By Don Murphy, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@DonThePredictor)
AEW Collision (Episode 52)
Southaven, Mississippi at Landers Center
Aired live July 6, 2024 on TNT
[Hour One] The show opened recapping the Daniel Garcia vs. Will Ospreay match from Dynamite and MJF’s attack on Garcia after the match. A bloody Matt Menard and said that people like MJF don’t deserve to roam the Earth and he better hope he finished the job…
MJF made his way to the ring to a chorus of boos. Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness checked in on commentary. MJF asked for his music to be cut. He said he knows everyone in the building is inbred and incredibly stupid, but unlike their mothers on their knees at a truck stop, they kept their mouths shut. The fans chanted “you suck.” He said that Daniel Garcia was nothing more than a pawn. He asked if Garcia actually thought he was going to give him a match at All In.
MJF said that the match was never going to happen and that he was always going to stab Garcia in the back and break his scrawny little neck. He added that along the way, Garcia did something to offend him and that he’s a “Make A Wish” kid at best. He said he was granting Garcia the greatest wish ever, even though it wasn’t real. It was a match against MJF at Wembley Stadium – the greatest wrestler that’s ever lived. And Garcia didn’t answer but he won’t make it to All In and will never wrestle again.
MJF said he wasn’t here to talk to Garcia, he was here to address the fans. He threw to a clip of the August 2, 2023 episode of Dynamite where he talked about having a rejection syndrome and if he opened up to the fans and they rejected him, it would tear him. Back in the ring, MJF shook with rage and said he told them what would happen, and they didn’t give a damn.
MJF said he did everything for the fans, including changing who he was, letting Adam Cole in and breaking his body. But, after he lost the AEW Title at World’s End, he watched Dynamite from Jacksonville, writhing in pain and heard the fans chanting “Thank you, Joe.” He added that while he was in physical therapy trying to get function back in his left arm, the fans discarded him for Swerve, Okada and that “talentless hack” Will Ospreay.
MJF said what he did to Daniel Garcia wasn’t personal between him and Garcia – it was personal between him and the fans. He added that Garcia was the tip of the iceberg and that he will take away everything the fans love because everything they love sucks. He said that the fans have ruined the company he’s built from the ground up with their garbage tastes but he will fix things. He added that the only way to fix things is with him on top. He said that he knows the fans love Will Ospreay, but they are too delusional to realize that Ospreay can’t help AEW the way he can.
MJF added that Ospreay is a child who doesn’t care about making money or ratings, he only cares about having good matches. He said that the only ratings Ospreay cares about is from a guy named Meltzer. MJF said the only ratings he cares about is from a guy named Nielsen. He called Ospreay out to the ring so they could pop a number. He said Ospreay calls himself the Billy Goat and asked him to come out so he can sacrifice him like one.
Will Ospreay’s music hit and Ospreay didn’t come out. MJF said he expected that because Ospreay is a two-faced, fickle, gutless coward – just like the fans. He started to say his “better than you” catchphrase and when the fans started to say it with him, he stopped and said “you people had your chance!” He ended by saying, “you can thank me later.”
Don’s Take: I was looking forward to this promo and it didn’t disappoint. It was the right move turning MJF heel and I love how he worked to turn the fans on him instead of coming off as the “cool heel.” There’s also a bit of intrigue over who he will face at All In. It had appeared that we were building to MJF vs. Daniel Garcia and that may still be the case, but now it could be MJF vs. Ospreay. One thing that concerns me is that I hope this isn’t leading toward a three way for the International Title. There’s plenty of time to get to all of the one-on-ones. There’s no need to cram too much in.
Lexy Nair was backstage with Kyle O’Reilly, Mark Briscoe and Orange Cassidy. O’Reilly said he was bummed out after Forbidden Door. Briscoe asked if anyone else was bummed out and said that the word of the day was “epiphany”. He added that failure was a stepping stone to the top and it starts tonight with the Iron Savages. He told O’Reilly and Cassidy to pull their proverbial heads out of their proverbial asses. O’Reilly said Briscoe really knows how to pull a guy out of a dark abyss. Cassidy said, “I don’t care.”
1. Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy, and Kyle O’Reilly vs. The Iron Savages and Jacked Jameson. Jameson gave his usual introductory spiel about going to “Titty City.” Roderick Strong, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett made their way to the commentary table. Briscoe and O’Reilly had the early advantage over the Savages. Eventually, the heels got the better of O’Reilly and worked him over as we headed to the first picture-in-picture break. [C]
Coming out the break, the heels held the advantage. O’Reilly brought the knees up to the groin of Jameson and made the hot tag to Briscoe who cleaned house. Briscoe went to tag Cassidy who hesitated a bit before tagging in. Cassidy hit several offensive moves and went for the Orange Punch on Bear Bronson before being caught in a bear hug. Briscoe took out Bear Boulder and Jameson with a dive to the floor. Back in the ring, O’Reilly set up Bronson for Cassidy to him him with a dropkick and an Orange Punch for the win.
Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy, and Kyle O’Reilly defeated The Iron Savages and Jacked Jameson in about 8:00.
After the match, Strong, Taven and Bennett looked on from the stage.
Don’s Take: The match was fine. I’m still waiting for them to move on from this Strong/O’Reilly angle. On a side note, Cassidy hesitating to tag in was interesting and will be something to watch to see if it goes somewhere.
Jack Perry cut a promo looking into the TNT Championship. He said that someone once said that the true cost of anything is the sacrifice that goes along with it. He added that he was the first ever challenger to the first TNT Champion (Cody Rhodes). He said he wasn’t ready because he didn’t realize how great the cost would be. He said now he’s paid in full and wants to give someone up and coming the same opportunity to take it from him. He ended by saying that if they don’t, they will sacrifice them. [C]
A video recapped Will Ospreay vs. Swerve Strickland at Forbidden Door….
Lexy Nair was backstage with Hangman Adam Page. She recapped his Owen Hart Cup tournament win over Jeff Jarrett on Dynamite and his suspension being lifted. She asked, “why now?” He said, “convenience” and clarified it was convenient for Matthew and Nicholas Jackson to bring him back when they needed him. But he’s not here for them. He’s here to burn through the tournament and challenge Swerve Strickland at All In where he will right a wrong that should have been righted a long time ago and burn his world to the ground. Nair asked him about his upcoming match with Jay White and Page stormed off.
2. AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm (w/Luther, Mariah May) vs. Trish Adora (w/Charile Bravo, Shawn Dean) in a non-title match. The match was even to start until Storm dropkicked Adora to the apron and hit a hip attach which sent her to the floor. Storm took the microphone from Luther and asked for a standing ovation as the show went to a picture-in-picture break. [C]
Coming out of the break, the two exchanged blows. Storm hit a hip attack in the corner for a near fall. The two exchanged blows again. Adora started to get the upper hand but Storm stunned her with a head butt before hitting the Storm Zero piledriver for the win.
AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm defeated Trish Adora in about 8:00.
A video previewed the finals of the women’s Owen Hart Cup tournament with both Willow Nightingale and Mariah May cutting promos about their journey to victory. May dedicated the win to Toni Storm. [C]
Don’s Take: A standard match and I’m waiting to see some storyline development once May officially wins the tournament to challenge Storm at Wembley.
An ad promoted the new Brodie Lee sneakers, which are available now….
Christian Cage was with Nick Wayne, Mother Wayne and Killswitch. Highlights of the promo include Christian noting that the fans were surprised that he let Jay White confront him last week and that he never meant to make this personal until White made it personal. He said that White in the Owen Hart Cup tournament was White’s exit strategy. He questioned who White associated with, noting that Juice Robinson was a child who should “suck on another fentanyl lollipop.” He knocked Austin and Colten Gunn but said Colten had promise.
Christian said he was going to take the Trios Titles off White and crew as a favor to Tony Khan and the fans who are tired of watching White contently tread water. He said the fans want to see the Switch Blade they thought they were getting when he was signed. He said he will revive the titles on his path to becoming AEW Champion.
Turbo Floyd interrupted to admit to Christian that his father died. Christian calls him a loser just like his father and says the good news is that his dad isn’t around to see what a disgrace his career has become. He also says that his day is about to get worse and orders Killswitch to attack, which he does off screen.
3. TNT Champion Jack Perry vs. Marko Stunt. Stunt, a Mississippi native, came out to the old Jurassic Express theme to a nice ovation. Stunt got in a couple of hope spots and near falls but this was essentially a Jack Perry squash match. At one point, he launched Stunt like a dart across the ring into the second turnbuckle. Perry finished Stunt off with a running knee.
TNT Champion Jack Perry defeated Marko Stunt in about 4:00.
Don’s Take:Stunt was a nice surprise and I liked giving Perry a strong win for his first appearance after winning the TNT Championship.
[Hour Two] Malakai Black and Brody King cut a backstage promo about feeling nothing for Buddy Matthews and how revenge is not a straight line but an imbalanced scale to be balanced and a shadow to be brought into the light. King promised Christian Cage that he would feel everything.
A video recapped Bryan Danielson and PAC from Dynamite….
4. Claudio Castagnoli vs. The Beast Mortos (f/k/a Black Taurus). The match was pretty even to start. Mortos missed a knee in the corner but retaliated and dove onto Castagnoli on the floor. Back in the ring, Mortos took Castagnoli down with a flying head scissors but missed a charge in the corner and went shoulder first into the middle ring post. Castagnoli back suplexed Mortos as the show went to a picture-in-picture break. [C]
Coming out of the break, the two exchanged blows. Mortos hit a flurry of offense down the stretch. Mortos jumped off the second rope but was met with a European uppercut. Castagnoli hit the big swing and followed by a strong lariat for the win.
Claudio Castagnoli defeated The Beast Mortos in about 12:00.
Don’s Take: This one was neither here nor there and I continue to wonder if the plan is to have Castagnoli be one of the final opponents for Bryan Danielson.
