AEW Dynamite Grand Slam: Predicting the card for AEW’s debut in NYC

AEW has momentum and a ton of options for big matches in New York.

New York played a host to a ton of wrestling moments throughout the years. The very first WWE Monday Night Raw was produced at the Manhatten Center in Times Square. The monumental ladder match between Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon for the WWE Intercontinental Championship at Wrestlemania 10 in Madison Square Garden. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Undertaker battling it out for the WWE Championship at Summerslam 1998 in the same building. However, now it’s time for AEW to make some noise in the city that never sleeps.

In July, All Elite Wrestling announced that the company will make its NYC debut at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows on September 22nd, 2021. With AEW coming to New York for the first time, you can expect a PPV caliber card for the biggest Dynamite in the history of AEW. The only question that remains is what will be on the card?

The show is already upon us and AEW has either announced a couple of matches for the show already or dropped some hints of what could be on the card. Some matches are fresh and some are big rivalries brewing. These special episodes of Dynamite usually gives us six matches so I’m going to stick with that number.

If your favorite wrestler doesn’t make my predictions article, it doesn’t mean that he/she won’t be on the show. This is purely a predictions post and not the fully announced final card. Let’s give it a shot, here are my full predictions on what to expect come September 22nd. First off, let’s start with the matches we know about first.

Brian Pillman Jr. VS MJF

This feud started up on the latest episode of Dynamite when a furious MJF came out with Wardlow after losing to Chris Jericho at All Out. He mocked the fans of Cincinnati and the Pillman family who were in attendance in the front row for the show. Even Pillman’s sister who’s pregnant gave MJF a run for his money on the mic.

This led to Brian Pillman Jr. making his entrance and played to his hometown crowd. Before MJF called off Wardlow, he issued a sly comment to him about costing him the match at All Out. MJF then approached Pillman Jr. and took it a step further by talking about his family’s history once more, thus leading to Pillman Jr. unloading on MJF.

After two brief pauses from Wardlow, he finally pulled off Pillman Jr. and finally gave him a German suplex. Pillman Jr.’s partner Griff Garrison came out to make the save, but he was the one who got hurt after MJF pulled out the Dynamite diamond ring to sucker punch and knock out Garrison.

In a segment later in the show, we find Pillman Jr. in the trainers’ room with his tag team partner. Pillman Jr. says that he went to AEW President Tony Khan and wants to challenge MJF to a match at AEW Dynamite Grand Slam. The match wasn’t officially announced but it’s more than likely going to happen.

To add even more layers to the story, on Thursday Brian Pillman Jr. announced that he’s going to be an uncle very soon thanks to the conversation that MJF and Pillman Jr.’s sister had:

The match came together quickly, but I’m invested and that’s one of AEW’s best qualities as a wrestling company. All it took was one segment and I was sucked in. It was probably one of my favorite all-around segments on Wednesday’s show. This is a huge spot for Pillman Jr. as he’s getting a featured match on one of the biggest Dynamites ever. My prediction is MJF will win but Pillman Jr. will look really good despite taking an L.

Prediction: MJF

Cody Rhodes VS Malakai Black

The story started way back in July at AEW Dynamite Road Rager when Malakai Black made his debut in All Elite Wrestling when he kicked both Arn Anderson and Cody Rhodes in the head. The promos between both Rhodes and Black were fantastic and their buildup to their eventual match at AEW Dynamite Homecoming was even better.

The Jacksonville, Florida crowd was heavily rooting for the heel in this match. But just as soon as it started, it was over just as quick. Black hit Rhodes with the Black Mass and pinned him with one foot on his chest with the match only lasting five minutes. Post-match, Cody Rhodes needed a crutch and wanted the microphone to speak to the fans. Rhodes teased retirement by taking off one of his boots in the ring, but before he could take off the other one, Black hit Rhodes in the back with the crutch and took one of his boots.

Weeks have passed and there has been no sign of Rhodes whatsoever. In the meantime, Black has taken out every single member of Cody’s Nightmare Family. Black took out Brock Anderson and his father rather easily, as well as Lee Johnson and his half-brother Dustin Rhodes. On the last episode of Dynamite, at the end of the broadcast, the match was made official for AEW Dynamite Grand Slam.

This was one of the matches I was hoping to see on this card and we’re going to see it. I expect this match to be much more competitive than their first encounter. All in all, Malakai Black should win this match, however, I think we’re going to see a swerve. I predict a double turn to take place as Cody Rhodes wins in a dirty manner, turning heel in the process with Black turning babyface.

Prediction: Cody Rhodes

Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. VS Ruby Soho for the AEW Women’s World Championship

Britt Baker has been on a roll for over a year. She’s been by far the best women’s wrestler on the entire roster. And with each passing episode of Dynamite, she gains more and more confidence each week.

