‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Aug 23rd 2025)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Collision, which – like Dynamite – emanated from the OVO Arena in Glasgow, Scotland. With that, let’s get into the review!
Match #1: Hiromu Takahashi & SkyFlight (Scorpio Sky, Dante Martin and Dariun Martin) def. Don Callis Family (Lance Archer, Josh Alexander, Hechicero and Rocky Romero)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Hiromu Takahashi got things going with a hot start against one of his trainers, Rocky Romero. Then, Top Flight came in with their unique high-flying offense on Hechicero, but that was shut down by a Lance Archer chokeslam on the apron. Josh Alexander showed how precise and strong he was by picking apart Dante Martin. A small burst of offense wasn’t initially enough for Scorpio Sky to get his team back in it, but Hiromu finally tags back and SkyFlight hit a triple dive! Hiromu hits the Timebomb for win!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: Megan Bayne def. Isla Dawn
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
This was Isla Dawn’s AEW debut and she’s from right here in Scotland. On the other side, Megan Bayne has a 9-0 Collision singles record. Bayne didn’t seem to care about Dawn’s home field advantage. Dawn had an early flurry, but was cut off by Bayne’s power including massive chops. Bayne openly trash-talked Dawn but Dawn fought back again. And then Bayne seemed to have enough and mercifully put Dawn down for the win with her signature running power bomb.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Willow Nightingale & Queen Aminata def. Triangle of Madness (Skye Blue & Julia Hart)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
At the start, Skye Blue had no answers for Willow’s power. Was that a couple poses of intimidation from Willow? Julia Hart tagged in, and immediately suffered a similar fate to Blue. Queen Aminata found her way into the match but Julia turned it around and walked the top rope with the arm ringer. Aminata fought back and tried to serve up Chocolate Kisses but Blue broke it up to change the complexion of the match. Willow tagged in once again and fiought off both with a POUNCE to Sky and a spinebuster to Hart for a two count. Queen Aminata gets back in the match with Blue. She hit a high angle Air Raid Crash, but Blue kicked out! After Hart and Blue tried double submissions, Aminata and Willow were able to break free. Aminata hit Off with Her Head for the impressive win!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #4: Max Caster Open Challenge – Zack Sabre Jr. def. Max Caster
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
With five minutes on the clock it was time to find out who could survive five with the Best Wrestler Alive. The Forbidden Door opened a day early when IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Zack Sabre Jr. answered the challenge! Caster may call himself The Best Wrestler Alive, but he was in there with one of the greatest technicians wrestling has ever seen. As Sabre Jr. continued to toy with Caster, he made a point to talk a little trash to Nigel McGuinness, which got polite applause from the commentary desk. As the time dropped under three minutes, it looked like ZSJ was done playing with his food, and he quickly tapped out Caster for the win. Sabre Jr. then confronted McGuinness at the desk, and while the two shook hands, it was far from friendly as they traded tense words.
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #5: Konosuke Takeshita def. Tomohiro Ishii
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
As Ishii and Takeshita rained down blows on each other, Don Callis earned a less-than-stellar reception from Glasgow as he joined the commentary booth. Ishii was able to fight off an early onslaught from the bigger, stronger Takeshita. Takeshita seemed to turn the tide in a big way when he hit an elevated DDT from Ishii’s position on the apron to the floor. As we’ve seen so many times before, Ishii’s fighting spirit wouldn’t allow him to stay down, and he once again fought himself back into the match and actually into control. He hit an avalanche suplex from the top and barked out in terror. And now it was Takeshita digging deeper, perhaps calling upon the resolve he used throughout the G1, putting on a power display that made Don Callis yell like he didn’t even need a headset. Takeshita squared up Ishii in the corner with a huge knee, yet Ishii somehow pushed right through what must have been immense pain to hit a powerbomb! Every strike was either blocked or fought through by both men as their knowledge of each other’s repertoire was on full display. Exhaustion wasn’t a thought for either man by this point. Ishii hit a desperation headbutt to Takeshita, who bounced off the ropes with a big knee to an already down Ishii. Finally, Takeshita let out a primal scream and finished Ishii off with the Raging Fire.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #6: Big Bill def. Mark Andrews
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
A very angry and determined Big Bill made his way to the ring with a purpose, accompanied by Bryan Keith. As the bell rang, Bill squashed Andrews in the corner, as the OVO Arena came unglued! Big Bill is even Bigger in Glasgow. As Bill bounced Andrews in and out of the ring, he began to take a bit more notice of the crowd, leaving Andrews a tiny opening to get back in it. And then he was out of it, as Big Bill hit every bit of a sidewalk slam to get the win.
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #7: GOA (Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun) def. Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake and Zack Gibson)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
While the Grizzled Young Veterans were certainly familiar with Glasgow, it really doesn’t matter where you are when you have to stand across from Toa Lions and Bishop Kaun. Drake tried a few different ways to knock Lions off his feet with little success. Technique was not beating out power with GOA in full control. A little flurry of tandem offense by the Vets didn’t last long, as Kaun took the advantage right back and had time to even pose for the crowd. With Drake on the outside, Liona sent him flying multiple rows into the crowd with a huge clothesline. GOA and Ricochet took the time to enjoy their success on the apron. Drake was nearly counted out, but somehow got a tag to Gibson and the tide turned significantly when Kaun was held down by Gibson in the corner while Drake went coast-to-coast with a kick to the head. Kaun then escaped an electric chair, which allowed Liona to pounce Drake over the top rope. With Gibson all alone, he succumbed to Open the Gates, with GOA picking up the win.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #8: Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) def. Paragon (Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Despite their misfortunes and distractions, the Bucks always bring it against Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly. However, they had real trouble getting out of the gates with O’Reilly and Strong controlling early with their precise kicks and strikes. The Bucks weren’t down for long, but they still struggled to find any consistent offense, In fact, they nearly took each other out multiple times. A couple of superkicks got the Bucks back in it, as they finally got their offense going with an assisted swanton followed by a jumping piledriver to O’Reilly on the outside. Strong found himself without a partner, as the Bucks methodically wore him down until O’Reilly finally got back to the corner. With Strong avoiding More Bang for Your Buck, O’Reilly tagged back in and singled-handedly took on both Matt and Nick. Eventually all four men battled it out in the ring, but the Bucks recovered quicker and started to find a second gear, but everything they tried wasn’t enough. Strong wound up hitting Nick with an End of Heartache, but with Matt locked in an ankle lock, Don Callis ran down for the distraction while Kazuchika Okada came in to hit a Rainmaker on O’Reilly while the Bucks took out Roddy. A yet-to-be-renamed flipping piledriver got the Bucks a win.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
This week’s Collision was a sharp go-home show that blended action with storyline progression. The opener delivered fast-paced excitement, with the babyfaces shining in a lively eight-man tag. Megan Bayne continued her dominant streak by crushing Isla Dawn, while the Young Bucks vs. Paragon main event escalated when Kazuchika Okada arrived, shifting focus to Swerve Strickland and adding big fight intrigue. The highlight came from Max Caster’s open challenge, where Zack Sabre Jr. stole the spotlight before Anthony Bowens’ shocking betrayal deepened the drama. With surprises, strong wrestling, and layered storytelling, Collision closed out the week on a compelling note and set the stage well for Forbidden Door.