By Don Murphy, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@DonThePredictor)
AEW Collision (Episode 46)
Las Vegas, Nevada at MGM Grand Garden Arena
Aired live May 25, 2024 on TBS
[Hour One] There was no Collision opening. Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness were on commentary. Ring announcer Bobby Cruise announced IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley, who made his way to the ring…
Don Callis came out and entered the ring. He said he had something important to say and that he didn’t come out to cause any trouble. He added that he wanted to talk about their history together. He said that on his second night in the company, he cost Moxley the AEW Heavyweight title, but that Moxley got his revenge. He threw to a clip from Dynamite on 3/29/23 when Moxley bloodied Callis. He followed up with a clip from Dynamite on 5/10/23 when he turned on Kenny Omega which enabled Moxley to defeat him. He said that on that night, they changed the face of AEW.
Callis said that he thinks of Moxley every morning because when he looks in the mirror, he sees the twenty four stitches that Moxley put his head. He added that for most people, that would be a deal breaker but they’re not like most people. He told the story of the night he was in the ambulance after being bloodied, Moxley came in, put his hand on Callis’ shoulder and said, “you’re one of us now.” Callis said when he looked into Moxley’s eyes, he saw nothing, which is the same thing he sees when he looks into his own eyes. He said the worst kept secret in wrestling is that he and Moxley are a lot alike. They both see everything but they feel nothing. They are high functioning sociopaths and professional wrestling has given them a platform to change the world and the business.
Callis said thirty years ago, they’d be in an institution, but when Moxley told Callis he was one of them, he was right because they’re exactly alike. He said he had to help Moxley beat Omega, but did not have to help Konosuke Takeshita beat Omega. He added he’s not out here to make threats but tomorrow night’s match is tearing him up and he doesn’t want it to happen. He said if they were on the same page, they’d be untouchable. He offered Moxley a spot in the Don Callis Family.
Moxley said he had one question. If they’re going to be able to trust each other, he’s going to need more of a commitment than the scar on Callis’ forehead. He asked if he could put 24 more stitches in Callis’ head right now…
Takeshita attacked Moxley from behind. He first knocked Moxley out with a forearm, placed his arm into a steel chair and delivered a stomp from the second rope. He continued to stomp on the arm until Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli made the save. Referees, Danielson and Castagnoli checked on Moxley.
Don’s Take: I like the attempt to add a story to this match, while making the outcome a little less predictable Takeshita, who is in dire need of a big win, can now take advantage of the injury to earn himself a title shot.
A video aired recapping the Undisputed Kingdom bloodying Will Ospreay on Dynamite…
A bloody Ospreay was shown backstage after Dynamite. He asked if what happened was meant to scare him as he’s been through worse. He said that since his blood is now on the AEW International Title, it’s his life mission to win it. He concluded that nobody is better than him because he’s on another level.
1. Daniel Garcia, Claudio Castagnoli, and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Vincent, Dutch and Lance Archer. The fans gave mystery partner Tanahashi a nice ovation and chanted “Holy S**t.” Matt Menard joined the commentary team for the match. The babyfaces held the early advantage. Heading into the first picture-in-picture break, the heels took over on offense after Garcia and Tanahashi were attacked while dancing and Castagnoli was unable to put Dutch in the giant swing [C].
Coming out of the break, the heels worked over Garcia. Archer knocked Castagnoli and Tanahashi off the apron to prevent the hot tag. Garcia back suplexed Vincent and made the hot tag to Tanahashi. Tanahashi got some moves in on Archer for a bit who eventually retaliated leading all six men to battle in the ring. The finish saw Claudio and Dutch battle on the floor while Garcia and Archer battled on the other side of the ring. In the ring, Tanahashi hit a sling blade on Vincent, followed by his High Fly Flow splash finisher for the win
Daniel Garcia, Claudio Castagnoli and Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Vincent, Dutch and Lance Archer in about 10:00.
