All Elite Wrestling returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium for the second rendition of Grand Slam! Last year’s episode saw the epic match between Kenny Omega and Bryan Danielson. Those are huge shoes to fill without the top four stars in the company this year! Then Tony Khan and AEW did a great job with the drama after All Out to get us fans ready for one of their biggest shows of the year, with FIVE championship matches on the evening. But how did the 2022 All Elite Wrestling Grand Slam compare to last year?
Let’s talk about it!
Ring of Honor Championship: Claudio (c) vs. Jericho
AND NEEWWWWW!!!!
AEW opened with the Ring of Honor championship match between Claudio Castagnoli and Chris Jericho. Want to start making Ring of Honor a priority? Put Jericho in contention for it. One of my favorite commentators, Ian Riccaboni, was on the call for this one. He brings an amazing analysis of the action, like Excalibur, combined with the storied history of Ring of Honor.
The story of the match was one we have grown to know when Jericho is in the ring. Claudio took a huge lead right off the bat, except Jericho is a rapscallion. Cary Silkin, Ring of Honor owner for the majority of the 2000s, was sitting ringside. Jericho threatened him and used him to blindside Claudio and gain the advantage. I don’t understand why people dislike Jericho in 2022. He’s not what he used to be, but he can still go. The last few months have proved that.
It was only a matter of time until Claudio put his incredible strength on display. He blocked an Avalanche Hurricanrana, which was amazing in and of itself, but then Jericho reversed the Avalanche Powerbomb into the Hurricanrana again. This was really cool looking! The pace really picked up after this as both guys looked great. Claudio just couldn’t put the legend away, however. Jericho withstood the Ricola Bomb, Hammer and Anvil elbows, and the Giant Swing. This night just did not belong to Claudio.
Jericho ended the match exactly as he started it: as a rapscallion. The ‘Wizard’ grabbed his trusting bat, Floyd, to cause a distraction. This allowed him to hit a low blow and the Judas Effect for the victory. Jericho is the new Ring of Honor Champion!
4/5
Match of the Night
I really enjoyed that match. I thought Claudio would win, but having Jericho be Ring of Honor champion can only mean good things for the revamped company. I’m seeing a lot of angry people about this, but think about it! If TV is in the cards for Ring of Honor, wouldn’t it be smart to have the guy who did well as the first AEW champion as your first champion? I love it. Good stuff!
AEW Tag Championship: Swerve in Our Glory (c) vs. The Acclaimed
AND NEWWWWW!!!!
The action continued right away as the AEW Tag Team Championships were being defended by Swerve in Our Glory against the Acclaimed in a rematch from All Out. A lot of people, myself included, have gone on record in saying that AEW should have called an audible in Chicago and pulled the trigger on the Acclaimed there. After having seen the rematch now, I still think that would have been the best move. I enjoyed this match, but it was nowhere as good as the All Out one.
They tried to tell a similar story as their previous bout too, albeit in a condensed fashion. Swerve and Lee tried to be heels, isolate and injure Caster and Bowens, but they needed more time to do it properly. Keith launched Bowens onto the rampway at one point, which looked brutal, but Bowens came back like two minutes later. This could have worked beautifully with five or so more minutes.
The match escalated to a conclusion as more issues between Keith Lee and Swerve reared their head. Swerve tried to use Caster’s boombox but hit Keith Lee instead. The weird shenanigans continued, as Billy Gunn hit Swerve with the Fame Asser, which allowed Max Caster to hit the Mic Drop for the victory. Keith Lee was preoccupied with the referee for some reason. I’d bet that is the story Swerve and Lee head down. They’ll probably feud now.
3.5/5
This was a fun match that could have been so much better. It was such a great moment for The Acclaimed though. I’m so happy for them! One of AEW’s first true homegrown champs.
Segments:
- FTR was backstage during that match and now wants to cash in being the #1 contender. The Gunn Club interrupts, which most likely sets up a match. It’s weird that the Gunn Club is far more interesting now. I cannot place why I feel that way…
- Best segment of the night right here! Wheeler Yuta was on the rampway with Schiavone, but MJF interrupts. I don’t know if these two have ever interacted. This was great because Yuta kept trying to babyface MJF, but the crowd didn’t want to hear it. MJF is absolutely untouchable. Or so I thought…MJF smacked Tony Schiavone and W. Morrissey grabs Yuta. This allowed MJF to hit him with the Diamond Ring. Great stuff right there!
- Jade Cargill and Baddies were backstage as Diamante confronted her. The ‘OG Baddie’ she referenced last week was hip hop star TRINA. I had never heard of this lady, but it sounds like she’s a big deal in the Hip Hop scene. That’s pretty cool.
