‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Jul 29th 2023)

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 McGuiness and Kevin Kelly calling the action, so let’s get into the review!

Match #1: Ladder Match – Andrade El Idolo def. Buddy Matthews

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Julia Hart tried to distract Andrade from the apron, but he wouldn’t shift his focus off a charging Buddy Matthews. Buddy and Andrade began to exchange lefts and rights. Andrade El Idolo connected with a moonsault off a ladder outside the ring and down onto Buddy Matthews. Andrade set up several ladders in the ring. Buddy rallied back, blasting Andrade with several stiff kicks. Andrade tried for the three amigos suplexes, but Buddy blocked the third suplex. Buddy rushed toward Andrade, but Andrade countered by hip tossing Buddy into the ladder. Matthews regained momentum, whipping Andrade into ladders on the arena floor. A ladder was wedged between the ring and the announce table, and Buddy planted Andrade right onto the ladder. Buddy and Andrade brawled on the edge of the ring. Andrade tried to spear Buddy through the ropes, but Matthews caught him with a front face lock and DDT’ed Andrade onto the wedged ladder. Buddy set up another table in the ring. He drove the skull of Andrade into the table. Matthews began to climb a ladder in the center of the ring. Andrade pulled him down and nailed Matthews with a back elbow. Andrade hit a sunset bomb off a ladder and down onto another ladder! Andrade started to scale the ladder in the middle of the ring. Julia Hart whispered to Buddy outside the ring. Matthews climbed back into the ring and yanked Andrade off the ladder. Buddy drove his knee into Andrade. Julia Hart handcuffed Andrade to the ring post. Buddy tried to hit Andrade with a steel chair, but Andrade blocked it with a kick. Buddy inadvertently fell towards Julia, and she mistakenly dropped the key to the handcuff. Andrade was able to reach the key and unlock himself. Andrade grabbed Buddy’s wrist and handcuffed him to the ring post. Andrade began to climb the ladder. Julia gave bolt cutters to Buddy. As Buddy was trying to break himself free, Julia jumped into the ring to stop Andrade from climbing the ladder. Julia lunched onto Andrade’s back, but Andrade kept climbing. Buddy finally broke free and ran into the ring, climbing the other side of the ladder. Andrade knocked Buddy off the ladder. Andrade placed Julia onto the other side of the ladder. She slapped Andrade in the face. Andrade shoved Julia off the ladder, and she plunged backward, onto Buddy, with the momentum forcing both Julia and Buddy through a ladder that was propped against the turnbuckles. Andrade pulled his mask down and won the match!

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #2: Darby Allin def. Minoru Suzuki

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Darby was looking for a fight tonight and Minoru answered the challenge. Darby wasted no time, dropkicking Suzuki as Suzuki was entering the ring. He followed up with a tope suicida. Darby chopped at Suzuki, placed him onto a steel chair, and then hit a shotgun dropkick off the apron and onto Suzuki. Minoru rocked Darby with a forearm in the center of the ring. Suzuki applied a triangle choke. He followed up with a punt kick to Darby. Suzuki charged at Darby and blasted him with a boot to the face. Darby chopped Suzuki and Suzuki laughed if off. Suzuki retaliated with his own chops, which staggered Darby. Darby fired back with a flurry of offense. Darby went for a Coffin Drop but as he crash landed onto Suzuki, Suzuki countered with a sleeper hold. Darby used his own momentum, rolling backwards but holding onto Suzuki and pinning him!

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #3: Samoa Joe def. Gravity

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Gravity hit Samoa Joe with forearms to the back. Gravity taunted Samoa Joe until Joe kicked him in the midsection. Gravity took down Joe with a hurracanrana. Samoa Joe charged at Gravity with a forearm in the corner. Gravity jumped off the top turnbuckle, but Joe dodged him and then taunted him. Samoa Joe followed up with a senton to Gravity. Samoa Joe jabbed at Gravity. Samoa Joe finished Gravity with the muscle buster and pinned him.

My Score: 0 out of 5

Match #4: Bullet Club Gold (Juice Robinson & The Gunns – Austin & Colten Gunn) def. Action Andretti, Darius Martin & El Hijo Del Vikingo

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Colten and Darius locked up with Colten backing Darius into the corner. Darius fired back with a high cross body. Action and Darius hit the Gunns with double dropkicks. Vikingo nailed Colten with a double stomp. He tagged Action who connected with a double back elbow onto the Gunns. Andretti and Martin launched El Hijo Del Vikingo over the ring post and out onto the member of Bullet Club Gold outside the ring. Colten smashed Andretti with a forearm to the back of the head. The Gunns rocked Martin with the 3:10 to Yuma and pinned him!