Don’s Take: A decent match with no story. Unless they’re added to the pre-show, none of the wrestlers in this match are involved in the pay-per-view.
A hype video for The Elite aired…. [C]
2. Penta El Zero Miedo and Ray Fenix (w/Alex Abrahantes) vs. Colten Gunn and Austin Gunn. Penta and Fenix brought their kids to ringside, each wearing masks that matched their respective fathers. All four men battled to start with Penta and Fenix driving the Gunns from the ring with a pair of superkicks. Penta and Fenix missed superkicks on the floor allowing the Gunns to take over on Penta in the ring. They maintained this advantage through the picture-in-picture break [C].
Coming out of the break, Penta made the hot tag to Fenix who cleaned house. Down the stretch all four men battled in the ring. The Gunns went for 310 to Yuma on Fenix but were thwarted. Penta knocked Colten to the floor. Penta and Fenix hit a double team Fear Factor on Austin while Fenix dove onto Colten on the floor. Penta covered Austin for the win.
Penta El Zero Miedo and Ray Fenix defeated Colten and Austin Gunn in about 8:00 to earn Death Triangle a shot at the Unified Trios Titles at Double Or Nothing.
After the match, PAC joined Penta and Fenix in the ring while Jay White joined the Gunns on the stage…
Don’s Take: Fine for what it was despite doing nothing to pique my interest for the pay-per-view match. Plus, with the Gunns taking the loss here, it’s likely a foreshadowing that they’ll get their win back at the pay-per-view.
A video aired recapping the events on Dynamite and Rampage between Hook, Chris Jericho and Katsuyori Shibata…
Arkady Aura was backstage with Chris Jericho and Big Bill. Aura asked if facing two opponents will change Jericho’s strategy. Bill said that if there’s one thing Jericho taught him is that when you’re faced with adversity in your darkest hour, you have to dig down deep to pull out the light. Jericho said Aura’s name sounded like a place you play video games. He added that he wasn’t expecting to have two opponents, but after a 33-year career and having the longest “For the World” title reign at 34 days, he’s confident he’ll get a victory because he’ll face all adversaries.
Bryan Keith entered and said he missed his shot but assured Jericho that this wasn’t the last he’s seen of him. Keith walked away and Jericho said, “thanks Bryan”…
3. Kyle O’Reilly vs. KM. KM got a little offense in but this was mainly an O’Reilly squash. O’Reilly grabbed the arm bar for the tap out.
Kyle O’Reilly defeated KM in about 1:10.
Don’s Take: Simple and pointless since O’Reilly also is not involved on the pay-per-view, unless he’s added to the pre-show.
A video previewed the Willow Nightingale/Mercedes Mone match at Double or Nothing. This was played in two parts – before and after the commercial. [C]
Willow Nightingale came to the ring with Kris Statlander. She said it was great to be on Collision on the 5th anniversary of AEW and that you couldn’t have a Collision on TBS without the TBS Champion. She talked about last night’s Rampage and how Mercedes Mone put her hands on the championship.
Willow also said that for the past two months she’s talked about the respect she has for Mone, but we’re past respect now. She said that she was going to wreck Mone and make her wish she was still on the shelf. She added that she knows that championships come and go but she’ll be damned if tomorrow is the day that her championship reign ends.
Willow said she’s had knee surgery and was almost paralyzed when she broke her neck five years ago. So now she gets to live her dream as the TBS Champion. She added that she’ll do anything to defend her title and that she’s just getting started. She concluded by saying that Mercedes stated that Willow couldn’t beat her at 100 percent, but Mercedes can’t beat Willow at any percent, which was proven the last time they met. She ended by saying that she is the better woman.
Don’s Take: A good go-home promo from Nightingale that made me a bit more interested in the match. I still wish they would have done this on Dynamite, but I cringed to think that the final angle played out on Rampage. This helped alleviate that damage a bit.
