AEW Grand Slam: Australia is coming up in less than two weeks on February 15th from Brisbane, and I’ve noticed some negativity surrounding the event. There are a few reasons why some fans are feeling disappointed.
The biggest issue is that this will be a special edition of Collision airing on TV rather than a pay-per-view. On the SquaredCircle Reddit, several users attending the show have expressed their displeasure with the announcement that it will be a special edition of Collision rather than a PPV. Personally, I’d rather it not be a PPV—I won’t have to pay for it—but I understand why fans would prefer it. The biggest moments in AEW, like title changes, surprise debuts, or five-star matches, typically happen on pay-per-view, so it makes sense that fans were expecting something bigger.
The second reason for disappointment is the venue change. When the event was first announced on August 25th, it was set to take place at Suncorp Stadium, a 52,500-seat venue. However, on November 27th, AEW announced that it would be moved to the smaller Brisbane Entertainment Centre, which holds around 13,500 people. A bigger arena creates a bigger show feel, so the downgrade dampened excitement. The speculation is that poor ticket sales led to the move. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported on the September 26th edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that ticket sales were "not good." AEW likely expected more interest in the show. A few years ago, that might have been the case, but it seems AEW doesn’t have the footprint in Australia they were hoping for. To be fair, a packed 13,000-seat arena looks much better on TV than a half-empty 52,000-seater.
The third reason fans aren’t thrilled is the match card. Many expected a Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay rematch, but instead, they’ll be teaming up against The Don Callis Family’s Kyle Fletcher and Konosuke Takeshita. While there’s some appeal in seeing them as partners, the real money is in a match between them. Less than two weeks out, only three matches have been announced, which adds to the underwhelming feeling. Compare that to WWE’s Elimination Chamberin Toronto, which takes place two weeks after this event and has already confirmed CM Punk and John Cena for a big match. If AEW wants to compete at that level, they need to treat their big shows like big shows—right now, this doesn’t feel like one.
What do you think? Does this show look disappointing, or are you excited for it? What could AEW do in the next ten days to build hype? We still don’t have a World Title match announced. Personally, I think making this an episode of Collision instead of a PPV was the right call—I wouldn’t have paid for it—but I’ll definitely watch it on TV.
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