My Score: 2.5 out of 5

Match #5: Mercedes Martinez def. Kiera Hogan

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Martinez rocked Hogan with a big boot and then stomped on her in the corner. Kiera rallied back with a dropkick. Martinez planted Hogan face first. Martinez spiked Hogan with a brain buster for a near fall. Martinez hit Hogan with a neck breaker off the turnbuckles. Hogan regained control of the bout because Martinez didn’t put Hogan away when she had the opportunity. Hogan scored with a thrust kick. Martinez suplexed Hogan, driving the shoulder down through the mat. Martinez clocked Hogan with the bayonet. Martinez locked in the Brass City Sleeper and forced Hogan to tap out!

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #6: AEW World Tag Team Championship Match – FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) def. MJF & Adam Cole

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Dax took down Cole with a headlock takeover. Dax chopped at Cole. Cash tagged in and slingshot over the ropes with a shoulder tackle to Cole. Adam Cole rattled Cash Wheeler with a kick to the head. MJF tagged in and called for the double clothesline. Dax grabbed Cash before MJF and Cole could connect with the double clothesline. MJF tagged in and called out Dax. Harwood scoop slammed MJF. Dax whipped MJF into the ropes and MJF jumped over him with a leapfrog. When MJF landed he immediately clutched his ankle. But it was just MJF playing possum. MJF and Dax hit each other with open palm strikes. Wheeler tagged in and FTR isolated MJF from his corner, preventing him from tagging Adam Cole. MJF rocked FTR with a double DDT! Cole tagged in and cleaned house on FTR. Cole connected with the Last Shot on Cash for a near fall. Cole hit the Lung Blower on Cash. Harwood made a tag and used an O’Connor Roll on Cole for a near fall. Cole fired back with a superkick for a two-count on Dax. MJF tagged in and Cash did too. Cash held MJF for a piledriver but Cole superkicked Cash. This allowed MJF to cradle Cash for a near fall! MJF spiked Cash with another piledriver for another near fall. MJF and Cole called for the double clothesline. Harwood broke up the double clothesline attempt by pulling MJF out of the ring. Cole tried to kick Harwood, but Harwood ducked and then Cash rolled up Cole for a near fall. Wheeler rammed Cole into the turnbuckles. FTR attempted a double suplex, but Cole fought his way out of the corner. Dax superplexed Cole and then Cash crashed down onto Cole with a splash from the top! Cole kicked out at two! Harwood allowed Cole to tag out to MJF. They traded forearms and chops. MJF poked Dax in the eyes. Harwood hit a slingshot powerbomb for a near fall on MJF. Harwood was looking for the Panama Sunrise himself, but Cole knocked him off his perch when the referee wasn’t looking. As the ref was admonishing Cole, MJF kicked the turnbuckle between Dax’s legs. MJF covered Dax for the pin, but Cash pulled MJF off him. Adam Cole was looking to lower the boom, but Cash dazed him with a European Uppercut. FTR were looking for the Shatter Machine on Cole, but MJF shoved Cole out of harm’s way. MJF attempted to hit the Heat Seeker on Cash, but Dax rolled up MJF from behind with the O’Connor Roll and scored the victory!

My Score: 4 out of 5

Final Verdict: 3.5/5

Hi all, before I get into the verdict I just want to point out a change to the rating system. Going forward ALL squash matches will get 0 points… Why? Well in the past I gave them 1 out of 5 but some matches across ALL the major wrestling companies are getting so bad that 2 points for a bad match is too generous. You may have noticed I’ve been slipping in some 1.5 score but now I think we’re going to have to reserve the 1-star rating for a truly bad match. So squashes get 0 points… Hope that makes sense! On to this week’s final verdict…

Well what a great episode of Collision this week, probably the best all-round episode of AEW wrestling this past week. This show opened with a brutal and brilliant Ladder Match and closed with an even better tag team title match that also continued the fantastic MJF/Adam Cole storyline with aplomb. Plus we got the best women’s match of the week and the appearance of Minoru Suzuki! The only downside to this week’s episode was the over-long CM Punk promo – it felt like it was dragging BEFORE Ricky Starks even came down to the ring! And once again, this week’s Collision places Rampage firmly and the third show in AEW’s roster…