[Hour Two] Lexy Nair was backstage with Trent Beretta. Nair said that Beretta had momentum going into the match with Orange Cassidy and that the match was highly personal. She asked Beretta if Cassidy would suffer the same fate as Chuck Taylor. Beretta said that at Double or Nothing, the world would find out what Beretta already knew about Cassidy…
Rocky Romero interrupted and said that after the match, he hoped they could put this behind them because it’s the five-year anniversary of AEW and they have a lot of memories together. Beretta said that won’t happen and told Romero not to interrupt him again.
4. “The House of Black” Buddy Matthews and Brody King vs. “The Acclaimed” Max Caster and Anthony Bowens (w/Billy Gunn) vs. “The Infantry” Shawn Dean and Charlie Bravo (w/Trish Adora) vs. “The Gates of Agony” Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona (w/Brian Cage) in a Four-Way Tag Team Match. Good action to start with the highlight being Liona squaring off with King. Everyone ended up battling on the floor with King diving onto the pile as we headed into the picture-in-picture break. [C]
Coming out of the break, Matthews had the advantage on Caster. Caster and the Infantry eventually teamed up to hit superkicks on the House of Black and the Gates of Agony to drive them from the ring. Down the stretch, each team got some spots in and eventually, the Acclaimed and the Gates of Agony brawled to the back leaving the House of Black and the Infantry in the ring. King hit the Cannonball in the corner on Dean which enabled Matthews to cover Dean for the win.
“The House of Black” Buddy Matthews and Brody King defeated “The Acclaimed” Max Caster and Anthony Bowens, “The Infantry” Shawn Dean and Charlie Bravo, and “The Gates of Agony” Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona in a Four-Way Tag Team Match in about 10:30.
Don’s Take: Aside from some promos, this purpose of this episode has been to give talent who are not on the pay-per-view a chance to perform. I get it and WWE is guilty of this too. I know it’s the “B” show but this is the last chance to sell people on paying $50 for more wrestling and they’re not taking advantage of it.
Adam Copeland cut a backstage promo which aired on the big screen with King and Matthews looking on. Copeland said that Malakai Black took the one item that kept him tethered to this world, but that he’s been walking this path long before Black came along. He spoke about Black bringing the devil back out of him, with no angel to be found and that if Black defeats him and he joins the House of Black, they would be an unstoppable force. He also wondered if King and Matthews would join him in the “House of Blood” if he defeated Black as they knew he was the devil. He concluded saying “once you see evil in a man’s eyes, it’s already too late.” [C]
A video recapped Serena Deeb attacking Toni Storm on Dynamite….
Toni Storm cut a promo after Dynamite and said that this is for every person with a sad life who thinks they’re entitled to a reward. She said nothing happens for a reason and if it did, there would be one main event at the pay-per-view and it would be her talking for 40 minutes while Deeb analyzed her words like a Zapuder film. She said instead she has to fight a woman who thinks that twitching on the floor is a sign that she should keep wrestling. She said if Deeb wants to be the victim, they’ll make her victim and make her three seizures feel like a Sunday stroll in the park. She ended by saying that the saddest part of Deeb’s life is that Deeb thought it had any meaning at all.
Don’s Take: Man – that was harsh. After Dynamite, Storm was the babyface and Deeb was the heel. It will likely play out that way at the pay-per-view, but even if Deeb was OK with Storm working in her real-life health issues, this seemed to be designed to flip Storm back to being the heel while trying to generate sympathy for Deeb. We’ll see if it works.
5. Mariah May vs. Leyla Hirsch. Hirsch got a bit of offense in the beginning but May took over as we headed to a picture-in-picture break. [C]
After the break, it was primarily May on offense with Hirsch getting in some hope spots. May hit a head butt followed by a knee strike for the win.
Mariah May defeated Leyla Hirsch in about 6:00.
