AEW Dynamite (Oct. 6, 2026) ventured into Paris for the Grand Slam France special. Will Ospreay defended the world title in the main event, Mercedes Moné’s world title victory was cut short by a spear from Thekla, Darby Allin overcame a bloody brainbuster to retain the TNT title, and more excitement popped from Adidas Arena.
Will Ospreay beats another rival
Will Ospreay wants to define his AEW World Championship reign by defeating rivals who hold victories over him. Next on the list was Kazuchika Okada.
Ospreay versus Okada delivered as expected. Check out this energetic sequence.
With Ospreay’s title run fresh underway, the big question for me was if Okada could make me believe in the moment that he could win. The answer was not really. The closest shot Okada had at victory was dropkicking Ospreay out of the air then nailing the Rainmaker lariat. Ospreay kicked out on the cover.
In the end, Ospreay pummeled his rival with force. It took a Hidden Blade, a Stormbreaker, and a Hidden Blade without the elbow pad to pin Okada.
Strong match for TV. I appreciate that it was a fair fight. That leaves the door open for screwery from the Callis Family in a rematch. I’m not too familiar with the series in NJPW, so I can’t speak on any callbacks in this match. As its own chapter, the action was exciting with the story of familiarity as rivals. There were so many nice touches of defensive tactics leading to offense. Okada looked tough kicking out of those moves down the stretch, and Ospreay looked focused with a killer instinct to win. Ospreay hammered home the win emphatically as he gears up for Clockwork Carnage at WrestleDream.
For good measure, enjoy Okada cheesing his pre-match promo in front of Arc de Triomphe. I enjoy when AEW utilizes a city’s unique landmarks on screen.
Let’s jam through the rest of Grand Slam France. Catch up on all the details with excellent play-by-play from Claire Elizabeth.
ROH World Championship: Bandido (c) defeated Kofi to retain the title. Sweet wrestling match with a storyline finish. Bandido and Kofi were smooth as opponents. The action flowed in a way where it was tough to guess who would win. In the end, Kofi’s stock was protected by the distraction of Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page causing a ruckus. Kofi hit the SOS finisher, and Bandido kicked out. Hangman shoved Swerve. The focus went there outside. Bandido snatched Kofi for a deadlift 21 Plex to win.
Bandido’s deadlift 21 Plex looks amazing. It is a fantastic adjustment to the criticism of the opponent waiting in the ropes for the move. I think this victory should be considered a clean win. Kofi took his eye off the opponent on his accord. The involvement from Swerve and Hangman was awkward and amusing. Swerve arrived fashionably late, and it was funny how Hangman was steps behind him. They mad-dogged each other the entire time. What I didn’t like was Hangman being too selfish to calm down and celebrate Bandido’s victory. Get over yourself, dude.
Good news is that Swerve’s frustration played into a match for WrestleDream. The trios champs will defend against the Good, the Bad, and the Guapo in 2-out-of-3 falls.
Clockwork Carnage qualifier: Samoa Joe defeated Jack Perry. Joe was too much man for Jungle Boy. He roughed up Perry. Jack made it a fight, but he was never in control. On the finish, Perry was dead meat sitting on the turnbuckles. Perry spit in Joe’s face. Joe executed the Musclebuster to win.
Joe was a beast in prime form. This performance made him a formidable threat to win Clockwork Carnage. I assume Ospreay will retain at WrestleDream. However, I can talk myself into believing Joe could sneak out victorious. The idea of Perry’s storyline to challenge former world champions is interesting. I want to see growth though. He didn’t show any lessons learned in this match. I agree with the result of Joe winning, but there are ways not to make Perry look like a punk in the ring. In general, I was rooting for Perry’s story. Spitting in Joe’s face showed that he isn’t a killer. Perry is a pretender. That was a quitter’s move to use his last ounce of energy to be disrespectful. The middle finger can be viewed as defiance. Spitting is a punk move, especially for the babyface. I’m off the Perry bandwagon for now.
Mark Davis & Jake Doyle defeated Jon Moxley & Gabe Kidd. A darn good slobberknocker from these men. This is the kind of match to rewatch with a hearty breakfast. Charge that jolt of wild energy to get hyped for the day. In the end, Davis outmuscled Kidd for a piledriver to win. AEW announced Davis challenging Moxley for the Continental Championship at WrestleDream. That will be a manly fight.
TNT Championship: Darby Allin (c) defeated Kyle Fletcher to retain the title. This match had a mix of cool wrestling and cool stunts. Which is to say that it was a typical good Allin match. There were plenty of crazy spots. In my opinion, the most brutal was Fletcher delivering a brainbuster onto the exposed turnbuckle steel. That was badass.
On the wrestling tip, there was a snazzy sequence early when Fletcher blocked a sunset flip. Allin kicked Fletcher’s knees for him to fall into a guillotine choke. Commentary pointed out how Allin’s shoulders were rounded off the mat to avoid a pinfall. For the finish, Allin surged with urgency. Fletcher collided into the steel. Allin snatched a Scorpion Deathlock to target Fletcher’s injured leg. Fletcher reached the ropes to break. Allin blitzed with offense for a Coffin Drop to the back and a Coffin Drop to the front to win.
As entertaining as Allin is as a daredevil, I’m often more impressed by his technical acumen. My favorite version of Allin is the strategic one. The guillotine sequence and the finishing sequence perked my attention more than the table spots.
AEW Women’s World Championship: Mercedes Moné (c) defeated Queen Aminata to retain the title. Aminata delivered a message in French, if you understand. I do not.
One angle in particular was amusing. Mercedes wrestled with a protective mask over her broken nose. She thought she escaped Aminata’s rump thump to the face, but she felt Chocolate Kisses a short while later.
In the end, Aminata missed on a flying stomp. Mercedes pounced for a Lungblower and the Moné Maker to win. Aminata fought tough, but it never felt like Mercedes was in danger of losing. The job was done to elevate Aminata as a future player for the championship. On the current timeline, Thekla brought her Big D energy to spear Mercedes and swing the title belt.
Notes: Clockwork Carnage rules video package.
Mike Bailey informed Will Ospreay that he wants to compete in Clockwork Carnage, so he has a qualifier against Lee Moriarty on Collision. Ospreay teased Speedball about eyeing his gold, but he was supportive of competition among teammates.
Nick Wayne wrestles Chris Jericho on Collision. When Wayne wins, that will prove he is better than young Jericho and better than old Jericho.
The Dogs challenge the Young Bucks for the tag titles on Collision in rat-infested Paris. Nice to hear the Dogs taking in French culture with accents.
Stud of the Show: Samoa Joe
Joe was peak stud form to demote Jack Perry from Jungle Man down to Jungle Boy.
Match of the Night: Darby Allin vs. Kyle Fletcher
Roller coaster of oohs and ahhs.
Grade: B+
Fun show. For this card, the difference between A and B on the grade is if the wrestlers could make me believe in a potential upset for the world title bouts. That didn’t happen for me.
Share your thoughts about AEW Dynamite. How do you rate it? What were your favorite moments from the show? Who impressed you the most?
