Posted on 10/07/126 by Bob Magee
AEW's debut in Paris was a special one, as Grand Slam:
France Dynamite emanated from Adidas Arena on TBS and HBO
Max! A major debut called for a huge card, and Paris
responded with energy that could be felt from the opening
bell and beyond the main event! As if the excitement wasn’t
high enough, we’re just 11 days from AEW WrestleDream in
Orlando!
In the main event, AEW World Champion Will Ospreay defeated
AEW International Champion “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada
to retain his title in an unbelievable match, which marked
the first time Ospreay beat Okada in a championship bout. As
Ospreay celebrated in the ring with “Speedball” Mike Bailey,
Samoa Joe appeared on the ramp to end the night, sending a
message that he’s ready for Clockwork Carnage after
qualifying by beating “Jungle” Jack Perry earlier in the
night.
AEW Women’s World Champion Mercedes Moné got everything she
could handle from Queen Aminata in front of a Parisian crowd
that was fully behind Aminata’s quest to win her first AEW
gold. Moné overcame Aminata in the end to get the win, but
she could not celebrate for long because her WrestleDream
opponent, Thekla, hit the ring to cut Moné in half with a
spear!
The night began with ROH World Champion Bandido turning away
AEW World Trios Champion Kofi while both men’s trios
partners made their presence felt, specifically Swerve
Strickland and “Hangman” Adam Page. Later, Swerve and The
New Level challenged Page, Bandido and Brody King to face
them in a 2-out-of-3 falls match for the AEW World Trios
Championship at WrestleDream!
TNT Champion Darby Allin was left a bloody mess in his
defense against former champion “The Protostar” Kyle
Fletcher, but somehow Allin was able to leave Paris with a
successful defense in a brutally violent encounter. Plus,
Mark Davis and Jake Doyle earned a huge win for the Don
Callis Family in tag team action over Gabe Kidd and AEW
Continental Champion Jon Moxley!
All that and more went down on our first night in Paris!
AEW Grand Slam: France Night 1 Results From Paris
ROH World Championship Match: ROH World Champion Bandido (c)
def. AEW World Trios Champion Kofi
The night began with the ROH World Championship on the line!
Kofi, one third of the AEW World Trios Champions, made his
way to the ring to a raucous ovation inside the Adidas
Arena, accompanied by another third of the champions, Austin
Creed.
The champion came out next, and he wasn't alone either —
Bandido was flanked by Brody King for this championship
tilt.
The referee called for the Code of Honor, and not only did
both men shake hands, but they embraced. A hyped-up crowd
was fully behind this matchup, which only fed the energy of
both Kofi and Bandido.
While both men brought a clear level of speed, there was an
extended feeling-out process to start, with each grabbing a
brief advantage before the action reset to a stalemate.
After both went for dropkicks, Bandido popped right back to
his feet, but Kofi came back with a second dropkick that
sent Bandido to the floor. When Kofi tried to dive to the
outside, Bandido simply stepped out of the way, and Kofi's
head bounced off the top rope. Bandido tried to climb back
to the apron, but Kofi caught him with another dropkick,
knocking him to the floor again. Kofi then charged and
flipped over the top rope onto the floor, crushing Bandido,
and took control of the early going.
Kofi rolled Bandido back into the ring and climbed the
ropes. As Bandido got to his feet, Kofi leaped off the top
for a cross body — but Bandido caught him in mid-air and, in
an incredible display of strength, lifted him into a delayed
vertical suplex, holding him aloft one-armed as the crowd
counted all the way to twenty before finally dropping him to
the mat.
The sheer exhaustion of that suplex left both men down. It
was then that Swerve Strickland, the third member of the AEW
World Trios Champions, made his way out with Prince Nana to
join Creed in supporting Kofi. Only steps behind him,
however, was “Hangman” Adam Page, and when Swerve spotted
him, Creed and Nana had to hold him back. Page simply walked
past and joined King at ringside to support their partner.
Bandido played to the crowd before turning his attention
back to Kofi, landing a pair of corner strikes followed by a
diving gut check that doubled Kofi over in pain. Bandido
fired off more strikes in an adjacent corner, but when he
went for a third, Kofi slipped away and whipped him to the
opposite corner. With Bandido seated against the turnbuckle,
Kofi drove a running knee into the side of his face,
followed by elevated stomps to the chest. Kofi then ran in
from the opposite corner for a shotgun dropkick, connecting
flush. He covered, but Bandido kicked out to keep his title
reign alive.
A visibly frustrated Kofi took a moment to regroup before
pulling Bandido up, hitting a headbutt and an uppercut to
back him into the corner and hoist him up top for a
superplex attempt. But when Kofi came up after him, Bandido
turned it around with a gorilla press slam, dumping Kofi
onto the top turnbuckle before following with a dropkick
that put him on the mat! Bandido covered, but Kofi kicked
out at two.
