‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Mar 9th 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 and Tony Schiavone calling the action, so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: Bryan Danielson def. Shane Taylor
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Taylor threw Danielson halfway across the ring! Danielson grappled Taylor to the mat and connected with hammer and anvil blows until Taylor escaped. Taylor rocked Danielson with a shot to the jaw. Taylor blistered Bryan’s chest with thunderous chops. Danielson returned fire with kicks to Taylor. Danielson got Taylor to the mat and stomped on Taylor’s leg. Danielson tied up Taylor’s leg in the ropes and nailed Taylor with a running dropkick. Taylor blocked a kick and countered with a massive knee lift to Danielson, sending Danielson spilling out of the ring. Shane Taylor squashed Danielson with a guillotine leg drop on the apron! Taylor cracked Danielson with another chop to the chest. Danielson charged off the ropes and dropkicked Taylor’s knee. Taylor tried to splash Danielson in the corner, but Danielson dodged it. Danielson wrenched Taylor’s leg across the ring post. Danielson blasted Taylor with a dropkick off the top rope. Danielson clobbered Taylor with kicks to Taylor’s leg. Taylor dropped to his knees and Danielson clocked Taylor with a kick to the head. Danielson covered Taylor but Taylor kicked out at the one-count. Danielson got a head of steam and charged at Taylor with a running up-kick. Taylor retaliated with a lariat for a near fall on Danielson. Taylor headbutted Danielson in the chest and then hit a big splash for a two-count on Danielson. Danielson dodged a cannonball from Taylor. Danielson blasted Taylor with the running knee strike and pinned Shane Taylor!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: Kazuchika Okada & The Young Bucks (Matthew & Nicholas Jackson) def. Jon Cruz, Liam Grey & Adrian Alanis
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Okada wanted to start the match, so Nicholas Jackson tagged him in. Alanis struck Okada with forearms, but Okada returned fire with a beautiful dropkick! Liam tagged in and was rocked by the Rainmaker clothesline, and Okada pinned Liam in short order!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #3: Mariah May def. Trish Adora
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Mariah took down Trish with a side headlock takeover. Trish rolled up Mariah for a near fall. Mariah blasted Trish with a shotgun dropkick! Mariah tried for the hip attack, but Trish avoided it. Trish wiped out May with a pump kick and then a senton splash for a near fall. Mariah grabbed Trish by the hair and yanked her down to the mat. Trish suplexed Mariah from her knees for a near fall. Mariah May clocked Trish with a headbutt and then pinned her after the May Day!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: Nick Wayne def. Adam Priest
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Nick Wayne hit a shoulder tackle and then a hurracanrana on Priest. Adam Priest rallied back with a European Uppercut. Nick Wayne dumped Priest onto the arena floor. Back in the ring, Nick Wayne nailed Priest with a fisherman’s suplex. Nick Wayne planted Priest with Wayne’s World and pinned Priest!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #5: Chris Jericho def. CMLL’s Titan
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Jericho and Titan exchanged chops in the center of the ring. Titan clocked Jericho with a matrix type kick. Titan followed up with a double springboard into a hurracanrana. Titan wiped out Jericho with a tope suicida. They jockeyed for position on the top turnbuckle, but Jericho grabbed Titan by the mask and planted him on the mat headfirst! Titan rallied back with a PK kick and then dived over the top rope, landing on “Lionheart” on the arena floor. Titan jumped back into the ring with a double foot stomp on Jericho. Jericho turned things around with a butterfly into a backbreaker for a near fall. Titan dodged the lionsault and then stunned Jericho with a spinning DDT for a two-count on Jericho. Titan climbed to the top turnbuckle and rocked Jericho with a double foot stomp to the sternum for a near fall on Jericho! Jericho escaped Titan’s signature submission hold. Titan ducked the Judas Effect and stunned Jericho with a matrix kick. Titan nailed Jericho with a Death Valley Bomb for a two-count. Titan attempted a springboard hurracanrana, but Jericho caught him and countered with the Lion Tamer, forcing Titan to tap out!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #6: CMLL’s Mistico def. Angelico
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Mistico ducked a lariat attempt from Angelico and countered with a springboard back elbow. Serpentico jumped on the ring apron to distract Mistico, and Angelico seized the opportunity to crack Mistico with a pump kick. Angelico followed up with a side suplex on Mistico, but Mistico kicked out at the one-count. Mistico used the top rope as a springboard to dropkick Angelico. Mistico jumped over the top with a plancha into a hurracanrana onto Angelico on the floor! Mistico hit a tornillo on Angelico back in the ring for a near fall. Mistico splashed Angelico for a two-count. Angelico and Mistico traded running lariats. After a flurry of offense, Mistico applied La Mistica and forced Angelico to tap out!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #7: Atlanta Street Fight – House of Black (Malakai Black, Buddy Matthews & Brody King) def. Mark Briscoe, Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarrett
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Jarrett carried plunder out to the ring, wielding a trash can at Buddy! Lethal lunged out with a tope suicida to Brody King! Mark Briscoe stomped a mudhole in Malakai. Brody charged at Lethal, but Lethal countered with a drop toe hold, sending Brody crashing onto a steel chair. Mark Briscoe and Buddy Matthews brawled around the ring. Lethal used a chair as a launching pad but he launched into a big elbow strike from Brody King! Brody followed up with a running cross body, smashing Lethal through a table propped up on the barricade. Brody shoved Mark Briscoe off the top turnbuckle and sent Mark soaring through the air! Mark landed on a pile of steel chairs on the arena floor! Brody power bombed Briscoe through a table. Buddy poured lighter fluid on a table. Malakai grabbed a lighter. Sonjay Dutt hit Buddy from behind, but Buddy didn’t budge. Julia Hart walked out and handed Buddy a can of gasoline. Budy poured the gas on Sonjay. Karen Jarrett came out from the tunnel and hit Buddy with a low blow. Sonjay shoved Buddy of the ramp, sending him crashing through a table. Julia Hart blew mist into Karen’s eyes. Brody and Lethal brawled on the apron. Jeff Jarrett smashed a guitar over Brody’s head, and Brody fell off the apron, crashing through the table on the floor. Malakai Black blasted Jeff Jarett with a roundhouse kick. Malakai Black pulled out a spike and went to strike Mark, but Mark blocked it! Mark nailed Black with the Jay Driller! Mark had the spike, but Julia Hart grabbed Mark’s ankle. Mark Briscoe flipped over the top rope, using a steel chair as a catapult, but Malakai and Buddy caught Mark and power bombed him onto the apron. Julia Hart ignited the table and then Malakai and Buddy power bombed Mark Briscoe through the flaming table! They put Briscoe back into the ring and Malakai scored the pin!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
This week’s Collision opened hard, with a cracking match between Danielson and Shane Taylor – who clearly had his best outing since signing to AEW/ROH against a man who seems to be having the time of his life each and every week. Okada made his in-ring debut this week too – in what amounted to a squash and a follow-up angle to announce a six-man tag. That wasn’t the only squash, we got to see Nick Wayne in solo action, a rarity for him since joining AEW – though it felt like this was, like the Okada/Bucks match, just to set up the Christian Cage/Adam Copeland stuff afterwards. The rest of the show was a solidly entertaining series of matches that managed to show all the facets of AEW – from lucha to street fights and everything in between. Great stuff!