‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Jan 27th 2024)

Welcome to this week’s review of AEW’s latest television show, Collision, which brings wrestling back to Saturday nights! We’ve got the commentary team of Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly and Tony Schiavone calling the action, so let’s get into the review!

Match #1: Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli) def. Shane Taylor Promotions (Lee Moriarty & Shane Taylor)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

The teams brawled around ringside. Moxley choked Shane Taylor with his Blackpool Combat Club t-shirt. Taylor decked Moxley with a stiff shot, knocking Mox to the mat. Taylor mauled Mox in the corner with forearms. Moxley dodged a splash and tagged out to Claudio. Claudio rocked Taylor with European Uppercuts. Lee Moriarty jumped in and put Claudio in an octopus hold while Taylor hit Claudio with a cheap shot. Taylor whipped Moxley into the metal ring steps. Claudio charged at Taylor, but Taylor moved; Claudio’s own momentum carried him into and over the steel guardrail. Shane Taylor used his bulk and dropped a leg on Claudio on the apron. Claudio fought out of the opposition’s corner until Lee trapped him with a suplex and then an arm bar. Taylor tagged in and slammed Claudio. Taylor followed up with his second leg drop of the match. Claudio blocked a suplex attempt from Shane Taylor and walloped Taylor with a vertical suplex of his own. Moxley tagged in and cleaned house. Moxley hoisted up Lee and planted him with a release suplex. Moxley ate an elbow from Lee. Lee climbed the turnbuckles, about to go for a dropkick, when Claudio jumped in and shoved Moxley out of harm’s way. Claudio caught Moriarty and placed him in the Giant Swing! Shane Taylor entered the ring, and he slugged it out with Claudio. Claudio knocked Taylor out of the ring with a lariat. Lee snuck up behind Moxley, but Moxley stuffed him with a cutter! Taylor tagged in but Claudio came in from behind, grabbed Taylor, and Moxley nearly decapitated Taylor with the Hart Attack. Claudio pounced on Taylor with a double foot stomp! Moxley captured Taylor’s wrists and stomped on Taylor’s head. Moxley locked in a rear naked choke on Taylor and won the match via ref stoppage!

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #2: AEW International Championship Match – Orange Cassidy def. Komander

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Orange and Komander chain wrestled at the start of the match. They went to a stalemate. Finally, Orange blasted Komander with a Stundog Millionaire and a spinning DDT. The Undisputed Kingdom walked down the ramp and set up chairs ringside, looking to scout the match. Komander rattled Cassidy with a DDT! Orange regained momentum with a thrust kick. Komander came back with a Destroyer and then a lung blower for a near fall on Cassidy. Komander frog splashed Orange, but Orange kicked out at the two-count. Orange grabbed Komander and bashed him with the Beach Break out of nowhere! Komander ducked the Orange Punch and then took down Orange with a hurracanrana for a near fall. Roderick distracted the referee while the Kingdom held back Orange. Roddy was motioning to Komander, perched up on the ropes, telling him the door was open. Komander ran the tight tope, leaped off the top, but Orange moved! Komander crashed into Mike Bennett and Matt Taven! Komander jumped back into the ring, but Orange wasted no time and drilled Komander with the Orange Punch and scored the pin!

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #3: Mariah May def. Lady Frost

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Mariah May shoved Lady Frost. Lady Frost fired off an ice cold chop. Mariah May yanked Lady Frost by the hair. Mariah May thawed out Frost with a shotgun dropkick. Mariah May ducked a kick but Lady Frost flung May with a release German Suplex. Lady Frost spiked Mariah May with the Chiller Driller. Mariah May retaliated with a dropkick off the top rope. Lady Frost clobbered Mariah with a handspring into a cannonball. Lady Frost climbed to the top turnbuckle, but Mariah met her up there. Mariah May nailed Lady Frost with May Day and pinned Lady Frost!

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #4: Continental Crown Championship Eliminator Match – Eddie Kingston def. Willie Mack

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Willie Mack charged at Kingston and booted him. Mack smashed Kingston with a brain buster for a near fall! Willie Mack clobbered Kingston with a big splash in the corner and followed up with a standing moonsault for a two-count! Kingston chopped and kicked Mack, rebounding nicely. Eddie launched Mack with an Exploder Suplex. Mack power bombed Kingston for a near fall. They exchanged chops in the center of the ring, blistering the chest of one another. Willie staggered the champ with a short jab. Willie hit a stunner. Willie went for the six-star frog splash, but Eddie countered by raising his knees into Willie’s ribs. Kingston cracked Mack with the spinning backfist and pinned Mack!