Bandido tried to whip Kofi across the ring, but Kofi
reversed it with a kick to the stomach, then leaped for a
leg drop to the back of Bandido's head. Kofi started
building momentum, landing backhanded chops followed by a
jumping side kick that put Bandido back down. Bandido
avoided a follow-up jumping clothesline and whipped Kofi to
the corner, but as he rushed in, Kofi flipped back with a
pendulum kick through the ropes, then went up top for a frog
splash cross body that got another near-fall.
Kofi bounced off the ropes for a jumping lariat, then fired
up the Paris crowd before connecting with a Boom Drop. As
Bandido stumbled to his feet, Kofi measured him for T.I.P.,
but Bandido ducked out of the way. Kofi spun him around in a
rear waistlock and sent him to the corner. Bandido kicked
his way out and leaped to the top rope for a reverse
tornillo that got a two-count.
Bandido pushed Kofi into the ropes, but Kofi rebounded with
a jumping spin kick to the head for another near-fall. The
crowd roared as Bandido started to fight back, only for Kofi
to cut him off with a kick to the gut. The two traded
strikes off the ropes until Bandido popped Kofi up into a
knee strike. As Bandido came off the ropes, Kofi leaped into
the air and stomped him into the mat.
The crowd was fully invested as both men's partners
continued to will them on from ringside. Bandido rose in the
corner as Kofi waited in the opposite one; when Kofi charged
in, Bandido met him with a kick combination and climbed to
the second rope. As Bandido came off, Kofi caught him and
rolled him through for an SOS into the second buckle! That’s
a new and brutal variation on that move, matching Bandido's
own escalating viciousness in this battle for championship
gold.
As Creed and Swerve, along with the crowd, urged Kofi toward
the top rope, he slowly made his way up. With Bandido
doubled over below, Kofi leaped off and splashed him flat
onto his back! That was an unorthodox execution, but even
more devastating! Bandido kicked out to preserve his reign!
Kofi dug deeper into his arsenal than ever before, fully
aware of the caliber of champion standing across from him.
He made his way back to the top rope, but with Creed's back
turned to hype the crowd, nobody saw Bandido sneak up from
behind to catch Kofi with a kick. Bandido joined him on the
top rope, and with both men balanced precariously, Bandido
grabbed Kofi and hit a Revolutionary Fly from the top! He
covered, 1-2-Kofi got a hand on the bottom rope to stay
alive! Bandido picked up Kofi for the X-Knee, but Kofi
landed on his feet and hit an SOS for a near-fall!
An argument broke out between Hangman and Swerve at
ringside, and the two got in a shoving match, with both men
having to be separated from each other. In the ensuing
commotion, Bandido pulled Kofi off the mat with the 21 Plex
for the three-count. As Bandido celebrated, Page and Swerve
still had to be separated, with King telling Page that all
that matters is that Bandido won.
What is Clockwork Carnage?
Renee Paquette brought us a detailed look at a brand new
match for AEW, Clockwork Carnage, which will debut at AEW
WrestleDream featuring the AEW World Champion and seven
challengers. Here’s how it works:
Phase One:
Two participants start the match at random.
Every 3 minutes, another competitor enters until all eight
have entered the ring.
If anyone is pinned or submitted before all eight
participants have entered, they are completely eliminated
from the match and do not move on to Phase Two.
Phase Two
This is the scoring phase.
Once all participants have entered, they’ll get 15 minutes
to score the most pinfalls or submissions before time
expires, and whoever has the most will be the winner and AEW
World Champion.
It’s a beautiful mash-up of a Casino Gauntlet and an Iron
Man match with many possibilities. You could beat the
champion and not win the match. You could lose the title
without even being pinned or submitted.
AEW World Champion Will Ospreay Speaks on Okada, Speedball
Has Clockwork Carnage Qualifier
Paquette caught up with Ospreay and “Speedball” Mike Bailey
of United Empire ahead of a huge night for Ospreay, as he’ll
defend the AEW World Title against AEW International
Champion “The Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada in the main event,
which could lead to an even bigger night next weekend at
WrestleDream in Clockwork Carnage. Ospreay acknowledged his
2-9 singles record versus Okada and knows he has to get over
that tonight if he wants to get to Clockwork Carnage against
seven worthy contenders. Bailey jumped in and, in French,
said he wanted to participate in Clockwork Carnage and has a
qualifying match this Saturday on Collision for Night 2 of
Grand Slam: France. And when he wins and sees Ospreay at
WrestleDream, he won’t hold anything back. Ospreay said
that’s what he expects because the United Empire will always
bring the best out of each other.
“Paris, are you ready? ‘Cause I’m ready! The Billy Goat is
about to enter this building and show everybody why I’m the
World Champion! Let’s go, lads!”
