AEW Grand Slam Australia seemingly suffers major botches ahead of event as concern grows

AEW stepped onto a global platform when it presented one of its biggest pay-per-views to date, All In 2023, in the world-famous Wembley Stadium in London, England. The Tony Khan-led company is gearing up for another major international debut next month, although fans have recently raised questions regarding the lackluster promotion, marketing, and build for the upcoming event.

All Elite Wrestling initially hosted the television special Grand Slam in two parts, taping eponymous editions of Dynamite and Rampage at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. This tradition continued until 2023 when Collision: Grand Slam replaced the Friday-night program last year.

In August 2024, AEW announced that the company would debut with Grand Slam Australia in the Land Down Under the following year. The event was initially expected to be held at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Queensland. Still, in November, it was announced that the venue had been shifted to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, supposedly due to less-than-anticipated ticket sales.

Furthermore, some assumed the upcoming show would be a pay-per-view event, despite Tony Khan indicating last year that the event may not be aired on PPV due to logistical issues regarding timings and time zones. It seems like Grand Slam Australia will be broadcast as a television special on TNT on February 15, supposedly following an approximately 18-hour tape delay.

Questions have also arisen about a potential conflict with NBA All-Star Saturday, seemingly set to air during the same time slot on the same channel.

It should be noted that Grand Slam Australia will also be available to stream on MAX.

A major AEW title bout was announced for next month's Grand Slam

AEW has so far officially announced only one match for next month's international show, Grand Slam Australia. This follows on the heels of Dynamite: Maximum Carnage, which saw Toni Storm emerge victorious in the first-ever Women's Casino Gauntlet Match.

The win earned the seemingly amnesiac former Women's World Champion an opportunity to regain her title from her former understudy and nemesis, reigning champion Mariah May, in the challenger's home country.

It remains to be seen if The Glamour will handily retain against the apparent rookie Toni Storm or if the latter's current personality is merely a performance put on by The Timeless One, meant to throw Mariah off her game so as to beat her for her belt next month.