AEW Dynamite – “Grand Slam”
September 20th, 2023
By: John Siino
Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, NY
Commentary: Excalibur, Taz & Tony Schiavone
ROH World Championship / NJPW Strong Openweight Championship: Claudio Castagnoli (c) (w/ Wheeler Yuta) vs. Eddie Kingston (c)
Ian Riccaboni joined commentary for this match being for the Ring of Honor World Championship. Claudio Castagnoli came out wearing a Ribera Steakhouse jacket, while Eddie Kingston got some words of encouragement from Penta El Zero Miedo & Alex Abrahantes in the back before making his way out in this title versus title match. Right away, Claudio goes to take down Kingston, but they go right into a chop-and-strike exchange. They end up taking it to the outside where Kingston whips Claudio into the barricade and starts chopping away. Commentary brings up how Bryce Remsburg is the referee, having been there when Claudio & Kingston both started their careers. Back inside, Claudio hits a gut wrench suplex but Kingston comes back with a slap in the face and a German Suplex to send Claudio to the apron. They struggle a bit on the apron until Claudio grabs Kingston and sends him onto the ramp with a back suplex. Claudio stays in control until Kingston dodges a diving headbutt, but Claudio comes right back with an uppercut for a two-count as we go to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, Claudio is kicking away at Kingston who is asking for more, until Kingston ends up reversing into a backslide for a two-count. Kingston stays in control, hitting an exploder and a Saito Suplex to get a two-count. Kingston starts hitting machine gun chops but Claudio eats them up and asks for more until Kingston knocks Claudio out with a big hook. They have a bit of a face-off and trade words before going into another chop-and-strike exchange that ends when Claudio hits a headbutt and a short-armed lariat. Claudio starts dropping elbows and a Ricola Bomb, but Kingston reverses into a two-count. Claudio continues and eventually does hit the Ricola Bomb, as Kingston kicks out at two. Kingston comes back with three back-to-back Urakens and a Northern Lights Bomb, but Claudio kicks out at two. Kingston hits another Uraken and a power bomb to get the pin and the win.
Winner: Eddie Kingston by pinfall at 15:17 to retain the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship and become the NEW ROH World Champion.
They both shake ends after the match, as Excalibur mentions all of Kingston’s mentors and friends who held the title that he now has won.
Just Freaking Go
We see footage from last week where The Kingdom is attending to Roderick Strong at the hospital, with a cameo from Tiara James as the nurse. Matt Taven reads words of encouragement from a card, as Adam Cole’s voice wakes up Strong. Cole tells Strong to open up his eyes, as The Kingdom asks Cole where he’s been. Mike Bennett says it’s convenient as he shows up when they have to go and get ready for Grand Slam. Cole says he’s glad Strong is doing okay, but he has to get going also and go make sure MJF is okay. Strong is upset but tells Cole to ‘just freaking go’.
Bring The Boy
Renee Paquette is backstage with Christian Cage & Luchasaurus as Christian talks about being ready to move on from Darby Allin and makes a proposition for Darby to face himself and Luchasaurus in a three-way match for the TNT Championship on Collision, but if Darby wants the show, Sting can’t be at ringside. Christian slips calling it a handicap match and says Darby has as much chance of winning this Saturday as the Yankees & Mets do with a championship and tells Darby to ‘bring the boy’.
Chris Jericho vs. Sammy Guevara
Sammy Guevara came out with a Chris Jericho-like light-up vest as Monteasy who does his ‘Take Flight’ theme song, accompanied him. Guevara’s gear colors were the same as Jericho’s when he faced Shawn Micheals for the first time. They start trading chops before Guevara is able to dodge Jericho and knock him down with a dropkick before they do their Le Sex Gods pose. There is a bit of back-and-forth until Jericho hits a double underhook into a backbreaker, but springboards off the corner and misses, crashing to the outside where Guevara meets him with a corkscrew dive. Guevara goes to the top rope and hits a crossbody for a two. Jericho comes back with a Code Breaker, but Guevara rolls to the apron where a suplex sends them both to the outside as we go to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, Guevara hits a Spanish Fly for two but Jericho comes right back with a back-to-back lariats for a two of his own. Guevara comes back with his own Codebreaker for two, before sending Jericho off the apron onto the commentary desk. Guevara heads to the top rope, takes out Jericho with a moonsault, and sends Jericho back inside but Jericho meets Guevara with a dropkick, upon entering. Bit of a sloppy sequence on the apron with Guevara trying to kick Jericho down, but he follows by jumping off-the-top rope with a cutter for a two, as this Queens crowd seems to have quieted down heavily from the opener. Jericho puts on the Walls of Jericho, but Guevara is able to fight his way out. They head to the top rope, where Guevara hits Jericho with a cutter, and rolls over for the cover but Jericho kicks out at two. Guevara tries a Lionsault, but Jericho gets his knees up and hits a running bulldog before hitting the Lionsault himself for two. They go back and forth before Guevara hits the GTH, goes to the top rope, and tries the Shooting Star Press, just for Jericho to counter with the Codebreaker for the pin.
