It’s been the consensus of the pro wrestling world that All Elite Wrestling hit an ace when they served up Dynamite: Grand Slam from Arthur Ashe Stadium this week.
The event had a capacity crowd of over 20,000. That’s clearly the biggest shot that AEW has fired thus far. They went into the biggest city in America – in Vince McMahon’s backyard, no less. Then, they took a huge swing in this current wrestling war.
It was a night to remember, for sure. The biggest in the two-year history of AEW.
But it was the atmosphere of the evening that made this event so special for All Elite Wrestling.
There was so much to like about this show. Kenny Omega and Bryan Danielson put on what could be considered the match of the year for 2021. Sting looked full of fire while tagging with Darby Allin and defying Father Time in a win over FTR. And the ladies wrestled a hell of a main event.
The wrestling was fantastic. But the environment was what made it so unique.
The 20,000 maniacs who filled it to the rafters on Wednesday night made this week’s episode one of the most special televised wrestling events in a long time. They had no problems letting their voices be heard; that Queens crowd was loud and proud.
The visceral reaction from the crowd was reminiscent of a rock concert. It was if every person in attendance was looking for a reason to jump out their seat and scream like crazy.
The set for this very special show was amazing.
Hats off to Tony Khan and his production staff. Wow! It wasn’t just about lights and pyro. This was their own version of a Broadway production… right there in NYC.
AEW pulled out all the stops when it came to the visual presentation of this program. Perhaps the coolest touch of it all was the video ramp the wrestlers walked down as they made their way to the ring. Each one with their own customized graphics.
The music was great, and the pyrotechnics really lit the building up. Without a doubt, the folks behind the scenes at AEW can take a bow on this one. They did an amazing job.
They say sometimes that your environment changes everything. Your surroundings dictate how you think about certain times and places. Like a restaurant that many people don’t know about, but it has a certain ambiance? And that’s what makes it special?
That’s what made Dynamite’s Grand Slam event so special, as well.
It wasn’t just about the main course… It was about everything that surrounded it.
(Cover Photo courtesy: ontapsportsnet.com)
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TNT and AEW Dark: Elevation (Monday nights) and AEW: Dark (Tuesday nights) at 7 PM ET on YouTube. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night.
