‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Apr 17th 2025)
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 McGuiness calling the action, so let’s get into our review!
Match #1: Kevin Knight def. Lance Archer
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Archer charged at Knight before the bell rang. Archer rammed Kevin into the video board. Kevin Knight fired back with a shotgun dropkick and then a moonsault. Kevin pulled Archer down with a hurracanrana. Archer ran out of the corner with a lariat, turning Knight inside out! Don Callis grabbed Kevin Knight’s ankle long enough to distract him and buy Archer some time. Archer swung Kevin by the legs into the steel ring steps! Archer clocked Knight with a vicious forearm. Archer sent Kevin Knight for a ride with a back suplex. Archer was looking for the Black Out, but Knight escaped! Kevin countered a choke slam attempt with a dropkick, rallying back. Kevin Knight landed the UFO splash for a near fall! Archer choke slammed Knight but Knight kicked out at the two-count. Kevin used a springboard lariat to Archer outside the ring! Kevin followed up with another springboard lariat, this time flying into the ring, and pinned Archer!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Josh Alexander & Konosuke Takeshita def. Tomohiro Ishii & Rocky Romero
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Takeshita and Ishii traded forearm shots. Ishii bulldozed Takeshita with a shoulder tackle. Rocky and Josh tagged in for their respective teams. Rocky used a hurracanrana to take down Alexander. As the ref was distracted, Takeshita pulled Rocky off the apron and assaulted him with cheap shots. Josh Alexander picked up Ishii and slammed him down. Josh applied the ankle lock, but Rocky dropkicked Josh to make the save for his Conglomeration partner. Ishii inadvertently collided into Rocky with a lariat as Alexander ducked. Ishii went to tag out but Rocky jumped off the apron, refusing the tag. Ishii was left alone in the ring and was double teamed by Alexander and Takeshita. Josh powerbombed Ishii and pinned Ishii! Rocky went in the ring to help Ishii to his feet and to apologize. Someone appeared in the ring with a black hoody. It was revealed to be Trent! Rocky and Trent double teamed Ishii. Don Callis handed Trent a wrench. Rocky held up Ishii while Trent whacked Ishii in the back with the plumber’s wrench!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #3: Megan Bayne def. Ashley Vox & Rebecca Scott
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Bayne hit a double suplex! Bayne power bombed Scott three times! Bayne nailed Vox with the decapitator and followed up with Fate’s Descent, picking up the easy win!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #4: TNT Championship Open Challenge – Adam Cole def. Claudio Castagnoli
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Claudio body slammed Cole and then delivered a pump kick to the champ. Cole came back with a neck breaker. Cole struck Claudio with a running knee for a two-count. Claudio whipped Cole into the LED board at ringside. Claudio hoisted up Cole and planted him on top of the barricade! Claudio press slammed Cole over the barricade and threw him over him and onto the arena floor. Cole fired back with a jawbreaker and a backstabber on Claudio for a near fall, regaining momentum. Claudio countered the Panama Sunrise with a back drop, followed by a massive lariat. Cole staggered Claudio with a thrust kick. Cole dropped Claudio across his knee with a neck breaker. Cole went for the Panama Sunrise again, but Claudio countered with the Giant Swing! Claudio jumped off the top turnbuckle, but Cole defended with a thrust kick! Claudio battered Cole with European uppercuts in the corner. Claudio superplexed Cole but Cole cradled Claudio and pinned Claudio!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #5: Dralistico, Rush, & The Beast Mortos def. KM, Rosario Grillo, & LSG
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
LFI punished the opposition. Dralistico drilled KM with a spin kick to the head. Rush tagged in and connected with a running forearm shot. Rush charged at KM with the Bull’s Horns and picked up the 1-2-3!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #6: ROH World TV Championship Match – Nick Wayne def. Komander
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Nick spat his gum at Komander. Komander answered with a dropkick. Komander jumped up on the ropes and took down Nick Wayne with a hurracanrana. Komander connected with a big cross body and then another dropkick. Christian Cage, Mother Wayne, and Kip Sabian were watching the match on a monitor backstage. Komander nailed Nick with a spinning back breaker. Komander charged at Nick Wayne, but Nick Wayne dodged him, using Komander’s momentum against him, driving him into the turnbuckle. Komander came back with a poison rana. Nick Wayne caught Komander with a dragon suplex for a near fall! Komander blocked Wayne’s World. Komander flipped off the top rope with a moonsault to Wayne! Komander walked the ropes and flipped but Nick Wayne countered with a kick. Nick Wayne finished off Komander with the Prodigy Plex and picked up the pinfall!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #7: Kris Statlander & Julia Hart def. Harley Cameron & Mercedes Mone
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Harley rolled up Statlander for a two-count. Kris used a vertical suplex to take Harley off her feet. Julia tagged in and drilled Cameron with a running lariat to the back of the head. Mercedes tagged in but Statlander sent her soaring with a fallaway slam. Mercedes and Kris slugged it out on the arena floor. Back in the ring, Mercedes hit the three amigos. Statlander double suplexed Mercedes and Harley with three snap suplexes of her own. Jamie Hayter was watching the match backstage on a monitor. Mercedes nailed Kris with a meteora. Julia used a leg trip on Mercedes. Julia went for the moonsault, but the TBS champion countered by raising her knees! Kris used a tilt awhirl backbreaker and then used Hayter Aid on Harley to pick up the victory and send a message to Jamie Hayter!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
Well this was a bit of a comedown from this week’s Dynamite wasn’t it? To be fair it wasn’t a bad show, it just had a LOT to live up to. Overall the show walked the fine line between in-ring action and storytelling, which at least made the show feel like a meaningful episode rather than just filler. The main event, a tag match featuring Kris Statlander and Julia Hart defeating Mercedes Moné and Harley Cameron, was a surprisingly solid bout. It was great to see AEW putting more focus on the women’s division, and the chemistry between Statlander and Hart felt natural. Moné looked sharp, but her team-up with Cameron never truly clicked. One of the night’s biggest highlights was 19-year-old Nick Wayne winning the ROH World Television Championship from Komander. It wasn’t just a great match – it felt like a real passing of the torch. Wayne’s rise has been gradual but believable, and this win adds serious legitimacy to his character. And the kudos of being the youngest champion didn’t hurt either! The Don Callis Family saga took a fun turn when Rocky Romero turned on Tomohiro Ishii mid-match, reuniting Roppongi Vice with Beretta under Callis’s chaotic banner. It was an unexpected swerve, but it didn’t feel forced, and it adds a fresh dynamic to the faction. All in all, Collision continues to carve out its own identity. This was a strong, storyline-driven show that, while it could never live up to Dynamite, still delivered a solid night of AEW action.