AEW returns to New York with a huge PPV-caliber show:
- Title vs. Title: Eddie Kingston vs. Claudio Castagnoli
- AEW International Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Rey Fenix
- AEW Women’s World Championship: Saraya (c) vs. Toni Storm
- Chris Jericho vs. Sammy Guevara
- AEW World Heavyweight Championship: MJF (c) vs. Samoa Joe
Make sure to keep refreshing the page as the most recent results are below!
AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam 2023
Live from the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York! Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Taz, and Ian Riccaboni are on the call right now.
Match #1. ROH World Heavyweight Championship & NJPW Strong Openweight Championship: Eddie Kingston (c) vs. Claudio Castagnoli (c)
A little behind the scenes for both guys before they make their way to the ring, but Kingston’s ovation was tremendous. Kingston lays in some big chops as Claudio responds with some forearms. Both men fight to the outside as Claudio hits the guard rail awkwardly and turns around favoring his knee. Short arm clothesline by Claudio before returning Kingston to the ring. Kingston catches Claudio coming in with a dragon screw leg whip between the ropes. Gutwrench powerbomb by Claudio. Claudio slaps Kingston and Kingston responds with a slap of his own and a German suplex. Claudio rolls to the ramp and blocks a backfist with the top of his head! Back suplex over the top rope by Claudio, who carries Kingston to the hard plexiglass ramp and drops him hard. Referee checks on Kingston but we continue. Double stomp to the right arm of Eddie and a double stomp off the top to the left arm now. Claudio with a suplex and he remains in control throughout the commercial break. TKO by Castagnoli gets a two count. Kingston is on his knees and Claudio continues to boot him in the face. Kingston lures Claudio in and gets a back slide for two. Enziguiri by Kingston and an exploder suplex gets two. Saito suplex from Kingston gets another two count. Running clothesline in the corner by Kingston and the machien gun chops, but Claudio walks through the chops and stares at him. Straight right by Kingston drops Claudio! Knees to the face by Kingston and a stiff right hand by Claudio. Both men stare each other down while holding their jaws. Elbows by Claudio. Chops by Kingston. European uppercut by Claudio staggers Kingston. Headbutt and a short arm clothesline by Claudio. Hammer and anvil elbows by Claudio and Kingston looks hurt. Ricola Bomb by Claudio but Kingston counters into a hurricanrana for two. Claudio rolls him up for two. European uppercut by Claudio and Kingston is out at 2. Ricola Bomb! Kingston is out at 2.99 and the fans are going nuts! Claudio calls for the uppercut but Kingston counters with two backfists. Half and half suplex by Eddie! Northern Light’s Bomb! One, two, no! Kingston looks emotional, but searches for a piledriver but Claudio lands on his feet and hits a European uppercut. Spinning backfist by Kingston and a powerbomb by Kingston with a high stack! One, two, three!
WINNER AND NEW RING OF HONOR WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: Eddie Kingston
Rating: ****1/4. Every single thing I wanted from this match. Eddie Kingston gets his due in New York in a match that felt like a struggle from beginning to end. Kingston learned from their last match at SCOH, grew from the G1, and defeated his arch nemesis. This story was everything .
After the match, Kingston and Claudio are in the center of the ring staring at each other. Claudio extends the hand and gives Kingston the belt!
Roderick Strong is laid up in a hospital, with The Kingdom by his side… accompanied with rosary beads. Adam Cole is there as well, but Cole tells Roddy he has to go because of Max’s title match. “Just Go!”
Renee Young is here with Christian and Luchasaurus. Christian and the Dino are going to walk through Sting and Darby at Rampage: Grand Slam. Christian challenges Darby for a triple threat match at Collision for the TNT Championship match, with Sting barred from ringside.
