‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Jun 8th 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: FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. Blackpool Combat Club (Wheeler Yuta & Claudio Castagnoli)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Claudio Castagnoli and Dax Harwood grappled at the start of the match, with Claudio trying to smother Dax. Claudio served up a big European Uppercut. Dax left the ring to gather himself. Dax backed Claudio into the turnbuckles and lit up Claudio’s chest with a stiff chop. Claudio body slammed Dax and double stomped Dax’s sternum. Wheeler grabbed a tag and he and Dax exchanged chops. Cash came in and he and Dax delivered a double elbow to young Wheeler Yuta. Cash clobbered Yuta with a European Uppercut. Yuta tagged out to Claudio and Claudio smashed Dax with wild uppercuts. Claudio followed up with a pump kick to Dax for a near fall. Claudio locked Cash into a sharpshooter, but Dax put Wheeler into a sharpshooter of his own. Claudio and Dax smacked each other with open palm strikes, then transitioned to forearm shots. Dax hit a desperation spinebuster on Claudio. The fans stood to their feet and applauded all four wrestlers as both teams countered tandem offense from the other. FTR were going for the Shatter Machine, but Claudio prevented it and put Cash in the Giant Swing! Yuta dropkicked Cash and Claudio covered Cash for the pin, but Dax jumped in to make the save. FTR finally hit the Shatter Machine on Claudio and went for the cover, but Wheeler Yuta was there to break up the pin attempt just in the nick of time! Cash placed Claudio in a Sharpshooter! Claudio turned it around, applying the move on Cash! Dax grabbed Yuta and put Yuta in the Sharpshooter for another stare down. Claudio released the hold and spiked Dax with a Gotch style piledriver. Cash planted Claudio with a piledriver and covered him for a two-count! Bobby Cruise announced there is one minute remaining in the match. Claudio planted Cash face first. Claudio put Cash in the cross face! The bell rang as the 20-minute time limit expired and the match was announced as a draw!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #2: Kris Statlander def. Robyn Renegade
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Statlander whipped Robyn into the turnbuckles. Kris rocked Robyn with a power bomb! Kris finished off Robyn with Saturday Night Fever and pinned Robyn in a decisive pin!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #3: Dustin Rhodes def. Johnny TV
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Dustin connected with a cannonball off the apron onto Johnny TV. Dustin rocked Johnny with a chop! Taya distracted Dustin long enough for Johnny TV to hit a tornillo on Dustin Rhodes. Johnny and Dustin slugged it out in the middle of the ring. Dustin blasted Johnny with a running bulldog. Dustin followed up with a couple of standing lariats and then a quick power slam on Johnny TV for a near fall. Johnny TV nailed Dustin with a neck breaker. Dustin fired back with a Canadian Destroyer! Dustin kicked Johnny with a low blow as the ref was dealing with Taya. Dustin planted Johnny with the Cross Rhodes and went for the cover, but Taya grabbed Johnny’s foot and put it on the rope to break up the pin. The referee ejected Taya! Johnny stunned Dustin with a thrust kick when Dustin turned around. Johnny rocked Dustin with three knee strikes. Johnny went for the Starship Pain, but Dustin dodged it. Dustin planted Johnny with the Cross Rhodes and this time scored the pin on Johnny!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #4: Premier Athletes (Tony Nese & Ariya Daivari) def. Dante Leon & Trip
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
The Premier Athletes charged at their opposition, bludgeoning them in the corner like two runaway locomotives. Tony spiked Trip on the mat and pinned him!
My Score: 0 out of 5
Match #5: Toni Storm def. Lady Frost
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Lady Frost showed off her gymnastics background and connected with a moonsault off the apron and onto the champ. Storm hit the hip attack on Lady Frost, but Frost kicked out at the two-count! Lady Frost planted Storm. Lady Frost climbed to the top turnbuckle looking for the Frost Bite, but Toni countered with a back stabber. Storm walloped Frost with a sit out powerbomb. Toni Storm nailed Lady Frost with the Storm Zero and pinned Lady Frost!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #6: Daniel Garcia def. Tate Mayfairs
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Garcia grappled Tate to the mat. Tate chopped Garcia in the corner, but Garcia smashed him with a running back elbow. Tate grounded and pounded Daniel Garcia. Tate showed off his boxing background. Garcia stunned Mayfairs with three consecutive swinging neck breakers. Garcia suplexed Tate and then followed up with a shotgun dropkick. Garcia applied a guillotine and then finished off Mayfairs with the Red Cross, scoring the pin on Mayfairs.
My Score: 2.5 out of 5
Match #7: Orange Cassidy def. Kyle O’Reilly
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Orange and Kyle chain wrestled, each man countering the other. Kyle tried for a double underhook, but Orange slipped out of it. Kyle clobbered Orange with a leg sweep. The Undisputed Kingdom cheered on Kyle. Kyle wrenched Orange’s leg with a dragon screw leg whip. Roderick whispered into Kyle’s ear. Kyle dropped Orange with another dragon screw leg whip, this time on the arena floor. Cassidy tried to get back in the ring, but Kyle was waiting with another dragon screw leg whip. Kyle worked over Orange with round kicks. Orange punted Kyle in the ribs! Orange pulped Kyle with a tope suicida! Orange connected with a cross body from the top turnbuckle. Orange hurled Kyle with a snap German Suplex. Kyle answered with a snap German Suplex of his own. Orange tried for the StunDog Millionaire, but Kyle escaped and applied an ankle lock. Orange planted Kyle for a near fall! Kyle drilled Orange with a rolling forearm shot. Orange cracked Kyle with a shot of his own. Kyle dodged the Orange Punch and went for a double wristlock, but Orange blocked it! Orange blasted Kyle with a Beach Break, but Kyle kicked out at the two-count! Orange clocked Kyle with the Orange Punch and scored the pin!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
Another week another great episode of Collision, with 5 solid matches and a couple of squash matches that, despite being squashes, still made sense in terms of storytelling and character progression AND reintroduced us to the Premiere Athletes and their manager Smart Mark. Speaking of matches, the opening 20-minute time-limit match was stupendous and I actually liked the appearance of Brandon Cutler to not only disallow an extension of the match but also take a beatdown – thus reinforcing the AEW vs. Elite that is undoubtedly – at some point – going to be one hell of a “final” fight. Johnny TV made another appearance on Collision this week, in yet another jobber role, so he was never going to win but… he was booked, as he was against Claudio last week, strong against Dustin Rhodes. Though the most exciting thing was Rhodes’ promo afterwards – I really want to see Rhodes given a major push and a winning streak, he truly deserves it. Maybe have him be a huge factor in taking down the Elite? Once again Kyle O’Reilly appeared in the main event, in another banger of a match – this time against Orange Cassidy. And like last week’s match, both men left everything in the ring, putting on a display of fantastic wrestling AND fantastic storytelling in that match. Unmissable stuff!
