Thunder Rosa def. Kayla SparksI assume this was the first thing taped in front of the hot New York City crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium for the Grand Slam tapings last week because Rosa received a rock star-level reaction. Crowds are always into Rosa, but this was especially loud. If there was ever any doubt that she needs to be the one to ultimately dethrone Britt Baker for the AEW Women's World Championship, listen to that pop. There wasn't much to this match, but it was exactly what it needed to be with Rosa going over decisively.
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Brian Johnson def. PJ Black in a Pure Rules MatchThese two have been tied together for a while and I thought their alliance recently ended and I just missed it, but this bout came about because Black wanted Johnson to prove himself against him in a Pure Rules match. In other words, they're still friendly, despite Johnson cheating to beat him here. I'm glad Johnson has branched out on his own because he's been fantastic throughout this pandemic period, especially on the mic. This was a well-worked match with the right outcome. This might have actually benefited from not happening in an area full of fans because I'm not sure who they would have cheered for.
Kickoff Show: Liv Morgan def. CarmellaI felt really bad for these two. I wasn't clamoring for this match in the first place because it came out of nowhere, but they advertised it for the main card originally and even mentioned on a few occasions that this marked her second-ever singles match on a pay-per-view. It would have been her first on the main card until it got bumped to the Kickoff show. They gave it a good effort and had a decent match. Morgan winning was the right call. She received a strong reaction during her entrance.
CM Punk def. Powerhouse HobbsDid you know that Punk's last television match in January 2014 before this one was against Billy Gunn on WWE Raw? AEW should have run that back for his first TV match since then! Of course, I kid. Other than that one ugly botch in the middle, this was a fun opener. AEW was smart to tape this first while the crowd was still relatively hot. Punk once again looked good and fought from underneath while Hobbs was on offense throughout and also shined in defeat. Hobbs is improving at a rapid pace and is really putting all the pieces together, which is excellent to see. Hobbs loses nothing here. Does Punk have his sights set on Ricky Starks next?
Xyon Quinn def. Oney LorcanWe've seen Quinn in action a few times now and he impresses more and more each time. We've hardly heard from him at all, but he has certainly shown signs of potential. He appeared in a brief vignette on Wednesday's NXT, so it's possible we see him compete on that show again sooner rather than later. As for Lorcan, he just contended for the NXT Tag Team Championship less than a month ago, and he's already back to doing jobs on 205 Live. Poor guy. Hey, I guess it's better than him getting released, or at least I think so.
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