The crowd erupted in anticipation!
Clockwork Carnage Qualifier: Samoa Joe def. "Jungle" Jack
Perry
Joe was out first and briefly accompanied by HOOK before he
returned to the back. Joe received plenty of love from the
Paris crowd in his return to action for the first time since
the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament back in May. Perry,
who’s been begging for this match, was quite happy to enjoy
his entrance alongside the singing arena!
Joe and Jack Perry squared off, with an over-eager Perry
charging at the bell, only for Joe to simply pop him into
the air and let him drop to the mat. As the crowd chanted
Joe's name, Joe knocked Perry into the corner with a right
hand. He took his time backing up before charging in, but
Perry got out of the way. With Joe now cornered, Perry
unloaded a chop, but Joe fired right back with one of his
own, shaking off the sting to stare Perry down. Perry fired
off a second chop, which only seemed to irritate Joe
further, and ate a third before shoving Perry down to the
mat.
Perry came right back with a flying dropkick that bounced
Joe off the turnbuckles, then followed with a flying forearm
to the head. Joe escaped to the adjacent corner, but Perry
chased him down with kicks, only for Joe to catch the last
one and elbow him in the back of the neck before whipping
him off the ropes. Joe reversed an attempted counter, but
Perry answered with a rebound lariat that took Joe off his
feet.
Slow to rise, Joe gave Perry the opening to continue his
attack, backing him into the corner with another running
forearm. Joe stumbled away to another corner, and when Perry
tried to follow, Joe flattened him with a Uranage out of the
corner.
With the crowd fully behind Joe, Perry rolled to the
outside. Joe tried to follow with a dive, but Perry moved
out of the way, and Joe stopped himself in time to avoid the
crash, stepping out of the ring and dropping Perry with a
strike on the floor, followed by a back elbow. Joe
methodically worked Perry around ringside, pausing to break
the referee's count just enough to keep the assault going
before bringing it back into the ring, where the chops
continued. Perry had no answer, gasping for air in pain on
the mat.
The crowd once again chanted for Joe, and he egged them on,
delivering a massive chop when they called for one more,
then took a bow to thunderous applause.
To his credit, Perry tried to fight back with an upkick from
the corner, only to be met with stiff jabs from Joe. Joe
whipped him to the far side and went for a splash, but
missed. Perry went up top and blindly leaped back for a
moonsault, which Joe casually sidestepped. The crowd was
fully in Joe's hands at this point, and he knew it,
controlling both the audience and Perry at the same time.
Joe seemed to be toying with Perry, chopping him down,
letting him back up, and doing it again. But Perry started
fighting back defiantly, prompting Joe to switch to right
hands. Perry refused to go down, and when Joe charged in, he
ran into a thrust kick. Perry mounted Joe in the corner with
punches, coming alive as the crowd fired him up, then drove
his foot into the side of Joe's head, smashing it repeatedly
into the second turnbuckle, visibly trying to match Joe's
own killer instinct.
Joe cut him off with a back elbow off the ropes, but Perry
answered with a dropkick that put Joe down on his knees.
Perry then tried to deadlift Joe for a piledriver, but
couldn't get him up, and Joe backdropped his way out of it.
Perry rolled him right into a cradle for a two-count, then
grabbed Joe's legs and tried to lock in the Snare Trap. Joe
fought his way toward the ropes and grabbed the bottom one
to force the break.
Both men spilled out to the floor and continued brawling at
ringside. Perry swung Joe around the ring post, connecting
with a double knee strike across his chest, then charged in
— but Joe met him with a Uranage that planted him into the
floor. The crowd chanted for Joe as he picked up Perry's
lifeless body and rolled him back into the ring, but instead
of following him in, Joe dropped Perry back down to the
floor, content to let the referee count him out.
Perry beat the count by the skin of his teeth, sliding in
behind Joe's celebratory pose. When Joe turned and saw him,
Perry flipped him off, which was a defiant response given
everything he'd just endured. Joe dragged him into the ring
and crushed him with a senton splash to the back before
going for the Coquina Clutch, but Perry rolled over Joe's
shoulders to force a two-count.
Joe ran into a boot from Perry in the corner, and Perry
followed up with a thrust kick. Perry climbed to the top
turnbuckle, but Joe caught him with an enzigiri to the side
of the head. Joe grabbed Perry's head, and the crowd knew
what was coming. Perry spat in Joe's face in one last act of
defiance, and Joe finished him off with a top-rope muscle
buster to get the three-count!
Samoa Joe officially became the first man to qualify for
Clockwork Carnage at WrestleDream. As the crowd chanted his
name once more, Joe checked a small cut atop his head and
offered Perry a respectful blessing before leaving the ring.