Don’s Take: A good showcase win for May. It’s only a matter of time before the showdown with Toni Storm.
Lexy Nair was backstage with Serena Deeb and asked her about Storm’s words from earlier. Deeb said Storm has had a lot of fun at her expense, but it wasn’t funny when Storm had to throw the towel in to prevent Deeb from snapping Mariah May’s leg. She said she would stretch Storm limb from limb and become the new AEW Women’s Champion. She referred to Storm as “Time is Up” Toni Storm and said she would see her tomorrow.
A video hyped the AEW Title match between Swerve Strickland and Christian Cage….[C]
6. Bryan Danielson and “FTR” Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood vs. Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal and Satnam Singh (w/Sonjay Dutt, Karen Jarrett). Danielson started off with Jarrett as McGuinness noted that they both got their start in Memphis and that Danielson has never defeated Jarrett. The babyface team worked over Lethal in the early part of the match. Heading into the final picture-in-picture break, Singh pulled Wheeler out of the ring and chopped him. [C]
After the break, the heels still had Wheeler in the ring, but Wheeler made the hot tag to Harwood who cleaned house. The heels regained the advantage when Harwood was running off the ropes and Singh chopped him from the outside. The heels worked over Harwood and at one point, Lethal and Jarrett sat at ringside while Singh did the damage in the ring. Wheeler hit a double ax handle on Singh to stop Singh from applying the iron claw on Harwood. Singh threw Wheeler out of the ring but Harwood was able to make the hot tag to Danielson.
Danielson cleaned house on Jarrett and locked him the LaBelle lock which was broken up by Lethal. Danielson and Wheeler dove onto Lethal and Jarrett on the floor. Singh missed a charge and Harwood sent him into the steps.
In the ring, all three babyfaces took turns kicking Singh. FTR hit a FTR trigger on Singh and Danielson followed up with a Busaiku knee. Lethal hit a double Lethal Injection on FTR. Danielson hit Lethal with a clothesline.
The ending saw Danielson block The Stroke by Jarrett. Jarrett sent Danielson into the second turnbuckle. Karen slid the guitar in but referee Aubrey Edwards intercepted it and argued with Karen. With Edwards distracted, Jarrett went to hit Danielson with a chair but missed and hit Singh, knocking him out of the ring. Danielson hit the Busaiku knee on Jarrett while FTR hit the Shatter Machine on Lethal for the win.
Bryan Danielson and “FTR” Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood defeated Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal and Satnam Singh in about 12:00.
After the match, FTR cut a pro-AEW promo talking about the history of the company and why they fight for it. Wheeler said he’ll be in AEW forever while Harwood talked about how he fights for all the fans that go to work and have bad days and dead-end jobs. He said that for one hour, two hours or three hours, he gets to be their hero and make their problems go away when they watch the show. He ended with “Top guys out” to end the show.
Don’s Take: An entertaining main event. I would have liked the promo to focus a bit more on the Anarchy in the Arena match at the pay-per-view, but AEW needs all the positivity it can get right now so I’m fine with it and FTR were the right guys to deliver it.
This was uneventful and a slog to watch at times. Some of the promos were good but if anyone is on the fence about ordering Double or Nothing, I don’t think this go-home edition of Collision moved the needle substantially. Defenders will always point to the in-ring work and that’s fine but you have to give people a reason to care. There were some decent attempts with the Callis/Moxley segment, the Willow promo and even the Storm promo, but these emotional character investments are best when they’re established over time vs. crammed in at the last minute on the “B” show. I am sure the pay-per-view will be lauded for great wrestling, but it’s a struggle to watch week to week at times.
That’s all from me for tonight. I will be back in two weeks to cover Rampage – back in its usual 10 PM ET time slot. Until then! Will Pruett’s weekly AEW Collision audio reviews are available exclusively for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
Join us for live coverage of AEW Double Or Nothing on Sunday night.
Very nice synopsis dude.
Thank you, much appreciated