| AEW Grand Slam | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Promotional poster featuring various AEW wrestlers | |||
| Promotion | All Elite Wrestling | ||
| Date | September 22, 2021 (aired September 22 and 24, 2021) | ||
| City | Flushing, Queens, New York | ||
| Venue | Arthur Ashe Stadium | ||
| Attendance | 20,177[1][2] | ||
| Tagline | For the First Time Ever | ||
| Grand Slam chronology | |||
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| AEW Dynamite special episodes chronology | |||
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| AEW Rampage special episodes chronology | |||
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The 2021Grand Slam was a two-partprofessional wrestlingtelevision special produced byAll Elite Wrestling (AEW). It was the inauguralGrand Slam event and took place on September 22, 2021, at theArthur Ashe Stadium in theQueens borough ofNew York City, encompassing theTNT broadcasts ofWednesday Night Dynamite andFriday Night Rampage.Dynamite airedlive whileRampage aired ontape delay on September 24 and was expanded to two hours for the Grand Slam special. A total of 14 matches were contested, fiive of which aired live onDynamite while six aired onRampage. Threedark matches also occurred before the live event, which were shown on AEW'sYouTube show,Elevation, on September 27.
Grand Slam was AEW's New York City debut and marked the first AEW event to be held in its entirety within a stadium. UntilAll 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 theKenny Omega vs.Bryan Danielson match, which received a5 star rating from wrestling journalistDave Meltzer. TheRampage broadcast was also notable forCM Punk's first wrestling match on cable television since facingBilly Gunn on the January 20, 2014, episode ofWWE Raw.
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Commentators | Jim Ross(Dynamite) |
| Excalibur(Dynamite and Rampage | |
| Tony Schiavone(Dynamite and Rampage) | |
| Taz(Rampage) | |
| Ricky Starks(Rampage) | |
| Don Callis(Trios match) | |
| Mark Henry(Dark: Elevation) | |
| Eddie Kingston(Dark: Elevation) | |
| Ring announcer | Justin Roberts |
| Referees | Aubrey Edwards |
| Bryce Remsburg | |
| Paul Turner | |
| Rick Knox | |
| Interviewers | Alex Marvez |
| Mark Henry |
Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic that began affecting the industry in mid-March 2020,All Elite Wrestling (AEW) held the majority of their programs fromDaily's Place inJacksonville, Florida;[3] these events were originally held without fans, but the company began running shows at 10–15% capacity in August, before eventually running full capacity shows in May 2021.[4] In June, AEW announced that they would be returning to live touring, beginning with aspecial episode ofDynamite titledRoad Rager on July 7.[5] Shortly after, AEW announced that their September 22 episode would be another special episode ofDynamite titled Grand Slam. The event was scheduled to be held in theNew York City borough ofQueens, New York at theArthur Ashe Stadium. Grand Slam marked AEW's first event held inNew York City, which is primarily known as home territory forWWE, as well as their first full event to be held in a stadium.[6][7]
During the September 15 episode ofDynamite, AEW announced that Grand Slam was expanded to a two-part event. The second Grand Slam show was announced to air ontape delay as the September 24 episode ofRampage, which also aired for two hours instead of its usual one-hour. Additionally, threedark matches were taped to be shown on the September 27 episode of AEW'sYouTube show,Elevation.[8]
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 theDelta 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]
Grand Slam featuredprofessional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds andstorylines. Wrestlers portrayedheroes,villains, orless distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[10] Storylines were produced on AEW's weekly television programs,Dynamite andRampage, the supplementary online streaming shows,Dark andElevation, andThe Young Bucks' YouTube seriesBeing The Elite.
On July 7 at Road Rager,Malakai Black debuted in AEW, attackingCody Rhodes and his managerArn Anderson. A match between Black and Cody was scheduled forHomecoming on August 4, which Black won in under five minutes. After the match, Cody teased retirement, removing one of his boots to leave in the ring before being attacked by Black. In the following weeks, Black would defeat Arn's sonBrock Anderson, Cody's student Lee Johnson, and Cody's brotherDustin Rhodes. On September 8, a rematch between Black and Cody was announced forDynamite: Grand Slam. On the September 15 episode ofDynamite, Black insulted Cody's fellowGo-Big Show judgeRosario Dawson, which led to Cody's first appearance onDynamite since his loss to Black, and the two brawled into the crowd. In reality, Rhodes had taken time off to tape a new season ofGo-Big Show and Dawson's appearance promoted the show.
On the September 8 episode ofDynamite, inBrian Pillman's home town ofCincinnati, Ohio,MJF expressed his disgust at the city as well as Pillman's sister and daughter, respectively. The Varsity Blondes, consisting of Brian's sonBrian Pillman Jr., from nearbyErlanger, Kentucky, andGriff Garrison, came to the ring to defend the Pillmans, which resulted in the two being beaten up by MJF andWardlow. A match between MJF and Pillman was later made forDynamite: Grand Slam.