AEW International Champion Kazuchika Okada is Ready to be
AEW World Champion
Okada stood in the middle of Paris earlier today and started
off by noting how he's been told his English has gotten very
good. But he warned, wait until you hear my French.
"Paris est une ville très laide. Les Parisiens sont encore
plus laides." Translated, he had just told the crowd that
Paris is a very ugly city, and the Parisians are even
uglier.
He smirked, declaring that the French would have to build a
monument in his honor — the Arc de Okada. And once that was
done, he said, they'd all be saying au revoir to Will
Ospreay's title reign.
Because tonight, the Rainmaker becomes the new AEW World
Champion.
Don Callis Family's Mark Davis & Jake Doyle def. Death
Riders' AEW Continental Champion Jon Moxley & Gabe Kidd
The crowd was absolutely electric for the entrance of the
Death Riders. AEW Continental Champion Gabe Kidd made his
way out tonight alongside Jon Moxley, joined by Marina
Shafir, as they made their way through a raucous and rowdy
Paris crowd. Davis and Doyle were out next, and the bell
rang to get things underway.
The match wasted no time getting physical, with Davis and
Kidd colliding in the center of the ring right at the bell.
Kidd chopped away at Davis before locking in a headlock, but
Doyle made a blind tag, and he and Davis teamed up to take
Kidd down with a double shoulder block. Moxley tagged in to
try his luck, and the crowd filled the arena with his name.
Doyle was ready for him too, until Moxley finally took Doyle
down with a shoulder block. Kidd came in and nailed Doyle
with a senton for a near-fall. Kidd alternated chops and
headbutts in the corner until an unfathomable amount knocked
Kidd back to the mat. He got up and ran at Doyle, who
leveled him with a clothesline. Kidd ducked a lariat and hit
one of his own. Davis came in and walloped Kidd with a
forearm to the back of the head. Moxley joined the fray and
tried to clothesline Davis, but he stood firm. Eventually
Moxley sent Davis to the floor and tried to follow with a
dive, but Davis caught him and pushed him aside. They took
each other out with running clotheslines on the floor! With
Moxley and Davis spilling to the outside, Kidd and Doyle
went at it in the ring, trading strikes before taking each
other down with their own double clothesline.
Kidd got back up and fired himself up with headbutts in the
corner, while Doyle went through his own pump-up process on
the opposite side. The two met in the middle with lariats,
and both men collapsed to the mat, though neither stayed
down for long. Kidd rolled to the apron and huddled up with
Moxley and Shafir before the trio sprinted around the ring
to attack Davis and Doyle. Kidd paired off with Doyle
against the barricade, chopping him before throwing him into
the apron, while near the timekeeper's area, Moxley hammered
away at Davis and grabbed a chair. But Davis got away and
helped Doyle take Kidd down before Moxley could put the
chair to use.
Davis and Doyle isolated Kidd and worked him back into the
ring, where Davis chopped him in the corner and gouged his
eyes. Doyle tagged back in and tried to stay on Kidd, but
Kidd eventually broke free and tagged in Moxley, who
exploded with a massive King Kong lariat on Doyle for a two-
count. As Kidd worked to keep the ring clear, Moxley locked
in a cross armbreaker. Doyle rolled through to escape, so
Moxley transitioned into a bulldog choke in the middle of
the ring. Doyle powered back up to his feet, but Moxley held
on tight until Doyle ran him into the ropes to break free
and spill to the outside.
That allowed Davis to come in and rebound Moxley with a
lariat. Davis then smashed Kidd out of the corner and
stomped him on the ground, while Doyle hit a sit-out
powerbomb on Moxley in the ring. Moxley kicked out at two.
Davis came back in to join Doyle in stomping away at Moxley,
who could only cover up to soften the blows. Davis told
Doyle it was done, as Shafir tried to get Kidd back to his
feet on the outside.
Davis pulled Moxley up for a piledriver attempt, but Moxley
slipped out, scampering under Davis's legs before connecting
with a cutter out of nowhere. That bought him the opening to
make the tag to Kidd, who stormed in and immediately leveled
Doyle with a lariat. A couple more strikes put Davis down as
well, but when Kidd went for the cover, Davis kicked out at
two.
Kidd's intensity boiled over once more as he bashed his own
head into the top turnbuckle. He followed up with a huge
brainbuster on Davis and covered, but Doyle was there to
break up the pin. The crowd booed that, but Doyle tried to
ignore it and lifted Kidd up for a powerbomb. Moxley grabbed
Doyle from behind with a choke, and they spilled to the
floor. Kidd dropped his kneepad and hit a running knee lift
to a downed Davis. He tried to piledrive Davis, but Davis
got out of it and the two traded blocks until Davis sent
Kidd over with a side suplex. Kidd fired back up and did the
same to Davis. He got up and turned Kidd inside out with a
lariat. Davis hoisted Kidd off the mat and spiked him with
Close Your Eyes and Count to Three for the win!
