Grand Slam - Dynamite recap for September 20, 2023

Eddie Kingston beats Claudio Castagnoli to retain the New Japan Pro Wrestling Strong Openweight Championship and become the Ring of Honor World Champion! After the match, Claudio Castagnoli shakes hands with Eddie Kingston, then personally hands him the ROH World Championship.

In footage from last week, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett are at Roderick Strong's beside at the hospital. Taven reads a get well soon card to Roderick, then Mike Bennett dismisses the nurse. Adam Cole shows up as Taven and Bennett are about to leave, much to Roderick's delight. Adam tells Roderick he has to leave, much to Roderick's disappointment, and Roderick just tells him "Just go. Just frickin' go."

Backstage, Renee Paquette interviews Christian Cage and Luchasaurus. Christian says that at Rampage, he and Luchasaurus are ready to walk through Darby Allin and Sting, and while he is bored of dealing with them, Darby Allin and Sting cannot get past him until Darby wins the TNT Championship. Christian then gives Darby Allin a shot at the TNT Championship in a three-way match with him and Luchasaurus on Collision, but Sting cannot be at ringside.

Before the next match, Sammy Guevara comes out with a light-up jacket similar to the one that Chris Jericho has worn in the post while hip hop artist Monteasy performs Sammy's theme live on the ramp.

Chris Jericho beats Sammy Guevara after countering a top rope Shooting Star Press with a Codebreaker. Jericho and Guevara hug it out after the match, then Sammy kicks Jericho in the crotch. Don Callis shows up and puts his hand on Guevara's shoulder, then whispers in his ear. Guevara and Callis then head to the back together.

In footage from earlier today, MJF and Adam Cole show up in a green Ferrari. MJF says he has held a grudge against Samoa Joe for eight years and has made it a chip on his shoulder, and tonight, he takes that chip and bashes Joe's skull in. He says it was bad enough when Joe shoved him, but he took and he took and he wants to take the AEW World Championship and his best friends Adam Cole. He says that he will choke Samoa Joe in front of thousands of New Yorkers and that Joe will hear everyone chant his name as he goes out. Suddenly, Adam Cole gets a call from an agitated Roderick Strong, and after he walks out of shot to take it, MJF tells Joe his ass is his.

Backstage, Renee Paquette interviews Don Callis and Sammy Guevara. Don tells Renee all will be revealed, then Daniel Garcia confronts Callis and Guevara. Guevara wants to fight Garcia, but Callis holds him back.

Rey Fenix beats Jon Moxley with two piledrivers to become the AEW International Champion! (The second piledriver comes after Jon Moxley twitches after the first one, and it is reported after the show that Moxley suffered a mild concussion during the match.)

Backstage, we hear from Samoa Joe, who says that a night of great celebration and consequences is upon himself and MJF, then tells MJF that he will mercilessly smash him from pillar to post in front of his people and take his championship from him.

We see a video package for The Hardys (Jeff and Matt Hardy) vs. The Kingdom (Matt Taven and Mike Bennett) vs. Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta) vs. The Righteous (Vincent and Dutch) for #1 contendership to the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championships on Rampage.

Saraya retains the AEW Women's World Championship against Toni Storm after avoiding being driven into an exposed turnbuckle by a hip attack from Toni Storm.

Before the next match, a MJF parody of the video clip of Bret Hart giving the kid his sunglasses plays, with MJF giving the kid his scarf and whispering to him that he is adopted.

MJF retains the AEW World Championship against Samoa Joe after Samoa Joe knocks MJF into the corner and into the ref, knocking the referee out of the ring and allowing MJF to choke Joe with a foreign object for the Coaquina Clutch. The referee comes to and awards the match to MJF, who hides the evidence under his left arm and almost gets caught when he drops it only to spin the referee around so that Adam Cole - who shows up near the end of the match to will MJF into consciousness out of a Coaquina Clutch - can hide it for him. After the match, Joe shoves Cole, but MJF stands between them. Joe and MJF then shake hands, and Joe walks away.