‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Nov 27th 2025)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Collision, which this week aired on Thanksgiving night in a special time/day presentation. We’ve got the commentary team of Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness calling the action. Also, AEW’s official recaps are getting rather long, so we’ll be abbreviating them where we can to save your eyes! With that, let’s get into the review…
Match #1: Continental Classic Gold League Match – PAC def. “Speedball” Mike Bailey
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Night Two of the 2025 Continental Classic opened on Thanksgiving Collision with PAC aiming to stay perfect in the tournament against Speedball Mike Bailey. With no Death Riders allowed at ringside, PAC took early control, chopping Bailey down, suplexing him on the floor, and grinding him with cravats, boots, and turnbuckle shots. Bailey fired back with stiff kicks, a standing Shooting Star Press, and a gorgeous triangle moonsault to the outside. After the break, PAC launched Bailey halfway across the ring with a top-rope throw, but Speedball answered with knees to the gut and more rapid-fire strikes. The two traded head kicks until they both spilled outside, repeatedly beating the count in a series of desperate exchanges. PAC spiked Speedball with a German on the floor, but Bailey survived long enough to hit a poisonrana and a flurry of kicks. He went for the Ultima Weapon, missed, and PAC crushed him with a lariat before locking in The Brutalizer. Bailey went out cold, giving PAC the win and three more points in the Gold League.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #2: Daniel Garcia def. Daddy Magic
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Daddy Magic hit the ring all business, barking at Garcia and jawing at Mox on commentary. After a tense staredown, they locked up, trading control in the corners before Menard shoved Garcia down and unloaded punches and clubbing shots. The fight spilled outside, where Magic whipped Garcia into the barricade, smashed him into the steps, and kept jawing at Mox between attacks. Garcia finally fought back in the ring with punches and taunts, even faking his old dance as Menard rose bleeding just before the commercial break. After returning, the two traded stiff blows mid-ring. Menard absorbed a lariat, landed one of his own, and mounted Garcia for more punches before trying a piledriver. Garcia countered into a Boston crab, then survived Magic’s reversal by reaching the ropes. Outside again, Garcia DDT’d Menard, smashed him into the desk, and dropkicked the steps into him. Menard barely beat the 10-count, mocked Garcia’s dance, and nearly stole a pin. Garcia answered with brutal chops, a wild strike exchange, and finally locked in a choke. Menard faded, the ref stopped it, and Garcia claimed the win.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #3: MxM TV Casting Call – Dalton Castle & The Outrunners (Turbo Floyd & Truth Magnum) def. MxM TV (Mason Madden, Mansoor & Johnny TV)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
MxM TV hit the stage in full Oz cosplay, with Mansoor trash-talking Nashville before issuing an open Casting Call. The response? Dalton Castle and The Outrunners, who made a detour to greet Castle’s “third-best friend” Michael Ray before heading to the ring—only to get jumped from behind by MxM TV. Johnny TV and Taya mauled Castle on the floor, while chaos broke out inside the ring. Castle recovered just in time to stop Mason Madden, allowing Magnum to powerbomb Mansoor and tag in Turbo Floyd. The Outrunners ran wild until Madden cut them off with a huge boot. MxM posed mockingly, but Turbo dodged and tagged in Castle—still in his jumpsuit. Castle suplexed Johnny TV all over the ring while The Outrunners repeatedly crotched Madden on the top rope. Once free, Madden walked straight into another suplex, setting up Total Recall, the Double Bi Double Elbow Drop, and finally Castle’s Bang-a-Rang on Mansoor for the three-count.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: Eddie Kingston def. Katsuyori Shibata
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Shibata hit the ring first, but Kingston met him on the ramp, motioning for a fight. They brawled immediately, with Shibata ripping up ringside padding to batter Eddie and teasing a knockout kick before landing a sharp shot to the face. He finally rolled Kingston inside, and the bell sounded. Kingston fired off chops and hit a double-underhook suplex for two, but Shibata answered with a choke in the corner, a suplex, and vicious boot scrapes. He picked Kingston apart with snapmares, wrist-locks, and stomps to both arms, refusing to let up even as Eddie reached the ropes. They traded heavy shots going into the break. Returning, Kingston battled back with a furious chop exchange and an exploder. Shibata snuck in a low blow using Eddie’s own arm, but the ref caught it and stopped the follow-up arm-bar. Both reset in opposite corners; Shibata charged, Eddie booted him in the face, then planted him with a clean DDT for the three-count. Kingston wins.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #5: Thekla def. Tay Melo
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Thekla hit the ring first, with Melo greeting the Nashville crowd before the bell — and immediately getting dragged down by her hair. They scrapped on the mat until Melo gained control with elbows and a kick to the back, locking in a reverse gogoplata. Thekla reached the ropes, then blasted Melo with a kick that sent both women crashing to the ramp, where Thekla suplexed her as we went to break. During the commercial, Thekla dominated outside and inside the ring, mixing crossfaces, eye-gouging, and turnbuckle shots. Back live, Melo fought out of the ropes, absorbed Thekla’s strikes, then fired up with a trio of pump kicks in the corner followed by a big boot for two. Melo tried for a suplex, trading jaw shots with Thekla — who laughed through the pain — before Thekla stunned her and locked in the Death Trap. Melo rolled through for a near fall, dodged one kick but took another, then cut off Thekla’s spear attempt with a knee for another two-count. A Gotch-style piledriver wasn’t enough either. Melo set up for the Tay-KO, but Thekla stomped her foot, hit a spear, then finished with a head stomp for the win.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #6: Continental Classic Blue League Match – Konosuke Takeshita def. Roderick Strong
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Takeshita and Strong opened with a collar-and-elbow tie-up and a brief test of strength, with both men trading holds and counters until Strong grabbed a headlock. Takeshita powered out, reversed into an abdominal stretch, and the two reset before Takeshita muscled Strong into the corner. Strong answered with a sharp backbreaker, heavy chops, and a dropkick that sent Takeshita outside. When he followed, Takeshita reversed and blasted him with a Blue Thunder Bomb on the barricade heading into the break. Takeshita stayed in control through the commercial, but Strong fired back with a crisp dropkick and a high-angle suplex, then peppered Takeshita with corner-to-corner strikes. He nearly locked in the Strong Hold, but Takeshita reached the ropes. The Alpha answered with another Blue Thunder Bomb for two. After resetting, Takeshita nailed a running boot, took Strong up top, but Strong countered with a backbreaker off the ropes for a near fall. They traded suplex counters until Strong hit a gutbuster and another backbreaker, only for Takeshita to roll through, hit Chaos Theory for two, and crush Strong with the Power Drive knee. One Raging Fire later, Takeshita secured the three-count.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
AEW served up a hearty Thanksgiving helping on Collision this week, delivering a show that felt both celebratory and surprisingly substantial. The Continental Classic momentum continued to give the show real backbone, with tournament matches anchoring the card and keeping the stakes high. The wrestling had a welcome sense of urgency – nobody felt like they were taking the holiday off, and several bouts pushed way beyond “solid TV match” territory into genuinely gripping territory. Add in a few well-timed character beats and promos (as usual, Kingston KILLED his promo) that nudged storylines forward without dragging the pacing, and Collision maintained a lively rhythm from bell to bell. Production-wise, the show had a remarkable big-fight feel that was still fun, focused, and full of energy. A strong, satisfying Thanksgiving special that left plenty to be thankful for.
