‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Oct 28th 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 McGuinness, Kevin Kelly and Tony Schiavone calling the action, with JR commentating on the main event as well this week, so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: “Switchblade” Jay White def. AR Fox
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Jay White grappled Fox to the mat with a side headlock takedown. Fox came back with a cutter. Fox followed up with a swift kick to Jay White, knocking White out of the ring. Fox nailed Jay White with a shooting star press, posting off the turnbuckles and landing on White on the arena floor. Back in the ring, Jay White threw Fox into the turnbuckles with a half and half suplex. Jay White spiked AR Fox with a DDT. AR Fox regained momentum, hitting Bullet Club Gold with a tope con hiro, and then he hit one on Jay White! AR Fox smashed Jay White with a twisting vertical suplex and then a 450 splash off the top for a near fall on “Switchblade”! Jay White rocked Fox with a half and half suplex and then finished him off with the Blade Runner, scoring the pin.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: The Gunns (Austin & Colten) def. The Boys (Brandon & Brent)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The Boys showed off their quickness, getting in some great tandem offense on Austin. The Gunns fired back with the 3:10 to Yuma and won in decisive fashion.
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #3: AEW Women’s World Championship Match – Hikaru Shida def. Abadon
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Shida and Abadon locked up. Abadon was looking to bite Shida, but Shida kicked her away. Abadon grabbed a skeleton bone and swung it at Shida, but Shida countered with a dropkick. Abadon hid under the ring and tried to pull Shida under the ring. Abadon snuck up from the other side and ambushed Shida. Abadon cracked Shida across the back with a trash can lid. Abadon and Shida collided against each other with double clotheslines, both having the same idea. Abadon found a baseball bat, but Shida got behind Abadon and choked her with it. Abadon cracked Shida with a kick in the face. Abadon poured out a bucket of candy and smashed Shida with a blockbuster on the candy. Shida rocked Abadon with a shot from the kendo stick. Shida placed a pumpkin on top of Abadon’s head and smashed her with the katana kick, scoring the pinfall victory!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: ROH World Television Championship Match – Samoa Joe def. Rhett Titus
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Rhett wrenched on Samoa Joe’s wrist. Samoa Joe bulldozed his way right through Titus. Samoa Joe drove Titus down with jabs in the corner. Samoa Joe chopped at Titus. Rhett Titus jumped off the top turnbuckle, but Samoa Joe simply walked out of the way. Rhett Titus ran into Samoa Joe with two big boots. He went for a third time, but Samoa Joe planted Titus and then forced Titus to tap out!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #5: Ricky Starks def. Dax Harwood
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Before the match began the lights in the arena went dark. The lights came back on, and The House of Black were seen scouting the match. Dax and Starks chain wrestled. They traded arm drags. Dax grabbed a side headlock takeover. Dax tried for a diving headbutt, but Ricky moved out of the way. Starks nailed Dax with a leg drop across the throat while Dax was on the edge of the ring. Dax went for a baseball slide, but Starks trapped him in the ring skirt. Starks started to pummel him with shots and then nailed him with a suplex on the ramp. Dax rallied back and superplexed Ricky Starks. Both men hit the mat hard! Ricky rammed Harwood with a lariat. Dax clobbered Ricky with strikes. Dax grabbed an inside cradle for a near fall. Dax blocked a tornado DDT and countered with a brainbuster for a near fall on Starks. Starks went for the spear, but Dax cracked him with a rising knee. Dax spiked Ricky with a piledriver. Dax went for the cover, but Big Bill pulled Dax out of the ring by the boot. Back in the ring, Ricky crushed Dax with a piledriver and pinned him!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #6: Claudio Castagnoli def. “Hot Sauce” Tracy Williams
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Claudio Castagnoli clobbered Tracy Williams with repeated European Uppercuts! Claudio clubbed Tracy with lariats. Claudio finished off “Hot Sauce” with a European Uppercut and then pinned him.
