AEW taped Grand Slam: Australia at the Brisbane Entertainment Center on Saturday, airing on TNT following NBA All-Star coverage. The event relocated from the originally planned 52,000-capacity Suncorp Stadium, with AEW CEO Tony Khan clarifying its intended status as a TV special.
During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed the event’s merchandise situation, highlighting a significant supply issue at the international show.
I know that the negative, obviously, besides the sound, I think the other negative was, as far as the live event went… I mean, the big complaint that I heard is they did not bring enough merchandise. They sold out of everything long before the show even started. I mean, they sold out of everything, period, probably by the first match of the show. I mean, like, every single thing. They didn’t bring anywhere near enough. And it’s like, okay… I mean, I guess, you know, you should have enough merchandise. I mean, for a new market, I think that they did… If I remember, when they went to Wembley, it was $17 a head… Okay, so this is the first time in a new market, so they should have had at least enough merchandise for $17 a head. And maybe they did, and they just sold it all out so quickly that it didn’t matter. But, I mean, I just heard a lot… you know, there was only one stand, and it sold out so quickly, and all these people wanted merchandise, and they couldn’t get any.
The strong merchandise demand demonstrated significant fan enthusiasm in the Australian market, despite the venue change from the initial plans.
