"AEW Dynamite" emanated from Arena Mexico on Wednesday, the legendary Lucha Libre capital of the world. Grand Slam: Mexico was a super-sized broadcast featuring 10-man tag matches, 14-man tag matches, and even another title being added to Mercedes Mone's collection.
Enough about what happened on the show, we have an entire results page dedicated to just that. Instead, it's time to talk about the good and the bad from AEW's massive show in Mexico City. There were highlights like MJF and Mistico's heat-filled interactions, as well as a great opening promo from Hangman Page, but there were also staggering lows, like the pacing.
Without further ado, it's time to break down what the Wrestling Inc. Staff loved and hated from AEW Grand Slam: Mexico.
Up until this week, there had yet to be a substantial feeling that "Hangman" Adam Page was the main character of his own story after winning the Owen Hart Cup. Rather, much of the time has been dedicated to his runner-up Will Ospreay and arch-rival Swerve Strickland forming an alliance against Jon Moxley and the Death Riders, and The Opps and the Young Bucks on the periphery.
Page had been dedicated solo promo time, but it felt largely separated from a story he really should have been front and center of. This week's Arena Mexico debut was a pretty great show top-to-bottom, with the odd exception, of course, but it was ultimately the adjustment of Page's positioning that stuck out best. He started the show to warm the crowd, evoking a huge reaction before delivering his promo in Spanish Excalibur provided a paraphrased translation for those watching at home and leaving them hot for the action that followed.
It hearkened back to Cody Rhodes' positioning ahead of his feud with Roman Reigns, and that's not a pretentiously premature parallel being drawn; it's a potential narrative vein to lean into should the decision be made to crown Page at All In Texas. But for what it was, it was certainly refreshing to see Page back in the role of top babyface, and he did exactly what anyone would have expected him to do, really well. At the end of the show, he emerged once more, cementing that on the night of a title change and a controversial disqualification finish, his challenge to Moxley and stake to the throne was intended to leave a lasting impression. He got the better of Moxley and Wheeler Yuta in a brawl, delivering a Buckshot Lariat to Matt Jackson inadvertently after Moxley dodged him to continue the ongoing story between the former Hung Bucks. And ultimately, he stood tall and defiant as the man who could end Moxley's reign of terror at the promotion's flagship event. I can't do anything but love the direction and hope for more of the same.
Written by Max Everett
While I overall really enjoyed Grand Slam: Mexico tonight, there were a few things that confused me about tonight's special. I thought AEW did a really good job of highlighting their own talent alongside the best of CMLL, but there was one match that really stuck out, to me at least, as being out of place. That was Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada and Mark Briscoe, which was seemingly only set up in a video package that maybe was posted to social media at most, but at least was played at the beginning of the show tonight to set up the match.
No disrespect to Okada or Briscoe whatsoever, and they had a good match, but it just really didn't feel like it belonged on Grand Slam: Mexico, which overall had a mini pay-per-view feel (albeit just a fun one, not entirely newsworthy outside of Mercedes Six Belts) about it. Honestly, and I hate to say it, the match probably wouldn't have been the main event on a regular, stateside episode of "Dynamite," even if Okada didn't have a major unification match against Kenny Omega in just 24 days. Omega was also nowhere to be seen to rescue Briscoe tonight after the match when Okada continued to beat him down, so that also really felt like a missed opportunity, even for just a quick run-in.
Every other match on the night saw a talent from CMLL take on either an AEW talent or a variety of AEW and CMLL stars in a multi-man match. Speaking of multi-man matches, I thought the fact that this show had a 14-man and a 10-man tag was a little egregious. While I already mentioned liking that AEW highlighted not only its stars, but CMLL stars, I feel like that could have been done a bit better with some more singles matches, which could have been done if Okada and Briscoe were not on the card. While I totally understand wanting to pack the card with as much talent from both companies as possible, I would have rather seen AEW go with just the 10-man tag to main event the night and split up the 14-man chaos into something a little different.
And, I'd of course be remiss if I didn't mention the lack of women's matches on the show. Another women's match highlighting a CMLL talent, maybe a woman in the running for the CMLL World Women's Championship, would have been nice. I personally don't know a lot about the women in CMLL and would have loved to have seen another talent take on someone like Thunder Rosa, Megan Bayne, Mina Shirakawa, or any other beloved AEW talent. Of course, all of this is a nitpick, and I really thought tonight's show was enjoyable and honestly a breath of fresh air after back-to-back four-hour blocks of AEW television the last two weeks.