Winner: Chris Jericho by pinfall at 15:14.
Au Revoir Sex Gods
They shake hands and hug after the match, but Guevara ends up kicking Jericho down low and pushing him down, the same way Jericho did to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 19. Don Callis heads to the ring and aligns himself with Guevara.
You’re Not Going To Die, Dude
We see footage from earlier today of MJF and Adam Cole arriving at the stadium as MJF says tonight he takes the chip from Samoa Joe’s shoulder and bashes his skull in. MJF says Joe is trying to take away his championship and hurt Cole, but tonight he will choke him out in front of his own people and the last thing Joe will hear is an MJF chant. As MJF is about to do his catchphrase, Cole gets an alarming phone call from Roderick Strong. MJF asks if Cole still has his back, but Cole says this is an emergency and screams ‘Roddy, you’re not going to die, dude!’
This Kid Is Money
Renee tries to ask Guevara backstage if he’s aligned himself with The Don Callis Family, but Callis says it’ll all be revealed on Rampage this Friday. Daniel Garcia gets in Guevara’s face, but Callis holds Guevara back and says ‘This kid is money’.
AEW International Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Rey Fenix (w/ Alex Abrahantes)
Rey Fenix goes right after Jon Moxley on the outside before the bell rings and takes him out with a running dive off the ramp to Moxley. Fenix starts chopping Moxley on the barricade before sending him inside the ring, as the match officially starts. They start trading pin attempts before Moxley stops a rolling Fenix with a forearm and a stomp for two. They end up on the outside, where Moxley tosses Fenix into the crowd and pushes him off the guard rail as he is trying to run it, followed by a DDT to the outside. Fenix goes at it with Moxley with kicks before hitting a cutter for two, heads to the top rope, and hits a Frog Splash for another two. Moxley stops Fenix with a King Kong Lariat, but Fenix kips up and sends Moxley to the outside. Fenix places Moxley on the guardrail and takes him out with a top rope leg drop (maybe sending a message to Rob Van Dam for this Saturday’s Collision) as we head to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, we see Moxley hit a Gotch-style piledriver during the break, as they are now on the top rope together, before Fenix headbutts Moxley off and hits a diving foot stomp. They head outside, where Moxley hits Fenix with a curb stomp which gets the crowd to start doing the Seth Rollins chant. Back inside, Moxley hits a stalled piledriver but Fenix kicks out at two. Fenix pushes Moxley off the top rope and hits a senton, followed by a Fenix Driver, and gets the visual three count that the referee doesn’t count. Moxley seems to tell Fenix to do it again, which he does, and gets the pin and the win.
Winner: Rey Fenix by pinfall at 11:33, to become NEW AEW International Champion.
Night Of Consequences
We go to Samoa Joe backstage who says tonight is a night of consequences and MJF has been running his mouth, but tonight he will smash MJF in front of his hometown and people, and tonight it won’t be MJF’s future that gets taken away, but his championship.
Excalibur says that Jon Moxley avoided any serious injury and left the ring on his own, during the break.
We get a video from The Hardys, The Righteous, The Kingdom & Best Friends hyping up their #1 contenders match on Rampage this Friday.
AEW Women’s World Championship: Saraya (c) (w/ Ruby Soho) vs. Toni Storm
Commentary brings up how Saraya & Ruby Soho have made Toni Storm an ‘outcast’ of The Outcasts, and say they will beat the ‘crazy’ out of Storm tonight, as Taz is bewildered never hearing that phrase before. Storm starts trying to back off of Saraya, only to get a couple of slaps in the face. Saraya continues screaming that Storm needs her, but she just smiles back and starts slapping back. Storm gets distracted by Ruby on the apron, as Saraya kicks Storm down and keeps screaming at her. Saraya kicks Storm to the outside, and Storm trips up Saraya on the apron, right on her neck, and rolls under the ring. Ruby pulls Storm out who comes out with a bunch of shoes that she uses on Ruby. As the referee takes away a shoe from her, Storm uses another hidden shoe to take out Saraya but only gets a two-count as we head to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, Storm is raging on Saraya’s back with punches before taking off the bottom turnbuckle pad and grabbing a spray paint. Ruby takes it away from Storm and tosses it to Saraya, who uses it on Storm as Ruby is distracting the referee and hits the Knight Cap for a two-count. Saraya starts knocking Storm into the turnbuckles but stops short of hitting her on the exposed corner. Storm then puts Saraya’s foot down, kisses her, and hits the Storm Zero for a two. Storm sets up Saraya against the exposed turnbuckle but misses the hip attack. Saraya follows with another Knight Cap, off the ropes for the pin and the win.
