This past Wednesday was the All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Grand Slam pay-per-view, which instead of a weekly showing of consistent matches, was a showing of matches but with title defenses. With Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and the “Beat Me if You Can, Survive if I Let You” old-timer Taz on the broadcast team, excitement and surprises were bound to appear. 

I love a good rivalry now and then, and the relationship between World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and AEW has been one for the ages. With competition in viewership, wrestlers switching sides, and constant subtle disses on television, the tension is high for each company to be known as the best. Because my last review was about the biggest pay-per-view in WWE history, it is only fair that I do the same for AEW just so that readers understand the differences and similarities between each company. Ratings will be based on how well the storyline was executed, the clarity of the moves used, and the overall momentum of each match in the match card. 

So without further ado, let’s get into the matches. 

Title vs. Title Match: Ring of Honor (ROH) World Champion Claudio Castagnoli vs. New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) Strong Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston 

One thing that I should mention about a title vs. title match is the overall consequence of the match. The winner of a title vs. title match ends up taking the title of their opponent. Both Claudio Castagnoli and Eddie Kingston are nothing short of champions in their own right, and both men know their opponent like the back of their hand, due to a rivalry that has been brewing for years. 

The match started off with Castagnoli rushing to give Kingston a big boot to the face. After the constant trade of chops and forearms, both men continued the fight outside the ring, with Kingston throwing Castagnoli into the steel guardrail. Considering the training of both Kingston and Castagnoli, this match was nothing short of physical, with both men trying to plant each other into the mat. The action didn’t stop there, as Castagnoli knocked Kingston off his feet with several European uppercuts. 

The match ended with Kingston giving Castagnoli a nasty back fist or “Hail Mary with the back fist!” with the drop of a Northern Lights Bomb on Castagnoli for the three-count. 

And after six years of the making, the rivalry between Kingston and Castagnoli was put to rest.

Grade: 3.5 Chukwuemeka Stars – The reason that this rating was not up to 5 Chukwuemeka stars was because it lacked a lot of high-flying action, which is what I tend to favor when I watch matches. What is important to note about this match is the combination of pro-wrestling and MMA styles, especially with the inclusion of technical knockouts (TKOs) and consistent jabs to the face. With this in mind, this match was one of the better ones when considering the technicality and execution of the relationship between Kingston and Castagnoli.

Chris Jericho vs. Sammy Guevara 

Following the disbandment of the Jericho Appreciation Society (JAS) after the mistreatment of its members, the relationship between Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara began to suffer severely. This match was provoked by strong tensions between Jericho and Guevara. 

And alas, it was now the student (Guevara) vs. the mentor (Jericho). 

Because both men have worked closely together for a number of years, the match contained a lot of call-and-response actions where Jericho would put Guevara in one of his signature moves, The Walls of Jericho, to get a tap, but Guevara would respond by reversing it into a hurricanrana. 

The match ended with Guevara going for the shooting star press, and Jericho countering with the Code Breaker to get the win. 

Following the end of the match, Jericho extended his hand for a bout of showmanship, but Guevara responded with a low blow. 

Grade: 4.2 Chukwuemeka Stars – What a specific score, right? I know, but that’s what makes the Chukwuemeka scale so special. One of the main things that I like to comment on about matches in WWE and AEW is the ability to put over younger stars who have a lot of talent. This was not the case for this match. Chris Jericho has been wrestling for more than 25 years, starting in WWE and ending up in AEW. Sammy Guevara is a young star who is making his name known in AEW, especially in the championship area. While I understand that Jericho is one of the main names to pave the way for younger superstars such as Guevara, it is important to make sure that younger talent can display their love for the industry and show off their techniques. If stars like Jericho keep on winning matches that are meant to put over younger talent, there will be no place to introduce the younger superstars (this is not to say that Jericho never puts over younger talent, which he did with Action Andretti). All in all, the match had a lot of good high-flying on Guevara’s end, and chops on Jericho’s end. 

AEW International Championship Match 

Jon Moxley vs. Rey Fenix 

This match was an example that not everything in pro wrestling ends up going as planned. Although wrestlers train relentlessly to make sure that no mistakes occur, accidents can always happen. 

