‘AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam’ Review (Sept 20th 2023)

Welcome to this week’s review of AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam, which was broadcast live from the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. We’ve got Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Taz on commentary so let’s get into the review!

Match #1: Title vs. Title Match – NJPW STRONG Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston def. ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Ian Riccaboni joined the broadcast booth for this match. Claudio rushed at Eddie and booted him in the face. They traded chops and forearms. The fight spilled outside of the ring! Eddie whipped Claudio into the steel guardrail. Eddie headbutted Claudio but Claudio fired back with a lariat. Back in the ring Claudio gut wrenched Eddie nearly into a doctor bomb, planting him hard on the mat. Eddie German suplexed Claudio. Eddie tried for a backfist, but Claudio countered with the crown of his head. Claudio back suplexed Eddie Kingston onto the ramp. Claudio clotheslined Eddie over the top rope and back into the ring. Claudio double stomped down onto the left arm of Claudio. Eddie moved out of the way of Claudio’s diving headbutt. Claudio battered Eddie in the corner turnbuckles. Claudio nailed Eddie with a TKO for a near fall. Claudio blasted Eddie with boots to the face. Kingston baited Claudio in and nailed Claudio with two suplexes for a two-count. Eddie fired off a straight right to Claudio’s jaw, knocking Claudio to his knees. Claudio answered with a right hand of his own. Claudio staggered Eddie with European uppercuts. Claudio headbutted Eddie and followed up with a short arm lariat. Claudio went for the ricola bomb, but Eddie reversed it for a near fall. Claudio hit the ricola bomb, but Eddie kicked out at the two-count. Eddie clocked Claudio with three back fists and followed up with a Northern Lights Bomb for a near fall on Claudio. Kingston fired off another backfist and then powerbombed Claudio for the pinfall victory! And new Ring of Honor World Champion Eddie Kingston! Claudio extended his hand and Eddie accepted. The Code of Honor was adhered to.

My Score: 4.5 out of 5

Match #2: Chris Jericho def. Sammy Guevara

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Monteasy rapped Sammy to the ring. Sammy was wearing a light up vest, an homage to Chris Jericho when he faced Shawn Michaels 21 years ago. Sammy and Jericho exchanged chops right out of the gate. Jericho tripped and Sammy seized the moment with a corkscrew dropkick. Jericho hoisted up Sammy with an underhook and then hit a backbreaker. Sammy fired back with a corkscrew tornillo over the top rope onto Jericho on the arena floor. Jericho countered a GTH attempt with the Codebreaker. Jericho suplexed Sammy off the apron and down onto the arena floor! Back in the ring Sammy lured in Jericho for a Spanish Fly for a near fall. Jericho retaliated with two nasty lariats. Sammy grabbed Jericho and smashed his face with the Code Breaker for a two-count! Sammy charged at Jericho, knocking Jericho off the apron and onto the front of the announcer’s desk. Sammy jumped off the top rope with a moonsault onto Jericho. Sammy connected with a cutter. Jericho countered the GTH with the Walls! Sammy twisted his hips and escaped. Sammy cracked Chris with a rising knee strike. Sammy and Jericho jockeyed for position on the top turnbuckle. Sammy got the upper hand with a cutter off the top rope. Sammy attempted a top rope lionsault, but Jericho countered by raising his knees. Jericho hit a running bulldog on Sammy. Jericho nailed Sammy with the lionsault for a near fall. Sammy caught Jericho with a GTH! Sammy went for the shooting star press, but Jericho countered with the Code Breaker and scored the win! Jericho and Sammy hugged after the match. Sammy kicked Jericho with a low blow!

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #3: AEW International Championship Match – Rey Fenix def. Jon Moxley

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Fenix met Moxley on the ramp and they began to brawl before the bell even rang. Fenix jumped off the ramp, over the cameraman, and onto Moxley on the arena floor. Moxley rocked Rey Fenix with a forearm and then stomped him face first into the mat. Moxley grounded and pounded Rey Fenix. Moxley tossed Rey Fenix over the barricade. Moxley drilled Rey Fenix with a draping DDT onto the arena floor. Rey Fenix caught Mox flush in the face with a kick and then followed up with a cutter. Rey Fenix frog splashed Moxley for a near fall! Rey Fenix charged at Moxley, but Moxley wiped him out with a King Kong Lariat. Fenix propped Moxley onto the steel barricade, draping him over it. Rey Fenix jumped off the top rope and landed on Moxley with a leg drop to the back of the head! Back in the ring Moxley regained momentum with a Gotch style piledriver. But Rey retaliated with a diving double foot stomp for a two-count. Moxley curb stomped Rey Fenix on the stage ramp! Moxley spiked Rey Fenix with a piledriver for a two-count. Rey Fenix hit Moxley with a senton atomico and then a piledriver. Fenix hit a second piledriver and pinned Moxley! And new AEW International Champion Rey Fenix!

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #4: AEW Women’s World Championship Match – Saraya def. Toni Storm

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Saraya slapped Toni in the face. Toni Storm smiled and chopped at Saraya. After a distraction from Ruby, Saraya capitalized with a thrust kick to Toni. Toni swept out the leg of Saraya. As the ref was distracted, Toni Storm cracked Saraya in the head with a high heel shoe for a near fall. Toni Storm pulled off the bottom turnbuckle pad. Toni had a can of spray paint, but Ruby grabbed it out of Toni’s hands and tossed it to Saraya. Saraya sprayed it in Toni’s eyes and went for the pin after a DDT, but Toni kicked out. Saraya grabbed Toni to ram her head into the exposed turnbuckle, but Saraya didn’t have the heart to do it. Toni Storm grabbed Saraya, kissed her on the mouth, and then spiked her with the Storm Zero for a two-count! Saraya dodged the Hip Attack and nailed Toni with the Knight Cap, grabbing the pinfall victory!