No one has been able to come close to Baker since she won the title against Hikaru Shida at Double or Nothing in May. She can clearly work as a face or as a heel and she proved that against a villain such as Nyla Rose and a babyface such as Red Velvet. Baker has beaten almost everyone in the company but that’s when we enter Ruby Soho.

Soho made her shocking AEW debut at All Out in winning fashion by overcoming 20 other women in the Casino battle royale. The winner of the match proves to be the next in line for a championship match. This is one of the easiest matches to book for AEW Dynamite Grand Slam.

The show needs a featured women’s match so Baker VS Soho is a perfect choice. The match will be extra psychical, have stakes, and will have a super exciting finish. In the end, I see Baker coming away with the win with the Lockjaw submission.

Prediction: Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D.

Ricky Starks VS CM Punk

CM Punk came out to a thunderous ovation in Cincinnati on Wednesday. He hyped up the crowd early in the night and started surveying the audience on his next opponent. This made Tazz who was working commentary in place of Excalibur, very angry.

CM Punk never mentioned any one of the members from Team Tazz when he was asking the fans about his next opponent. Punk didn’t like the disrespect that Tazz showed by interrupting him and warned him not to do it ever again. However, Tazz heard on multiple interviews from different media outlets that Punk mentioned both Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs as people he would like to share the ring within the foreseeable future.

While Tazz may be right, Punk didn’t seem to be phased by the challenge. Punk said to send Hobbs, Hook, and Starks and used Tazz’s own quote against his team “beat me if you can, survive if I let you.”

So it looks like Punk is entering a program with Team Tazz and he’ll eventually have to go through all of them. Out of the three members of Team Tazz, the best-looking match on paper is Ricky Starks VS CM Punk. Starks is the FTW champion and has the best potential out of everyone in the entire stable.

This is one of those dream matches for me that could absolutely come together in a hurry. In the finish, I see Punk hitting the GTS and winning his second match in AEW.

Prediction: CM Punk

Miro VS Eddie Kingston in a New York Street Fight for the AEW TNT Championship

These two had a barn burner for the ages to start the show at the All Out. Eddie Kingston has gotten wildly popular with the crowd since going babyface in March. And Miro is one of the most entertaining heels in the company today.

These two cut promos on each other on the latest episode of Dynamite which tells me that it’s not over between these two. Having said that, no one else has approached Miro for a challenge at the TNT title. A rematch between these two makes all the sense in the world.

Miro didn’t dominate Kingston as well as he wanted to. Kingston also came close to winning the match on a few occasions as well. And with the New York street fight stipulation in effect, these two can brutally assault each other for as long as they want with no limitations.

That Kingston pop in his home state of New York is going to be one of the biggest pops of the year for sure. I see an upset with a hometown win so I’m picking Eddie Kingston to hit the spinning back fist three times to finally put Miro down and become the new AEW TNT Champion.

Prediction: Eddie Kingston

The Super Elite VS Bryan Danielson, Christian Cage, Frankie Kazarian, and Jurassic Express in a ten-man tag team match

This is my main event match. I would’ve loved to put Kenny Omega versus Bryan Danielson for the AEW World Championship as my main event, but I think that match is just a little too early to make. In the meantime, you get a lot of people on TV with this match.

At All Out, Omega defeated Christian Cage for the AEW World Championship and there was a big beatdown after the match. Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus tried to make the save, but the Super Elite overwhelmed the babyfaces until the lights went out.

When the lights came back on, none other than Adam Cole made his AEW debut and gave a superkick to Jungle Boy thus joining the Super Elite. No less than three minutes later, Bryan Danielson made his AEW debut and rallied the babyface group against the heels. Adam Cole makes his in-ring AEW debut against Frankie Kazarian next Wednesday on Dynamite.

On Wednesday night, Danielson interrupted the Super Elite once again and made his presence known by putting the LeBell Lock on Omega and hit the running knee on Cutler.

On the heel side, you’ll have Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks, and the Good Brothers with Michael Nakazawa and Brandon Cutler in their corner. I was stumped with wanting to put Cole in the match but I can’t leave a tag team member out, so instead, I’ll put Adam Cole on commentary for the TV audience. For the live crowd, I would book Cole in some sort of match on Rampage.

In the finish, I predict that the babyface team will prevail with Danielson getting the pin over Luke Gallows. I expect that the heel team will gang up on the babyfaces again, and the numbers game will catch up to them. But for my bold prediction of the night, “Hangman” Adam Page will return and clear the ring of the Super Elite by himself. As AEW Dynamite Grand Slam goes off the air, he gets on the microphone to tell the Super Elite he’s ready to make their life a living hell which sends the New York crowd in a frenzy.

Prediction: Daniel Bryan, Christian Cage, Frankie Kazarian, and Jurassic Express

Those are my predictions, what are your predictions for AEW Dynamite Grand Slam?