Lexy Nair was backstage with Matt Menard who was wearing sunglasses. Nair asked for an update on him and Daniel Garcia. He said that he has a concussion, headaches and sensitivity to light, which is why he was wearing the glasses. He added that Garcia made it home to Buffalo and that he had lost the strength in the left side of his body but would make a full recovery. He told MJF that he promised Garcia that Garcia would be the first one to get his hands on MJF and that MJF wouldn’t know when it’s coming. It could be six months or a year but when it does, MJF won’t get the dancing Garcia, he’ll be getting red death. [C]
Serena Deeb cut a promo saying that it was good to see Riho back and that fans are still talking about their match at Double or Nothing 2021. She reminded Riho that she’s not the same wrestler she was in 2021 and has evolved into the best in-ring wrestler in the AEW Women’s Division. She said if Riho wants to run the match back, that’s fine and we will find out if Riho is on the level of the Professor.
5. Riho vs. Lady Frost. Riho came out quick hitting the 619 and a cross body on Frost for a near fall as the show went to a picture-in-picture break. [C]
After the commercial, Frost was on offense. Riho hit a clunky takeover in which Frost landed on her head. Frost gained momentum down the stretch, hitting the Killa Drilla and Frostbite, both for near falls. Riho countered a variation leg sweep takedown into a pin for the win.
Riho defeated Lady Frost in about 9:00.
The two embraced after the match.
Don’s Take: A fine match but if the plan is to have Riho face Serena Deeb in a showdown match, I would have liked to see Riho look a bit stronger.
Lexy Nair was backstage Top Flight and Shane Taylor Promotions which set up a trios match between the teams this coming week on Rampage. Lee Moriarty squared off with Dante Martin to end the segment. [C]
A video previewed Stampede Street Fight between Samoa Joe and Chris Jericho on Dynamite. This was essentially a repeat of Joe’s promo on Rampage.
6. Hangman Adam Page vs. Jay White (w/Juice Robinson, Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn) in an Owen Hart Cup tournament semifinal match. Before the bell rang, ring announcer Bobby Cruise announced that by order of the Young Bucks, Robinson and the Gunns had to leave the ringside area. A lot of good back and forth action in the early part of this match. Page has adopted a very aggressive style with a look of aggression to match. Throughout the segment, Page attacked White on the floor and mounted him with punches. Page held the advantage with White on the floor as we went to the final picture-in-picture break of the night. [C]
During the break, it appeared that when Page clotheslined White over the barricade, he cut himself on the concrete. After the break, White started to gain some momentum. Page was a bloody mess. White hit several moves for near falls before being rammed into the ring post from the apron to the floor. Konosuke Takeshita vs. “Dynamite Kid” Tommy Billington was announced for next week’s Collision.
Don’s Take: That should be a fantastic match.
Page power bombed White on the apron. Page went for the Busckshot Lariat but White collapsed. White rolled up Page for a near fall. Page hit a good-looking power bomb on White for a near fall. Page went for the Buckshot Lariat again but White turned it into the uranage for a near fall. Page blocked the Blade Runner and White blocked the Dead Eye. Page threw White into referee Paul Turner and hit the Dead Eye. Unfortunately, there was no referee to count. Page mounted White and delivered punches before choking White with his belt.
With Paul Turner still down, Jeff Jarrett came out and took the belt away from Page. With Page distracted, White hit a single arm German suplex. Another referee came out and ejected Jarrett. With White distracted, Christian Cage snuck in and speared White. Christian rolled to the outside and played dead. Turner recovered in time to see Page deliver the Buckshot Lariat for the win.
Hangman Adam Page defeated Jay White in 16:00 to advance to the Owen Hart Cup tournament finals.
Page looked at the trophy on the stage as Collision went off the air…
Don’s Take: A wild main event and I am loving this new version of Page. As predictable as a Bryan Danielson tournament win seemed, now I’m not so sure and I’m now seeing AEW running back the feud between Page and Swerve for Wembley which would be great. On the other hand, Danielson could win, making Page snap further. It’s fun not knowing. I do take a point off for the overbooked finish with the ref bump and the Jarrett/Christian cameos but they’re part of a story so it’s not that bad.
Overall, a good edition of Collision, bookended by the opening MJF promo and the main event. They have some time to build the Wembley card so I’m hoping the weekly TV stays consistent, as it’s been good since Forbidden Door, with Dynamite being exceptional.
That’s all for me for tonight and I’ll be back next week for another Rampage review. Until then!
Will Pruett’s weekly AEW Collision audio reviews are available exclusively for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
I really enjoyed Collision. I think they need to do even more with the women. Besides the world title and tbs title matches at all in id like to see them do a multi women match, a 4 way maybe. Winner gets a shot at the title of their choice at All Out. Another high stakes match that would be for wembley. Maybe Mina could then challenge.
Also, the tag division. Get it going. Juice n jay, the gunns, private party, top flite, Acclaimed, house of black and eventually ftr and mcmg. It could be a fire division. Book it.
That was not Turbo Floyd. That was Kip Sabian