Written by Daisy Ruth
For fans north of the border who see Mistico pop in to AEW for a cup of coffee every once in a while, they might not get what the fuss is about. Mistico is said to be a Lucha Libre legend, one of the biggest draws in the history of Mexican wrestling, and someone who commands respect in every locker room he steps into. However, his cameo appearances in AEW haven't managed to get that message across for the most part. That was until tonight.
Coming out to his beloved "Me Muero" entrance song by La Quinta Estacion, Mistico was finally able to show a North American audience why people talk about him in such high regard. Complete with his Sin Cara mask, calling back to MJF's insult about his infamous run in WWE, Mistico owned Arena Mexico, with the fans belting out his song in a moment that could only happen within the walls of Mexico's cathedral of wrestling.
As for the match between Mistico and MJF, for all of the flashy moves and high spots that some other matches had, one could argue that this was the best match of the night. One thing that CMLL has mastered is the fundamental basics of professional wrestling, with all of them on full display in this encounter. The classic face/heel dynamic, the outside interference from The Hurt Syndicate, MJF playing up to the "American Hero" character to generate heat, Mistico attempting to overcome the odds as the flag-bearer for Lucha Libre, it all pooled together to create something so simple at its core and so wonderful when done at the highest level.
You have a babyface that you want to root for and a heel you want to kill. Still, they could both match each other on an athletic standpoint despite their age difference, resulting in a match that, while CMLL does this sort of thing on a regular basis (particularly for their big singles bouts), is easy to understand, and therefore even easier to enjoy.
When it comes to the finish, I get it. You don't want MJF taking a loss so soon after joining The Hurt Syndicate, and you don't want him pinning Mistico clean in Arena Mexico because you might upset the fans to the point where there might not be an Arena Mexico left standing at the end of the night. Therefore, a DQ finish was always going to be the likely outcome, even if AEW and CMLL try to stay away from them. I personally wasn't that much of a fan of it, despite the circumstances, as I don't think a loss would have hurt MJF. If anything, it would have added an extra wrinkle in his story with MVP that could have gone somewhere, but again, I get it.
Despite a messy aftermath with an unmasking and Jetspeed showing up, this was simple wrestling at its best, and now you can see why everyone talks about Mistico in the way that they do.
Written by Sam Palmer
Does anybody else feel seriously underwhelmed by like, half of "AEW Grand Slam: Mexico's" finishes?
I'm not criticizing the matches themselves the hard work and talent of the combined AEW and CMLL roster showed in Wednesday's packed (no, seriously packed) card. I'm not even criticizing the show's several post-match shenanigans. Those tended to err on the inoffensive side, with segments such as "Timeless" Toni Storm's Mexico City-themed vignette standing out on the Arena Mexico card. No, I'm criticizing, purely, the finishes themselves. I'm criticizing how most of Wednesday's matches ended I'm concerned about how the in-ring competitors scored their one, two, three. This was advertised as a "special broadcast," so why did it feel like every match was ending with a roll-up or a disqualification?
For a good portion of the matches, it felt like these talented in-ring competitors were building to something great, before dropping the ball at the last minute. The crazy fourteen-man match that opened the show ended via a lagged roll-up, when Atlantis Sr. kind of clunked his way around Harwood's stocky shoulders to score a roll-up pin (commentary called it a "quick small package," and only one of those assessments was true). Clumsiness aside, to end such a chaotic and diverse match like that with a small package pin is already disappointing enough, but it really feels like AEW and CMLL just dropped it in. Like, there was no match release at all. After fourteen men went to war, you want me to believe that this match ended via a roll-up?
MJF's match against Mistico was the next match to fall victim to the pacing issue, and this one felt more egregious than the last. After a very cool fight that highlighted MJF's heat-seeking abilities and Mistico's athleticism, MJF turned to the Hurt Syndicate to run some less-than-legal moves on Mistico without the referee's knowledge. Mistico, as the hometown babyface, brushed the low-blows and the interference like it was nothing, and things were looking to go down to the wire before...MJF just low-blows him again for the disqualification? Did they run out of time or something? If the match was going to end via a DQ anyway, why have MJF low-blow Mistico twice? You can argue that MJF is trying to get heat, but after rubbing his clothed genitals over Mistico's face during the match, I don't know why he would need even more heat. Again, it feels like things were cut off. So unsatisfying.
