AEW Grand Slam (2021)

The 2021 Grand Slam was the inaugural

Grand Slam was AEW's New York City debut and marked the first AEW event to be held in its entirety within a stadium. Until All In London in August 2023, it was AEW's most attended event with 20,177 fans in attendance. The event was highly praised by fans and critics with particular praise towards the Kenny Omega vs. Bryan Danielson match, which received a 5 star rating from wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer. The Rampage broadcast was also notable for CM Punk's first wrestling match on cable television since facing Billy Gunn on the January 20, 2014, episode of WWE Raw.

Production

Background

Due to the

With COVID-19 cases declining due to vaccinations in the United States and most establishments lifting pandemic protocols, AEW resumed live touring in early July, running shows at full venue capacity.[5] Shortly after, however, COVID-19 cases began rising again due to the emergence of the Delta variant of the virus. On August 31, as a result of New York City policies, AEW announced that all ticketholders would be required to provide proof of at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to enter Arthur Ashe Stadium, and masks would be required to be worn while attending the Grand Slam event.^[9]

Storylines

Grand Slam featured

Dynamite

On July 7 at Road Rager,

At All Out, after Adam Cole debuted to assist The Elite, Bryan Danielson also made a surprise debut to fend off The Elite. In the following weeks, Danielson tried to goad Elite member and AEW World Champion Kenny Omega into a match. On the September 15 episode of Dynamite, Danielson formally challenged Omega to a non-title match, which Omega accepted against the advice of Don Callis, marking Danielson's AEW in-ring debut and his first match against Omega since 2009. The match was scheduled for Dynamite: Grand Slam.^[11]

Rampage

At All Out, Adam Cole debuted in AEW, assisting his former

At

After defeating Darby Allin at All Out in his first match in over seven years, CM Punk pondered who his next opponent would be while complementing several wrestlers on the AEW roster. He was interrupted from the commentary table by Taz, who criticized Punk's "love-fest". The following week on Dynamite, Punk was a guest commentator for the first hour before being attacked by Team Taz members Powerhouse Hobbs and Taz's son Hook. A match between Punk and Hobbs was later made official for Rampage: Grand Slam.

Prior to All Out, Jon Moxley had challenged anyone from New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) to face him at the show. His challenge was answered by Satoshi Kojima in a match that Moxley won, but after the match, Moxley was confronted by NJPW's Minoru Suzuki. A match between the two was made for the ensuing episode of Dynamite, which Moxley won in his hometown of Cincinnati; prior to the match, Suzuki's iconic "Kaze ni Nare" entrance music was cut off. Citing hometown bias, Suzuki and his Suzuki-gun stablemate Lance Archer challenged Moxley and Eddie Kingston to a tag team match at Rampage: Grand Slam.

Reception

Grand Slam was well received by fans and critics who watched both shows, with many calling the match between Kenny Omega and Bryan Danielson the best television match of all time. Chris Mueller of Bleacher Report reviewed the Dynamite portion, saying, "this episode of Dynamite might be the best one yet." He believed every match to be "either good or great" noting the non-wrestling segments "didn't overstay their welcome." He gave Omega–Danielson the highest letter grade of A+, going on to say: "Danielson looked as good as he ever has, and Omega seemed to approach this contest like he would any big title defense. Both men left everything they had in the ring. To say this match lived up to expectations might be an understatement. The finish might seem like a cop-out to some, but it might have been the smartest approach to this feud."^[12]

Dan Gartland of Sports Illustrated also reviewed the Dynamite portion. He called Grand Slam an "anomaly", noting: "AEW put on a show worthy of such a massive, enthusiastic crowd. The Danielson–Omega match was one of the best the company has ever had." Also noting the difference of television match quality and writing between AEW and WWE, he praised the draw between Omega and Danielson, saying: "The Danielson–Omega match should not have had a decisive winner. It was Danielson’s first match in AEW and it would have been detrimental to his character to have him lose. But having Omega, the world champion, lose to a guy who had never wrestled for the company, would have cheapened his title reign. In WWE, a non-finish would have featured outside interference, a double count-out or some other kind of chicanery that makes for an unsatisfying conclusion. But in AEW, the story Danielson and Omega told made both men look stronger."^[13]

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave the Omega–Danielson match a five star rating, which earned Danielson the first match in his career rated five or more stars by Meltzer, and Omega's eighteenth such match, the first rating of its kind since his bout with Rey Fénix on the January 6 New Year's Smash edition of Dynamite (eventually one of three such matches in 2021).^[14][15]

Television ratings

Dynamite and Rampage both topped the cable rating charts on their respective days. On Wednesday, Dynamite averaged 1.273 million viewers, earning a 0.48

• 2021 in professional wrestling

References