‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Apr 11th 2026)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Collision, which brings wrestling back to Saturday nights. We’ve got the commentary team of Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness calling the action. Also, as usual, we’ll be abbreviating AEW’s huge match recaps where we can to save your eyes and your time! With that, let’s get into the review…
Match #1: AEW World Trios Championship – The Dogs (Gabe Kidd, David Finlay & Clark Connors) def. JetSpeed (Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey) & Místico
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Finlay and Místico started, but The Dogs jumped the champs early, taking control on the outside. Bailey created space with a headscissors and dropkick, while Místico fired back with a flurry of counters, sending multiple opponents to the floor. The pace exploded into chaos, with dives from Bailey, Knight and Místico keeping the champions in control—until The Dogs cut them off and swung momentum back their way with brutal ringside offense. Knight was isolated and beaten down until he finally tagged Místico, who cleaned house and helped set up a trio of dives. More chaos followed, with near-falls and big strikes on all sides. In the closing stretch, Kidd and The Dogs overwhelmed the champs—piledrivers, lariats and a brutal Full Clip on Bailey sealed it. Kidd got the pin, and The Dogs walked out as the new AEW World Trios Champions.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: Kris Statlander & Hikaru Shida def. Ava Lawless & Gigi Rey
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Right at the bell, Shida was all over Lawless and nailed her with 10 punches in the corner and a Falcon Arrow. Statlander made a blind tag that seemed to confuse Shida, so Rey tagged in on the other side and grabbed Statlander for a suplex. Statlander turned it into one of her own and a fisherman’s driver. She kicked Lawless off the apron, and Rey tried to fight back, but Statlander caught her in midair and executed a Staturday Night Fever for the quick victory! Shida was shocked, but came in to celebrate, somewhat begrudgingly and then seemed to consider striking Statlander from behind. Instead, the two hugged, but Shida remained conflicted.
My Score: SQUASH out of 5
Match #3: RUSH def. Anthony Bowens
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Both men came out swinging, trading shoulder blocks and chops with neither gaining control early. RUSH eventually took over with a big forearm and powerslam, but Bowens fired back, sending him crashing between barricades and into the steel steps. Momentum swung back and forth from there—RUSH slowed things down with strikes and a fireman’s carry slam, while Bowens answered with a twisting DDT and near-fall. Each man had the other scouted, countering big moves including multiple Bull’s Horns attempts. In the end, RUSH’s relentless offense proved too much. After a release German, a brutal ringside assault, and finally connecting with Bull’s Horns, he put Bowens away to secure the win—and the #2 spot in the Casino Gauntlet at Dynasty.
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #4: The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin) def. Andy Anderson & Mo Jabari
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Lashley controlled Anderson with elbows and a shoulder block before an impressive stalling suplex. He went over to tag Benjamin, but Jabari tagged in first and started clubbing Lashley in the back to a comical level of failure. Benjamin tagged in and stopped Jabari with a knee lift. Jabari hit a couple of chops in the corner, but Benjamin came back with a pair of German suplexes as Anderson made a blind tag. He walked into a Lashley spinebuster, and Benjamin ran across the ring with a running knee lift to Jabari in the corner. He stumbled into a spear by Lashley! Benjamin dropped Anderson with a thrust kick and pinned him for the easy win. The Hurt Syndicate hasn’t missed a beat!
My Score: SUPER-SQUASH out of 5
Match #5: Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) def. The Don Callis Family (El Clon & Hechicero)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Nick started fast, outpacing Clon until Hechicero jumped in to even things up. The Bucks quickly regained control with slick double-team offence—armdrags, hurricanranas and a facebuster combo—but Clon and Hechicero slowed things down, isolating Matt and keeping him away from a tag. After taking a beating, Matt finally created an opening with a double Northern Lights suplex, bringing Nick back in to clean house. What followed was pure chaos—Canadian Destroyers, stereo submissions, missed superkicks and near-falls as all four men traded momentum. The closing stretch saw counters flying thick and fast, including a failed BTE Trigger that nearly cost the Bucks. But they recovered quickly—Nick wiped out the outside interference, while Matt held Clon in place for the flipping piledriver to secure the win.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #6: AEW International Championship – Kazuchika Okada def. Myron Reed
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Okada arrived with Don Callis and Lance Archer in tow, while Reed had Wentz and Xavier backing him for the biggest match of his career. Early on, Okada controlled things, overpowering Reed and even sending him crashing to the floor with a brutal dropkick. Reed found openings with his speed—enzigiris, a springboard dropkick and a huge guillotine legdrop—but Okada kept cutting him off, turning it into a largely one-sided affair. Still, Reed refused to stay down, landing a dive to the outside, a leaping cutter and a near-fall off a 450 splash attempt. The closing stretch saw both men counter everything, with Reed even escaping the Rainmaker at one point. But Okada’s experience won out—he dropped Reed with a tombstone and followed up with a Rainmaker to seal the victory.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #7: The Brawling Birds (Alex Windsor & Jamie Hayter) def. Thekla & Marina Shafir
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Thekla and Shafir jumped Hayter and Windsor before the bell, turning it into an instant brawl on the outside. Once things settled in the ring, Shafir and Thekla took control, isolating Windsor and keeping Hayter at bay. Windsor eventually fought back with a draping DDT, allowing Hayter to tag in and unload with a trio of German suplexes and a dropkick. Momentum kept swinging, with submissions, suplexes and big strikes flying until everyone was left down after a chaotic exchange. The finish saw Windsor and Shafir go toe-to-toe before Hayter returned. Despite interference from Thekla, Hayter and Windsor connected with Two Birds, One Stone to put Shafir away. The Brawling Birds pick up the win, standing tall as tensions between Hayter and Thekla continue to simmer.
My Score: 4 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
Collision this week felt like a show of two very different halves… and somehow still landed right in the middle. On one hand, you’ve got a genuinely stacked top end. The Trios opener delivered the kind of chaotic, spot-heavy madness AEW thrives on, with The Dogs bulldozing their way to gold in a statement win. The Young Bucks reminded everyone why they’re still one of the best tag teams on the planet in a frantic, near-fall-heavy sprint, and the main event brought the hard-hitting intensity, with Hayter and Windsor continuing to feel like a seriously legit pairing. But then… yeah, the padding. Too many squashes. The Hurt Syndicate looked dominant, sure, but it’s hard to care when there’s zero jeopardy. The same goes for the Statlander/Shida match, which felt more like storyline progression than an actual contest. Even Okada vs. Reed, while solid, never quite hit that next gear you’d hope for from an International Title match. This was a good episode, not a great one. When Collision hits, it really hits – but here, it just couldn’t maintain that momentum across the full show.
