AEWs Grand Slam: Australia is just days away, but many fans feel scammed by how the event has been handled. Originally promoted as a stadium show at Suncorp Stadium, the event was quietly downsized to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre due to low ticket sales. Now, it turns out the show isnt even a pay-per-view, but instead a regularly televised episode of Collisionsomething that wasnt made clear when tickets first went on sale.
According to Fightful Select, AEW always planned for Grand Slam: Australia to be a TV event, despite the backlash from fans who believed they were purchasing tickets for a major PPV in a stadium.
That may be true from an internal standpoint, but many fans were led to believe otherwise. One angry fan reached out to Ringside News to share their experience trying to get a refund after realizing how much the show had changed.
Fans on Reddits r/SquaredCircle have also been vocal about their frustrations. One user vented about how they felt ripped off, saying:
Another user explained how they convinced their friends to come to the event, only for AEW to downgrade it to a TV show:
One fan was so disheartened that they admitted they wouldnt be too upset if the show was outright canceled:
Others are swearing off AEW altogether, saying that this event has ruined their trust in the company:
One fan who invested thousands of dollars into the event is completely done with AEW:
Adding to the frustration, the venue change to the Brisbane Entertainment Centre means higher travel costs for some attendees:
One would assume that moving to a smaller venue would at least mean better seats, but that hasnt been the case for everyone:
On top of everything else, AEW has changed the broadcast time for Grand Slam: Australia. Originally set for 8 p.m. ET, the show was moved after NBA All-Star Saturday to avoid clashing with TNTs biggest night of the year
Tony Khan spoke with Scott Fishman of TVInsider, claiming this was always the plan:
That explanation isnt sitting well with frustrated ticket holders, who feel like they were never given a clear answer about what kind of event they were paying for.
With Grand Slam: Australia just over a week away, AEW is facing serious backlash. Between venue changes, refund issues, last-minute discount ticket deals, and confusion over what fans were actually buying, AEWs Australian debut is shaping up to be one of its most controversial events ever.
Was this poor communication, or did AEW mislead fans into thinking they were getting something bigger? Drop your thoughts in the comments!
Was this poor communication, or did AEW mislead this many fans into thinking they were getting something bigger? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.
