‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Jan 6th 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: Sting & Darby Allin def. The Workhorsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Anthony Henry blindsided Darby before the match began. Sting pursued Henry, but JD Drake tried to hit Sting in the back with a chair. Sting turned around and smacked the chair back into Drake’s face, only for Flair to chop Drake! Flair sent Drake ping ponging the other way into a lariat from Sting. Anthony Henry swept out Darby’s legs on the apron. After wiping out Sting, Henry splashed Darby against the barricade. Henry powerslammed Darby and then Drake splashed Darby off the top turnbuckle for a near fall. Henry tagged in and nailed Darby with a backstabber. Drake grabbed a tag and chopped Darby. JD Drake cut off Darby from making a tag to Sting. Drake muscled over Darby with a belly to belly suplex. Darby dodged a moonsault and tagged Sting. Drake got splashed by the Stinger. Darby nailed Henry with a Coffin Drop from the top to the arena floor! Sting finished off Drake with a Scorpion Death Drop and pinned Drake!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #2: Continental Crown Championship Match – Eddie Kingston def. Trent Beretta
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Kingston chopped at Trent and then battered him with kicks to the spine. Trent fired back with a tornado DDT. Trent snap suplexed Kingston. Eddie charged at Trent and blasted him with rapid fire chops. Eddie chopped Trent in the face and then got an earful from the ref. Trent may have suffered a broken nose as the blood began to pour. Kingston hit a suplex on Trent on the arena floor, not letting up at all. Trent’s mom, Sue, was sitting in the front row, concerned for her son. Trent stunned Kingston with a jumping knee strike. Trent smashed Kingston with forearms. Kingston was on wobbly legs. Trent dropkicked Eddie, sending Eddie out of the ring. Trent flew out of the ring with a tope. Trent power bombed Kingston back in the ring for a near fall. Eddie came back with an Exploder and then a DDT for a two-count! The blood was flowing freely down Trent’s face. Trent rocked Eddie with three consecutive German Suplexes! Trent crushed Eddie with a charging knee strike. Trent spike Kingston with a Gotch style piledriver for a near fall! Trent tossed Eddie with a half-and-half. Eddie retaliated with an exploder suplex. Kingston pinned Trent after a stalling Northern Lights Bomb!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #3: ROH World Tag Team Championship Proving Ground Match – Undisputed Kingdom (Mike Bennett & Matt Taven) def. Komander & “Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Bennett walloped Komander with chops and then rammed him into a turnbuckle. Taven tagged in and crushed Komander with a back breaker. Komander had his first flurry of offense with a hurracanrana to Taven. Bryan Keith tagged in and booted Taven in the face. Bennett entered the fray and slugged the Bounty Hunter. Bennett and Taven used their tandem offense on Keith. Taven face planted Keith. Taven connected with a leg lariat. Bennett charged at Keith but Keith suplexed Bennett into the turnbuckles. Komander grabbed a tag and rocked Taven with a spinning DDT. Taven climbed to the top but Komander superplexed Taven from on top of Keith’s shoulders. Keith flipped Komander overhead, with Komander flying over the ropes and landing on the Undisputed Kingdom on the floor! Keith grabbed underhooks on Taven, but Bennett ran and rocked Keith with a lariat. Bennett spiked Komander with a piledriver. Taven smacked Keith with the Just the Tip knee strike! After double teaming Keith, Taven pinned Keith!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #4: Adam Copeland def. Griff Garrison
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Garrison slapped Copeland in the face! Garrison was smiling but Copeland booted him right in the kisser! Copeland lit up Griff’s chest with stinging chops. Copeland backdropped Griff. Cope smacked Garrison with a running clothesline. Maria grabbed Copeland’s ankle, distracting him. Cole Karter tripped Copeland. Garrison took advantage of the distraction and cracked Copeland with a boot to his face. Garrison used a hammer throw, sending Copeland hard into the corner. Garrison suplexed Copeland. Adam Copeland ducked a lariat attempt. Copeland climbed to the top turnbuckle and connected with a big cross body for a near fall. Copeland charged in, looking for the spear, but Garrison countered with a discus shot! Garrison climbed to the top turnbuckle, but Copeland hammered him. Copeland wore out Garrison with repeated head butts. Copeland superplexed Garrison! Copeland applied a submission and forced Garrison to tap out!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #5: Skye Blue def. Kiera Hogan
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
