AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam Highs & Lows? | Question Of The Day

Welcome to another eWrestlingNews Question of the Day!

The first half of AEW Grand Slam 2024 is in the bag with last night’s episode of AEW Dynamite. While we know based on spoilers what will air on AEW Collision this Saturday night, let’s hold off on talking about that until Sunday. For now, though, since this was a special event and effectively a mini pay-per-view, it stands to reason there were some pros and cons along the way.

My question for you today is “What were your highs and lows from the Dynamite edition of AEW Grand Slam?”

Remember to answer with your response in the comments below.

As far as my answer…

My biggest low point would easily go to the women’s title match. Every other segment on the show felt special in a much better way. All of the other matches were significantly better, too.

Not only did I not feel heading into this that Yuka Sakazaki was positioned well enough to be a viable challenger, only wrestling a few matches this whole year with most of them being in April, but I’ve been critical of Mariah May’s title reign as well. She just isn’t being positioned as the top woman in the company. It’s so clearly Mercedes Mone instead, and it shows. For that segment to revolve entirely around just Willow Nightingale quickly failing to save Sakazaki from a post-match attack, and Mina Shirakawa to just come out and look confused? That’s it? How lame.

The rest of the show was great, though. If I were to say my favorite match of the night (but not my overall highlight), I would say the tag team title match takes that spot. Bell to bell, I had more fun watching that than the others, even though I enjoyed all the other matches quite a bit in their own right.

Shout out to MVP’s appearance, the failed title shot cash-in attempt from Christian Cage, and the main event, but they aren’t getting my top spot, either. That distinction goes to Hook retiring the FTW Championship.

I’ve long been championing the cause that Hook should retire the title for many different reasons. First, I think it just makes sense he’s the last champion, as it is his father’s belt, after all. Handing it to him and having that moment made that all that much better. Second, I think it’s been holding Hook back to only really be focused on that “unrecognized” championship, as it limited him to HAVE to care about it because of his lineage, to the point that he couldn’t focus on anything else.

Lastly, I think AEW already has too many titles. I don’t see why there were FOUR midcard men’s titles—SIX if you count the ROH Pure Championship and ROH World Television Championship—being passed around. The FTW title meant the absolute least out of all of those, and it was more than time for it to go. Frankly, I’d like to see the TNT Championship, International Championship, and Continental Championship titles merge into just two. Realistically, I’d get rid of the TNT title and rename the TBS Championship to something unrelated to a network as well, but I’ll take this win before jumping too far ahead.

If this wasn’t a decision based on getting rid of a title, but getting rid of this title specifically, and Tony Khan will want to bring in another championship down the line to replace it, at least it will be an AEW-branded title and not something that is dependent upon Taz’s association with the company. Maybe it can even be an AEW Hardcore Championship or something of that ilk, where the FTW Rules extension can apply in an “every match is No DQ” philosophy sense. I wouldn’t be opposed to that, even if I’d rather just see this go away and no new title be created.

In any case, I’m a big fan of dropping this title, so to see that change finally take place definitely made it my overall highlight.

What do you think? Drop your thoughts below!