AEW Officially Announces Next Grand Slam Event At Arthur Ashe Stadium
For a company that is barely four years old, AEW has already built up a bunch of annual traditions, and among them is the "Grand Slam" editions of "AEW Dynamite" and "AEW Rampage" at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York City. Later this year, AEW keeps the tradition alive by returning to the home of the U.S. Open tennis tournament on September 20.
AEW announced via Twitter that tickets for the special episodes will go up on sale on July 22.
While last year's "Grand Slam: Dynamite" was headlined by Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson in a match to crown a new AEW World Champion, the 2021 edition of the event marked the AEW debut of Danielson, who wrestled then-AEW World Champion Kenny Omega to a time limit draw. The latter match is still viewed by some as the best match in AEW history.
As such, Danielson has a history of stealing the show at AEW's Arthur Ashe Stadium visits, and could possibly do so again — provided he's cleared for an in-ring return ahead of the summer-ending shows. Last year's event also saw the shocking debut of Saraya, meaning the idea of another big name arriving in AEW this September cannot be ruled out.
The annual shows at Arthur Ashe Stadium have also proven to be a money-spinner for AEW. According to AEW CEO Tony Khan, the inaugural show in 2021 was attended by 20,177 fans, reportedly drawing $1 million from ticket sales and setting an attendance record for the upstart promotion. While last year's show saw a considerable dip in attendance, attracting little over 13,000 fans, the gate was reportedly higher than in 2021 due to higher ticket prices.
NEW YORK CITY!#AEW returns to the historic Arthur Ashe Stadium for one of the biggest nights of the year:#AEWDynamite Grand Slam LIVE & #AEWRampage Grand Slam on Wednesday, September 20th!
Tickets will go on sale Saturday, July 22nd at 10am ET!
🎟️ https://t.co/FIJvZ71BmT pic.twitter.com/wP12ymcK3K— AEW LIVE EVENTS (@AEWLive) June 29, 2023
Speaking of annual traditions, AEW will be bringing back "Blood & Guts" next month, too, and will presumably continue to hold other themed events such as "Winter is Coming," "Quake by the Lake," and "New Year's Smash" later this year.