AEW makes its much-discussed Australia debut with tonight’s Grand Slam Australia from the Brisbane Entertainment Centre with a five-match show featuring three title defense and two of AEW’s top stars teaming up.
The headliner will see AEW Women’s World Champion Mariah May defending against New Zealand-born Toni Storm in a rematch from last August’s All In where Storm lost the title.
Former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega teams with Will Ospreay to take on Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher of the Don Callis Family which will open the show.
TBS Champion Mercedes Mone looks to remain undefeated in singles action as she defends against budding star Harley Cameron who is attempting to win her first AEW title.
Native son Buddy Matthews will challenge AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada.
The show is rounded out by a Brisbane Brawl between Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli against Cope and Jay White.
Things will kick off at approximately 10:30 PM Eastern following NBA All-Star Weekend coverage.
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Grand Slam Australia kicked off with shots of the large crowd for this show as Tony Schiavone welcomed everyone to the show. Nigel McGuinness was on the call alongside Schiavone.
Kenny Omega & Will Ospreay defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher (w/Mark Davis)
What superlatives can I give this match that I haven’t given these four men already? A PPV quality tag team match and an excellent opener to the show, especially considering the NBA All Star Saturday lead-in audience.
The ring looks smaller than usual, possibly a local ring. Fletcher and Ospreay started the match, with Fletcher dropping Ospreay with a shoulder block to big boos as the Australia crowd isn’t playing favorites with their countryman. Omega tagged in to a massive pop, taking Fletcher to the floor with a headscissors. Omega set up the Terminator dive, but Takeshita cut him off. Ospreay cleared Takeshita out, allowing for the tecnicos to hit stereo Terminator dives on opposite sides of the ring.
Fletcher isolated Omega, allowing Takeshita to hit a second rope senton on Omega’s abdomen for a nearfall. Omega fought his way to the corner and tagged in Ospreay, kicking off a move train that ended with an Ospreay Spanish Fly on Fletcher as we went to a commercial. After the break, Ospreay and Fletcher were back up and going back and forth, with Ospreay countering a powerbomb into a big DDT.
Another DDT from Ospreay led to Don Callis leaving commentary to hook Ospreay’s leg, giving Fletcher the opening for a half-and-half suplex. Omega and Takeshita tagged in, with Takeshita hammering Omega’s midsection with a forearm. Takeshita hit the King Kong clothesline on Omega before dropping Ospreay with a forearm. Takeshita got both Omega and Ospreay over on a double German suplex, but an assisted powerbomb got countered into a headscissors off the top rope by Omega.
Ospreay hit a Skytwister Press to Fletcher on the floor, allowing Omega to hit a V-Trigger for a nearfall. Takeshita avoided another V-Trigger to hit a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Omega hit a V-Trigger to the back but flubbed a poisonrana attempt. Omega got back on his horse and hit a V-Trigger, then set up a One Winged Angel off the ropes that Ospreay turned into a cutter off the ropes.
Fletcher got involved but ate a Hidden Blade. Omega hit a V-Trigger and the babyfaces set up their finishers, but the Callis Family reversed them into their piledriver variants for a nearfall. We got a forearm exchange that ended with Fletcher and Takeshita drilling both guys with forearm/superkick combinations. Omega kicked out of the Power Drive knee, and Ospreay saved the match on a brainbuster nearfall.
Ospreay covered up Omega before fighting 2-on-1, taking Fletcher out with a Stundog Millionaire. Takeshita took Ospreay out with a big forearm, but Omega held onto a knee strike. Omega came back with a V-Trigger of his own. One Winged Angel was avoided again, with Takeshita backing Omega into the corner for a Fletcher Yakuza Kick.
Omega shoved Fletcher off the top rope on a brainbuster attempt, then dumped Takeshita onto the ring post. Ospreay dove over the post onto Fletcher, then got to the top rope as Omega set up the One Winged Angel on Takeshita. Ospreay hit a flying Hidden Blade that propelled Takeshita into the One Winged Angel for the win. Ospreay and Omega shook hands as the crowd cheered them.
AEW TBS Title Match – Mercedes Mone (c) defeated Harley Cameron
Some will consider this a mistake, but I’m not one of them. Cameron has benefited immensely from this feud already and got a good showcase in her home country. But the longer Mone holds this title, the bigger the rub will be to the person who wins it. I can see them wanting it on more of a higher-tier wrestler than Cameron, for as entertaining as she has been. Good stuff here, and an interesting direction post-match with STARDOM’s Momo Watanabe. Also, the puppet in the match was a bit much.
