Welcome one and all, to AEW Dynamite Grand Slam! We have a huge show tonight, and we are starting off hot. It is Title vs Title, Eddie Kingston vs Claudio Castagnoli. This rematch has been looming for a long time, and Eddie has since gained a new level to his game. Eddie and Claudio go at it with everything they have throughout this bout, and that includes strikes. Claudio has the advantage in that department, due to his uppercuts, but Eddie perseveres, and both men prove their mettle. There is a major rush of attempts by both men to get the victory, but, through all the back fists, uppercuts, and major moves, neither man can beat the other. It was at this moment that the words of Kawada rang through Eddie’s head, I suspect, as he attempted the Kawada Bomb. Claudio was to difficult to lift, but a backfist took out his resistance, and the bomb hit, finally granting Eddie the biggest win of his career.
Eddie finally did it, and Claudio shook his hand and gave him the ROH World Championship. What a moment! Truly, there are few as deserving of this man, achieving what he has in the last few years, after coming so close to being forced out of the business. The man has carved his own path, and it is a cold, treacherous journey, but it lead him to this amazing moment.
Next up, we have Chris Jericho vs Sammy Guevara. The story of the match is teacher vs pupil, stamina vs smarts. While Sammy outclasses Jericho on conditioning in the year 2023, few are smarter in ring than Chris Jericho himself. We start off with many reversals, due to both men knowing their opponents moves. Sammy manages to out wrestle Jericho at times, but he always gets back into it through some smart play. We have multiple close falls, but Jericho seems out for the count when Sammy goes up to the top rope for a shooting star press. Never count out Chris, however, as he pops up to hit a super codebreaker reversal, and scores the win. Sammy hugs him after… and then swiftly kicks him in, as Taz would say, the yam bags. It’s at this point we get the full picture: Sammy Guevara has joined the Don Callis Family. It has gained its second son.
In the back, we see Daniel Garcia, pissed at Sammy for aligning himself with Don. Sammy is ready to brawl, but Don stops him, saying that Garcia is money. In the ring, we have the grudge match between Rey Fenix and Jon Moxley, for the International Championship. Before the match can start, however, Fenix starts to brawl with Mox. This may favor Moxley normally, but with a lucky shot in the form of a major dive off the ramp onto Jon, we see a champion knocked loopy. This advantage is good, but short lived, however, as Mox seemed to rope a dope him, and quickly took control after. He goes on the offensive for some time, but, while he and Fenix are hitting huge blows, neither gives in.
Nearing the end, Fenix hits his Driver finish, but, when Mox should’ve kicked out, he didn’t. The ref looked confused, but Fenix got him up, hit one more, and, in a shock, we have a new International Champion! Moxley got hurt in this match, but I’m happy to say we’ve since learned it was only a minor concussion, and he’ll be just fine. I am excited to see Fenix, a man who lost his tag titles to injury, get this huge opportunity to prove himself as the main eventer his fans have long known he is.
The next match up is for the women’s championship, as Toni Storm challenges Saraya for the title. Saraya debuted a year ago for AEW, right here in Arthur Ashe. You can feel however you want about her being champion, but her recovery story is inspiring, and it’s impressive how far she’s come in just a year. Toni, on the other hand, has come very far in a short time, in the path of a classic starlet. Yes, some feel she’s lost her mind, but in that loss she’s gained a new gear to her offense, and another level to her game. The match has quite a few odd moments, but is well worked. The most iconic moment is, undoubtedly, Toni’s kiss to Saraya, immediately followed by a huge piledriver and a near fall. Due to the help of Ruby, Saraya would manage to vanquish her opponent with her modified DDT. Who is next for the women’s champ?
We are at our main event, and now we will see Samoa Joe fight MJF in the main event for the world championship! Joe comes out, looking like a beast waiting for prey. MJF, while walking out, is accosted by a young boy, who he gives his scarf to, then informs that he’s adopted. What a hero! Sadly, the hero lacks his Best friend, as, earlier in the night, Cole had to leave, as Roddy was suffering an emergency. The match goes, for most of it, as you’d think it would. MJF comes in hurt tonight, and Joe is a shark who smells blood. MJF tries all of his classic tricks, but Joe knows them all too well, and brutalizes the poor man’s neck. If we weren’t in New York City, I don’t think Max could continue fighting, after every major neck bump, including the one on the exposed concrete! It felt as though it was all over when Samoa Joe hit the muscle buster, but MJF, motivated by finally embracing his people all across the states, and being surrounded by over ten thousand devil worshippers, manages to kick out. All hope is lost, however, as Samoa Joe locks in the Coquina Clutch. Right as you think it’s all over, Cole has arrived, and MJF regains his will to fight. He gets out of the hold, and, with a minor bit of referee distraction and a whole lot of help from a weapon, locks in his own choke, and does what he said he would. Samoa Joe is choked out, and MJF is still your world champion. He has his head held high, and, having regained consciousness and gained some respect for a fellow player of the game, Joe shakes his hand. This was a legendary episode of Dynamite, and another great Grand Slam. I look forward to it continuing on Rampage!