Jericho vs. Nick Wayne 2 Set for Grand Slam: France Night 2!
Ahead of their showdown this Saturday on Night 2 of Grand
Slam France, we looked back at the history between Jericho
and Nick Wayne, setting the stage for what's shaping up to
be a heated rematch.
TNT Championship Match: Darby Allin (c) def. Don Callis
Family's "The Protostar" Kyle Fletcher
Two of the greatest TNT Champions of all time met, and the
excitement was palpable in Paris! Allin pulled himself out
of the corner and threw a barrage of punches at the bell.
Fletcher came back to take Allin down in the corner, only
for Allin to fire out with a dropkick that sent Fletcher to
the floor. With a nod to The Butcher, Allin flew out of the
ring, but Fletcher caught him and fired Allin into the
barricade with a running lawn dart!
With Allin down and possibly out near the barricade,
Fletcher backed all the way up toward the ramp and charged,
only for Allin to move out of the way, sending Fletcher
crashing into the barricade. Allin stayed on him, keeping
him doubled over, before scampering all the way up to the
top of the ring post. From there, he leaped off and landed
on Fletcher, sending both men over the barricade, over the
timekeeper's table, and crashing to the floor! A death-
defying leap that's become almost routine for Darby! We were
reminded that “HOLY SHIT!” is a universal language by the
crowd.
Allin got back in the ring as Fletcher tried to pull himself
up and beat the ten count to keep his chances alive at a
third TNT Championship. As Fletcher reached the apron, Allin
gave him no breather, blasting him with a torpedo dive
before diving back into the ring, only to come right back
out and clear the commentary desk. They battled back and
forth on the desk, but when Allin tried to hit Fletcher with
a Code Red through the desk, Fletcher backdropped Allin onto
the French announce desk! Allin was in dire straits!
Fletcher brought him back in the ring and stomped him to the
apron. Allin hit a shot to the gut and tried to sunset flip
back in, but Fletcher got out of it, only for Allin to catch
him in a guillotine choke. Fletcher powered out of it and
chucked Allin to the mat. Fletcher picked Allin back up for
a spinning bodyslam and posed on the ropes.
With Allin in bad shape on the outside, it was Fletcher
waiting for him. But much like earlier, the roles flipped;
Fletcher pounced the moment Allin slid back under the ropes,
toying with him before unloading another series of strikes
and locking in an STF. Allin got to the ropes to break the
hold, clearly in pain as he crawled toward the corner, with
Fletcher stalking him the entire way.
Fletcher picked Allin up for a Lawn Dart, but Allin slipped
out behind him and went for a Scorpion Death Drop. Fletcher
escaped and shoved Allin into the corner, catching him with
a big thrust kick as he charged out, then grabbed him for
his own Scorpion Death Drop attempt — but Allin escaped and
grabbed Fletcher right back, going for the Scorpion Death
Drop once more. In the scramble, Fletcher pulled off the top
turnbuckle pad, but Allin still managed to bring him down
with the move.
Both men got back to their feet and traded a strike battle
in the center of the ring. Allin built momentum off the
ropes with a flurry of strikes right in Fletcher's face, and
loaded up for one more big shot — but Fletcher cut him off
with a lariat. Fletcher tried to follow with a Michinoku
Driver, but Allin countered into a small cradle for a two-
count. Allin ducked a clothesline, but ran right into
another Michinoku Driver attempt and got spiked in the
middle of the ring. Somehow, Allin kicked out again, and the
frustration was written all over Fletcher's face.
Fletcher, nursing a small cut on his back, didn't let it
slow him down, hauling Allin up top for a superplex attempt.
Allin fought free and raked his nails straight across the
cut on Fletcher's back before sending him to the mat with a
Code Red off the top rope. With Fletcher down on his knees,
Allin backed into the corner and nailed a second Code Red
for a two-count.
Fletcher rolled to the apron, and Allin, searching for his
next move, climbed to the corner for a Coffin Drop onto the
apron — but Fletcher rolled back into the ring, leaving
Allin to crash violently off the apron.
Fletcher threw Allin back into the ring and crushed him with
a sprinting boot in the corner, then picked him up for a
sheer drop brainbuster. He covered, but somehow Allin kicked
out. Fletcher couldn't believe it, covering his eyes in
disbelief and looking to the sky. Darby Allin simply will
not die!
Fletcher picked Allin back up and threw him backward
viciously with a half-and-half suplex, then pulled him out
of the corner and looked for another brainbuster. Allin
briefly fought free until Fletcher hauled him to the top
rope for another attempt at the sheer drop brainbuster, only
this time, he dropped Allin head-first on the exposed
turnbuckle! Allin crashed violently to the floor, hitting
the apron badly on the way down. Everyone in the arena
reacted in what can only be described as concerning awe.
