9 Ups & 0 Downs From AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam

Ups...

9. The Sheer Atmosphere

AEW Dynamite Arthur Ashe
AEW

Holy sh*t. Wrestling, bloody hell.

This felt like early 1998 WCW Nitro, before it all went to hell, plummeting beyond the molten core that was the rise of Bill Goldberg. Arthur Ashe Stadium was the Georgia Dome, only with exponentially better in-ring.

But before Kenny Omega and Bryan Danielson worked what might have just been the greatest television wrestling match of all time, the fans in the venue and at home luxuriated in the fulfilled promise of that incredible backdrop. This was as loud and lush - and as special - as a pro wrestling atmosphere gets. As the American Dragon made his entrance, the crowd orchestrated a deafening Yes! chant. It was so glorious - almost too glorious. Danielson and Omega had to work something transcendent to reach that volume level again.

And they f*cking did.

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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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!