‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Aug 26th 2023)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW’s latest television show, Collision, which brings wrestling back to Saturday nights! We’ve got the commentary team of Caprice Coleman and Kevin Kelly calling the action this week, so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: Orange Cassidy, Penta El Zero Miedo & Eddie Kingston def. The Butcher, The Blade & Kip Sabian
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Sabian shoved Penta El Zero Miedo. Butcher and Kingston rammed each other with shoulder blocks. Blade and Butcher double teamed Kingston. Penta tagged in and hit Blade with a thrust kick. Penta threw Blade on top of Butcher in the corner. Kip pulled Penta’s legs from outside the ring, crotching Penta on the ring post. Orange Cassidy took offense to this and connected with a tope suicida to Kip Sabian. Cassidy cracked Kip with a thrust kick. Kip distracted the ref long enough for Butcher and the Blade to double team Orange. Blade nailed Orange with a swinging neck breaker. Blade held Cassidy while Kip jumped off the top rope with a double stomp to Cassidy. Penta tagged in and cleaned house on Butcher, Blade, and Sabian. Butcher and Kingston clobbered one another with lariats. Sabian tagged in but Kingston fired off machine gun style chops. Kingston blasted Butcher with a spinning back fist. Sabian jumped from the top turnbuckle, but Kingston caught him with an Exploder suplex. After Cassidy hit the Orange Punch for good measure, Kingston used the sliding lariat to pin Kip Sabian!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: Dark Order (John Silver & Alex Reynolds) def. Action Andretti & Darius Martin
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Action reversed a wrist lock from Silver, but Silver shoved Action into the Dark Order’s corner. Reynolds tagged in and worked over Action Andretti. Darius tagged in and he and Action used their tandem tactics on Reynolds. After a blind tag, Silver power bombed Action onto Reynold’s knees. Darius was able to tag in and he regained momentum for his team. Darius nailed Reynolds with a brain buster, and Action, the legal man, followed up with a 450 splash for a near fall. Dark Order had enough though, and used their flurry of tandem offense, including a German suplex and then Reynolds scoring the victory with the jackknife pin!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #3: Big Bill def. Vary Morales
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Big Bill picked up Vary and threw him halfway across the ring. Big Bill charged and splashed Morales in the corner. Big Bill rocked Vary with a massive boot to the face. Big Bill planted Vary Morales with a chokeslam and pinned him!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #4: Willow Nightingale def. Robyn Renegade
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Willow escaped a headlock, but Robyn connected with a solid right hand shot. Willow fired back with a splash for a near fall. Willow took down Robyn with two snap suplexes. Robyn tripped up Willow and planted her on the ring apron. Willow clobbered Robyn with a clothesline. She rocked Robyn with a spinebuster for a near fall. Mercedes Martinez and Diamante were watching the match on a monitor backstage. Robyn dodged a cannonball from Willow and followed up with a missile dropkick. Willow was almost double teamed outside the ring, but she was able to double suplex the Renegade sisters on the arena floor. Willow power bombed Robyn in the ring and pinned her!
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #5: Keith Lee def. Zicky Dice
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Keith Lee ran over Dice with a lariat. Keith Lee pounced Dice! Keith Lee hit the powerbomb and pinned Zicky Dice!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #6: CM Punk, Darby Allin, Sting & Hook def. Jay White, Swerve Strickland, Luchasaurus & Brian Cage
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Ring of Honor World TV Champion Samoa Joe was on commentary for this match. Jim Ross joined the broadcast team to provide his main event analysis. Swerve mocked CM Punk after taking him down. Jay White tagged in and said he wanted Sting! Punk turned around to tag in Sting but Jay White blindsided Punk. CM Punk answered back with knife edge chops. Punk suplexed “Switchblade” and then tagged out to Hook. After some grappling, Hook tagged in Darby. Darby held the wrist lock on Jay White and tagged Punk back into the match. Punk was going to tag Sting in, but Jay White retreated and tagged Luchasaurus. Darby slapped Luchasaurus in the face. Darby blind tagged Sting. Darby and Sting splashed Luchasaurus in the corner. Hook battered Swerve in the corner. He hurled Swerve overhead with a suplex. Jay White distracted Hook and Swerve hit Hook from behind. Brian Cage came in and stomped Hook in the corner. Hook suplexed “The Machine” Brian Cage. Punk and Jay tagged in for their respective teams. Punk cleaned house on the opposition. Punk used a running bulldog. He body slammed Jay White. Punk hit the Macho Man elbow drop on “Switchblade.” Hook came in but Luchasaurus choke slammed him. Brian Cage ate a roundhouse kick from Punk. CM Punk lifted up Cage and nailed him with the GTS, the whole time staring down Samoa Joe who was sitting at the commentary booth. Punk locked on Samoa Joe’s finisher and forced Brian Cage to tap out!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3/5
A solid episode of Collision again this week. Nothing remarkable but still a decent collection of matches, with some familiar faces back on AEW television after either a) appearing mainly on Ring of Honor; or b) working for another wrestling promotion. Bonus points for this week’s show for featuring a bunch of my favourite talent: Dark Order, Willow Nightingale, Orange Cassidy, Penta El Zero Miedo & Eddie Kingston… OK, so I like a lot of AEW stars but hey, that’s why I was at All In this past weekend!