Match #2. Chris Jericho vs. Sammy Guevara
Guevara gets the live walkout music but the crowd is nonplussed. Shoulder block by Jericho and a kip up by Guevara. Both men trade slaps and now chops. Up and over by Sammy and a corkscrew dropkick. Guevara hits the Le Sex Gods pose but Jericho looks for a roll up. Jericho takes Guevara to task in the corner and eats a back elbow. Double underhook back breaker by Jericho sends Guevara to the apron. Jericho misses the double jump dropkick and crashes to the floor. Corkscrew tornillo by Guevara. Guevara returns Jericho to the ring and comes off the top with a diving crossbody. Two count. Guevara looks for the GTH but Jericho hits the Codebreaker out of nowhere. Guevara rolls to the apron again and Jericho follows. Suplex from Jericho takes both men off the apron and hard to the floor! Back in the ring and Jericho is in control throughout the PIP. Jericho sets Guevara up on the top rope and delivers some right hands before an avalanche hurricanrana .Two count. Jericho charges but Guevara counters with a Spanish Fly for two. Pair of lariats by Jericho gets two. Codebreaker by Guevara gets two. Guevara sends Jericho flying off the apron and into the announcer’s desk. Guevara goes up top and flies out with a moonsault, although Guevara looks to have tweaked his knee. Springboard dropkick by Guevara but Jericho goes anti-air with a dropkick. Double jump by Jericho to Guevara on the apron but there’s a miscommunication and Guevara is too far for a superkick in an awkward spot. Jericho catches a diving Guevara with a Walls of Jericho but Guevara rolls out. Charging knee by Guevara and both men are fighting over the top rope. Twisting Avalanche Ace Crusher off the top by Guevara! Two count. Jericho misses a dropkick and Guevara catches the knees when he goes for a top rope Lionsault. Running bulldog by Jericho and a Lionsault of his own. Two count. Jericho runs into a flying knee to the face. GTH by Guevara connects, but he doesn’t look for a cover and instead goes up top. Shooting Star Press by Guevara but Jericho counters with a Codebreaker in mid-air and that’ll do it.
Winner: Chris Jericho
Rating: ***1/4. Good story between the two. Fully expected Sammy to win this one but Jericho used his veteran savvy to pull out the win. Jericho can still hang with anyone, but his speed is obvious when he’s in there with a guy like Guevara.
Both men hug after the match. Actually, I take that back, Sammy kicks Jericho in the groin! Don Callis now trots down to ringside and embraces his new friend, Sammy Guevara.
MJF and Adam Cole shows up. MJF tells Samoa Joe what he’s going to do to him, but Adam Cole gets an emergency call from Roddy and has to take it.
Don Callis is walking in the back with Sammy Guevara, and Daniel Garcia approaches him. Garcia is conflicted as Guevara gets in his face, but Callis pulls him away.
Match #3. AEW International Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Rey Fenix
Moxley calls Fenix on and both men brawl on the ramp. Double jump single leg dropkick by Fenix sends Moxley to the floor, as Fenix runs and hits a diving senton OVER a cameraman to the ringside area. Both men get in the ring and trade roll ups. Fenix tries an arm drag and celebrates, but Moxley decides to elbow him in the face. Curb stomp by Moxley gets two. Kimura by Moxley right into a front headlock, but Fenix bites his way out. Moxley sends Fenix into the ropes but Fenix looks for the rebound, and Moxley headbutts him halfway through and Fenix hits the floor. Moxley chops Fenix into the front row and Fenix tries to walk the guardrail, but Moxley catches him and hits a draping double arm DDT on the floor! Two count back inside the ring. Ground and pound by Moxley and Fenix is rocked. Moxley misses a clothesline in the corner and Fenix hits the double jump rebound kick and the Rolling Thunder Cutter for two. Frog splash by Fenix for two. Fenix hits the ropes but runs into a King Kong lariat! Fenix springs up and superkicks Moxley to the floor. Fenix sets Moxley up on the railing and goes to the top rope. Fenix with a diving leg drop to the back of the head of Moxley! Springboard by Fenix back in the ring but Moxley catches him with a kick to the stomach and a double underhook DDT for two. Texas Cloverleaf by Moxley before transitioning into an STF. Gotch style piledriver by Moxley! Long two count. Fenix fights back with some chops but Moxley sets him up on the top rope. Fenix fights Moxley off and hits a diving double stomp. Two count. Both men make it to the stage and Moxley stomps Fenix’s head on the ramp! Delayed piledriver by Moxley back inside the ring and Moxley only gets two. Moxley looks for an avalanche Death Rider but Fenix fights him off again and comes off the top with a senton atomico. Fenix Driver! One, two, th–.. uhh, Moxley doesn’t move and the referee only counts two. Fenix picks Moxley up again, hits another Fenix Driver, and gets the win!
Winner and NEW AEW International Champion: Rey Fenix
Rating: ***3/4. The end obviously took away from the match, but it was a really good match up until then. Did not see the ending coming, either.
Samoa Joe is going to make Max pay, and take his title.
