‘AEW: Collision’ Review (Jun 22nd 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 of this special anniversary show!

Match #1: Samoa Joe, HOOK & Katsuyori Shibata def. The Premier Athletes (Josh Woods, Tony Nese & Ariya Daivari)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Nese hit Joe with a spin kick, but that Joe bulldozed Nese to the mat. Hook tagged in and suplexed Nese, but Nese landed on his feet and then dropkicked Hook. The Premier Athletes triple teamed Hook in their corner of the ring. Shibata grabbed a tag, and Woods entered the match for his team. Woods and Shibata traded forearms. They chain wrestled and Shibata grabbed an arm bar, but Woods reached the ropes with his boots. Samoa Joe boxed Nese into the corner. Sterling distracted the ref while Josh Woods hit Samoa Joe with a cheap shot. Hook tagged in and wiped out Nese with a suplex. Hook followed up with a T-bone suplex and then clobbered Nese with clubbing forearms. Josh Woods jumped into the ring and hurled Hook with a German release. Shibata rocked Nese with a snap suplex. Shibata applied an arm bar and forced Nese to tap out!

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #2: The Patriarchy (Christian Cage, Nick Wayne & Kill Switch) def. The Iron Savages (Bulk Bronson and Beefcake Boulder & Jacked Jameson)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Before the match began, Christian Cage and Mother Wayne walked away from the ring. Christian Cage decided instead to join the broadcast team for this match. Killswitch nailed Bulk with a headbutt. Nick Wayne tagged in, but Bulk Bronson back dropped Nick. Killswitch came back in and walloped Bronson with a big thrust kick. Killswitch shoved Boulder over the top rope. Killswitch picked up Nick Wayne and tossed him onto Jameson and Boulder outside the ring, showing off a unique form of tandem offense. Bronson charged at Killswitch, but Killswitch grabbed him and choke slammed Bronson! Nick Wayne tagged in and rocked Bronson with Wayne’s World. Christian Cage walked to the ring and tagged in. Nick and Killswitch picked up Bronson and then Christian finished off Bronson with the kill switch, grabbing the pin for his team!

My Score: 2 out of 5

Match #3: Chris Jericho & Big Bill def. Private Party (Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy)

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Big Bill knocked Quen right to the mat with a shoulder block. Big Bill battered Quen in the corner and then hurled Quen halfway across the ring. Big Bill splashed Marq Quen in the corner, using his body as a battering ram. Marq Quen rallied back with a shotgun dropkick, but Big Bill knocked out Quen with a nasty jab. Big Bill picked up Marq Quen and dropped him hard onto the mat. Jericho tagged in and chopped Quen in the corner. Quen fired back with a flying shoulder and then tagged out to Brother Zay. Kassidy grounded and pounded Jericho after a double leg takedown. Jericho gouged Kassidy in the eyes to stop Kassidy’s momentum. Marq Quen tagged in, and he took down Jericho and grounded and pounded Jericho too. Bryan Keith distracted Quen long enough for Jericho to connect with a clothesline. Brother Zay cleaned house on Jericho and Big Bill with consecutive cutters! Marq Quen charged at Jericho, but Jericho caught him with a chop to the throat. Jericho went for the lionsault, but Quen raised his knees in defense. Kassidy and Quen rocked Jericho with the Gin & Juice, but Jericho kicked out at the two-count. Bryan Keith distracted the ref while Big Bill booted Isiah Kassidy in the jaw! Jericho went for the cover but Kassidy kicked out at the two-count. Kassidy fired back on all cylinders. Kassidy tried for a hurracanrana, but Jericho countered with the Walls. Kassidy managed to reach the ropes to break up the Walls. Big Bill decimated Kassidy with the Bossman Slam for a near fall. Big Bill choke slammed Marq Quen onto Kassidy and went for the cover, but Kassidy kicked out! Kassidy shoved Big Bill and Big Bill collided into Jericho. Marq Quen used a hurracanrana and sent Jericho flying into Kassidy, and Kassidy turned it into a Code Breaker on Jericho. Kassidy was looking for a lionsault, but as the ref was distracted by Big Bill on one side, Bryan Keith struck Kassidy from the ring apron. Jericho covered Kassidy and scored the win after a big assist from Bryan Keith!

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #4: House of Black (Malakai Black & Brody King) def. LSG & MSG

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Black blocked a kick from MSG. LSG tagged in and the House of Black hit tandem offense on him. Brody popped up LSG and then Black cracked him with a knee. They finished off LSG with Dante’s Inferno and Brody scored the pin!