Winner: Saraya by pinfall at 8:53, to retain.
Rampage Grand Slam Line-Up
- 2-hour special
- Darby Allin & Sting vs. Christian Cage & Luchasaurus
- Orange Cassidy, Hook & Kris Statlander vs. Anna Jay, Daddy Magic & Cool Hand Ang
- The Kingdom vs. The Hardys vs. The Righteous vs. Best Friends (Winner gets a ROH World Tag Team Championship match at WrestleDream)
- Mike Santana in action
- AEW World Trios Championship: The Acclaimed & Daddy Ass (c) vs. Dark Order
- Skye Blue vs. Julia Hart
- ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship: The Mogul Embassy (c) vs. Hangman Adam Page & Young Bucks
Collision Line-Up
- AEW TNT Championship: Luchasaurus (c) vs. Darby Allin vs. Christian Cage
- Jay White vs. Andrade El Idolo
- Rob Van Dam returns to the ring in his home state
- AEW World Tag Team Championship: FTR (c) vs. The WorkHorsemen
- Texas Death Match: Ricky Starks vs. Bryan Danielson
Dynamite Line-Up
- Hangman Adam Page & Swerve Strickland contract signing (The Elite & Mogul Embassy are banned from ringside)
WrestleDream Line-Up
- Swerve Strickland vs. Hangman Adam Page
- AEW World Tag Team Championship: FTR (c) vs. Aussie Open
- Bryan Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
AEW World Championship: MJF (c) vs. Samoa Joe
MJF’s entrance was a redo with the famous Bret Hart clip of him talking to a fan before heading to the ring, but this time MJF tells the kid that he’s adopted before heading out. MJF’s entrance has New York Mets-style graphics for his tron, as he’s wearing a jacket with every New York sports team logo on it and a Better Than You Bay Bay shirt in the Mets colors and font. Samoa Joe starts kicking away at MJF as the crowd chants ‘We are scumbags’ before knocking MJF off his back who goes right to his neck. Joe stays in control and hits a kick and a senton for a two-count before they go to picture-in-picture.
When we come back, MJF takes control and tries to clothesline Joe down, but Joe comes back with a hard clothesline himself for two. Joe rips up MJF’s shirt, which only gets MJF all riled up who starts attacking Joe in the corner with a back rake, sends Joe into the turnbuckle ten times, and follows with ten punches in the corner and a bite. Joe flips MJF off, who comes back with a Kangaroo Kick sending Joe to the outside. Joe stops MJF on the apron and sends him onto it with a Death Valley Driver. Joe takes a table from under the ring sets it up against the barricade and sends MJF through it with a uranage, sends him back inside as MJF kicks out at two. Joe takes the mat off on the floor exposing the wood and tries to powerbomb MJF on it, but he bites his way off and fails to piledriver Joe onto it. Joe comes right back and hits a piledriver to MJF on the exposed floor. The medical team goes to check on MJF, but he starts tossing them off and sends MJF back inside for the pin, that MJF kicks out at two from. MJF is able to counter a running Joe and hits a Liger Bomb to get a two. They start going back and forth, as Joe puts on a sleeper hold, MJF low blows Joe and grabs the Dynamite diamond ring. Joe puts the referee in front of him as the referee takes away the ring. Joe hits a low blow and the muscle buster, but MJF kicks out at two. Joe puts on the Coquina Clutch, as Adam Cole runs out to try and get MJF to wake up from it MJF hulks up when the referee is trying to lower his arm for the third time. They keep going at it, with the referee being taken out as Cole gets on the apron to distract Joe, and MJF uses a wire to choke out Joe. The referee runs back in and checks on Joe, ending the match.
Winner: MJF by referee stoppage at 18:42, to retain.
MJF distracts the referee, as Cole hides the object used to win. Joe extends his hand to MJF, who shakes it.
