just a gap filler because Fletcher’s regular tag team partner in Aussie Open Mark Davis is still out with injury. It’s definitely something they are doing because The Young Bucks have no credible contenders for the tag division.
I feel this could have been a good spot for an established tag team who needs a win to get one and face The Young Bucks. They could have spent their two weeks building them up and even if they lose? Their performance could be good enough to get them the momentum they need to move up the tag team ranks.
It’s always possible Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher win here, just because Will Ospreay might want it and the golden boy usually gets what he wants, but I still see the Young Bucks retaining and going back to waiting for a tag team to step up to them. Will it be The Outrunners? Will it be The Conglomeration? Will it be The Golden Lovers? Who knows. But it is needed soon.
Winners: The Young Bucks
AEW Women’s World Championship
Yuka Sakazaki versus Mariah May (c)
I’m glad to see the return of Yuka Sakazaki, and I think her win against Serena Deeb and tag team win with Queen Aminata against Mariah May and Serena Deeb by DQ was at least enough to give her a little momentum for this match against Mariah.
When it comes to May, the real intrigue is if Mina Shirakawa will be showing up to possibly build up to a WrestleDream match between Shirakawa and May. I feel like that’s the intended direction, with May begging Shirakawa to come back, and how that might not be the best thing for Mariah.
I hope Yuka sticks around longer after this, and would love to see her face Mercedes Moné soon. Mariah May defends the Women’s World Championship in what I hope is a good match between a TJPW legend and Stardom alumni.
Winner: Mariah May
Nigel McGuinness versus Bryan Danielson
Whoever told AEW it was a good thing to advertise one of their biggest matches on Wednesday as, “Hey, the AEW Men’s World Champion? He isn’t defending the title! He might not even be there! But if he is able to compete, uh, here’s this other match he’s having!”
AEW has certainly tried spending a lot of time building it up, and I’m sure this is near the top for dream matches AEW President Tony Khan has wanted to see in All Elite Wrestling. Tony loves his 2000s ROH, and there isn’t too many dream matches from that era we could see today that rivals a returning Nigel McGuinness versus Bryan Danielson.
I do think this was handled clunky, and as I outlined in The Fallout of All Out, Darby Allin and Tony Khan should have just agreed to delaying the match for the pay per view instead of the wonky challenge by Jon Moxley.
This is a non-title match, and I’m sure Bryan Danielson will be selling his plastic bag beatdown by Jon Moxley at AEW All Out 2024. You could even have Nigel win in a, “That snake beat a man barely cleared to wrestle” but I’m sure this ends with the champion winning.
Happy to see Nigel back. Can’t wait to hear Oasis play you to the ring. Which people somehow confused as Oasis doing an unannounced pro wrestling gig after reforming just to play a guy to the ring in New York when they are not even doing any shows yet in North America. And somehow AEW wouldn’t announce this with a major press release. Sigh.
Winner: Bryan Danielson
AEW Men’s World Championship #1 Contender
Jon Moxley versus Darby Allin
How AEW handles this Bryan Danielson AEW Men’s World Champion situation will be pretty interesting.
I do think Darby Allin holding the AEW Men’s World Championship is the plan. Originally I thought they might have Hangman Adam Page beat Swerve Strickland but lose to Darby Allin, or maybe Swerve Strickland loses to Darby Allin at WrestleDream. Once Danielson won the title and Allin had a shot at Grand Slam, I wondered if the plan was for Allin to walk into WrestleDream as champion?
Now I don’t know how he factors at all. It feels like Jon Moxley is absolutely beating Darby Allin in this match to steal his title shot. Which means what does Darby do for WrestleDream? Strickland is out after his match with Hangman at All Out. If Darby is also out, are you really doing this show in Tacoma, Washington with neither? You’re putting everything on Danielson and he might lose?
You could kill the town with a decision like that. Or maybe Darby still beats Moxley and then beats Danielson. I guess, but the heat isn’t there. The heat is on Moxley and Danielson.
It feels like the plan is for Jon Moxley to beat Darby Allin, beat Bryan Danielson for the AEW Men’s World Championship, only for Darby to beat Jon Moxley later on.
It’s a scary thought, but I wondered if AEW gets really convoluted and has Moxley beat Darby for the shot, but Darby then challenges and beats Christian for his shot. Which leads to Danielson losing to Moxley in the main event only for Darby to cash in his shot in Tacoma and beats Moxley right after so a Washington state native still holds the title up high and the show ends on a happy note.
That would be an absolute mess of booking, but I guess that’s what happens when you take your eye off one of the two men who helped AEW sell over 2,000 tickets in two weeks for All Out.
He’s working on Wednesday but won’t be seen until Saturday. Funny that.
Still going with Moxley. Just put the title shot in the bag, bro.
Winner: Jon Moxley
