‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Jun 24th 2023)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW’s latest television show, Collision, which brings wrestling back to Saturday nights! We’ve got a brand new commentary team, Nigel McGuiness and Kevin Kelly, calling the action so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: Hiroshi Tanahashi def. Swerve Strickland
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Swerve and Hiroshi locked up. Tanahashi hit a basement dropkick after Swerve mocked playing the air guitar. Tanahashi caught Swerve with a forearm. Swerve fired back with a low blow, kicking the ropes as Tanahashi was entering. Tanahashi got punted in the face by Swerve. Tanahashi scoop slammed Swerve. Tanahashi used a somersault senton off the second turnbuckle. Swerve answered with a flatliner. Tanahashi unleashed a sling blade clothesline. Tanahashi jumped off the top rope for the High Fly Flow, but Swerve countered by raising his knees. Swerve connected with a short kick to Tanahashi’s knee. Swerve climbed to the top turnbuckle and attempted a double stomp, but Tanahashi dodged it and hit the Sling Blade. Tanahashi climbed to the top turnbuckle and finished off Swerve with the High Fly Flow, pinning Swerve!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Andrade El Idolo def. Brody King (DQ)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Andrade dodged a chop from Brody. Then he dodged a big boot and followed up with a basement dropkick to Brody. Brody was looking for a Death Valley Driver on the apron, but El Idolo shoved him into the ring post. Andrade followed up with a moonsault off the top turnbuckle to Brody King on the arena floor. Brody hoisted Andrade onto the top ring rope and then chopped him, sending Andrade crashing to the arena floor. Back in the ring, like the sound of thunder, Brody chopped Andrade back to the mat. Andrade got to his feet and fired off forearms. Andrade, the 19-year veteran, hit a jawbreaker on Brody King. After a dragon screw, Andrade connected with a cross body. Andrade blasted Brody with a running forearm, landing flush to the jaw of the House of Black member. Andrade charged into Brody King with double knees for a near fall. Brody regained momentum with a Death Valley Driver into the turnbuckles! Brody followed up with a cannonball. Brody picked up Andrade, but his knee gave out. Andrade chop blocked Brody and then applied the figure four leg lock. Julia Hart grabbed Andrade’s mask, distracting him on the apron. Andrade caught Brody with a back elbow and then locked on the Figure Eight! Buddy Matthews jumped into the ring and pummeled Andrade. Brody steamrolled Andrade with a spinning lariat. Buddy held up Andrade and then Brody planted Andrade with a Gonzo Bomb!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #3: Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament Quarter Final Match – Willow Nightingale def. Nyla Rose
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
They charged at each other, but Willow got the upper hand, knocking Nyla off her feet. Willow did a cartwheel and kicked Nyla in the head. “The Native Beast” Nyla Rose scoop slammed Willow. She charged at Willow, but Willow countered with a boot. Willow tried for the Doctor Bomb, but Nyla countered with a suplex. Nyla picked up Nightingale for a powerbomb, but Willow escaped and pounced Nyla! Willow planted Nyla with the Doctor Bomb and pinned her!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #4: Powerhouse Hobbs def. Jeremy Prophet
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Hobbs charged into Jeremy in the corner, bludgeoning him with running elbows. Hobbs crumbled Prophet with clotheslines! Hobbs hit the spinebuster and pinned Prophet, scoring the quick and dominant victory.
My Score: 1 out of 5
Match #5: Bullet Club Gold (Jay White & Juice Robinson) & The Gunns (Austin & Colten Gunn) def. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood), CM Punk & Ricky Starks
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
CM Punk and Jay White began for their respective teams. White flexed and Punk shoved him back. White tagged out to Juice Robinson. Punk took down Juice with a shoulder block and then tagged in Dax Wheeler. Dax slammed Juice, but Juice answered with his own body slam. Dax used a side headlock takedown. Juice splashed Dax with a senton. Austin tagged in and ate some stiff chops from Dax. Dax followed up with a suplex and then Cash Wheeler tagged in. Cash chopped at Austin and tagged to Ricky. Punk tagged back in, but Jay White pushed him into the turnbuckles. They exchanged hard chops. Jay threw Punk through the ropes and to the arena floor. Dax superplexed Juice. Cash hit the Doomsday Device on Juice. Cash went for the cover, but Jay White broke up the pin attempt. Punk crushed Colten with the Demolition elbow for a two-count. Austin tagged in, after a distraction from Jay White, and stomped a mudhole into CM Punk. Jay White lit up Punk’s chest with knife edged chops. He followed up with a Dragon Screw Leg Whip. Juice tagged in and continued to work over Punk’s leg. Punk nailed White with a flying body press off the top rope. Punk connected with a running knee to Jay White’s face. Punk followed up with a swinging neck breaker. The Gunns prevented Punk from making the tag. Juice hoisted up Punk for the GTS, but Punk blocked it. Punk rocked Juice with a high kick. Starks tagged in and cleaned house on the Gunns and Bullet Club Gold. Starks backdropped Austin but White got the blind tag. Starks hit White with Blue Thunder. Starks countered the Blade Runner with a brain buster, but Juice jumped in the ring to break up Starks’ pin attempt on Jay White. Dax spiked Juice with a piledriver. Punk jumped off the top rope, but Jay White caught him and planted him with a uranage! And then White served one out to Starks! Ricky Starks speared Jay White and then speared both the Gunns! While the ref was distracted, Juice Robinson clocked Starks with a closed fist punch. Jay White surprised a dazed Starks with the Blade Runner and pinned him!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
Now THIS is how you do a go-home show for a pay-per-view! Everything was on-point and even the Powerhouse Hobbs squash match worked. The only thing that slowed down proceedings this week was the very old-school promo from Christian Cage, which laid the groundwork for what’s clearly going to be a break-up him Cage and Luchasaurus thanks to Cage’s ego, but felt too soon for this particular story and more like something we’d expect on Dynamite. Tanahashi and Strickland had a great opening match, which was followed by another brilliant match between Andrade and the House of Black – this time the big man Brody King. Even the dusty DQ finish couldn’t spoil this one! Nyla Rose and Willow Nightingale had a great well-balanced match, with the battle of strength mid-match really selling the power of both women. Like Sky Blue, I think WIllow needs to make it all the way in the Owen Hart Tournament – if not all the way to the final – if she doesn’t make the final, she certainly needs to lose thanks to some sort of shenanigans from The Outcasts! As for the main event, this one went long… but with good reason. The time allowed for every participant in this 8-man match to get a spotlight and, thankfully, the winners were NOT who you expected! All of which made for a cracking second episode of AEW: Collision!