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #7: AEW World Championship Match – MJF def. Kenny Omega
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Jim Ross joined the broadcast booth to provide his main event analysis. Both men had each other scouted out early in the match, going hold for hold with one another. MJF offered his hand to Omega as a sign of good sportsmanship. Omega accepted and then MJF poked Omega in the eyes. Omega backdropped MJF out of the ring. Omega hit the Terminator Dive on MJF! The champ fired back, jumping over the top rope and flipping onto Omega. Omega jumped off the top rope with a cross body press to MJF. Omega tried for a hurracanrana, but MJF countered with a powerbomb back breaker combo. MJF planted Kenny with a stuffed DDT, good for a near fall. Omega nailed MJF with a snapdragon suplex. Omega dropkicked MJF’s kneecap. Omega wiped out MJF with a lariat, sending MJF to the arena floor. Omega followed up with a moonsault to MJF. Omega rocked MJF with a missile dropkick from the top rope to the back of the head. Omega went for a moonsault, but MJF countered by raising his knees. MJF chomped down on Omega’s forehead. MJF arm whipped Omega into the turnbuckles. MJF cracked Kenny with the kangaroo kick. Omega connected with a sliding baseball kick, sending MJF into the broadcast booth. Kenny pulled a table out from beneath the ring. Back in the ring, they exchanged cradles. Kenny buckle bombed MJF, but the champ came out of the corner with a massive lariat to the Cleaner. They battled on the ring apron. Kenny drilled MJF with a snapdragon suplex on the edge of the ring! Omega powerbombed MJF off the apron and through the table on the floor! Back in the ring, Kenny connected with a knee strike. MJF countered the One Winged Angel with a Poison Rana! Omega fired back with a Poison Rana of his own. MJF hit a double stomp on Omega’s arm. Omega rallied back with a jumping knee strike. MJF planted Omega with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. MJF stunned Omega with a thrust kick. Omega came back with a piledriver, but MJF got his boot on the rope to stop the ref’s count. Omega powerbombed MJF on the guardrail. Omega removed the protective guard from the rail. He threw MJF back into the ring, so they didn’t get counted out. Kenny was on the top turnbuckle, but MJF charged into the ropes, knocking Omega down. MJF climbed to the top, but Omega countered with a snake eyes from the top. Omega drove his knee into the back of MJF’s head. Omega blasted MJF with a snap dragon suplex and a running knee strike for a near fall! Kenny smashed MJF with the V Trigger. He followed up with another V Trigger. Omega hoisted up MJF for the One Winged Angel, but Don Callis ran to the ring. Omega put MJF down when he saw Callis. As Omega was distracted by a screwdriver wielding Callis, MJF rolled up Omega from behind. Omega countered by reversing the rollup. MJF kicked out but Omega came back with a running knee strike! MJF kicked out of the pin attempt. Don Callis climbed the ring steps. Ref Paul Turner ejected Don Callis. Omega hoisted up MJF for the One Winged Angel again, but MJF rolled forward for a pin. Omega rolled back to counter. It was another stale mate. MJF caught Kenny in the Heat Seeker, but Kenny kicked out at the two-count! MJF went for the Panama Sunrise on Kenny and Kenny ended up countering with a pin attempt, but MJF kicked out! MJF kicked Kenny in the face and drilled Kenny with the Panama Sunrise. MJF finally finished off Omega with another Heat Seeker, pinning the Cleaner!
My Score: 4.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
A good episode of Collision this week – despite the three squash matches. This one gets a pass on the quality of the in-ring action of the NON squash matches. Loved seeing AR Fox given a high-profile match against Jay White to open the show. Those two put on a great match even if there had to be some Bullet Club Gold shenanigans weaved into the action. The women’s title match was OK, I was hoping for a little more from two of my favourite AEW wrestlers but what we got did not disappoint. Ricky Starks and Dax Harwood had a “traditional” wrestling match – the kind of match Starks used to have in the NWA, where his skills were on display a lot more than his mouth. For fans of actual wrestling, this would undoubtedly be a real highlight. And then we have the main event… Half an hour of some of the best wrestling on AEW programming outside of PPVs and Bryan Danielson matches! MJF brought a lot of new moves to this match, as if to take his wrestling to the next level against the best bout machine (who was wrestling at his best in this one too). And he did. This was easily the best match we’ve had on Collision since it’s debut methinks.
