AEW Showcases Itself As A True Alternative

AEW Grand Slam Mexico is a must watch

Sean Ross Sapp - Fightful

From the opening segment, you knew AEW Grand Slam Mexico was going to be a special show.

Hangman Adam Page cut a promo in Spanish in front of thousands of fans at the legendary Arena Mexico on Wednesday night. It served as a wonderful gesture to the fans and CMLL, and perhaps foreshadowed a man who would dethrone Jon Moxley and retake his spot as the face of AEW.

It was a stark contrast to Rey Mysterio giving the WWE seal of approval on lucha libre in the NXT-AAA World’s Collide show. A common theme about that show was how it was a WWE version of AAA.

AEW Grand Slam Mexico was a different story.

Of course, the show being in Arena Mexico was a great start, and the crowd was hot throughout. However, CMLL talent had the opportunity to shine in front of a television/streaming audience that might not typically watch their weekly product (you definitely should!)

You even got the authentic lucha experience with a chaotic opening 14-man tag team match that featured traditional lucha rules, which confused those used to watching only American wrestling. However, it was more than welcome by those who chanted, “Esto es lucha.”

The highlight of the night undoubtedly was Mistico’s entrance. CMLL’s biggest star in its history came out to “Me Muero,” and it was an incredible experience seeing fans sing along.

Another highlight was seeing Brody King wearing an “Abolish ICE” shirt while making his entrance for the 14-man tag. It’s cathartic to see a public figure support the fight against fascism, compared to Paul Levesque and Stephanie McMahon taking photo-ops with Robert Kennedy Jr., a man who has spread baseless conspiracy theories and harmful rhetoric to vulnerable communities while holding a position of power in the United States government. WWE continues to embrace a right-way audience while AEW remains steadfast in supporting minorities, highlighted by Toni Storm’s “I am here, and I am queer” line.

Wednesday night's show was still an AEW show, not a co-branded one, so AEW talent went over. But Grand Slam Mexico felt way more authentic than the World’s Collide show. I mean, how can you not be charmed by Tony Schiavone meeting Kemonito and Kemolito? AEW is still No. 2 behind WWE when it comes to business, but Wednesday night showed there is so much more to wrestling than what you’ll see on a homogenized WWE show.

Thank you for reading until the end! As a K-pop and pro wrestling fan, I like to recommend a song or match at the end of every post. For this, it’s pretty simple: watch Grand Slam Mexico and also watch the CMLL Tuesday show, which featured ROH and AEW talent. You have to subscribe to watch, but it’s well worth the cost! Oh, and keep listening to La 5A Estación’s “Me Muero.”