Unlike the dastardly Kyle Fletcher, Australia gave Cameron a big reaction on her entrance. STARDOM wrestler and International Women’s Cup winner Momo Watanabe was ringside, with the announcers noting that her International Women’s Cup victory gives her a shot at any title worldwide.
Cameron came out of the gates hot, hitting a leg sweep and a flatliner for a nearfall. Cameron avoided an early Mone Maker and went on a flurry of offense. Cameron pulled out Puppet Mone from under the ring and did the ten punch spot, but Human Mone dropped her onto the buckles and laid the boots to the puppet. What the hell am I saying? Mone hit a low Meteora for a nearfall as we went to commercial.
Back from the break, Cameron hit the Trish Stratus rebound bulldog to put Mone down. Cameron fired up, but Mone cut her off with the Three Amigos. Mone went for a Frog Splash, but Cameron got the knees up for a nearfall. Cameron hit a pumphandle side suplex for a nearfall. Mone came back with a backstabber that sent Cameron to the floor. Cameron popped up with Puppet Mone and punched Mone in the face.
Cameron hit a high cross, then hit a Destroyer for a nearfall. Cameron countered another Mone Maker, so Mone hit a powerbomb before landing a Meteora for a nearfall. Cameron went for a series of flash pins for nearfalls, then hit an Area Code Shot. Cameron went for a top rope senton, but Mone moved out of the way. Mone finally scored with the Mone Maker to retain. Mone got in Momo Watanabe’s face after the match before leaving.
Kenny Omega & Will Ospreay were backstage. Omega should have been happier after winning that match, but he was tired of hearing about Konosuke Takeshita beating him twice in a week. He challenged Takeshita to an International Title match at Revolution, wanting to see if Takeshita could beat him three times. Ospreay took over, surprised that the fans in Australia were cheering for “Babyface Billy” over Kyle Fletcher. He was tired of the Callis Family getting involved in their business, so he challenged Fletcher to a steel cage match at Revolution.
(The Revolution card is filling out fantastically, as both of those matches have massive potential on paper.)
Brisbane Brawl Match – Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley) defeated Cope & Jay White
I was surprised at the finish here, with Moxley choking Cope out ahead of their title match. An average plunder match with a hot crowd, although they weren’t happy at the finish. Both of these guys have tag teams partners that they regularly team with (The Gunns & FTR, respectively), why didn’t they think to hop on the plane and help out?
In a cool moment, the people sang Cope’s song after it stopped playing. Cope and White jumped the Death Riders once they crossed the barricade, kicking off the brawl across Brisbane. Castagnoli and Cope brawled into the crowd as White and Moxley fought ringside. Moxley hit White with a bin lid (gotta use the local vernacular), as Cope dove onto Castagnoli from a perch in the crowd. Moxley set up White on a table, but Cope cut Moxley off as he climbed the ropes. Shafir hammered Cope with a kendo stick, allowing Castagnoli to put Cope through the table after dropping White with an uppercut.
After a commercial, the Death Riders were stomping on White in the corner. Cope made his re-appearance with a double clothesline, but Moxley dropped him with the Paradigm Shift and sent him into the post. White came back and ran wild with a kendo stick, but Moxley cut him off by throwing him into a chair wedged in the corner. The Death Riders went for a Doomsday Device, but White knocked Moxley off the top rope and hit Castagnoli with a Blade Runner.
Wheeler Yuta appeared to break up the pin and whip White with a belt, but that only served to annoy White as he hit Yuta with a Blade Runner. Moxley popped up to hit White with a Curb Stomp but Cope crotched Moxley on the ring post. Cope sent Castagnoli through a table with the Spear, then hit Moxley with a Spear.
Instead of going for a pin, Cope grabbed a chair wrapped in barbed wire and drilled Moxley with it. Cope went for a Con-Chair-To, but Yuta pulled the chair away. Castagnoli hit the Neutralizer for a nearfall, but Moxley locked on the Bulldog Choke as Yuta held White back. Cope tried to fight up, but Moxley kept the choke on and choked Cope out. Moxley refused to release the hold as the crowd chanted BULL***T.