Fletcher rolled Allin back in the ring and covered him, but
Allin kicked out! That had to be instinct, as Allin came up
pouring blood out of his head! Fletcher took Allin’s back
and unloaded with downward elbow strikes before the referee
pushed him away. Allin’s head and face had the full crimson
mask! Fletcher picked up Allin for a powerbomb onto the
exposed buckle, but Allin managed to land on his feet and
run Fletcher into the exposed metal! He adjusted Fletcher’s
legs and put on a Scorpion Death Lock! Fletcher managed to
make it to the ropes, but as soon as he did, Allin let go
and went to the top for a Coffin Drop! He immediately did it
again and pinned Fletcher to get a blood-soaked but
successful defense of the TNT Championship!
We saw a package featuring The Dogs and the Young Bucks, who
will square off on Night 2 of AEW Grand Slam: France this
Saturday!
AEW Women's World Championship Match: "The CEO" Mercedes
Moné (c) def. Queen Aminata
Before the match, Renee Paquette caught up with Queen
Aminata, who looked as confident as ever. She said she felt
great and spoke to the audience in French, making it clear
she would become AEW Women’s World Champion.
As Aminata made her way to the ring, she received a warm
reception from the Paris crowd, who clearly viewed her as
one of their own. Mercedes Moné, still sporting a mask to
protect her broken nose, made her way out wearing a beret, a
nod to her French surroundings and just how appropriate it
was to be competing in France. As Moné entered the ring, she
walked straight over to Aminata and held her AEW Women's
World Championship right in her face, sparking a tense
moment that forced the referee to step between them before a
shoving match threatened to boil over into more.
At the bell, Moné slapped Aminata across the face, then tore
off her own beret, stomped on it, and kicked it out of the
ring in a clear shot at everyone in attendance and Aminata
herself. Aminata answered back with stiff forearms, sent
Moné into the ropes, and folded her over her knee with a
nasty backbreaker. Moné bailed to the corner, but Aminata
followed and mounted her with punches, feeding off a crowd
fully behind her before unloading one final blow. She
snapped Moné out of the corner and went for an early cover,
then tried to trap her in Chocolate Kisses — but Moné
wriggled free before it could be fully locked in and backed
away, unwilling to let Aminata begin the meal just yet.
Moné rebounded off the ropes and spun into a Statement Maker
attempt, but Aminata escaped and countered with a flipping
head scissors takeover, keeping her legs wrapped around
Moné's neck to lock in Chocolate Kisses on the second try.
As Moné sat up, Aminata nearly kicked her clean out of the
ring with a PK. Moné rolled to the apron to catch her breath
and slowly pulled herself up on the ropes. When Aminata
charged in with a running boot, Moné saw it coming and
countered with a dragon screw, sending Aminata through the
ropes and out to the floor, before following up with a
Meteora off the apron.
Moné then grabbed the stomped-on beret and tossed it
mockingly at Aminata, flipping off the French crowd before
placing the beret on Monsieur Tony Schiavone, as it were.
She kept the offense going on the outside with strikes
against the barricade before sending Aminata back into the
ring.
Moné followed up with a basement dropkick, then choked
Aminata against the ropes with her boot before charging in
with another Meteora. Aminata somehow kicked out before
three, keeping her championship hopes alive, as Moné
complained about the count. Moné tried to wear Aminata down
further with pointed knees to the lower back before locking
in a rear chinlock. The crowd willed Aminata back to her
feet, and she broke free by flipping Moné over the top —
only for Moné to answer right back with a lariat that put
her down again. Moné wiped her hands clean after handling
her business, trash-talking Aminata as she pulled her up and
threw her into the top turnbuckle.
Moné sent her to an adjacent corner and used the ropes for
leverage, choking her again with her boot before tripping
her down into a seated position against the turnbuckle. She
then bounced off the ropes to come crashing down onto
Aminata's chest with brutal knees. Moné pulled her out of
the corner for a cover, but Aminata somehow kicked out
again, reaching out for strength from the crowd as she clung
to life in the biggest match of her career.
Aminata weakly shoved Moné away as she struggled back to her
feet, and Moné stopped her with a diving Meteora for a
nearfall. The crowd sang “Ohhhh Queen Aminata!”
Aminata fought back and dropped Moné with a nasty headbutt.
That got her a near-fall. Aminata hit a series of
clotheslines followed by a snap suplex into the corner. She
fed off the crowd and rushed Moné for a facewash boot in the
corner, but Moné moved and rolled her up for a two-count.
Moné kicked Aminata in the chest and hooked her for a
suplex, but Aminata surprised her with an inside cradle for
a two-count. Moné hit another kick to the chest and started
Three Amigos. On the third suplex attempt, Aminata snapped
Moné over with a rolling neckbreaker for a near-fall!