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #5: Bryan Danielson def. Yuji Nagata

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Nagata grabbed a wrist lock on Bryan. Bryan escaped and locked up with Nagata. Nagata lit up Bryan with kicks and stomps in the corner. Bryan returned in kind. Bryan suplexed Nagata and tried to lock in an arm bar. Nagata rolled to the ropes, forcing the ref to break the hold. Danielson started to work on Nagata’s knees, dropkicking Nagata’s knee as he was trapped in the ropes. Danielson followed up with a shotgun dropkick from the top. Danielson smashed Nagata with the hammer and anvil elbow strikes. Nagata fired back with an exploder suplex. Nagata was looking for the Nagata Lock. Danielson was struggling to escape. Danielson reversed it and applied a heel hook. Nagata escaped and cracked Danielson with the Justice Boot. Danielson tried to headbutt Nagata off the top rope, but Nagata wouldn’t go down, Blue Justice showing off his monstrous fighting spirit. Nagata hit an avalanche exploder and then put Danielson in the Fujiwara Arm Bar. Danielson reached the ropes with his boots, forcing the ref to break the hold. Danielson used a dragon screw leg whip on Nagata. Danielson and Nagata traded round kicks. Danielson caught Nagata in the back of the head with a kick. Danielson rocked Nagata with a running knee strike and pinned Nagata!

My Score: 4 out of 5

Match #6: Serena Deeb def. Robyn Renegade

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Robyn slapped Deeb and Deeb slapped her right back. Deeb knocked Renegade down with a lariat. Deeb rocked Robyn with a neck breaker. Deeb drilled Renegade with the Deeb Tox. Deeb applied the Serenity Lock and forced Renegade to tap out!

My Score: 0 out of 5

Match #7: Six-Man Elimination Steel Cage Match – Mark Briscoe & FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) def. The House of Black (Brody King, Buddy Matthews & Malakai Black)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

It appeared that Mark Briscoe was replacing the injured Daniel Garcia. As Briscoe was making his entrance, the lights went out. When the lights returned, the House of Black stood behind Briscoe. They threw him off the ramp and sent him crashing through a table below. FTR sprinted up the ramp, but they were outnumbered by the House of Black. Cash grabbed two tables from beneath the ring. Buddy catapulted Dax into the steel cage! Garcia appeared on the ramp, throwing a steel chair at Brody! Black backdropped a bandaged up Garcia onto the ramp. Malakai threw Garcia and Dax into the ring. The House of Black triple teamed Dax in the ring. Cash climbed to the top of the cage, jumped off the very top, and wiped out the entire House of Black below! Dax planted Malakai Black with a spinebuster. Brody cracked Cash with the Bossman Slam. Buddy and Malakai hurled Garcia into the cage. The House of Black began to scale the cage. FTR and Garcia pulled the House of Black down, preventing them from escaping the cage and winning the match. FTR walked to the cage door. The ref opened the door. Garcia stopped FTR and said, “We’re not done with them yet!” FTR hit the Shatter Machine on Black. Brody King retaliated on FTR. Matthews destroyed Dax with a kick. Cash curb stomped Matthews. Dax rocked Black with a brain buster. Dax was leaving the cage when Brody speared him! Both men escaped the cage. Matthews scored with a meteora on Garcia. Matthews began to scale the chain link, but Cash climbed up after him. Buddy rammed Cash’s head into the cage. Cash lost his grip and plummeted down, crashing onto a table at ringside. Garcia rammed Black into the cage, knocking Buddy off the cage and threw the other table! Black caught Garcia with a knee strike! Garcia rallied back with a running lariat. Julia Hart appeared out of nowhere, scaled the cage, and sprayed black mist into Garcia’s eyes. Malakai ordered the referee to open the cage door. Garcia screamed at Black, “Come and finish me!” Daniel Garcia ducked a roundhouse kick from Black! Garcia drilled Black with a piledriver onto a steel chair! Garcia, still blinded, began to climb the wall of the cage while Black crawled to the cage door! Mark Briscoe slammed the cage door in Black’s face! Garcia managed to escape the cage! FTR and Daniel Garcia celebrated with Mark Briscoe!

My Score: 4 out of 5

Final Verdict: 4/5

Well AEW didn’t roll over and put on a weak show to go up head-to-head with the Royal Rumble did they? Good god no! This was one hell of a show and it was only a weekly episode. Honestly, the last two matches on this week’s episode of Collision were pay-per-view worthy affairs. LOVED seeing Bryan Danielson going up against Nagata and that cage match was, honestly, a masterpiece of storytelling and took Daniel Garcia to the next level. Definitely time for him to leave the dancing behind. An unmissable show!