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #5: AEW World Championship Match – MJF def. Samoa Joe

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

MJF thumbed Samoa Joe in the eye. MJF jumped on the back of Samoa Joe, but Joe shrugged him to the mat. Tony Schiavone pointed out that Adam Cole was not ringside for Adam Cole’s match, despite Adam Cole promising MJF he’d be there for him tonight. Samoa Joe began to work over MJF’s neck. MJF thumbed Samoa Joe in the eyes again. Joe ran MJF over with a boot to the head. Samoa Joe attempted the muscle buster, but MJF escaped. MJF staggered Samoa Joe with three short arm lariats. MJF went for a fourth, but Samoa Joe swung for the fences and nearly decapitated MJF with a lariat. Samoa Joe headbutted MJF but MJF fired up and raked Samoa Joe’s back! MJF hammered Samoa Joe with punches to the head. MJF bit down on Samoa Joe’s forehead. MJF connected with the kangaroo kick. MJF ran for a tope, but Samoa Joe countered with a kick. Samoa Joe spiked MJF with a Death Valley Driver on the apron. Samoa Joe pulled a table out from beneath the ring. Samoa Joe pulled MJF out of the ring and planted him through the table. Samoa Joe pulled the padding off the floor, exposing the concrete beneath it. Samoa Joe was looking for a piledriver, but MJF bit him. MJF attempted a piledriver, but he had to let go because his injured neck began to spasm. Samoa Joe stuck MJF with a piledriver on the exposed concrete. Samoa Joe told MJF to give up, but MJF spat at Samoa Joe. MJF pulled out a Liger Bomb out of nowhere on Samoa Joe for a near fall! Samoa Joe and MJF traded strikes in the center of the ring. Samoa Joe applied a sleeper. MJF pulled the ref in close and while the ref was distracted, MJF kicked back with a low blow to Samoa Joe. MJF pulled out the Dynamite Diamond Ring from his trunks. MJF was about to clock Samoa Joe with the Dynamite Diamond Ring, but Samoa Joe pulled the ref in front of him, and the ref spotted the illegal object! As ref Paul Turner threw the diamond ring to the outside, Samoa Joe kicked MJF with a low blow. Samoa Joe nailed MJF with the muscle buster but somehow MJF kicked out at the two-count! Samoa Joe applied a sleeper. Adam Cole sprinted down to the ring and tried to motivate MJF! MJF got to his feet! MJF applied the sleeper on Samoa Joe, but Joe shoved MJF into the corner. Adam Cole jumped onto the ring apron. Samoa Joe tried to take a swing at Adam Cole. As Samoa Joe and the ref had their backs turned, MJF used his wrist tape around Samoa Joe’s neck! MJF choked out Samoa Joe and the ref stopped the match, with MJF retaining! MJF dropped the evidence and Adam Cole quickly picked it up and hid it in his pocket. Samoa Joe got to his feet, and he shoved Adam Cole. MJF jumped in between them, acting as a human shield. Samoa Joe offered his hand to MJF. Samoa Joe shook MJF’s hand, giving the devil his due.

My Score: 4 out of 5

Final Verdict: 4/5

I’m not going to lie, this week’s episode of Dynamite was all about the opening match between Eddie Kingston and Claudio Castagnoli… A rivalry that has spanned years outside of AEW and years INSIDE of AEW. And let’s be honest, Eddie Kingston deserved this big win and – fingers crossed – we get one hell of a run from Eddie as champ. I don’t want him dropping the ROH belt for at LEAST a year! As for the rest of the card, well… One, I don’t get what having Chris Jericho win over Sammy Guevara does. Oh, so Sammy is now aligned with Don Callis. Big whoop. Sammy should have won the match clean. It’s a much better culmination for the duo’s long-running storyline/partnership than having Sammy turn on Jericho and join his enemies. Christ, that puts Sammy with yet ANOTHER group… Inner Circle, Le Sex Gods, JAS, given the guy a break! Though I appreciate the nods to Jericho and Shawn Michaels from back in the day. Two, goddamn if that Moxely/Fenix match didn’t look scary. Everyone’s talking about the weird finish but it looked like Mox was out of it on more than one occasion – it honestly looked like the match should’ve been stopped earlier. Unless… Maybe Moxley wasn’t THAT out of it until the end and called an audible, knowing he was injured, that gave Fenix the belt? Then we get to the Women’s title match. If that didn’t scream WWE I don’t know what does! To me this felt like an old-school Divas match, one where they were partly trying to actually wrestle but were hampered by shitty writing. Finally, we have the main event, where MJF managed to do the unthinkable – lie, cheat and steal his way to the win. And Adam Cole helped him! I don’t know where either man goes after this TBH. This has been Joe’s most high-profile feud in a while (the Punk stuff doesn’t count due to the “Real World’s” title that was anything but) and MJF has reached a peak now. If what we get is a long drawn-out story about Adam Cole being torn between his two friends… Eurgh! All in all, this was, dodgy match ending aside, a great episode of Dynamite. Here’s hoping the rest of the week can live up to this one.