They locked up and Skye tripped Hogan. Skye applied a side headlock. Hogan pushed her off but Blue rammed Hogan’s head into the mat. Skye missed a slap, but Hogan connected with a slap of her own. Hogan hip attacked Skye. Skye grabbed Hogan by the hair and then cracked her with an elbow shot to the back of the head. Skye stomped on Kiera Hogan, showing off more of her demonic side. Skye jumped off the turnbuckles with Kiera countered with a thrust kick, perfectly timed. Hogan dropkicked Skye. Hogan followed up with a neck breaker for a near fall. Skye Blue trapped Hogan in the ropes and rocked her with a thrust kick. Blue used a fall away slam and then transitioned into a dragon sleeper, forcing Kiera Hogan to tap out!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #6: Claudio Castagnoli def. Andrew Everett
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Claudio hoisted up Everett and body slammed him. Claudio choke slammed Everett. Claudio put Andrew in the Giant Swing and hurled him halfway across the ring! Claudio whipped Everett into the turnbuckles. Andrew sent Claudio to his knees courtesy of a Pele kick. Andrew jumped off the ropes, but Claudio dodged him and spiked him with a piledriver. Claudio clobbered Andrew with a King Kong lariat and pinned Andrew Everett!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #7: FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) def. House of Black (Malakai Black & Buddy Matthews)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Matthews pointed at Harwood’s daughter, who was sitting at ringside. Harwood didn’t take this lightly, to say the least! Harwood chopped at Matthews. Dax grabbed a tax and Buddy took him down with a wrist lock. Dax hit a drop toe hold and tagged in Cash Wheeler. Malakai Black entered the ring. Dax blocked a kick from Malakai. Dax flipped off Black. Malakai connected with a sliding dropkick. Cash came in and clubbed Black with a forearm, and then delivered a European Uppercut to Matthews. Malakai Black moonsaulted off the second turnbuckle and landed on Cash, who was on the arena floor. Matthews and Black doubled teamed Cash Wheeler in the corner. Cash sent Black hard into Buddy. Cash crawled to make the tag, but Buddy cut him off with a kick! Dax tagged in and cleaned house…on the House of Black! Dax nailed Black with a brain buster for a near fall. Black back elbowed Dax, after some assistance from Buddy. Black cracked Dax with a knee. Dax pulled Black down hard onto the turnbuckles as Black was climbing. FTR hit the power and glory suplex and splash on Black! Dax covered Black, but Matthews mauled Cash with the meteora, knocking Cash into Dax and breaking up the pin attempt. Cash went for a tope, but the House of Black blasted him with stereo knees and then hurled him onto the announcer’s desk! Black grabbed a steel chair and brought it into the ring. Black was staring at Dax’s wife and daughter in the front row. While Black was taunting them, Dax drilled Black with a stiff shot, and then hit Matthews! FTR rocked Buddy with the Shatter Machine, but Black broke up the pin attempt they had on Buddy. FTR spiked Black with a package piledriver on the apron! Brody King walked down the ramp, but Daniel Garcia chased after him, waffling Brody with a steel chair, helping FTR. As Dax was entering the ring, Buddy curb stomped him. Buddy power bombed Dax and went for the cover, but Dax countered with a pin of his own and scored the victory! After the match, the House of Black triple teamed FTR and Daniel Garcia! Buddy curb stomped Cash on the steel chair. Brody held a chair against Dax’s face and Black hit him with a spin kick, right in front of Dax’s family! TBS Champion Julia Hart rang the bell over and over.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
What a great start for Collision in 2024! We get The Workhorsemen opening the show, proving just why they’re one of the most pivotal tag teams in AEW and ROH – they can fight any team at any time. I’ve always loved JD Drake, and he and Anthony Henry make for one hell of a team. What was also great to see this week was the badass version of Trent Beretta – when he gets serious in the ring he shows just why he has the reputation he does and his work against Eddie Kingston this week felt like a deserved showcase for him outside of the more comedic stuff he does with Chuck and OC. going back to the tag teams, Bryan Keith and Kommander made for a great team, even though they’d been clearly thrown together; whilst the main event saw FTR pick up the win, House of Black really looked like the dominating tag team – even in defeat. LOVED the tolling of ten bells as HoB demolished FTR and Daniel Garcia after the match. Meanwhile Skye Blue and Kiera Hogan had a great match that felt more like a WRESTLING match, slow-paced and methodical, than the usual women’s division match. Hopefully a sign of things to come seeing as we got a Serena Deeb promo this week – a woman known for wrestling rather than spotfests. Whilst there was no real need for Claudio’s squash match against Andrew Everett (other than to allow for the “Hangman” Adam Page stuff), I was surprised that Griff Garrison came out to answer Adam Copeland’s open challenge and did not suffer the same fate as Andrew Everett. Instead, he held his own and looked like the burgeoning superstar he was presented as before tagging with Brian Pillman Jr., and in ONE MATCH looked better than Pillman’s current presentation in the “other” brand!