All Atlantic Championship: PAC (c) vs. Orange Cassidy
Up next was a fantastic match between PAC and Orange Cassidy for the All-Atlantic Title. This match was a callback to the first AEW Revolution PPV, which was Orange Cassidy’s first AEW match. And just like that one, this match almost stole the night. It was a great match that displayed how amazing both men were.
The story was a simple one. PAC is a tough bastard and Cassidy has his number. There would be long periods of domination from PAC until Cassidy blasts a few moves out of nowhere. Orange Cassidy does this so well. He’ll look out of a match with no hope of coming back and BAM! He hits a bunch of moves in succession that the close two count gets me every time. He hit the Orange Punch at one point, but PAC was able to grab the bottom rope. PAC was frustrated with the King of Sloth Style. He couldn’t put Cassidy away, which then led to the ending…
Cassidy followed PAC towards the ringside timekeeper’s table. This ended up being Freshly Squeeze’s downfall because PAC used the ring bell hammer to knock him out. The ref didn’t see it because of the positioning of their bodies. It was elementary from there as PAC threw Cassidy’s limp body into the ring and pinned him straight away to retain his All-Atlantic title. I enjoyed this ending because PAC has never needed to cheat before. He’s a bastard, but his physical capabilities outlast everyone else. He needed to go full Bastard to beat Orange Cassidy. I like that.
4/5
AEW Women’s Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Athena vs. Serena Deeb vs. Dr Britt Baker DMD
Up next was the women’s 4-way for the Interim Women’s Championship with Toni Storm defending against Athena, Dr. Britt Baker DMD, and Serena Deeb. This match was a fun romp that showcased all four ladies. They all took turns hitting their offenses, but unfortunately, this Queens crowd did not care. It took a little from this match. There wasn’t much to this one outside of a few cool moves. Athena had one of my favorite parts of the night by hitting a slingshot Facebreaker. Britt Baker also somehow broke her nose again. She has the worst luck!
I feel like Britt getting legitimately injured could have affected how the ending played out because it was weird. All four ladies were battling it out, but all of a sudden, Toni Storm reversed Britt’s pin attempt into her own for the victory. I feel like we could have gotten a little more out of these four.
Really quick side note. I don’t want to harp on the good Doctor, but she stood out to me. And not in a good way. Toni, Athena, and Serena had phenomenal chemistry with all of their moves. They looked clean, slick, and fast in every facet. Britt lacked chemistry with all three. Could easily be the experience difference, but shouldn’t your biggest star look the best? Regardless, the match was fun.
3.5/5
The best part about this was the after angle. Jaime Hayter came down to confront Britt, but she joined right back to attack Toni Storm. This makes Hayter look really gullible, but it’s all good because of the amazing surprise debut of Saraya(FKA Paige) to put all the ladies on notice. I’m not sure what her role is going to be, but this was one of the best debuts in a while.
Tournament of Champions: Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson
AND NEWWWWW!!!!
And finally, we got to our main event between Blackpool Combat Club leaders Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson. This match had a big fight feel right away as everyone anticipated another barn burner, like their first meetup from Revolution. Unfortunately, this match didn’t quite hit for me, but it was still good. Moxley and Danielson could never put on a bad match by any means.
Not much of a story for the match itself, but the overall story here was MJF. The Salt of the Earth was overlooking from a Press Box with a constant spotlight on him. The camera continuously cut to him as he sat there making faces as Mox and Danielson beat each other up. It made it feel like this match didn’t matter. I guess everyone knows that MJF is probably taking the title from the winner, but the constant camera cuts felt unnecessary.
The action itself was fantastic. They pulled out each other’s moves, which was cool. This makes it feel like Blackpool Combat Club members fight each other all of the time. It makes sense! Moxley hit a Death Rider onto the stage that looked brutal. This led to Moxley passing Danielson out in the ring to become the three-time AEW Champion. I was very surprised by this result. I could have sworn Danielson would win this one! Moxley deserves this though. He’s the Ace of AEW and deserves a true run with the title. Hopefully, we wait until Full Gear to drop the title to MJF.
3.75/5
OVERALL
Let’s address the elephant in the room. The second rendition of AEW Grand Slam was not as good as the first one. Kenny Omega and Bryan Danielson had one of the best matches All Elite Wrestling has ever produced. That would be difficult to beat, even if The Elite weren’t suspended. However, this year’s episode of Grand Slam did a great job and I had a lot of fun.
Jericho and Claudio put on the best match in my eyes, but PAC and Cassidy were a very close second. But the best part of the whole evening was Saraya. It was an amazing moment, but there’s so much intrigue going forward! What’s her role going to be? Is she wrestling? Who is she wrestling!? How healthy is her neck? I have so many questions!
I’m sure she’ll address them next week on Dynamite. All in all, this episode of Grand Slam was great. I enjoyed myself as I usually do with All Elite Wrestling. Even when there are decisions I don’t like!
Verdict: 4/5