Match #4. AEW Women’s World Championship: Saraya (c) w/ Ruby Soho vs. Toni Storm
Toni Storm has a very Vaudevillians-like entrance. Storm seems like she wants to be friends, but Saraya slaps her in the face and tells her she needed her. Storm fights back with overhands before sweeping out the leg of Saraya on the apron. Ruby Soho approaches Storm on the outside, who takes a bump on the floor and rolls under the ring, before reemerging with a pair of shoes and proceeding to beat her down with them. Storm cracks Saraya between the eyes with a pump behind the referee’s back and gets a two count. Storm sets Saraya up on the top rope, but Saraya gets the upper hand and sends Storm crashing to the mat with a sunset flip powerbomb. Two count. Both women trade elbow strikes before Storm removes the bottom turnbuckle pad. Ruby passes Saraya the spray paint and Saraya sprays Storm in the face and hits the Nightcap for two. Saraya was about to run Storm head-first into the exposed buckle, but Saraya thinks better of it. Storm kisses Saraya on the lips and hits the Storm Zero! One, two, no! Storm sets Saraya up in the corner but misses a running hip attack. Saraya sets Storm up on the middle turnbuckle and hits the Nightcap from the second rope for the win!
Winner and STILL AEW Women’s World Champion: Saraya
Rating: **1/4. Toni Storm’s descent into madness is incredibly entertaining, I just don’t know where they go from here. The match was what you would expect, a lot of outside interference and shenanigans but it fit the story.
Match #5. AEW World Heavyweight Championship: MJF (c) vs. Samoa Joe
They spoof the old Mean Joe Green Coke commercial beforehand as MJF tells a little child that he’s adopted. Joe attacks the neck of MJF early. Reverse atomic drop by Joe and a running boot. Samoan drop by Joe gets two. JoeANage gets a two count as MJF grabs the ropes. Joe is in control throughout the PIP, working on the neck and shoulders of MJF. Neck vice by Joe. Joe looks for the Muscle Buster but MJF counters with a superkick. Short arm clothesline by MJF but Joe isn’t going anywhere. MJF charges and Joe decapitates him with a lariat. Joe rips MJF’s shirt off and MJF fires up! MJF sends Joe into the top turnbuckle and mounts him with punches in the corner. Kangaroo Kick connects! MJF tries a dive but Joe catches him with an enziguiri. Joe picks MJF and hits a Death Valley Driver on the CORNER of the apron. That was absolutely brutal. MJF somehow kicks out at two. Joe sets up a table on the guard rail and uranages MJF through it! Joe rolls MJF in the ring but only gets a two count. Joe now exposes the concrete on the outside of the ring. Joe looks for a piledriver but MJF bites him and looks for one of his own, which Joe counters, and Joe connects with the piledriver! The doctors check on MJF but Joe kicks everyone and tries to roll MJF back in the ring. Joe gets face to face with MJF and tells him to give up, so MJF spits in his face and Joe slaps him. Joe charges MJF but MJF flips over Joe and plants Joe with a Liger Bomb! One, two, no! Joe and MJF trade big elbows and Joe locks in the Kokina Clutch. MJF pulls the referee in and goes low on Joe! MJF pulls out the Dynamite Diamond Ring but the referee sees it and takes it from him. Joe kicks low when the referee turns around and hits the Muscle Buster! One, two, no! Joe locks in sleeper and looks to fade but Adam Cole is here! Cole wills MJF back to his feet and he does. MJF runs Joe into the corner as the referee ducks to the outside, allowing MJF to slip a piece of tap around Joe’s neck and choke him out, before locking in a rear naked choke. As the referee comes to, MJF sinks the hooks in and Joe is asleep!
Winner and STILL AEW World Heavyweight Champion: Samoa Joe
Rating: ****. Joe is an assassin and he targeted MJF’s injured neck early and often, but once again MJF proved to be way tougher than anyone anticipated. MJF cheated to win and that’s fine, because that’s what he does and the people love him for it.
Joe is heated after the match and gets in Adam Cole’s face, but MJF gets in between them. Joe shakes MJF’s hand as Better Than You, Baybay celebrate.
Final Thoughts: Big fight feel, big PPV feel tonight for Grand Slam. Strong wrestling throughout and every match felt important in its own way, from the title vs. title opener all the way down to MJF’s title defense in the main event. Two big title changes and some really strong storylines, plus a good build up… sometimes the formula writes itself. 9.25/10.
