‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Jun 1st 2024)
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 Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness calling the action, so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: Roderick Strong def. Lio Rush
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Roddy chopped and stomped at Lio, swarming Lio in the corner. Roddy blasted Lio with another chop and then a suplex, looking to make a statement after his title loss to Will Ospreay at Double or Nothing. Outside the ring Matt Taven taunted Lio, putting Lio’s entrance jacket on. Lio rocketed outside the ring with two tope suicidas to Roderick Strong. Roddy rallied back with a back breaker, yanking Lio off the turnbuckles. Roddy followed up with an Olympic Slam for a near fall. Lio stunned Roderick with a kick to the head. Lio spiked Roderick with a DDT for a near fall. Lio Rush climbed to the top turnbuckle. Taven and Bennett tried to interfere, but Lio wiped them out with a moonsault from the apron. Lio drilled Roddy with a stunner for a two-count. Lio climbed back up top and went for the frog splash, but Roddy raised his knees to counter it. Roderick rocked Rush with the End of Heartache and pinned Rush.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: Daniel Garcia & Katsuyori Shibata def. The Workhorsemen (Anthony Henry & JD Drake)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Henry walloped Shibata with stinging kicks. Shibata fired back with a penalty kick! Garcia tagged in but the Workhorsemen isolated Garcia in their corner. Drake chopped Garcia. Daniel Garcia ducked a second chop and fired back with a flurry of strikes. Henry nailed Shibata with a shining wizard knee strike. Henry tagged in but Shibata tripped up Henry. Garcia rocked Henry with a pair of swinging neck breakers. Henry backed Garcia into the corner, and it was divide and conquer as JD Drake and Henry swarmed Garcia with strikes. Garcia grabbed Drake and drilled him with a side suplex. Shibata tagged in and pump kicked Anthony Henry. Shibata took on both men with pump kicks. Shibata nailed Henry with a running dropkick. Shibata lit up Henry’s chest with chops and then Garcia charged at Henry with a double knee strike. Garcia power bombed Henry and went for the cover, but JD Drake ran in to break up the pin attempt. Drake suplexed Garcia and then Henry squashed Garcia with a double foot stomp. Drake went off the top with a moonsault onto Garcia, but Shibata broke up the pin. Shibata plastered Drake with a PK and then Garcia covered Drake for the pin fall victory!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #3: Thunder Rosa def. Reina Dorada
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Thunder Rosa and Reina Dorada began the match grappling on the mat. Thunder Rosa used a springboard arm drag and then a dropkick to take down Dorado. Thunder Rosa smashed Dorada with a double stomp. Thunder Rosa applied a Venus De Milo move right out of Deonna Purrazzo’s playbook. Dorado waffled Thunder Rosa with a forearm. Thunder Rosa cracked Reina back with a forearm of her own and then a Tijuana Bomb, but Dorada kicked out! Thunder Rosa applied a submission and Reina Dorada tapped out!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #4: Cage of Agony ( Brian Cage, Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) def. KM, Danny Rose & Ricky Gee
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Cage planted KM with one hand! Cage followed up with a German Suplex. Cage deadlifted KM with a suplex from outside the ring back into the ring. Danny Rose jumped off the turnbuckles, but Cage caught him and chucked him overhead. Cage of Agony grabbed Danny Rose by the limbs, threw him into the air, and then Bishop Kaun scored the pin.
