‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Apr 13th 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 Matt Menard and Tony Schiavone calling the action, so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: House of Black (Malakai Black, Buddy Matthews & Brody King) def. Dante Martin, Action Andretti & Matt Sydal
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Action and Buddy locked up, countering wrist locks on one another. Sydal grabbed a bling tag and cradled Buddy for a two-count. Malakai Black entered the fay but so did Dante Martin, who flipped from the top turnbuckle and crash landed onto Malakai. Black blasted Action with a pump kick. Brody tagged in and bulldozed Andretti. With assistance from Black’s kick, Brody suplexed Action and then flew through the ropes and wiped out all three members of the opposition on the arena floor. Matt Sydal tagged in and scored on Buddy with a leg lariat. He stunned Malakai with a rising knee strike. Brody charged at Sydal, but Sydal saw it and moved out of the way, sending Brody through the ropes and onto the arena floor. Black and Matthews double teamed Sydal, gaining the advantage for their team. Dante took flight but Malakai caught him and countered. Dante went back up again, but Brody knocked him down this time. Dante staggered Malakai with a kick to the back of the head. Dante went over the top rope with a swan dive onto Brody King. Action tagged in and went for the Lights, Camera, Action, but Black escaped. Black moonsaulted off the top and out onto Action on the floor. The House of Black were served up stereo thrust kicks from Action, Dante, and Sydal! Dante smashed Brody with a frog splash as Brody was trying to pin Action Andretti. Andretti hit a 450 on Brody but Brody kicked right out. Sydal attempted a meteora, but Brody shrugged him off and launched him into the turnbuckles. Brody blasted Sydal with a running cannonball with some assistance from Black and Matthews and scored the pinfall victory!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Katsuyori Shibata def. Lee Moriarty
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Moriarty and Shibata chain wrestled to start the match. Lee resorted to a kick to Shibata’s abdomen. Shibata took Lee down to the mat and applied a modified figure four leg lock. Lee managed to reach the ropes, forcing the ref to break the hold. Outside the ring, Ogogo connected with a shot to Shibata’s ribcage as Shane Taylor had the ref distracted. Back in the squared circle, Lee chopped at Shibata’s chest. Shibata absorbed every bit of it and walked and stalked toward Lee Moriarty. Shibata cracked Lee with chops and jabs. Shibata nailed Lee with a running dropkick. Lee blocked a kick and countered with a kick of his own. Shibata dazed Lee with a pump kick. Shibata used a rip cord into a slap, then drilled Moriarty with a PK to the face and pinned Moriarty.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: Daniel Garcia def. Angelico
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Angelico had the upper hand early on. Garcia rallied back with a figure four lock. Angelico reversed it, but Garcia turned it back around. Both men rolled to the ropes and then began to kick one another. Angelico smoked Garcia with his right hand. Garcia retaliated with a swinging neck breaker. Garcia scored with a double underhook suplex. Garcia delivered a running forearm shot to Angelico. Garcia applied a leg lock, wrenched backwards, and Angelico tapped out!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #4: Toni Storm def. AZM
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
AZM tripped Storm with a leg sweep and then dropkicked the champ. Anna Jay was at ringside to cheer on AZM. Toni Storm hip checked AZM and AZM was knocked out of the ring. Anna Jay and Mariah May brawled at ringside, fighting to the back. AZM whipped Toni Storm into the steel ring steps. AZM ran across the ring apron and kicked Toni in the face. AZM and Storm traded forearms in the ring. AZM rocked Storm in the head with a spin kick. Storm was dumped on her head with a modified German suplex from AZM. The challenger followed up with a shotgun dropkick from the top rope for a near fall. Storm rallied back with a powerbomb for a two-count on AZM. AZM cradled Storm for a near fall. Storm used a release German suplex, a hip attack, and then the Storm Zero to pin AZM!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #5: Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli) def. The Don Callis Family (Powerhouse Hobbs & Kyle Fletcher)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The two teams brawled around the ring. Danielson hit Fletcher with a running dropkick in the corner. Claudio held the arms of Hobbs while Danielson bludgeoned Hobbs with kicks. Danielson whipped Fletcher into the guardrail. Claudio smashed Hobbs with forearms. Claudio scooped up Hobbs, slammed him, and then squashed him with a double stomp! Claudio dropped Hobbs across the top rope, and tagged out to Danielson, who dropped a knee to Hobbs from the top rope. Hobbs used his strength to nail Claudio with a vertical suplex. Fletcher tagged in but Claudio steamrolled him with a running European Uppercut! Claudio was distracted by Hobbs who was on the outside of the ring. Fletcher seized the opportunity to dropkick Claudio. Danielson rocked Kyle with a spin kick to the side of the head. Danielson went for a plancha, but Hobbs caught him in midair. Danielson escaped a powerslam attempt and shoved Hobbs into the steel ring post. Fletcher and Claudio brawled into the crowd. Danielson jumped off the guardrail and wiped out Fletcher. Danielson clubbed Hobbs with round kicks. Fletcher was looking for a piledriver on the floor but Danielson back dropped his way out of it. Danielson hit an avalanche belly to back suplex on Kyle for a near fall. Danielson applied the Le Bell Lock, but Hobbs jumped into the ring with a headbutt, breaking Danielson’s grip. Claudio clocked Fletcher and Hobbs with running European Uppercuts. Claudio put Hobbs in the Giant Swing! Claudio put Hobbs in the sharpshooter. Kyle jumped into the ring, trying to free Hobbs with kicks to Claudio but it didn’t work. Finally, Claudio let go of the hold and smashed Fletcher with a pop up European Uppercut. When Claudio turned around, Hobbs was waiting for him and planted him with a spinebuster for a near fall! Claudio hoisted up Hobbs and drilled him with a Death Valley Driver for a two-count! Claudio and Hobbs rammed each other with lariats. Claudio knocked Hobbs off his feet with a running lariat. From outside the ring, Fletcher grabbed Claudio’s ankle and tripped him up. Hobbs lunged at Claudio and then planted him with the World’s Strongest Slam! Danielson jumped in to break up the pin attempt by Hobbs. Hobbs grabbed a steel chair, but the ref pulled it away from Hobbs. Danielson blasted Hobbs with round kicks, but Fletcher flew out of the ring with a tope suicida to Danielson! Claudio jumped off the announcers’ table and delivered a hurracanrana to Fletcher. Claudio flattened Fletcher with the Neutralizer and pinned Kyle Fletcher!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
This week’s Collision was a great improvement over last week, even if we did get one less match than on a typical episode of AEW’s Saturday night show. But having one less match left time for more promos, more promotion for Battle of the Belts that followed AND gave the matches we did get room to breathe. Speaking of matches, the ones on this week’s show delivered across the board, with every match having something to recommend it – especially the likes of the women’s match and the main event. A great week for Collision.