My Score: 0 out of 5

Match #5: CMLL’s Hechicero def. Matt Menard

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Hechicero charged at Daddy Magic, but Daddy Magic dodged him. Hechicero dumped Daddy Magic on his head. Hechicero chomped on Daddy Magic’s forehead. Hechicero followed up with a back body drop. Menard got back into it with forearms shots. Menard stunned Hechicero with a cutter for a near fall. Hechicero stretched Daddy Magic with a submission and Daddy Magic had no choice but to tap!

My Score: 0 out of 5

Match #6: Kazuchika Okada def. CMLL’s Ultimo Guerrero

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Ultimo Guerrero hit a running shoulder block on Okada. Ultimo Guerrero blistered Okada’s chest with stiff chops in the corner. Ultimo Guererro body slammed the Rainmaker. Okada came back with a shoulder breaker on his opponent. Ultimo Guerrero used a sliding baseball dropkick to knock Okada out of the ring. Ultimo Guerrero stalked Okada outside the ring and rammed Okada into the steel ring post. Guerrero hoisted up Okada from the second turnbuckle and planted Okada down hard for a near fall. Okada nailed Guerrero with a picture perfect dropkick. Ultimo Guerrero power bombed Okada out of the corner for a near fall. Ultimo Guerrero was looking for a Sliced Bread on Okada on the top turnbuckle but Okada gouged Guerrero’s eyes. Okada pulled the mask down from Ultimo Guerrero and then smashed him with the rainmaker clothesline! Okada covered Ultimo Guerrero and pinned him for the three-count!

My Score: 3 out of 5

Match #7: Toni Storm & Mariah May def. Leyla Hirsch & Lady Frost

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Leyla took Toni down to the mat, but Toni got right to her feet. Leyla grappled Toni back down. Toni tagged to Mariah and Mariah scored with a dropkick. Lady Frost entered the fray, but Mariah planted Lady Frost onto the mat. Toni Storm followed up with a running hip attack, knocking Lady Frost outside the ring. Mariah May drilled Leyla with a backdrop driver. Toni tagged in and nailed Leyla with a backstabber and then a Northern Lights Suplex for a near fall. Mariah May wiped out Leyla with a running knee strike and then headbutted Lady Frost. Lady Frost cartwheeled into a cannonball and crunched Mariah in the corner. Lady Frost went for the Frost Bite, but Toni Storm sacrificed her body, covering Mariah with her own body. Toni smashed Leyla with the Storm Zero and allowed Mariah to make the cover, scoring the pin for her team!

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #8: AEW International Championship Match – Will Ospreay def. Brian Cage

The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:

Cage ran down Will like a runaway freight train. Cage curled his opponent and then dumped Ospreay to the mat. Ospreay, the ace of AEW, blasted Brian with a big pump kick. Will went over the top with a plancha to Cage on the arena floor. Cage came back with a delayed vertical suplex into a jackhammer for a near fall on the champ. Ospreay connected with a springboard forearm to “The Machine.” Cage fired back with a high arcing release German Suplex. Ospreay, motivated by the fans, went for the Hidden Blade. Cage countered by cracking Will in the head with a back elbow. Ospreay countered a spinning lariat with a power bomb to Cage! Ospreay used Kawada style kicks on Cage. Brian Cage dished out a lariat and then a power bomb, followed by another power bomb for a near fall on Will. Ospreay spiked Cage with a DDT. Ospreay nailed Cage with the Hidden Blade, but Cage kicked out at the two-count. Cage kicked Will in the jaw. Will retaliated with a thrust kick. Cage grabbed Ospreay and planted Will with a spinning power slam off the second turnbuckle for a near fall! Cage blocked an Os Cutter. Cage went for the Drill Claw, but Will blocked it. Will stunned Cage with the Os Cutter but Cage kicked out of the pin attempt! Will walloped Cage with the Hidden Blade and pinned Brian Cage!

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Final Verdict: 3/5

Another great episode of Collision, but one that suffered from too many matches. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, AEw needs to stop packing shows with squash matches when the ACTUAL matches on the card need more time to breathe! This week’s show opened strong, with a good showing from the Premier Athletes – who seem to be making a comeback in the company (but still losing matches left and right); the Jericho match surprised me – I’ll admit I think this “Learning Tree” iteration of Jericho is pretty sh*tty but this match was good and you can’t argue with good matches even if gimmicks are bad. Okada and Ultimo Guerrero had a great match and it was nice to see Okada given a challenge for once; meanwhile, the women’s tag match was fantastic but suffered from not having enough time – we all know Storm and May are a great team but Hirsch and Frost really worked well together (and I’m a sucker for a Leyle Hirsch match TBH). Then came the main event, with Ospreay and Cage putting on a surprising slug fest, with Cage also trying to show how he, as a big man, can still fly like Ospreay. A great finish to a great show!