5 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite Grand Slam 2023 (Results & Review)

by Michael Sidgwick

1. MJF Proves Himself As THE Ace Of AEW (Again)

Adam Cole MJF
AEW

MJF Vs. Samoa Joe was an excellent main event that was significantly more dramatic than it had any right to be.

This was a TV defence, albeit in a stadium on a themed Dynamite. As well told as the story was, dating back to 2016, nobody - much as they were gripped by it - would have put significant money on a title switch.

At several points, the end felt close. The match was built around MJF's neck. The dovetailing here, weaving between that weakened body part and Samoa Joe's signature arsenal, was impeccable. If Joe couldn't choke MJF out, he could always draw upon the muscle buster. The match was crafted, meticulously, around the idea that MJF could not survive, much less win.

The damage MJF took was as nasty as it was compelling. He took a positively deranged death valley driver on the apron to heighten the idea that the end was nigh. Fans are desensitised to apron bumps now, but that spot was so sickening that it restored the danger. After a great, suspenseful struggle, Joe also struck MJF with a piledriver on exposed concrete. Subverting the rule of three, MJF also, with a 2.99 kick-out for the ages, kicked out of the Muscle Buster.

His comeback was superb. His float-over counter into a powerbomb was better for not being ultra-smooth; by accident and by design, MJF sold the struggle of a duel against a monster impeccably.

Joe trapped MJF in the Coquina clutch near the finish, but Adam Cole sprinted to ringside to lend him the support to break free. That Cole injured his own leg on the way to the ring lent this sequence a certain pathos. He cared more about MJF's storyline injury than his own real injury.

In a great callback to his first match against CM Punk in Chicago, MJF used tape to choke Joe out. What a finish; as "your scumbag", this MJF character can cheat and get over, and the nature of it also protected Joe.

A just astonishing amount of thought has gone into this twisting, intricate story, and their reward was a booming reaction to a stunning main event.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!