‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Jun 29th 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 Excalibur and Nigel McGuinness calling the action, so let’s get into the review of this pre-Forbidden Door show!
Match #1: Orange Cassidy & Tomohiro Ishii def. TMDK (Robbie Eagles & Shane Haste)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Cassidy put Haste in a side headlock and then dropped a shoulder. Haste didn’t budge. Ishii tagged in and he and Haste rammed into one another like two bulls. Orange came in and distracted Haste. Orange jumped at Haste with a shoulder block. Orange and Ishii dropped Haste with a double shoulder tackle. Ishii chopped at Haste in the corner. Cassidy tagged in, as did Robbie Eagles. Robbie used a hurracanrana on Orange. They exchanged arm drags and Cassidy avoided the final arm drag. Cassidy followed up with a flying mare. Haste grabbed Orange and planted him on the ring apron. Eagles seized the moment to dive on Orange with a tope con hiro! TMDK double teamed Orange, stomping on him in the ring. Orange escaped their clutches and tagged Ishii. The Stone Pitbull cleaned house on TMDK, suplexing Haste for a near fall. Orange and Ishii blasted Haste with a double clothesline. Cassidy dropped an elbow off the top rope on Haste for a near fall. Haste dodged the Orange Punch and drilled Orange with the Falcon Arrow. Eagles grabbed a tag, but Orange nailed him with the Stun Dog Millionaire. Eagles sat out with a back pack and covered Orange but Ishii broke up the pin attempt just in the nick of time. Haste ate a lariat from Ishii! Orange caught Eagles, drilled him with the Beach Break, and scored the pin!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Stephanie Vaquer def. Lady Frost
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Stephanie had Lady Frost tied up in a version of the STF. Lady Frost connected with a high kick. Frost jumped off the steel ring steps and took down Vaquer with an arm drag. Vaquer cracked Lady Frost with a thrust kick right in the face. Vaquer applied a straitjacket to Lady Frost. Vaquer drove the head of Frost into the mat over and over. Lady Frost escaped a package pile driver attempt and countered with an explosive lariat. Lady Frost splashed Vaquer with a cannonball in the corner. Lady Frost connected with the Frost Bite for a near fall. Stephanie Vaquer spiked Lady Frost with a DDT but Frost kicked out at the two-count. Lady Frost vaulted over Vaquer and dropkicked Vaquer in the back. Vaquer blasted Lady Frost with rapid headbutts. Vaquer followed up with a dragon screw leg whip. Vaquer nailed Lady Frost with a package back breaker and scored the pin!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #3: Serena Deeb def. Kelly Madan
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Deeb clobbered Madan in the corner turnbuckles with kicks and strikes. Deeb was very aggressive early on, looking to make a statement. Deeb hit a draping neck breaker. After a DDT to Madan, Deeb followed up with a faceplant to her opponent and scored the pin fall victory!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #4: CMLL’s Hechicero def. Kevin Blackwood
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Hechicero grappled Buffalo’s own Blackwood to the mat. Hechicero cracked Kevin with a running knee strike. Hechicero blasted Blackwood with the Mad Scientist Bomb. Hechicero locked up Blackwood and forced him to tap out! Hechicero wouldn’t release the hold, making a statement to MJF, ahead of their match tomorrow night at Forbidden Door!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #5: Daniel Garcia def. The Butcher
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Butcher muscled Garcia into the corner. Butcher stomped a mudhole into Garcia, but Garcia turned it around and dropkicked Butcher’s knee. Butcher wiped out Garcia with a running crossbody press to the midsection. Garcia charged at the Butcher and blasted him with two boots. Garcia tried again but Butcher countered by hoisting up Garcia and planting Garcia across the barricade. Butcher walloped Garcia with a back breaker and then a snap suplex. Butcher taunted Garcia and the crowd by performing Garcia’s dance. Butcher nailed Garcia with a half nelson back breaker. Garcia connected with a neck breaker out of nowhere. Garcia took Butcher off his feet with a lariat. Garcia spiked Butcher with a piledriver and scored the pin!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #6: Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament Quarterfinal – Hikaru Shida def. Deonna Purrazzo
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Purrazzo backed Shida into the corner. Both women exchanged strikes. Shida dropped Deonna with a swift kick. Shida jumped off the middle rope and crashed onto Deonna with a diving cross body to the arena floor. Deonna took Shida off her feet with a pump kick. Shida used a flurry of forearms on Deonna to take her down. Shida followed up with a short arm lariat. Shida caught Deonna with a jumping knee strike. Deonna retaliated with a Russian Leg Sweep. Deonna applied an arm bar on Shida, but Shida extended her leg to the bottom rope to force the ref to break the hold. Shida smashed Deonna with a Falcon Arrow. Shida released the Katana spinning knee strike and pinned Deonna Purrazzo!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #7: El Phantasmo, Jack Perry & Konosuke Takeshita def. Mark Briscoe, Lio Rush & Dante Martin
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Lio Rush and Jack Perry began for their respective teams, but Perry tagged out right away to Takeshita. “The Alpha” rocked Rush with a pump kick! El Phantasmo grabbed a tag and Dante, Mark, and Lio used triple team offense on El-P. El Phantasmo back dropped Lio into Dante, but then Mark Briscoe jumped through the ropes with a diving double boot to El Phantasmo. Takeshita and El Phantasmo got into a shoving match, as things began to break down. Dante took them down with a double hurracanrana. Mark Briscoe tagged in and cleaned house with his redneck kung fu! El-P escaped a Jay Driller from Mark and cracked him with a thrust kick. Lio Rush rocketed out of the ring with a tope suicida to Takeshita. Phantasmo hit a tope of his own to Lio. Lio frog splashed El Phantasmo from the middle rope while Dante connected with a frog splash from the top rope. Jack Perry jumped in to break up the pin. Takeshita sent Lio flying with a German Suplex. Takeshita tried one on Dante, but Dante landed on his feet! Dante went for a hurracanrana, but Takeshita tried to reverse with an avalanche powerbomb, but Dante reversed that! Takeshita blasted Dante with the Blue Thunder Bomb and then drilled Dante with the power drive knee strike to score the win!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
This was one hell of a teaser for Forbidden Door, with Stephanie Vaquer and Hechicero being highlighted in matches before their high-profile appearances at Forbidden Door 3. OK, so we got a couple of squash matches and the show ended on a promo “weigh-in” rather than a real main event but what wrestling we did get was of a high standard. Good to see Hikaru Shida back too!
