By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Collision (Episode 39)
London, Ontario at Budweiser Gardens
Aired live March 30, 2024 on TNT
[Hour One] Collision opened with TNT Champion Adam Copeland making his entrance while being introduced by ring announcer Dasha. The broadcast team of Tony Schiavone, Ian Riccaboni, and Nigel McGuinness checked in.
Once in the ring, Copeland acknowledged a sign that said it was Copeland Country. Copeland said he closed the book on Christian Cage and he decided to go back to the Cope Open. He said the stakes were higher because he was putting his TNT Title on the line. Copeland wondered who his challenger would be and then Matt Cardona made his entrance…
1. Adam Copeland vs. Matt Cardona for the TNT Title. A few minutes into the match, Cardona gouged the eyes of Copeland while both men were on the apron. Cardona shoved Copeland off the apron and then into the ring steps heading into a picture-in-picture break. [C]
Cardona kicked the ropes into Copeland’s groin and then put him down with an Edgecutioner DDT for a good near fall. Copeland caught Cardona going for a leg lariat and countered into a Buckle Bomb. Copeland performed a sit-out powerbomb on Cardona for a two count.
Copeland looked to the crowd and the fans fired up. Copeland went for a spear, but Cardona caught him with a leg lariat for another good near fall. Cardona went to his corner and stomped his foot before charging Copeland, who speared Cardona and then pinned him…
Adam Copeland defeated Matt Cardona in 13:30 to retain the TNT Title.
After the match, the lights went out while Copeland was celebrating his win. When the lights turned on. Malakai Black was in the ring glaring at Copeland, who looked apprehensive. Buddy Matthews entered the ring and attacked Copeland from behind.
Mark Briscoe’s entrance music played and he ran out to help Copeland, but Black and Matthews quickly put him down. Eddie Kingston ran out and joined Copeland and Briscoe. The lights went out and then Black and Matthews were gone once the lights turn on again…
Powell’s POV: A solid match. It was good to see AEW go with a legitimate surprise as opposed to just booking one of the undercard regular roster members against Copeland in his first open challenge as TNT Champion. I love the idea of Black going after the TNT Title, so hopefully that’s the match they are building to for AEW Dynasty.
Footage aired from earlier in the day of Lexi Nair interviewing “FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler while dubbing them the favorites to win the tournament for the AEW Tag Team Titles. Harwood and Wheeler played up facing the Cinderella storybook team of The Infantry later in the show…
Tony Schiavone stood in the ring and introduced AEW Trio Champions Billy Gunn and “The Acclaimed” Max Caster and Anthony Bowens. Caster did not rap on his way to the ring. In the ring, Billy said he was pissed off about Jay White entering his house.
Billy said White keeps talking about selling out Madison Square Garden. Billy said he’d done that so many times he couldn’t remember, then said, “Your ass better call somebody.” Billy said White also lost he MSG match. Billy said he would face White next week and everyone would find out how good White actually is.
Caster played to the receptive crowd. Caster said he and Bowens would stay backstage when Bill faces White if Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn would do the same. Bowens took the mic and recalled calling White a coward and said he lived up to that description. Bowens spoke about White and the Gunns entering Billy’s home and said they ran like cowards once Billy and his wife returned home…
Riccaboni hyped the FTR vs. Infantry match for after the break… [C]
Powell’s POV: The crowd was hot The Acclaimed. I couldn’t care less about the AEW Trios Titles and the Bang Bang Scissors Gang was awful, but at least they are putting in the work to build to a showdown match between the two teams. Here’s hoping they will just unify the AEW Trios Titles and ROH Six-Man Tag Team titles since there’s no good reason to have one of those titles let alone both.
Entrances for the first tag team title tournament match took place…
2. “FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler vs. “The Infantry” Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo in a quarterfinal tournament match for the vacant AEW Tag Team Titles. Harwood performed a superplex on Dean heading into an early PIP break. [C] Harwood performed a superplex on Dean heading into an early PIP break. [C] Bravo botched a late leapfrog move. Both teams traded pin attempts late in the match. FTR hit the Shatter Machine on Dean and then Harwood pinned him…
“FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler defeated “The Infantry” Shawn Dean and Carlie Bravo in 12:20 in a quarterfinal tournament match for the vacant AEW Tag Team Titles.
The updated brackets showed that FTR will face the team that wins later tonight in the tournament semifinals…
Lexi Nair interviewed Ricky Starks and Big Bill in the backstage area. Bill said they weren’t looking past Top Flight, but he considers them a number sixteen seed while he and Starks are a number one seed. Starks spoke of beating FTR in the semifinals… [C]
Powell’s POV: The right team went over. The upset win for The Infantry in the wildcard round was fun, but they just don’t have the crowd support or momentum to justify going any further than that in the tournament.
Backstage, Adam Copeland delivered a promo while Mark Briscoe and Eddie Kingston stood beside him. Copeland challenge House of Black to face them at AEW Dynasty. Briscoe and Kingston also chime in briefly…
Powell’s POV: A meaningless trios match as opposed to having a Copeland vs. Black singles match for the TNT Title? Disappointing.
Kyle O’Reilly made his entrance while his opponent JD Drake was already in the ring…
3. Kyle O’Reilly vs. JD Drake. Schiavone mentioned the 10:30CT/11:30ET start time for next week’s Collision. O’Reilly avoided an early Vader Bomb attempt from Drake, who then missed a cannonball in the corner. O’Reilly came back and caught Drake in an armbar for the submission win.
Kyle O’Reilly defeated JD Drake in 2:35.
