Professional wrestling is about the sport of competition, and also giving fans a thrilling experience. Grand Slam Mexico accomplished both. A unique and different approach but also embracing the atmosphere of professional wrestling in Mexico.
When fans talk about “the feel” of wrestling, some tell tales of the intimate studio crowds of the NWA or WCCW. Perhaps the wild raucous nature of the ECW Arena. Or perhaps the packed venues for Ring of Honor shows at the Rex Plex in Elizabeth, NJ or The Inman Sports Club in Edison, NJ.
Arena Mexico brought its own vibe and feel, with the mix of the American-style of All Elite Wrestling into the world of CMLL.
The streak is over. Will Ospreay did NOT open the show, but instead we have “Hangman” Adam Page open and cut his entire promo in Spanish. A passionate promo thanking the fans, spoke a bit of some personal experiences, and said there is a stipulation he can’t be present when the Death Riders are around, but promises once the match is over, he will get his hands on Jon Moxley.
What a brilliant way to start. Hangman is presented as the Franchise of AEW and presents himself and AEW as grateful for the partnership. Fantastic. It also set a well-spoken tone that tonight’s focus is more on promoting wrestling matches while storylines were secondary. This proved to be a major positive throughout the night.
Atlantis, Atlantis Jr., Templario, Brody King, Bandido, Daniel Garcia, and Adam Cole defeated Dax, Hechicero, Volador Jr., Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Josh Alexander, and Lance Archer
Presenting a swath of talent from both AEW and CMLL, this was a fun match where everyone got plenty of time to feature their best, and the live crowd appreciated all competitors. I did not realize this until part-way through, but Atlantis and his son were very much not popular with the crowd. Despite being booked on the babyface side, they were heavily booed and their opponents would earn massive pops from the audience. Then again, this is a crowd who appreciates excellent wrestling and cheered both teams. Given Atlantis is not favored, it was a surprise for him to pick up the win by pinning Dax. It does conclude their brief rivalry, however having the well-favored Templario or Brody King would have been a better decision.
Brody King became everyone’s hero, sporting an Abolish ICE shirt to the ring.
Kazuchika Okada defeated Mark Briscoe
A very good match. Briscoe and Okada countered each other relentlessly throughout the match. Okada still goes for his usual facial expressions of boredom early on, which then turns to anger and frustration as he continually fails to put Briscoe down for the count. Plenty of spots where Briscoe could have believably won it, but the Rainmaker managed to outmaneuver Briscoe, hitting a Tombstone Piledriver followed by the Lariat for the win.
The crowd chanted for Kenny Omega, but given the direction of his “injuries” suffered at the hands of Okada and the Don Callis Family last week, an appearance would have disrupted the storyline.
Not having Omega appear in Mexico felt like a missed opportunity. Even if he didn’t wrestle but to appear in any capacity.
Mistico defeated MJF via Disqualification
This storyline purely for the CMLL audience delivers with a possibility of this getting a sequel. MJF kept pace with the high-agility Mistico, who to his credit, also changed his pace to a more methodical approach which benefited MJF during his offensive. MJF’s offensive was pretty offensive. Like a natural, MJF turned on “Old School Heel Mode” with a number of taunts, eye pokes, and even some dirty tactics which incensed the crowd. This felt like something like Iron Sheik or Evil Sgt. Slaughter would do. The match ends in shocking fashion as MJF hits a low blow right in front of the ref. Things get worse as The Hurt Syndicate assists with the post-match beating, allowing MJF to RIP OFF MISTICO’S MASK!
He then PUTS ON THE MASK and flips off the crowd. I thought for sure someone was going to throw something or the crowd was going to riot and try to kill the man.
This is the stuff back in the ’80s where fans would indeed become so irate that bad things would happen.
Mike Bailey, Kevin Knight, Templario, Mascara Dorada, and Bandido all rushed the ring for the save and gave Mistico a spare mask.
Wow.
Hologram defeated Ricochet, Lio Rush, and Mascara Dorada
Razzle and dazzle folks. Fun flying flippy diving contest. This by no means was a technical mat-based algorithm of grappling skills but a wonderfully executed spot-fest of enjoyment. This was fun, plain and simple.
Mercedes Mone defeated Zeuxis to win the CMLL Women’s Championship
This was a pretty good match, and while the outcome was shockingly unexpected, the predictable victory by Mone was least shocking of all. Zeuxis stole the match as Mone was on the defensive for most of it. While she lost the NJPW Women’s Strong Championship, now she’s got a new one. Additionally, Mone was also sporting the EWA Women’s Championship as well.
I am not sure why Mone was picked to be the belt collector. They’re pushing this greatest champion of all time shtick, but she has not defended on a regular basis. I would have picked someone like Willow or Statlander, Hikaru Shida perhaps to hold championships from multiple promotions. Mone with what, six championships? Plus, this is the first time the Owen Hart Memorial belt is being used more than for its first appearance. The win understandably has generated mixed feelings from the fans.
Mone is a good wrestler, but is she really that good?
After the match, Toni Storm dressed as Carmen Sandiego suplexed Mone, resulting in belts flying and bouncing everywhere like golden rings (from Sonic the Hedgehog).
Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta, The Beast Mortos, Matt, and Nick Jackson defeated Samoa Joe, Powerhouse Hobbs, Katsuyori Shibata, Will Ospreay, and Swerve Strickland
An unpredictable main event which felt intense and chaotic in the best ways possible. The crowd was on fire from bell to bell. Mortos, his first big main event spot, plus a big spot in Mexico looked like a damn star. Something clicked, maybe being in the main event, maybe motivated by a certain championship girlfriend, who knows? The crowd’s involvement throughout the night added a unique and special effect which enhanced each match, but this one felt huge. So many close calls, but a fast-paced rally from the Bucks allowed Moxley to trap and pin Swerve in the finish. I really thought they would have sent the crowd home happy with a babyface win.
However, as promised, Hangman Page appeared as soon as the match ended and went to war with Moxley. But before he could take out the champ, The Jacksons got involved and Matt Jackson ate a Buckshot Lariat for being careless. This did inch the impending feud between champ and challenger, but not much more than we have already seen.
This feels like a slow build, but All In is a month away. AEW needs to pick up the pace and make us really care about Hangman vs. Moxley. Fans love Page. We all hate Mox and want the Death Riders angle to end. But we want to care about them wrestling each other.
A fantastic show by AEW and CMLL. Hopefully this will continue a healthy partnership on a regular basis.