Zeuxis and Mon's match also faced a pacing issue towards the end, but at least that finish saw a cool counter. I have no words for the main event, which ended with Jon Moxley getting the win by rolling up Swerve Strickland. Hello? What are we doing? You have such a talented roster of wrestlers from both AEW and CMLL, but you can only end these matches via roll-up or DQ? Where's the self-respect? Half of Wednesday's matches fell flat solely because of their finishes. That is gnarly.
Written by Angeline Phu
In professional wrestling, you have to make the most of your minutes. Sure, it is great to be given the time to really show your stuff, but the ring is fast-paced by nature. With so many people trying to fit into a night's single two-and-a-half-hour card, the chances of not being given the time you rightfully deserve are high. Mercedes Mon and Zeuxis, unfortunately, found themselves in that situation when their fight for the CMLL World Women's Championship was given a criminally low amount of time, less than 10 minutes, according to Cagematch. While Mon and Zeuxis may not have had the night's lengthiest match, what they managed to do with their time, how exactly they made the most of their minutes, put them in the upper quartile of Wednesday's matches.
I think Mon has the best chemistry with powerhouses, especially at this point in her career. Take her two-match series with Kris Statlander for the AEW TBS Championship. Not only are they among the longest women's matches in AEW history, but I'd say they are among the best in Mon's AEW run. The high-flying and technical Mon really shines when she is juxtaposed with a big, strong woman who can ragdoll her and instill some terror in the otherwise overpowered "CEO." Zeuxis was that great powerhouse to Mon's high-flier. The champion showed great promise in the match's opening number and ragdolled Mon carelessly before nearly securing the victory with a Lungblower. Even when Mon managed to find her footing in the match, Zeuxis still provided that immovable object needed to make Mon's unstoppable force more interesting to watch, all while maintaining her agility as a luchador. That's what made this match so interesting. Sure, Zeuxis can throw Mon like a toddler, but she can also ground Mon with a Spanish Fly (one of my favorite moves in all of professional wrestling, I will admit). Zeuxis gave Mon a great match, and while I'm bummed that it ended with a surprised counter, I hope that AEW takes notes and puts Mon up against some powerhouses to really highlight her high-flying and technical abilities.
If anything, Zeuxis and Mon made the most of their minutes. Where the men took their sweet time in building up their spots, Zeuxis and Mon came out guns ablazing, ready to make their sub-10-minute match memorable. That urgency, while unfortunately necessary due to less-than-fair booking, is what makes professional wrestling careers. Some of the industry's most iconic moments are not held in 45-minute classics or lengthy promo exchanges, but in snapshots that put their subjects in the halls of infamy. Take Becky Lynch's busted nose after her 2018 Survivor Series raid on "WWE Raw," or "Hangman" Adam Page setting Swerve Strickland's house on fire. Those snapshots are immortalized now infamous and they didn't come from hour-long in-ring wars or lengthy cinematic vignettes. It takes talent and chemistry to make someone care about a less-than-10-minute match. Zeuxis and Mon had that.
Written by Angeline Phu
It feels like FTR's Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler are just kind of spinning their wheels. They don't have a third guy to go after the trios titles, and they also seem to be stuck in tag team purgatory until the tag titles are off fellow heels, The Hurt Syndicate.
What's worse, they've dragged the best talker in AEW (yeah, I said it), Stokely Hathaway, into their place-holding. There are a lot of wrestlers who could use a mouthpiece like Stokely, and FTR just aren't that. It feels a lot like Seth Rollins and Paul Heyman, where two very entertaining quantities are put together and never end up amounting to more than the sum of their parts, but at least Seth Rollins has a Money In The Bank Briefcase to show for it.
There's just something heatless about the entire endeavor, one that makes me think both parties need to go away for a while and dream it all up again. It's not that what they're doing is bad, and it's not like I can really complain about Stokely on my TV, but it just feels like they're there to be there, they're perfunctory, and that is the worst thing a wrestler can be.
Written by Ross W Berman IV
