All Elite Wrestling [AEW] dropped-kicked its way into Queens’ Arthur Ashe Stadium last week as the company prepared to celebrate its five-year anniversary in business.
For both its diehard fanbase and even its CEO Tony Khan, it is hard to believe that AEW is on the verge of being half a decade old.
“This year alone we’ve had so many of our best moments,” Tony Khan told amNewYork Metro in a recent one-on-one interview. However, with Grand Slam taking place in the Big Apple on Sept. 25, the organization is now looking to the future, and so are its adoring fans.
As thousands of people lined up outside of the home of the U.S Open, they all shared their differing opinions regarding why they fell in love with AEW — from its punk-rock-esque alternative nature to the likes of WWE, to its colorful cast of grapplers.
“This is a different mindset and different wrestling style,” 36-year-old David Mercado said, who attended the show with his son Davies Jr. “I’ve always been a wrestling fan and since I had my son be learned to grasp the wrestling lifestyle, and one day he wants to become a wrestler.”
Grand Slam has become a yearly tradition, not just for fans but also for AEW. This year Bryan Danielson took on Nigel McGuinness after the former came out of retirement while Hangman Adam Page battled Jeff Jarrett in a Lumberjack strap match, and Jon Moxly fought Darby Allin in a brutal bout for Allin’s shot at the AEW world championship.
“I’ve wrestled Moxley twice now in AEW and I’ve lost twice. He says I wasn’t ready five years ago. I wasn’t ready two years ago, but I know in my heart right now I’m ready to carry this place,” Allin told amNewYork Metro in an interview leading up to the event.
Unfortunately for Allin, Moxley bested his rival and will now face-off against Danielson at WrestleDream on Oct. 12. In addition to the upcoming WrestleDream, AEW is also looking to take Grand Slam to in February of 2025 as it looks to try and grow its reach internationally.