Now let’s dig into the relationship between Jon Moxley and Rey Fenix. 

Fenix and Moxley have been on bad terms ever since Moxley and his group, the Blackpool Combat Club (BCC), put Fenix’s partner, Pac, out of action indefinitely while also tearing off his mask (in wrestling it is sacred for a luchador to keep their mask on).

The match started off very physical with the street fight instinct of Moxley. Moxley started off with a couple of punches while Fenix responded with a couple of drop kicks of his own. The match got more physical as both men used the outside equipment to hurt their opponent. 

Toward the end, the match went awry as Moxley suffered a real concussion from Fenix’s piledriver, an action that was not expected, and that made Fenix the new AEW International Champion. 

Grade: 4.5 Chukwuemeka Stars – Personally I enjoyed this match; it is always good to see the aggression of Moxley when fighting his opponents. What was very unexpected was the changing of hands with the title, but I do believe that it was because of Moxley’s concussion. What I do want to note was the professionalism on behalf of the referee who made sure to check in on Moxley following the concussion and who also made sure to weave that into the storyline and the match (this decision gave the match rating more Chukwuemeka stars.)

AEW Women’s World Championship Match 

Saraya vs. Toni Storm 

Now this was a match that was characterized by slaps, chops, and plenty of cheating. 

The match started off with Saraya and Storm exchanging smiles and chops. In the first act of cheating, Storm grabbed her high-heeled shoe to crack it over Saraya’s head, almost getting a three-count. 

The match unfolded with an unexpected twist when Storm grabbed Saraya and kissed her on the mouth to distract her and perform her signature move, the Storm Zero. This only gets a two count as Saraya nailed Storm with the Knight Cap to get the full three. 

Grade: 4.8 Chukwuemeka Stars – I won’t lie, I really did enjoy this match; both women are nothing short of decorated wrestlers who have made a name for themselves in the industry. The match contained a lot of back-and-forth action (especially with the cheating), which really made it entertaining to watch. 

AEW World Championship Match 

MJF vs. ROH World TV Champion Samoa Joe 

It’s time for the main event! Or at least that’s the way wrestling legend Mark Henry says it. I know I need to be impartial in my reviews of matches, but I have to admit this was my favorite match on this match card. With the MMA background of Samoa Joe and the persistence of the AEW World Champion, MJF, this match was nothing short of extraordinary. 

The match started off with MJF giving Joe a thumb to the eye to provide some sort of distraction. Unfortunately, that only distracted Joe for a few minutes. Joe then took control for a multitude of minutes in the match, delivering a piledriver to MJF on exposed concrete. But even this wasn’t enough to break the persistence of MJF. 

It is important to note that both Joe and MJF are not above cheating. When MJF got caught using his Dynamite Diamond Ring, Samoa Joe responded with an illegal low blow. 

The match ended with Adam Cole, partner and declared best friend of MJF, coming to help, and MJF using wrist tape to make Samoa Joe pass out. The self-proclaimed “People’s Jerk” was the winner of the match. 

Grade: 5.0 Chukwuemeka Stars – From the illustration of the Adam Cole and MJF rivalry-to-friendship cliche to the demonstration of Samoa Joe’s ruthless aggression, this match was nothing short of stellar. It did a perfect job of intertwining entertainment with actual wrestling. I cannot lie though, I am a sucker for the storylines between Adam Cole and MJF, especially seeing how they went from bitter enemies to brochachos. 

I hope that this review can give you a sense of pro wrestling and how sometimes the best things do not have to make sense. With that said, it is important to note that pro wrestling does not just revolve around your appreciation for different fighting styles. The ways in which you interact with the storyline are what gives pro wrestling so much life, in my opinion. Although every wrestling company is different, they all come together for people who really care about the industry. And on that note, it never hurts to turn on the channel to TBS and get a sense of why AEW Grand Slam is definitely worth watching. 

Oluchi Chukwuemeka can be reached at ochukwuemeka@wesleyan.edu.