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #5: Claudio Castagnoli def. Johnny TV
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Johnny TV tried for a low blow, but Claudio caught Johnny and nailed Johnny with a tilt awhirl back breaker. Johnny TV used a leg trip on Claudio and followed up with a kick to the back of Claudio’s head. Claudio countered a neck breaker with a back slide for a near fall. Claudio double stomped on the chest of Johnny TV, but Johnny kicked out at the two-count. Claudio hoisted up Johnny TV for a delayed vertical suplex and after close to a minute in the air, Claudio planted Johnny TV. Claudio signaled for the Giant Swing, but Taya grabbed Johnny’s arms. The ref was distracted by Taya as he tried to eject her from the ring. While the ref was dealing with Taya, Johnny cracked Claudio with a low blow. Claudio clobbered Johnny with European Uppercuts and then went for the Giant Swing but Johnny countered with a rollup for a near fall. Johnny TV used a swinging neck breaker on Claudio. From outside the ring, Taya slapped Claudio, but it woke up the big guy. As Claudio approached Taya, Johnny TV flipped onto Claudio with a tornillo! Johnny TV tried for the Starship Pain, but Claudio knocked Johnny TV off his perch. Claudio smashed Johnny with an avalanche flatliner from the top turnbuckle. Claudio applied the sharpshooter and once again Taya grabbed Johnny TV’s arms. Johnny TV tried for a low blow a second time as Taya was distracting the ref, but Claudio was ready. Claudio manhandled Johnny TV with the Giant TV. Claudio drilled Johnny TV with a running lariat and pinned Johnny TV!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #6: Shane Taylor Promotions (Lee Moriarty & Shane Taylor) def. West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Moriarty and Isaacs began for their respective teams. Moriarty dropkicked Royce but Royce rammed Lee with a running shoulder tackle. Royce body slammed Lee. Jorel and Royce used tandem offense on Lee showing off great synergy. Royce charged at Lee, but Lee countered with a flatliner on the turnbuckles. Taylor tagged in and cracked Royce with a knee strike. Shane Taylor hit Royce with jabs, forearms, and a headbutt. Royce rocked Shane with a knee and tagged to Jorel. Jorel charged at Shane with shoulder tackles, but Shane didn’t budge. Shane Taylor splashed Jorel, but Royce broke up the pin fall attempt. Jorel jumped off the turnbuckles, but Shane countered with a wicked forearm. Taylor hoisted up Jorel and dropped Jorel on Taylor’s knees, picking up the pinfall victory!
My Score: 2 out of 5
Match #7: AEW International Championship Match – Will Ospreay def. Kyle O’Reilly
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Kyle kicked Will in the face. Will took down Kyle with a hurracanrana. Will jumped over the top with a crossbody press from inside to outside the ring, crashing onto Kyle on the arena floor. Ospreay had Kyle caught up against the ropes and clocked him with a chop. Kyle wiped out Will with a beautiful leg sweep. Kyle applied a hammer lock and then punished Kyle with knee drops on the shoulder. Ospreay walloped Kyle with a springboard forearm for a near fall. Kyle yanked Ospreay’s arm, planting Ospreay hard on the ring apron. Ospreay’s leg was caught in the ropes. Kyle saw that Will was an open target and dropped a knee from the top rope onto Will for a near fall. Kyle put Will in an arm bar. Will rolled to the ropes to force the ref to break the hold. Kyle whipped Will into the barricade. Kyle charged at Will with a running dropkick. Kyle put a guillotine choke on Will, but Will countered with a vertical suplex and then a Tiger Driver for a near fall on Kyle O’Reilly. Will climbed to the top turnbuckle but Kyle kicked out Will’s legs. Kyle was relentless but Ospreay connected with a kick. Will tried for a 450 but Kyle dodged it. Will went for an Os-Cutter, but Kyle had it scouted and kicked out Will’s legs. Will went for another Os-Cutter, but Kyle countered with an arm bar! Kyle turned it into a triangle choke hold. Ospreay broke the hold by power bombing Kyle while Kyle had the arm bar on. Ospreay blasted Kyle with two kicks to the head. Kyle escaped a Tiger Driver with a suplex. Will cracked Kyle with the Hidden Blade out of nowhere! Will went for another Hidden Blade, but Kyle caught Will beneath the chin with a rising knee strike to the jaw. Both men were on their knees and began to trade headbutts from all fours. They got to their feet and exchanged forearms. After an intense flurry of offense from both men, countering one another, Ospreay rocked Kyle with the Storm Breaker and pinned Kyle!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
A huge improvement over last week’s go-home show, with 5 solid matches and a couple of squash matches that, despite being squashes, still made sense in terms of storytelling and character progression. The rest of the show was packed with great action – the opening match was, for me, one of THE best matches Roderick Strong has had in his time in AEW; the tag match that followed was fantastic – I loved seeing JD Drake in a high-profile match on AEW television, and judging by the audience reaction, the live crowd did too! The Claudio/Johnny TV match was ruined by the fact Johnny TV is something of a jobber in AEW rather than a top-tier (or even mid-card) talent in the company, so he was never going to win but… he was booked far too strong against Claudio too. Of course the match of this episode was the main event, which saw Ospreay and O’Reilly leave everything in the ring, putting on a display of fantastic wrestling AND fantastic storytelling in that match. Unmissable stuff!
