‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Dec 14th 2024)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW’s, Collision, which brings wrestling back to Saturday nights! We’ve got the commentary team of Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness calling the action, so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: NJPW Dynasty International Women’s Cup Qualifier Final – Willow Nightingale def. Jamie Hayter
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The fans were divided and there was dueling chants. Jamie applied a side headlock. Jamie went for a shoulder tackle, but Willow didn’t budge. Willow wiped out Hayter with a shoulder tackle of her own. Both wrestlers slugged it out like a hockey fight broke out in the ring. Hayter drilled Willow with a DDT on the apron. The arena lights went out momentarily. The momentary distraction allowed Willow to regain the upper hand with a senton off the apron to Hayter. Hayter hit a neck breaker and then a running Hayterade for a near fall on Willow. Each woman pump kicked the other, knocking one another down. Willow dropped down with a torture rack. Willow followed up with a moonsault, but Jamie kicked out at the two-count. Jamie was sent flying from a pounce by Willow. Jamie blasted Willow with a back breaker across the knee. Willow retaliated with her power bomb and pinned Jamie, advancing to the Tokyo Dome!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: Continental Classic Blue League Match – Kazuchika Okada def. The Beast Mortos
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Okada poked the Beast in the eyes and applied a side headlock. The Beast bulldozed Okada with a running shoulder block. The Beast Mortos power slammed Okada. The Rainmaker dumped Mortos over the top rope. The Beast Mortos grabbed his left knee after he landed on the arena floor. The Beast Mortos stunned Okada with a tornillo out of nowhere! Okada dodged a charging Beast, and the Beast collided with the steel ring steps. Okada rocked the Beast Mortos with a DDT on the arena floor. The Beast Mortos unleashed a flurry of offense on the Rainmaker, including two tilt-awhirl backbreakers. Okada picked up Mortos and face planted him. Mortos cracked Okada with a headbutt. Okada came back with a neck breaker and a body slam. Okada landed his big elbow from the top rope, right on target. The Beast Mortos sent Okada crashing to the mat with a Samoan drop for a near fall! Okada dropkicked the Beast Mortos. Okada rocked the Beast with the rainmaker lariat, and then a second rainmaker, and scored the pinfall victory!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #3: Toni Storm def. Shazza McKenzie
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Toni dropkicked Shazza. Toni followed up with a snap suplex. Shazza stunned Toni with a running knee strike. Toni surprised Shazza with a German suplex and then the hip attack! Toni finished off Shazza with the Storm Zero, picking up a dominant victory.
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #4: Tag Team Title Eliminator Match – Action Andretti & Lio Rush def. Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Dante tried to end things quickly with five roll-ups and cradles, but Lio escaped them all. Darius and Action tagged in for their respective teams. Darius plowed into Andretti with a shoulder tackle. Andretti and Darius went move for move, concluding in a stalemate. Lio grabbed a blind tag. Lio and Action used handspring kicks to knock Top Flight out of the ring. Darius hit a DDT on Lio after using Dante as a catapult to get extra leverage. Action hit Darius with a thrust kick and then used the top rope to execute a springboard moonsault. Dante wasted no time flying out of the ring with a tope to Andretti. Lio rocketed out of the ring with his own tope, inadvertently knocking Dante into Leila Grey. Lio and Action seized the moment to attack Top Flight. Lio landed a frog splash on Darius, and then Action finished off Darius with a 450 splash to score the biggest win of their career as a team!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #5: Kris Statlander def. Tootie Lynn
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Kris caught Tootie with a dragon screw leg whip. Kris nailed Tootie with a delayed vertical suplex. Tootie countered a power bomb attempt with a hurracanrana. Kris landed a strike and pinned Tootie after the Staturday Night Fever!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #6: 10-Man Tag Match – Orange Cassidy, The Outrunners (Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd), Komander & Daniel Garcia def. MxM Collection (Mansoor & Mason Madden) & Premier Athletes (Ariya Daivari, Josh Woods, & Tony Nese)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Garcia cradled Woods for a near fall. Garcia clobbered Nese with a flying forearm. Orange tagged in and stomped Nese in the corner. Komander grabbed a blind tag, used Orange as a launch pad and took down Ariaya with a hurracanrana. Nese knocked Komander from Komander’s perch on the top turnbuckle. MxM Collection double teamed Komander and then struck a pose. Ariya held Truth back as Nese clubbed him with blows to the midsection. Truth fought his way out of the corner but was unable to make the tag because Nese held him back. Finally Turbo tagged in and cleaned house on the Premier Athletes and MxM Collection. The Outrunners picked up Mason and slammed him. They smashed Mason with the double biceps elbow drop. Turbo connected with the Total Recall on Josh Woods, but MxM Collection broke up the pin attempt. Orange spiked Mason with a DDT. Orange flew out with a tope to Mansoor. Komander walked the top rope and then did his spaceman dive, flipping out of the ring and wiping out the competition on the arena floor. Orange pulped Woods with the Orange Punch and picked up the pin!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #7: Continental Classic Blue League Match – Mark Briscoe def. Kyle Fletcher
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Briscoe dared Fletcher to hit him in the face. Kyle obliged. Briscoe unleashed the redneck Kungfu. Briscoe chomped on Kyle’s forehead and then snapmared Kyle out of the ring. Briscoe dropkicked Kyle through the ropes. Briscoe flew out of the ring with a con hiro to Fletcher. Fletcher fired back with a running knee to Mark Briscoe. Briscoe blocked a punt kick. Mark served up a flipping neck breaker from the ring apron and followed up with the Cactus elbow drop. Briscoe lit up Fletcher’s chest with a stiff chop. Fletcher back dropped Briscoe on the floor, countering a Jay Driller attempt. Fletcher blasted Briscoe with a brain buster on top of the barricade! Briscoe superplexed Kyle off the guardrail. Back in the ring, Briscoe knocked down Kyle with a forearm. Briscoe followed up with a lariat and then an exploder suplex. Briscoe drilled Kyle with a fisherman’s buster for a near fall. Fletcher retaliated with a half and half suplex. Briscoe went for the froggy bow but Fletcher raised his knees to counter it. Fletcher went for an elbow drop but Briscoe moved out of the way. Kyle back dropped his way out of a Jay Driller attempt. Briscoe escaped a power bomb, but Kyle pump kicked Briscoe. Mark went for the cut throat driver but Kyle gouged Briscoe’s eyes. Kyle rolled up Briscoe, but the ref saw that Kyle had his feet on the rope and stopped the count. Fletcher nailed Briscoe with a brain buster, but Briscoe kicked out at the two-count! Briscoe dropped Kyle with the cut throat driver! Kyle slowly rolled out of harm’s way, creating distance. Briscoe jumped off the top rope with an elbow to Kyle. There was one minute remaining in the match. Briscoe bashed Kyle with the froggy bow. Briscoe finally managed to land the Jay Driller and then pinned Kyle!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
Another week of Continental Classic matches and another cracking episode of Collision. It wasn’t all about the tournament, we also got a great women’s NJPW Dynasty final, a great tag match and a surprisingly good 10-man tag match. Just a shame we got not one, but TWO women’s squash matches! Of everything on this show, it really was the main event that was the star of the show – with Mark Briscoe and Kyle Fletcher giving a masterclass in wrestling. It’s hard to believe that a few years ago the Briscoe’s were a TV no-no. I couldn’t imagine AEW without Briscoe on the show these days!
