‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Jul 26th 2025)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: 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 our review!
Match #1: TNT Championship – Dustin Rhodes def. Lee Moriarty
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
AEW Collision kicked off from the Aragon Ballroom in thrilling fashion as Dustin Rhodes defended his TNT Championship for the first time against Ring of Honor Pure Champion Lee Moriarty. Moriarty, accompanied by Shane Taylor, refused an opening handshake, setting an aggressive tone immediately. The bout opened with an exchange of technical holds, Moriarty capitalizing with swift dragon screw leg whips, targeting Rhodes’ left knee relentlessly. Dustin fought through visible pain, rallying with stiff shots and a well-executed snap power slam. Late in the match, after exchanging strikes, Rhodes delivered an atomic drop but Moriarty quickly responded, locking Rhodes in a bow-and-arrow hold before viciously slamming his knee into the mat. Fighting back valiantly, Rhodes landed a Canadian Destroyer followed by the Cross-Rhodes, but Moriarty demonstrated impressive ring awareness by placing his foot on the ropes, breaking the pinfall attempt. The momentum swung wildly as Moriarty locked in an ankle lock, grapevining Rhodes’ injured leg, nearly forcing a tap-out. Rhodes barely reached the ropes, demonstrating immense resilience. Moriarty then missed a big boot in the corner, leaving him vulnerable. Rhodes teased the Shattered Dreams, but was thwarted by referee Mike Posey. Moriarty capitalized instantly, landing a flying knee strike followed by a swift suplex, narrowly missing victory. As Moriarty attempted a figure-four leglock, Rhodes countered brilliantly into a tight small package, securing the surprise three-count to retain the TNT Championship.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: AEW World Tag Team Title Eliminator Tournament Quarterfinal – Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson and Austin Gunn) def. Big Bill & Bryan Keith
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The match opened with Juice Robinson and Bryan Keith showcasing technical skill, exchanging holds before Robinson hit a shoulder tackle and quickly tagged in Austin Gunn. The Bang Bang Gang demonstrated their chemistry early with a sharp double hip toss earning them a near fall. The momentum shifted dramatically as Big Bill entered, towering over Gunn and swiftly targeting Austin’s left knee, cruelly mocking Gunn by referencing the injury his brother Colten had suffered previously. Bryan Keith maintained pressure on Gunn’s knee, skillfully isolating him in their corner and working relentlessly alongside Big Bill. In a desperate moment, Gunn low-bridged Big Bill to send him to the outside, then managed to send Keith crashing over the top rope, finally tagging in Robinson, who burst into the match with explosive energy. Juice unleashed a rapid assault, hitting a Russian leg sweep followed immediately by a senton. Yet, a distraction allowed Big Bill to land a massive boot from ringside, nearly derailing Juice’s momentum. Keith and Big Bill combined for a brutal double-team maneuver, driving Juice face-first onto Keith’s boot, but Austin Gunn heroically broke up the pin. As Bill attempted further tandem offense, Gunn disrupted Keith, allowing Juice to deliver a remarkable Frankensteiner from the top rope. Keith rolled through, attempting a pin, but Austin Gunn quickly intervened, shifting Juice’s leverage back through, securing the decisive three-count for the victory.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Max Caster’s Open Challenge – Winner: Anthony Bowens
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Caster entered the ring with characteristic bravado, taunting the Chicago audience: “I know they call this the Windy City, but you guys really do blow.” As Caster asked for five minutes on the clock, Bowens stormed the ring. He attacked aggressively from the outset, driving Caster into the corner with a furious barrage of punches, yet the crowd’s vocal support for Caster clearly irritated him. Bowens intensified his assault, chopping Caster viciously in the corner, and then climbed the turnbuckle, taunting the crowd further. He picked up Caster’s petition clipboard and emphatically broke it over his knee, proclaiming, “You’re nothing without the Pride of Pro Wrestling. You understand?” In a decisive sequence, Bowens delivered a Fame-Asser followed by a pinpoint superkick, leading directly into his devastating Mollywhop spinning back elbow. Bowens covered Caster for the definitive three-count victory.