Moné floated over Aminata and brought her down with a
lungblower. Aminata stumbled to her feet, and Moné rushed
across the ring for a sunset flip into the turnbuckles! Moné
slapped the mat and went for a Meteora, but missed! Aminata
took advantage with the facewash boot and a double stomp
from the second rope! Moné somehow kicked out! Aminata was
incredulous.
She picked up Moné, who quickly transitioned into a
Statement Maker attempt, but Aminata rolled out of it and
hit an Electric Chair German Suplex! She egged on the crowd
to get louder and knocked Moné off the apron by hitting Off
With Head! Aminata had to go get Moné, who then rolled out
to the other side. Aminata went after her, but Moné pulled
her into a steel chair. She sat Aminata on the chair and
charged at her, but Aminata moved and sent Moné face-first
into the steel! She put Moné back on the chair and hit a
running dropkick off the apron to send Moné flying out of
the chair. Aminata rolled Moné back in, but only got a two-
count.
Aminata tried another double stomp, so Moné moved, and
Aminata charged right back into a Tombstone Lungblower! Moné
picked up Aminata and hit her with the Statement Maker to
finally keep Aminata down for three!
Moné barely had a chance to celebrate when her WrestleDream
opponent, Thekla, stormed to the ring. Moné tried to hit her
with the AEW Women’s World Title, but Thekla ducked and
speared the champion! Thekla tried to stomp Moné, but she
rolled out of the ring in time. Thekla grabbed the AEW
Women’s World Title and swung it like Moné, much to the
delight of the crowd!
AEW World Trios Champions Swerve & The New Level Challenge
Hangman and Brodido to a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match at
WrestleDream
Swerve was with Prince Nana along with Creed and Kofi,
openly wondering what Hangman is trying to accomplish. He
reminded them they took the titles at All In and then beat
them at All Out, so why don’t they have a rematch? Why not
two rematches? That gave The New Level the idea to make the
challenge to face them in a 2-out-of-3 falls match at
WrestleDream for the AEW World Trios Titles!
AEW World Championship Match: "The Aerial Assassin" Will
Ospreay (c) def. AEW International Champion "The Rainmaker"
Kazuchika Okada
It was main event time at Grand Slam France, and what better
way to mark the first AEW main event in France than with AEW
World Champion Will Ospreay putting his championship on the
line against longtime rival Kazuchika Okada, the AEW
International Champion. Okada entered first, carrying a 9-2
record against Ospreay in singles competition, including a
perfect 2-0 record in championship matches. Their most
recent encounter came in the 2024 Continental Classic, where
Okada defeated Ospreay to retain the Continental
Championship. He was accompanied by Don Callis, who has
played a significant role in the history of this rivalry for
both men.
Ospreay was out next to a delighted Paris crowd who sang him
to the ring, though he faced a significant mountain to climb
given his difficult singles record against the man standing
across from him.
As the referee held up the AEW World Championship, the crowd
chanted for Ospreay, but then exploded in cheers at the
bell, knowing the significance of the matchup they were
about to witness. That turned into “AEW” chants, which got a
smile out of Ospreay. While Ospreay and Okada had a
feeling-out process, the crowd chanted for both men in their
own unique way.
Okada bailed to the floor to egg on the crowd before
returning to the ring. Ospreay monkey-flipped Okada across
the ring, but Okada came right back, only to be put down
with an arm drag. Ospreay tried to cover, but Okada got
right out. Okada went for the Rainmaker early, but Ospreay
ducked, and Okada held the ropes, turning back to flash a
cheeky smile as the crowd roared with the knowledge of just
how close that had come.
The two circled each other again before locking hands in a
test of strength. Ospreay muscled Okada down to his knees,
but Okada rose back up and broke the hold with a kick to the
gut. He tried to send Ospreay into the ropes, but Ospreay
reversed it and sent Okada out of the ring with a flying
head scissors. Ospreay fired up the crowd and sent himself
over the top with a springboard plancha that connected flush
on the floor. He slammed Okada into the apron before
throwing him back inside, climbing to the top rope and
gesturing toward Callis before dropping down on top of Okada
and flying for a knee to the face. He covered, but Okada
kicked out.
Ospreay went to work on Okada's left shoulder, but Okada
fought back with forearms. Ospreay maintained wrist control
and chopped Okada into the corner before whipping him to the
opposite side. Okada escaped before Ospreay could make
contact. When Ospreay tried to hop up onto the buckles,
Okada connected with his signature dropkick, sending Ospreay
off the top rope with a leg catching on the way down, an
ugly crash that saw him hit the apron before falling to the
floor. Okada had a huge smile across his face as he
recovered on the mat.
