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LOTS OF LIVE NOTES FROM AEW DYNAMITE GRAND SLAM IN NYC

Some live notes from last night's AEW Grand Slam Dynamite event:

-Being there live at the show, there was a special vibe in the air that I haven't felt in a long time at a professional wrestling show that wasn't a big PPV.  I don't know if it was because it was AEW's debut there, the fact it was in New York City, the die-hard nature of the audience or just the fact it was the first-ever wrestling show in Arthur Ashe Stadium, but the atmosphere was more like being at a Wrestlemania-level event than just a TV taping. 

-It felt like the entire company leveled up last night.  There was a massive sense of pride among talents and those behind the scenes before the show.

-If there were any downsides to the event, it was all problems AEW couldn't control or is lucky to have:

*The concession stands in the building seemed completely overwhelmed at all times.  The average wait to get food seemed to be around 45 minutes between getting on one of the massive lines, ordering and getting the order.  I know one person who missed the entirety of the Bryan Danielson vs. Kenny Omega match to get his family food.  Arthur Ashe normally doesn't host events of this nature, so I'm not sure if the demand at the US Open for food has a different flow, but if and when AEW returns, that is something the building will have to consider.   There was even word making the rounds that the venue sold out of beer.  Obviously, this was not something that fell under AEW's purview.

*The merchandise stands were again mobbed with massive, massive lines.  AEW would be wise to institute online pre-orders prior to events with a designated section to pick up your merchandise order before, during or after the show.    I've been to three AEW shows of late and they all told the same tale.  Fans want their merchandise and they are willing to sacrifice a part of the show live to get it.  That is awesome, but there should be some strategies put into place to turn that around quicker if possible so some fans aren't locked out of spending their money because the wait seems too long during the show.  I have never, in my life, been to any other wrestling event where the merch tables are mobbed the way AEW shows are.  That is a great problem to have but also one they need to strategize for.

-The announced sellout for the show was 20,177.  Initially, the plan was for 17,000 with the idea they could open up sections behind the stage that were restricted view (as the stage and entrances wouldn't be seen) that could bring the company close to 19,000.  They released those and they were gone quick as well.  In the end, they released additional sections that were initially held for production.  Needless to say, the show surpassed even AEW's initial expectations in terms of attendance and set a new benchmark for the company.

-Lines to enter the Stadium stretched close to a mile, all the way across the boardwalk to the 7 train and Long Island Rail Road stations.

-The makeup of the show was mostly adults in their late teens to 40s.  There were children there but there were far, far more adults in the venue than you would expect to see at a WWE event.  I can also tell you that I saw tons of lapsed fans from yesteryear who were familiar faces from ECW, Ring of Honor and even Attitude era WWE events who haven't popped up at shows in forever, so AEW has tapped into the vein of lapsed fans in a big way to bring them back as paying customers.

-The top ticket price for the show was $250, which included a take-home commemorative chair.  CM Punk, Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson were not featured on the chair due to the lead-time needed to produce them.

-There is talk of returning in a year for another event at Arthur Ashe Stadium, but the venue would be thrilled to have them back sooner.

-There were several dark segments during the show in NYC:

*Team Taz came out with Taz cutting a killer promo on CM Punk to build up Punk vs. Will Hobbs later in the evening.  Taz even demanded they play his music on the way out and AEW played Kiss' War Machine, which was his theme music for some time in ECW.

*There was yet another confrontation with Tony Khan and The Acclaimed as Max Caster challenged Khan to a rap battle.  Khan said on the mic he'd written a lot of wrestling, but never a rap so he called in a friend, Lil Uzi Vert, who is a massive name in the hip hop world right now.  That got a massive pop.  Khan then did a rap ending with him announcing the team was suspended, which was just to pop the live house.

-Hip hop star Fabolous was also said to have been at the taping.

-Stephen Amell of Heels and Arrow fame was at ringside for most of the night:

-CM Punk embraced the infamous Ringside Charlie Adorno after Punk's match with Will Hobbs during the Rampage portion of the show.

-Former Ring of Honor star and longtime NYC stalwart Prince Nana was visiting.

-A lot of WrestlePro talents were used for AEW Dark.  We are told that they were pretty much booked the night before once AEW locked in their plans for Dark - Elevation.

-Thunder Rosa vs. Kayla Sparks will go down in history as the first-ever AEW match in NYC:

 

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