Clarification on whether AEW Grand Slam: Australia was originally booked as a PPV - Reports

AEW Grand Slam: Australia has come and gone, and the show was seemingly a huge success for Tony Khan. However, there are still bitter feelings from some who attended the event. A new report has provided some clarification on the booking of the show.

AEW Grand Slam: Australia was originally booked for Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. In November of last year, the company decided to move the show to the smaller Brisbane Entertainment Center, reportedly because of disappointing ticket sales. Naturally, some of the fans who had bought expensive stadium tickets weren't happy with the move.

Some also complained when they learned that the event, despite being AEW's first show in Australia, would be a special edition of Saturday Night Collision rather than a pay-per-view. While Grand Slam has always been a major show for All Elite Wrestling, it's never been presented as a PPV, even when it was held in Arthur Ashe Stadium with 20,000+ fans in attendance.

According to Fightful Select, AEW Grand Slam Australia was never planned or booked as a pay-per-view event. One of the main reasons cited was the difficulty in presenting a live PPV with the extreme time difference between Australia and the United States.

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Despite controversies, AEW Grand Slam: Australia was a success

AEW Grand Slam: Australia didn't turn out to be the shocking success that ALL In 2023—AEW's first event in the UK—was, but it still featured a raucous crowd and several acclaimed matches. While the final attendance isn't currently known, estimates from WrestleTix and Dave Meltzer have been floated in the 12,000-13,000 range, putting the TV special on par with the annual Forbidden Door PPV.

According to Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the event was a massive financial success, with the gate somewhere in the ballpark of $1.3 million, making it AEW's third-largest gate in history.

"The show was a success. It wasn't the success that they had hoped for it to be, obviously. But it's still a success," said Meltzer.

Tony Khan was initially booed by the Australian fans at the show, but they switched to cheers when he announced that All Elite Wrestling would return to the Land Down Under in 2026. Whether the company decides to hold a pay-per-view in Australia next year remains to be seen.