AEW Continental Title Match – Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Buddy Matthews
When Okada hit the first Rainmaker, I was ready to call this match a disappointment. But Matthews kicked out and had a good flurry at the end before Okada escaped away with the title.
Matthews offered a handshake, but Okada responded with a middle finger. The opening exchange ended with Matthews sending Okada outside with a headscissors, then cutting Okada off when he tried to slide back in the ring with a dropkick. Okada went to leave when Matthews gave him a middle finger, but Matthews called him a wanker to get him back in the ring.
Matthews went on an offensive flurry, getting a nearfall with a knee drop. Okada caught Matthews with a flatliner, then dropkicked him off of the ropes to send him to the floor. After a commercial break, Matthews fought back on a bad leg, hitting a Meteora for a nearfall. Okada rolled through a move to hit his neckbreaker. Okada hit the elbow drop and gave the crowd the finger, but Matthews grabbed the finger and held on.
Matthews countered a Rainmaker attempt and hit a Go To Sleep, but Okada avoided the stomp and hit the Rainmaker. To Okada’s shock, Matthews kicked out to a big pop. Okada grabbed his belt and went into the ring, but Matthews caught him with a roll up and a stomp for a nearfall. Matthews hit Matthew’s Law – doesn’t work as well as Murphy’s Law – for a nearfall as Okada got his foot on the ropes.
Matthews followed Okada to the floor, where Matthews got hit with a DDT. Okada sent Matthews into the ring and rose to the top rope, but Matthews caught him with a knee and took him down with a superplex. Matthews hit a Jackhammer for a nearfall, then locked on Rhea Ripley’s Prism Lock to a big pop. I wonder what that’s about. Anyway, Okada shoved Matthews towards the referee, and after a do-si-do, Okada hooked the referee as he hit a mule kick to Matthews. Okada followed up with a Rainmaker for the win.
Tony Schiavone ran down the International Championship Series that begins this week on Dynamite. This Wednesday, former International Champions face off as Orange Cassidy will take on Roderick Strong in a rematch from the 2024 Revolution show. The winner of that match will challenge Konosuke Takeshita for the International Title on the February 26th Dynamite. The champion coming out of that match will defend the title against Kenny Omega at Revolution.
(While the outcome is almost guaranteed to be Takeshita/Omega, this is an interesting way to have some matches with stakes on upcoming episodes of Dynamite.)
Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Big Bill in a street fight was announced for Wednesday’s Dynamite.
AEW Women’s World Title Match – Toni Storm defeated Mariah May (c)
While I don’t think either woman has been good enough to warrant fifteen months of the Women’s Title, they closed it pretty well here with a good match here to end this feud. There have been a lot of women in the last year that have stepped up their games, and I’m excited to see who is up next to challenge Toni. A solid main event to a nice Saturday night special event. This had the Clash of the Champions energy that people wanted out of Battle of the Belts.
May came out first. Luther The Butler was in the crowd. Storm came out donned in blue with the Australian flag on her gear. The two locked up before immediately throwing punches and getting to work. Storm dropped May with a Thesz Press and clubbered on her in the corner. May hopped out of the corner with a Slingblade and a shotgun dropkick to take control. Storm fired back with a septory – that’s seven – of German suplexes. Storm tried to suplex May off the apron, but May dumped her on the apron and dropkicked Storm into the barricade.
After a commercial, Storm fired up with clotheslines and got a nearfall with a tree slam. Storm locked on an STF, which May escaped by biting the arm. Storm slammed May’s head into the ropes and re-applied the STF. May got to the ropes and rolled to the apron, where she avoided a hip attack against the post. May hit the Mayday on the floor. May dropped Storm with a shotgun dropkick from the top rope when they both got back in the ring.
May hit the hip attack and tried to follow with the Storm Zero, but Storm hit the Mayday for a nearfall. Storm hit one, two, three hip attacks before hitting the Storm Zero for a nearfall. May played possum before hitting a back suplex and two Maydays for a nearfall. May set Storm up on the top rope, but Storm slid down and hit a powerbomb. Storm hit a Storm Zero, but May rolled to the floor.
May dragged Storm into the turnbuckles before hitting a Storm Zero, but as May went for the Mayday, Storm caught May with an inside cradle to win the title for a fourth time.