[Hour Two] After the match, Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett ran out to celebrate O’Reilly’s win. Taven and Bennett put O’Reilly on their shoulders…
Powell’s POV: A quick and decisive win for O’Reilly. I have no interest in watching him have yet another feud with the Undisputed Kingdom members, but everything they are doing points to that being the plan.
Highlights aired of Powerhouse Hobbs and Will Ospreay to set up their match for AEW Dynamite… Entrances for the second tournament match took place. Action Andretti walked onto the stage with Top Flight and then headed to the back while they went to the ring…
4. “Top Flight” Dante Martin and Darius Martin vs. Ricky Starks and Big Bill in a quarterfinal tournament match for the vacant AEW Tag Team Titles. Big Bill fought off a double chokeslam attempt, but the Martins hit him with a double dropkick instead. The Martins followed up with another double dropkick on Starks. A short time later, Big Bill dropped Dante with a big boot heading into a PIP break. [C]
Late in the match, Darius rolled up Starks for what appeared to be a three count. Some fans booed, but Schiavone said it looked like Starks got his shoulder up. Moments later, Darius hit an assisted DDT on Starks and then pinned him…
“Top Flight” Dante Martin and Darius Martin defeated Ricky Starks and Big Bill in 9:40 in a quarterfinal tournament match for the vacant AEW Tag Team Titles.
Top Flight will face FTR in one semifinal match, while The Young Bucks will meet Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta in the other semifinal match. The finals will be held at the AEW Dynasty pay-per-view…
Powell’s POV: I’m not sure what happened. Starks did not kick out when Darius rolled him up, but Darius popped off of him as if he had kicked out. The actual finish felt flat. It’s possible that Starks was knocked loopy from a Pele Kick that Darius hit him with before the rollup. It was tough to tell whether Starks was selling or legitimately hurt.
Christopher Daniels had his back to the camera while standing on the backstage interview set. He did a dramatic turnaround to no reaction whatsoever and then spoke about how he’s been in AEW since day one. He said Malakai Black likes to jump people from behind and then questioned whether he was man enough to face him one-on-one on AEW Rampage… [C]
Entrances for the women’s match took place…
5. Thunder Rosa vs. Lady Frost. Rosa clotheslined Frost and then picked up a two count heading into a PIP break. [C] Late in the match, Rosa performed a Backstabber and then hit her finisher and scored the pin…
Thunder Rosa defeated Lady Frost in 8:50.
Powell’s POV: One of the more baffling aspects of Dynamite was that there was no follow-up to Rosa pinning AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm the week before, let alone how annoyed Deonna Purruazzo was with Rosa for tagging herself into the match before she got the pin. Schiavone said Rosa is the top ranked challenger in AEW, so I assume she will be challenging Storm soon.
Backstage, Renee Paquette interviewed AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm, who was accompanied by Mariah May and Luther. Paquette said Rosa will face number two ranked May next week for a shot at the AEW Women’s Champion. Storm questioned whether this was May’s plan all along. Storm kissed May on the lips and called her a magnificent bastard. May was thrilled. Storm said Rosa will never get to sniff her title ever again…
The broadcast team ran through the Dynamist lineup and added Rosa vs. May, Chris Jericho calling out Hook, to the list of previously advertised matches. They also hyped Christopher Daniels vs. Malakai Black for Rampage, and officially added Adam Copeland, Eddie Kingston, and Mark Briscoe vs. House of Black to the AEW Dynasty lineup…
A Will Ospreay video package aired and then the broadcast team hyped the trios main event…
Powell’s POV: There were a boos when Jericho’s image was shown during the Dynamite preview. Yes, even in Canada.
Entrances for the main event took place. Riccaboni played up Bryan Danielson’s late departure from last night’s CMLL event in Mexico…
6. Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Vincent, Dutch, and Lance Archer. Vincent ran Danielson into the barricade and then Danielson was isolated heading into the final PIP break. [C] Danielson continued to be isolated coming out of the break. Dutch slammed Archer onto Danielson, and then Archer slammed Dutch onto Danielson. Dutch performed a Bossman Slam on Danielson for a near fall.
Later, Castagnoli performed the giant swing on Archer. Castagnoli stopped the swing and immediately applied a Sharpshooter. Dutch ran in and broke up the submission hold. All of the wrestlers ran in. Shibata cleared Vincent and Dutch from the ring, but then Archer caught him with a boot to the head.
Castagnoli caught Archer with an uppercut. Archer backdropped Castagnoli, who landed on his feet. Archer caught Castagnoli with a big boot and a Blackhole Slam. Vincent performed a Swanton on Castagnoli for a near fall.
Shibata checked in and caught a seated Vincent with a dropkick in the corner. Shibata went for an armbar, but Dutch broke it up. Danielson took out Dutch with a Busaiku Knee. Vincent rolled up Shibata for a two count after Danielson and Castagnoli had been cleared from the ring. Shibata put Vincent in a sleeper. Shibata released the hold and then hit Vincent with a PK and pinned him…
Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and Katsuyori Shibata defeated Vincent, Dutch, and Lance Archer in 16:55.
Powell’s POV: Shibata lost two high profile matches, so it was logical to give him the win in this match. I just wish they had put in the work to build up Shibata on television before they had him lose those two matches. The main event was fine in execution, but there was no question regarding which team would win. Danielson’s star power is the only thing that made it feel even remotely main event worthy.
Overall, the show started strong with Cardona being a surprise challenger for Copeland, and the tournament helped give a couple of matches some meaning. Even so, Collision still felt like it was fine if you saw it and fine if you missed it. Will Pruett will be by late tonight or on Sunday morning with his weekly Collision audio review for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Let me know what you thought of this episode by grading it below. Happy Easter to everyone who celebrates Sunday’s holiday.
Another AEW wrestler sloppily dropped on his head. Hope Starks is okay.