Grand Slam Australia recap & reactions: Happy ending for Toni Storm (2025)

Saturday night is alright for fighting. AEW traveled to Australia for Grand Slam (Feb. 15, 2025) from the Brisbane Entertainment Centre. The special episode featured Toni Storm winning the women’s world title, Jon Moxley choking out Adam Copeland, Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay beating the Callis Family with a cool combo finisher, Mercedes Moné feeling the wrath of Harley Cameron, and Buddy Matthews earning the respect of Kazuchika Okada.

Happy ending

I’d wager that Timeless Toni Storm is no stranger to happy endings. This one came in the ring.

Timeless returned to Australia to challenge Mariah May for the AEW Women’s World Championship in the main event of the evening. They started the mood right with furious fisticuffs. Storm fired up for six consecutive German suplexes. Mariah gained control with a Mayday driver on the floor.

The match kicked up to a higher level of drama when Storm surprised Mariah with the Mayday driver.

Storm continued the onslaught for three running hip attacks and the Storm Zero piledriver. This felt like the end for Mariah, but the Glamour kicked out at 2.

Mariah dug deep to rally for two straight Mayday drivers. Would AEW really deny Timeless her moment of glory? 1, 2, Storm kicked out!

Drama increased even higher when Storm came back for another piledriver, however, Mariah wisely rolled out of the ring to avoid the pinfall.

Mariah was back in the driver’s set with a headbutt then a piledriver. The Glamour went to finish her nemesis with Mayday. Storm escaped to counter for a roll-up. 1, 2, 3! New champion.

What a glorious moment. That is how satisfaction feels when happy endings are done right. The highly expected outcome was Storm winning the world title once again in her home land. AEW delivered that result to give the people what they want. They also paced the match for enough twists to make the ride exciting.

Let’s jam through the rest of Collision.

Kenny Omega & Will Ospreay defeated Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher. The Dream Team hit a flying Hidden Blade One Winged Angel combo to win. (Full details here.)

AEW was running late with NBA All-Star Saturday Night as the lead-in. I was curious which match would be the opening choice to capture new fans, and this one makes sense. AEW is where the best wrestle, so why not showcase the best of the best doing what they do best. This tag match was most representative of the AEW style than the rest of the card. Omega, Ospreay, Takeshita, and Fletcher tore up the ring with athleticism and high-octane action. The finish combo was awesome. Great job on production for the camera angle capturing the maneuver. I never spent time thinking about a Hidden Blade One Winged Angel, so the surprise factor of creativity made the combo a special moment.

In terms of story, the Callis Family targeted Omega’s midsection. He sold that he’s not back to peak form yet after diverticulitis recovery. Ospreay was a true babyface protecting his partner at times of trouble. Despite the pain, Omega still rocked the ring. The fallout was a promo for Revolution which should lead Omega to an international title match with Takeshita, while Ospreay finishes his feud with Fletcher inside a steel cage.

TBS Championship: Mercedes Moné (c) defeated Harley Cameron to retain the title. Feel the wrath! Harley was cruising with offense, then she missed the target on a flipping senton. Mercedes took advantage to finish with the Moné Maker. (Full details here.) On the way out, Mercedes taunted Momo Watanabe, who was seated ringside.

This was Harley’s highest profile match to date, and she knocked it out of the park. There was a nice blend of action and comedy with the Mercedes puppet.

Harley didn’t have the storybook ending of winning the TBS title, but this match legitimizes her character in the ring. Taking comedy characters seriously is a tough line to straddle. AEW booked it well for Harley to become a wrestler who happens to funny. Credit to Mercedes in being a great foil for Harley to work off of.

Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli defeated Adam Copeland & “Switchblade” Jay White in a Brisbane Brawl. Wheeler Yuta was the difference. His physical interference helped the Death Riders turn the tide to victory. Moxley choked out Copeland for the win. (Full details here.)

Lots of chaotic action for a fun vibe. Everyone had their moments to shine. Copeland didn’t hold back on his body. He jumped off the second deck for a double axe handle. He was powerbombed off the apron through a table. Copeland also delivered his fair share of blows with spears to Claudio (through a table) and Moxley.

Cope even showed his violent side with a barbed wire chair to strike Mox. He was close to hitting a conchairto on Moxley if not for Yuta making the save. It is a perplexing decision to have Mox choke out Cope in the end, and I don’t say that in a bad way. It makes it tough to guess what is coming next in the story. AEW often ties stories by revisiting the past, so I’m curious to see how this action comes full circle in the Revolution world title bout. Imagine Copeland winning via conchairto. The roof would blow. It’s also nice to see Moxley regain some edge. Yes, it was the routine numbers win, however, Moxley was extra aggressive at the end rather than fleeing to safety.

AEW Continental Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) defeated Buddy Matthews to retain the title. Okada grabbed the referee, then he hit a mule kick on Matthews. Rainmaker lariat sealed the deal. (Full details here.)

The back and forth middle finger antics were amusing. When it was time for business, Matthews kicked ass. His momentum was building after kicking out of the Rainmaker to where I genuinely wondered if we would have a new champion. They had the crowd in the palm of their hands when Okada reached the ropes with his foot to break the pin from Matthews’ Law finisher.

Stud of the Show: Harley Cameron

Harley stepped up to shine in the biggest match of her career to date.

Match of the Night: Toni Storm vs. Mariah May

Each match on the card has a case for this honor to a varying degree. I’m rolling with the women’s title bout as a satisfying conclusion to the story.

Grade: A

Excellent night of wrestling.

Share your thoughts about AEW Grand Slam Australia. How do you rate it? What were your favorite moments from the episode? Who impressed you the most?