AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam Preview and Predictions

AEW Dynamite will come to us from Queens, New York this Wednesday with the first half of their Grand Slam episode.

Coming off of their landmark pay-per-view at All Out, AEW will look to build upon its current off-the-charts momentum as this show will be held in Arthur Ashe Stadium in front of what is anticipated to be the largest live crowd in AEW’s short history.

The quality of this card is unlike anything we have seen on weekly wrestling programming in quite some time.  It is very much a pay-per-view quality card.

This is a great move by AEW.  The promotion is currently riding a wave of momentum, unlike anything they have experienced before.

By putting together a card like this and televising it on live television it is doing a couple of things.  It is following up a hugely successful pay-per-view with another stellar card which will continue to build momentum in all facets for the promotion.

Secondly, those that missed All Out will have an opportunity to see what the AEW product is all about for free on Wednesday.  AEW is the talk of the professional wrestling world right now so putting an amazing card together and showcasing it for free is an excellent way to capitalize on all the good work the promotion has done recently.

Let’s take a look at the AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam card and what to expect from each match.

Cody Rhodes vs Malakai Black

After teasing retirement, Cody Rhodes will return to the ring to try to avenge a squash loss at the hands of Malakai Black.

Black has spent the last few weeks running through the Nightmare Family, and he will try to put an exclamation point on that run by taking out Cody Rhodes for a second time.

This is set up for Cody to come back from the brink of retirement with renewed energy and passion and avenge both his loss and the torture that Black has been putting the Nightmare Family through recently.

The correct outcome of this match is for Cody Rhodes to put Malakai Black over.  Black is really over with the fans since coming to AEW and his entrance is as intimidating as anyone’s since the Undertaker.

Having Black lose to Cody would halt Black’s momentum and damage his aura significantly.

But at the end of the day, if the story is that Cody was so close to retiring because of his loss to Black, what would keep Cody from calling it quits if Black beats him again? Probably nothing.  And Cody still has a lot to do in AEW.  Winner: Cody Rhodes

MJF vs Brian Pillman, Jr.

The buildup to this match has been pretty brilliant.   While MJF’s promos might have been too much for some people, they were necessary to get people invested in this feud.  And they worked exactly how AEW was hoping.

Pillman, Jr. will be wrestling the biggest match of his career here and Pillman will most likely give us a career-defining performance that continues his upward trajectory with the promotion.

But the only way that Pillman wins this match is if the teased Wardlow/MJF split happens on Wednesday and Wardlow costs his current employer the match.

If the Wardlow stays true to MJF then Pillman has virtually no shot of winning.

This feud won’t go past this week either way.  And having Wardlow turn on MJF and cost him the match here does a couple of things.  It puts MJF into his next feud and it will be a feud that people are invested in, and it will immediately make Wardlow a very popular face, as MJF is just that effective in his heel role.

So this is set up perfectly for Pillman to get his revenge as he scores a career-defining victory, and we get to see the MJF-Wardlow feud that we have been wanting for a number of months.  Winner: Brian Pillman, Jr.

FTR vs Darby Allin & Sting

Last week Tully Blanchard, Shawn Spears, and FTR humiliated Darby Allin and Sting by removing their face paint.

This week the brothers-in-paint will have a shot to get their revenge as they go up against FTR in a tag team match.

Allin and Sting will have a couple of things working against them in this one.  Both Tully Blanchard and Shawn Spears will more than likely be ringside for this one, putting Darby and Sting at a numbers disadvantage.

Secondly, FTR is one of the most cohesive tag teams in all of wrestling, and they rarely lose a tag team match.

However, Sting and Allin have also been successful in all three of their tag matches together as well.   So something has to give here.  The smart thing to do is keep FTR strong.  Blanchard and Spears will play a role in the outcome of this one the “Top Guys” will leave victorious.  Winners: FTR

Britt Baker vs Ruby Soho for the AEW Women’s Championship

Britt Baker will defend her AEW Women’s Championship against promotional newcomer, Ruby Soho.

Soho earned this shot at the title by winning the Casino Battle Royale at All Out.

Soho will have history working against her in this one as no winner of the Casino Battle Royale match has ever gone on to capitalize on their opportunity to win the title.

But this one may be different.

Soho is a veteran of the sport and brings a lot to the AEW women’s division.  The fans are firmly invested in her and having Soho win the title gives AEW a plethora of fresh matches that the promotion can market for future events.

But this just is not the time to take the title off of Baker.

Baker, much like her real-life boyfriend, Adam Cole, is the type of heel that fans love.

She worked really hard on her shortcomings both in the ring and on the microphone and has developed into a really strong performer in both places.

So to cut her title reign so short, would be really surprising.  Baker should win, but with help from either Rebel or Jamie Hayter, to keep Soho strong and near the top of the pecking order for another shot at Baker in the not too distant future.  Winner: Britt Baker

Kenny Omega vs Bryan Danielson

“The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson will make his in-ring debut with AEW as he battles Kenny Omega in a non-title match.

The non-title stipulation should set up nicely for a Bryan Danielson win.

This will keep Danielson elevated and give him a clear-cut chance to get a title shot at the upcoming Full Gear pay-per-view.

Another possible outcome could be the return of “Hangman” Adam Page.  “Hangman” could end up costing Danielson the match, as Page wants to be the one to take the title from Kenny Omega at Full Gear.

This is the beautiful thing about AEW right now.  There are so many believable possibilities linked to all of these storylines that it makes it very difficult to get a beat on which way they may take it.

But the smart money says Danielson wins his AEW debut and sets up a future title match against Kenny Omega.  Winner: Bryan Danielson