AEW Grand Slam: France Preview – Will Ospreay Defends AEW World Title Against Kazuchika Okada, AEW Women’s World Champion Mercedes Moné vs. Queen Aminata, More
Bonjour, France! AEW Grand Slam: France hits your screens on a special Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on TBS and HBO Max from Adidas Arena in Paris, France, marking AEW's debut in Paris. Both the AEW World Championship and AEW Women’s World Championship will be up for grabs as part of four championship matches, in addition to a Clockwork Carnage Qualifier, with AEW WrestleDream just 11 days away in Orlando on October 17.
AEW World Champion "The Aerial Assassin" Will Ospreay defends his title against a man he knows extremely well, AEW International Champion "The Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada, after calling out Okada following AEW All Out. AEW Women's World Champion "The CEO" Mercedes Moné has a very dangerous challenge coming from the hard-hitting Queen Aminata, who called her shot over the weekend on Collision.
Plus, TNT Champion Darby Allin risks his title against the man who technically never lost the TNT Championship, "The Protostar" Kyle Fletcher. "Jungle" Jack Perry finally gets the match he's been asking for against Samoa Joe, and the stakes are high, with a spot in Clockwork Carnage at WrestleDream on the line. AEW World Trios Champion Kofi has his sights on more gold, so he challenged ROH World Champion Bandido to face him tonight.
Check out everything you need to know for this special night in Paris!
AEW Grand Slam: France Tonight in Paris
AEW World Championship Match: "The Aerial Assassin" Will Ospreay (c) vs. AEW International Champion "The Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada
After finally beating Jon Moxley for the first time at All Out to retain his AEW World Championship, Ospreay’s confidence was soaring, so he didn't pick an easy next challenger. He chose Okada, a man he knows extremely well – but does Okada know him even better? Their history stretches back to their first meeting in 2015 and their days in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. That history has not been kind to Ospreay, who is 2-9 against Okada in singles competition. It took five tries for Ospreay to get his first win over Okada, which came in the 2020 G1 Climax. Okada got one back on Ospreay when he beat him months later at Wrestle Kingdom 15. A year later, Okada beat Ospreay again, this time in defense of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship. Ospreay’s only other win over Okada came in the 2023 G1 Climax. They have faced off only once in AEW, with Okada defeating Ospreay to win the 2024 Continental Classic.
Okada comes in fresh off retaining the AEW International Championship against Tommaso Ciampa in a tremendous first-time battle at All Out. And looming over all of this is the massive task at hand for whoever walks out as AEW World Champion, as they’ll have to defend against seven challengers in the first Clockwork Carnage at WrestleDream. Ospreay knows all about this, having worked with Tony Khan to put the multi-stage match together. But first, he has to get through Okada in Paris. Does Ospreay finally break through to win his first championship showdown with Okada? Or will Okada make history as the first man to hold the AEW World Championship and AEW International Championship simultaneously?
AEW Women's World Championship Match: "The CEO" Mercedes Moné (c) vs. Queen Aminata
AEW Women’s World Champion Mercedes Moné is ready for Thekla, who earned a shot at the AEW Women's World Title at WrestleDream with her win over Willow Nightingale at All Out. Moné even blindsided Thekla backstage on Collision when Thekla came looking for her. But that’s not all that went down on Saturday night. Queen Aminata defeated Julia Hart for her third straight singles win on Collision over top competition, which earned her a shot at the AEW Women’s World Championship. So before Moné gets to WrestleDream in Orlando, Queen Aminata is coming for her in Paris. Aminata lived in France, and she knows there's no better place to crown the Queen. Can Moné get past a red-hot challenger and move on to Thekla at WrestleDream, or will Aminata be crowned with the AEW Women’s World Title?
TNT Championship Match: Darby Allin (c) vs. Don Callis Family's "The Protostar" Kyle Fletcher
Darby Allin walked into All Out with Steven Borden at his side trying to secure a shot at the AEW World Tag Team Titles and left with a very different outlook after a doctor's stoppage ended their match with Fletcher and Kevin Knight. Watching Borden get taken out on a stretcher put everything in perspective for Allin, who says what makes him feel most alive is risking everything, including the TNT Championship itself. So he has given Fletcher, who never lost the title and had it taken from him while injured, a shot to win it back, fair and square. It will be the second of two championship opportunities for Fletcher in the near future, as he’ll team with Knight to face AEW World Tag Team Champions the Young Bucks at WrestleDream. Allin is always looking for the next peak to reach, but is he handing Fletcher a golden opportunity to become a three-time TNT Champion?
Clockwork Carnage Qualifier: "Jungle" Jack Perry vs. Samoa Joe of The Opps
Jack Perry got the match he's been asking for, and as fate might have it, the stakes will be even higher than expected. After beating Katsuyori Shibata of The Opps at the All Out Tailgate Brawl to get his chance at Samoa Joe, Perry found himself face-to-face with the man himself. Joe’s return was a painful one for Perry, as his handshake was answered with a thunderous headbutt. Perry has said he's willing to risk what Joe might do to him because Joe has something he wants. Joe understands Perry’s mission: he has to beat killers to become one, but when the fire finishes raging in Paris, Perry had better hope there's something left of him.
Who will walk out of Paris victorious and move on to fight for the AEW World Title in Clockwork Carnage at WrestleDream? Does Perry prove he belongs in the same ring as a killer like Joe, or does Joe burn away Perry’s chances?
ROH World Championship Match: ROH World Champion Bandido (c) vs. AEW World Trios Champion Kofi
After a huge win over the longest-reigning ROH Pure Champion in history, Lee Moriarty, on Collision, Kofi set his sights on more gold. The New Level said they aren't satisfied with just the AEW World Trios Titles, so Kofi called out Bandido for the ROH World Championship in Paris, after they met during the AEW World Trios Championship match at All Out last weekend. Does Kofi add another world championship to his legendary résumé, or does Bandido continue to prove why he's one of the greatest ROH World Champions of all time?
AEW Continental Champion Jon Moxley & Gabe Kidd vs. Don Callis Family’s Mark Davis & Jake Doyle
Doyle didn’t get enough of Moxley when they met in the excellent main event of this past Saturday’s Collision in a Continental Eliminator match, so tonight, he’ll team with Davis to face Moxley and Gabe Kidd. If you’re wincing in pain just thinking about how hard these four maulers are going to hit each other, then you also know just how great it will be to witness this tag team tussle with a backdrop of Paris!
How to Watch AEW Grand Slam: France
Date: SPECIAL NIGHT - Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Start Time: 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT
Location: adidas Arena – Paris, France
TV: TBS
Streaming: HBO Max