AtAll Out,Ruby Soho debuted as the Joker in theCasino Battle Royale, winning the match by last eliminatingThunder Rosa and earning a match againstDr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. for theAEW Women's World Championship. On September 15, it was announced that this match would take place atDynamite: Grand Slam.
At All Out, afterAdam Cole debuted to assistThe Elite,Bryan Danielson also made a surprise debut to fend off The Elite. In the following weeks, Danielson tried to goad Elite member andAEW World ChampionKenny Omega into a match. On the September 15 episode ofDynamite, Danielson formally challenged Omega to a non-title match, which Omega accepted against the advice ofDon Callis, marking Danielson's AEW in-ring debut and his first match against Omega since 2009. The match was scheduled forDynamite: Grand Slam.[11]
At All Out, Adam Cole debuted in AEW, assisting his formerBullet Club stablemates Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) in a beatdown ofChristian Cage andJurassic Express. On the September 15 episode ofDynamite, Cole won his AEW in-ring debut againstFrankie Kazarian. Following the match, Cole challenged Cage,Jungle Boy, andLuchasaurus to a six-man tag match against him and The Young Bucks in a reunion of theSuperkliq, which was scheduled forRampage: Grand Slam.
AtFyter Fest, Dan Lambert ofAmerican Top Team made an appearance, running down AEW for not being as good as wrestling was in his youth. In the following months, he would ally himself with the Men of the Year (Ethan Page andScorpio Sky), continuing to deride AEW and its fans. On the September 15 episode ofDynamite, Lambert, surrounded by several America's Top Team members, was confronted byThe Inner Circle'sChris Jericho andJake Hager. Citing his own shoot fights in locker rooms over the years as well as Hager's undefeated record inBellator MMA, Jericho challenged Page and Sky to a match, which Lambert accepted on their behalf, and it was scheduled forRampage: Grand Slam.
After defeatingDarby 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 byTaz, who criticized Punk's "love-fest". The following week onDynamite, Punk was a guest commentator for the first hour before being attacked by Team Taz membersPowerhouse Hobbs and Taz's sonHook. A match between Punk and Hobbs was later made official forRampage: Grand Slam.
Prior to All Out,Jon Moxley had challenged anyone fromNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) to face him at the show. His challenge was answered bySatoshi Kojima in a match that Moxley won, but after the match, Moxley was confronted by NJPW'sMinoru Suzuki. A match between the two was made for the ensuing episode ofDynamite, which Moxley won in his hometown of Cincinnati; prior to the match, Suzuki's iconic "Kaze ni Nare" entrance music was cut off. Citinghometown bias, Suzuki and hisSuzuki-gun stablemateLance Archer challenged Moxley andEddie Kingston to a tag team match atRampage: Grand Slam.
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 ofBleacher Report reviewed theDynamite portion, saying, "this episode ofDynamite 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 ofSports Illustrated also reviewed theDynamite 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 theWrestling Observer Newsletter gave the Omega–Danielson match afive 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 theJanuary 6 New Year's Smash edition ofDynamite (eventually one of three such matches in 2021).[14][15]
Dynamite andRampage both topped the cable rating charts on their respective days. On Wednesday,Dynamite averaged 1.273 million viewers, earning a 0.48Nielsen rating whileRampage on Friday averaged 640,000 viewers with a 0.28 rating.[16][17]
| No. | Results[18] | Stipulations | Times[24] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CM Punk defeatedPowerhouse Hobbs (withHook) bypinfall | Singles match[22] | 13:35 |
| 2 | Superkliq (Adam Cole andThe Young Bucks (Matt Jackson andNick Jackson)) (withDoc Gallows andBrandon Cutler) defeatedChristian Cage andJurassic Express (Jungle Boy andLuchasaurus) (withMarko Stunt) bypinfall | Six-man tag team match[22] | 14:35 |
| 3 | Men of the Year (Scorpio Sky andEthan Page) (withDan Lambert) defeatedThe Inner Circle (Chris Jericho andJake Hager) bypinfall | Tag team match[22] | 11:00 |
| 4 | The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo andRey Fénix) andSantana and Ortiz (withAlex Abrahantes) defeated Hardy Family Office (Private Party (Isiah Kassidy andMarq Quen) andThe Butcher and The Blade) (withMatt Hardy andJack Evans) bypinfall | Eight-man tag team match[23] | 9:20 |
| 5 | Penelope Ford defeatedAnna Jay bypinfall | Singles match[23] | 6:45 |
| 6 | Jon Moxley andEddie Kingston defeatedSuzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki andLance Archer) bypinfall | Lights Out match[23] | 14:56 |
40°45′00″N73°50′49″W / 40.750°N 73.847°W /40.750; -73.847