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Rumor Killer On The Ring Size Controversy For AEW Grand Slam Australia

The ring that was used at AEW Grand Slam was smaller than a typical AEW show, but much of what's being said online about it is reportedly false.
Rick Ucchino|
Toni Storm and Mariah May in the Grand Slam main event
Toni Storm and Mariah May in the Grand Slam main event | Ricky Havlik - All Elite Wrestling

It must be a slow news day for the internet wrestling community because there's a great deal of chatter going on about the size of the ring that was used Saturday night at AEW Grand Slam.

Fans who tuned in to watch the show from Brisbane, Australia, or those people who saw clips of the matches online, were quick to point out that the ring looked a bit smaller than what's typically used for an AEW show.

There's a good reason for that. The ring was smaller, but it was not 16x16 as some folks online had claimed. Instead, it was 18x18, according to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select.

Ross Sapp is also dispelling other rumors about the Grand Slam ring, including accusations that AEW didn't properly factor freight times for Brisbane and had to get a ring on loan.

"AEW typically uses a 20x20 ring in the United States, and doesn't ship their rings overseas," Ross Sapp reported Sunday afternoon. "There was no instance of forgetting the ring, not planning freight, or anything like that. The plan was to always use an 18x18 ring -- the same size used by TNA, and that was used by ROH, ECW, WCW and virtually every prominent indie company."

This isn't the first time that AEW has used a smaller ring for one of their shows abroad, or even in the United States. When Thunder Rosa defeated Dr. Britt Baker for the AEW Women's Championship at St. Paddy's Day Slam 2022 in San Antonio, their steel cage match was inside an 18x18 ring.

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Rick Ucchino
RICK UCCHINO

Rick Ucchino is the Assistant Editor & Content Coordinator for The Takedown on SI. He also works full-time for 700WLW Radio in Cincinnati, Ohio as a local news and sports anchor, in addition to his time covering the Cincinnati Bengals for Sirius XM. Rick has been on the professional wrestling beat since 2019, having provided coverage for a number of outlets, including Fightful, SB Nation’s Cageside Seats and the Bleav Podcast Network. With an educational background in theater, creative writing and journalism, Rick focuses primarily on the storytelling aspect of pro wrestling, but he’s no stranger to the squared circle himself. He had the privilege of training with former WWE & WCW cruiserweight Jimmy Wang Yang for nearly two years and retired early due to back issues with a perfect 1-0 record in singles competition. Rick is a married father of two incredibly adorable children, who are budding pro wrestling fans themselves. Much to the chagrin of their mother. You can reach Rick at rwucchino@gmail.com

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