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #4: $400,000 8-Man Tag Team Match – Outrunners (Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd), Tomohiro Ishii & Hologram def. Hechicero, Lance Archer & The Infantry (Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The match began with Don Callis providing an elaborate and boastful introduction for Hechicero, declaring him better than legendary luchadores. Early action saw Carlie Bravo attempting to overpower Tomohiro Ishii, only to be flattened by Ishii’s imposing shoulder tackle. Hologram entered explosively, executing impressive tandem moves with Ishii including a smooth suplex followed by a precise senton. The match quickly escalated as Lance Archer dominated multiple opponents, delivering a punishing big boot, powerful chokeslam, and a devastating powerbomb, tossing Hologram directly into The Outrunners. Returning from the commercial break, Archer’s dominance persisted until Ishii astonishingly lifted Archer into a massive vertical suplex, drawing awe from the commentary team. Capitalizing on the chaos, Hologram countered Hechicero spectacularly with a double stomp from the top rope. Turbo Floyd’s hot tag led to a fiery assault on The Infantry, delivering decisive scoop slams. The Infantry momentarily gained the upper hand after Don Callis interfered outside, prompting Paragon’s Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong to intervene, running off Callis and his faction. In the climax, The Outrunners successfully countered The Infantry’s attempted combo offense with their signature Miami Overdrive, securing the pinfall victory.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #5: Triangle of Madness (Thekla, Skye Blue and Julia Hart) def. Rachael Ellering, Mazzerati & Laynie Luck
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
AEW Collision marked the debut of the formidable new trio, Triangle of Madness–Thekla, Skye Blue, and Julia Hart–as they faced off against Rachael Ellering, Mazzerati, and Laynie Luck. Julia Hart began aggressively against Laynie Luck, quickly asserting wrist control and showcasing impressive agility by walking the top rope and crashing down onto Luck while maintaining control. Skye Blue tagged in swiftly, continuing the onslaught, before tagging Thekla, who viciously drove Luck’s head against the bottom rope with a fierce kick. Luck momentarily rallied, blocking Hart’s standing moonsault with knees and tagging in Ellering. Ellering explosively cleared the ring of all three Triangle members, delivering a powerful senton and a textbook fisherman’s suplex on Hart for a near fall. Skye Blue promptly halted this momentum, tossing Luck out, allowing Thekla to execute a massive spear on Luck on the floor. Mazzerati entered the fray but was overwhelmed by seamless teamwork from Hart and Blue, culminating with Thekla delivering a decisive stomp from the corner for the pinfall victory.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #6: Nick Wayne & Kip Sabian def. AR Fox & Angelico
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The match began aggressively, with Wayne immediately attacking Fox, stomping him into the corner before tagging in Kip Sabian. Sabian maintained momentum, delivering relentless punches to Fox before quickly tagging Wayne back in, continuing the assault with a hard kick to Fox’s gut. Fox managed to shift momentum briefly with a twisting vertical suplex on Wayne, dragging him into the corner to tag in Angelico. Angelico entered with forceful strikes, but Wayne quickly regained control, countering an Irish whip into the ropes. Angelico responded with an impressive standing arm lock, momentarily grounding Wayne. However, Kip Sabian slapped Angelico from the apron, distracting him enough for Wayne to seize the advantage. After the commercial break, AR Fox demonstrated incredible resilience, simultaneously fending off both Sabian and Wayne. Fox delivered a remarkable cutter on both opponents, followed by an extraordinary dive over the top rope onto Sabian. Fox then connected with a spectacular swan dive onto Wayne from the top rope, but Wayne managed to kick out at two. In the closing moments, Angelico attempted a belly-to-back suplex, but Sabian executed a blind tag, immediately landing a missile dropkick from the top rope. Sabian followed up with a devastating flipping reverse cannonball in the corner. Meanwhile, Wayne neutralized Fox outside the ring with a moonsault. At the insistence of Mother Wayne, Sabian reluctantly tagged Wayne back in. Wayne capitalized, hitting Christian Cage’s signature Killswitch maneuver on Angelico for the decisive three-count.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #7: Ring of Honor Women’s World Championship – Athena def. Alex Windsor
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The match began with technical mat wrestling, quickly escalating when Athena stunned Windsor with a fierce punch to the face. Windsor responded assertively, executing a series of arm-drags and delivering solid boots to Athena in the corner. Athena momentarily regained control by pulling Windsor’s hair, only to be driven face-first into the mat. Windsor attempted consecutive slams, but Athena countered impressively, transitioning into a surprise headscissor maneuver that sent Windsor crashing face-first into the turnbuckle. An intense exchange on the apron saw Windsor attempting a discus clothesline, but Athena swiftly ducked, executing a punishing back suplex onto the apron. Returning from commercial break, Windsor managed to regain momentum briefly, landing heavy blows. Athena fought back with a thrust kick followed by a breathtaking standing Spanish Fly transitioned into a Koji clutch. Windsor cleverly countered into a near fall, forcing Athena to break the submission. Athena struck again with a powerful backdrop driver for another close two-count. As Athena ascended the top rope, Windsor intervened with a spectacular rising headbutt, setting up an attempted Blue Thunder Bomb. Windsor’s resilience shone as the battle moved outside, but Athena’s ally Billie Starkz interfered, viciously slamming Windsor into the ring steps. Athena capitalized, landing a shotgun dropkick, crashing Windsor into the barricade. A brutal powerbomb from the barricade to the floor left Windsor vulnerable, and Athena finished decisively with her signature O-Face for the victory.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
This week’s show opened strong with Dustin Rhodes defending the TNT Championship against Lee Moriarty in a surprisingly gritty and emotionally charged match. Moriarty targeted Rhodes’ leg with relentless precision, but the veteran held his ground and pulled off a clever finish to retain. The post-match confrontation with Kyle Fletcher, who teased a Chicago Street Fight, added some solid heat heading into next week. The ROH Women’s Championship bout between Athena and Alex Windsor really delivered, with both women laying in stiff offence and showing real chemistry despite a couple of awkward transitions. Toni Storm’s involvement after the bell injected chaos and teased what could be a heated rivalry going forward. The rest of the show felt more of a mixed bag, with the Bang Bang Gang’s tag eliminator win, the debut of the Triangle of Madness faction, and a money-tag match with a $400k purse all progressing stories. Commentary did its job effectively and paid tribute to wrestling history with class, adding some emotional weight to the broadcast. Yet again, Collison remains entertaining with a strong opening, a compelling women’s title match, and just enough story movement to keep viewers engaged.