Okada went out to continue the attack on Ospreay by running
him into the barricade. He tried to clear some space to
throw Ospreay to another barricade, but Ospreay jumped on
top and tried to fight off Okada. Okada stopped Ospreay and
spiked him on the floor with a hanging DDT! Okada took his
time to taunt the fans around the ring before returning to
the ring. Ospreay got back in, only to eat another DDT.
Okada covered, but Ospreay kicked out. Okada tried to wear
Ospreay down with a rear chinlock, but Ospreay got out of it
and nailed a corkscrew kick off the ropes.
Ospreay charged Okada in the corner, but Okada ducked his
shoulder and sent Ospreay to the apron. Ospreay came back
with a forearm from the apron, then followed with a
springboard forearm to put Okada down for a two-count. Back
on his feet, Ospreay grabbed his neck in pain. He tried to
double underhook Okada, but Okada stayed on his knees,
forcing Ospreay to kick him back up to a vertical base
before charging again, only to be caught by a neckbreaker
over Okada's knee. Once again, Ospreay grabbed at his neck
in obvious pain.
Okada took his time peeling Ospreay off the mat before
slamming him back down. He pulled up his left elbow pad,
climbed to the top rope, and dropped down with the exposed
right elbow instead. Okada taunted the crowd, bent into his
Rainmaker pose — which earned the crowd a middle finger —
then grabbed Ospreay in a rear waistlock and set for the
Rainmaker, only for Ospreay to back him into the corner.
Ospreay hit a series of kicks and surprised Okada with a PK
when he hung on the ropes to avoid Okada’s dropkick attempt.
He came back with a corkscrew moonsault, but Okada got his
knees up! Okada sent Ospreay to the ropes for a dropkick,
only for Ospreay to catch him for a Liger Bomb in midair! 1-
2-Okada kicked out!
Both men got to their feet for an exchange of strikes that
went on until Okada started gaining the advantage with
repeated forearms. Ospreay came back with a hook kick that
put Okada on the apron. Ospreay jumped off the second
turnbuckle connector for an OsCutter to Okada on the apron!
As Okada rolled back in, Ospreay came flying off the ropes
with a dropkick to the side of Okada's back and head from
halfway across the ring. He went for an OsCutter, but Okada
blocked it and tried a Rainmaker. Ospreay escaped and
attempted the OsCutter from the opposite side, only to be
met by another Okada dropkick. Okada picked him up and
connected with the Rainmaker! 1-2-Ospreay kicked out, and
Okada couldn't believe it!
As Ospreay struggled to find any strength, Okada took his
time pulling him off the mat and tried to turn him over for
a Tombstone, but Ospreay fought free. Okada followed with an
uppercut to stagger him, then blasted him into the corner
with a high-velocity shotgun dropkick before sending him
back to the ropes for another dropkick right to the face.
Okada smiled at the crowd and picked Ospreay up by his
waistband for another Rainmaker — but Ospreay ducked and
fired back with a Rainmaker of his own in a last-ditch bid
to stay alive. He fell on top of Okada, but Okada kicked out
at one.
Okada stumbled to the corner and came back out for a discus
clothesline, but Ospreay ducked and landed a discus forearm
to the back of Okada's head. He rolled Okada into a Styles
Clash and flattened him in the middle of the ring, covering
him, but Okada kicked out again at two. The Paris crowd was
absolutely buzzing as the arena shook around this main
event! What a perfect atmosphere for this instant classic!
Ospreay retreated to the corner, looking to land the Hidden
Blade, but Okada ducked. Okada grabbed Ospreay and tried for
the Rainmaker, but Ospreay floated over into what looked to
be a Stormbreaker attempt, only for Okada to land on his
feet, grab Ospreay's wrist, and deliver another Rainmaker.
Keeping wrist control, Okada walked around the ring before
pulling Ospreay back up once more. This time, Ospreay hit a
short-range Hidden Blade when he got to his feet! He backed
up and hit Okada with another to the jaw! 1-2-Okada kicked
out! Ospreay picked Okada back up and nailed a Stormbreaker,
but again Okada managed to get his shoulder up before the
referee’s three.
Ospreay took off his elbow pad and let the crowd know what
was coming next. A wide-eyed Okada struggled to his knees,
gasping for air, and turned right into the biggest and
nastiest Hidden Blade of the match! That was enough to keep
Okada for three! Ospreay retains the AEW World Title in a
tremendous main event!
While Ospreay celebrated in the ring with “Speedball” Mike
Bailey, Samoa Joe appeared on the ramp and stared down the
United Empire members before leaving Ospreay to continue his
celebrations as Night 1 of Grand Slam: France came to a
close! What an amazing start to the week in Paris!
Catch AEW Grand Slam: France Night 2 this Saturday on TNT &
HBO Max at 8/7c from right back here at Adidas Arena in
Paris, France!
And remember… We are AEW—Where The Best Wrestle!