‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Dec 6th 2025)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Collision, which this week aired on Thanksgiving night in a special time/day presentation. We’ve got the commentary team of Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness calling the action. Also, AEW’s official recaps are getting rather long, so we’ll be abbreviating them where we can to save your eyes! With that, let’s get into the review…
Match #1: Continental Classic Blue League – Orange Cassidy def. Roderick Strong
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Strong dragged Cassidy to the mat early and ignored Cassidy’s plea from Dynamite to avoid chops. Cassidy briefly took control with a headlock, but Strong blasted him with a vicious chop that sent him to the floor. Outside, Strong’s attack intensified, including a backbreaker on the railing, before he rolled Cassidy back in and delivered a barrage of backbreakers. Cassidy created space with a sudden DDT and avoided the Stronghold by slipping his hands into his pockets, kicking Strong to the floor, and diving after him. Back inside, Cassidy ran Strong into multiple turnbuckles and hit a springboard tornado DDT, but Strong cut him off on the top rope. Cassidy elbowed him down and hit a top-rope elbow for two. Strong dodged the Orange Punch and nailed End of Heartache, but Cassidy survived. After trading nearfalls, Cassidy hit a Stundog Millionaire, slipped out of another counter, and trapped Strong in a clever cradle to score the three count and his first points.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: Continental Classic Blue League – Máscara Dorada def. Claudio Castagnoli
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Castagnoli dominated early, muscling Dorada to the mat and shutting down his speed. A sharp armdrag sent Castagnoli outside, but when Dorada followed, he was blasted by a rising uppercut. Castagnoli then gorilla-pressed Dorada onto the guardrail twice before dragging him back in for more punishment, even yanking at the mask until Dorada fired back with chops and kicks. Castagnoli stopped the comeback with a short swing and a corner uppercut, but Dorada countered the follow-up with a thrust kick. Dorada sparked a surge, flipping to his feet and hitting a top-rope armdrag and hurricanrana, then outsmarting Castagnoli on a dive with an armdrag on the floor. They brawled around the steps before Dorada hit a creative rope-assisted wristlock takeover. Back inside, Castagnoli caught Dorada off the top for a tilt-a-whirl slam and nearly finished him with a huge uppercut. Dorada survived and traded big shots until Castagnoli attempted a rope climb with Dorada on his back. Dorada escaped, hit a top-rope hurricanrana, dodged a superplex, and landed a picture-perfect shooting star press for the upset pin. Dorada earns three points, while Castagnoli takes his first Continental Classic loss.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #3: TBS Women’s Championship – Mercedes Moné (c) def. Leila Grey
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Moné attacked before the bell, immediately sending Grey to the floor. She followed with a sliding dropkick and ran down the apron to hit a meteora, but Grey ducked, so Christopher Daniels ate the pair of knees from Moné instead! Grey nailed Moné with a forearm and then put her down with a short dropkick to get a two count. She followed with a neckbreaker for another nearfall. Moné blocked an attack in the corner and slammed Grey into the turnbuckle with a head scissors. Grey missed a bulldog out of the corner, which allowed Moné to hit a Meteora for a two count. Moné stayed in control until she missed a charge in the corner. Grey fought back with a series of clotheslines and a slingblade. She hit a rising knee on Moné in the corner, but appeared to be showing damage from the match so far. Grey recovered to hit a bulldog, but Moné snatched her in the Moné Maker to get the submission victory.
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #4: AEW National Championship – Ricochet def. Ace Austin
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Austin quickly realised the danger posed by Kaun and Liona at ringside but still managed to dropkick Ricochet to the floor. A frustrated Ricochet grabbed the bell hammer, giving Liona an opening to trip Austin. Ricochet pounced, blasting Austin from behind and hitting a huge dive to seize control. Ricochet dominated until Austin dodged a corner dropkick that sent Ricochet crashing onto his head. Austin fired up, targeting the neck with strikes and a knee-lift/Russian leg sweep combo. He avoided Liona on the apron with incredible balance and hit a springboard crossbody, then a Dr. Bomb for two. Ricochet answered with a slick pin attempt and a shotgun dropkick. Both men traded reversals until Austin landed a superplex and nearly won with a calf-driven head slam. Austin set up The Fold, but Ricochet shifted the referee and went for a low blow, which Austin blocked. Austin flipped Ricochet, only for Ricochet to land on his feet and connect with a Spirit Gun followed by Vertigo to retain the AEW National Championship.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #5: Continental Classic Blue League – Konosuke Takeshita def. Jon Moxley
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Moxley and Takeshita opened cautiously until a shove exchange led to shoulder blocks and Takeshita dropping Mox with a boot and leaping clothesline. Moxley avoided a suplex but landed awkwardly on his already-injured ankle. Takeshita immediately targeted it, smashing the ankle into the post, guardrail and steps, leaving Mox struggling to stand. For several minutes Takeshita dismantled the ankle until Moxley finally created an opening on the apron, kicking Takeshita’s ankle and stomping his head. Back inside they traded suplexes and heavy clotheslines before Moxley connected with a brutal lariat. Mox then turned a cross armbar into an ankle lock, but Takeshita reached the ropes. On the apron Takeshita countered a piledriver with a back body drop. Both men, now limping, escalated the fight: Takeshita hit a flip dive, wrecked the announce table, and powerbombed Moxley through it, nearly winning by countout. A top-rope splash still couldn’t finish Mox. In the closing minutes they traded bombs, Moxley hitting Paradigm Shift only for Takeshita to survive with a rope break. Mox’s ankle buckled on a rebound, allowing Takeshita to level him with a knee and finally Raging Fire for the pin. Takeshita moves to six points, tying Castagnoli atop the Blue League.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
This week’s Collision showed exactly why AEW is at its best when tournaments drive the narrative. With the Continental Classic matches anchoring the show, everything felt sharper and more purposeful. Wrestlers had clear motivations, every result mattered, and the show moved with the kind of momentum you only get when wins and losses actually shape something bigger. The in-ring action delivered across the board, boosted by the natural urgency tournament bouts bring. Even the non-tournament matches and promos benefited from that rising tide, giving the whole episode a sense of cohesion rather than the usual scattershot weekly format. Not every segment hit equally hard, but the overall package was strong, entertaining, and consistently engaging. Collision felt focused, competitive, and meaningful – a reminder that, as I’ve always said, tournaments don’t just improve wrestling shows… they transform them!
