By Don Murphy, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@DonThePredictor)
AEW Collision (Episode 54)
Arlington, Texas at Esports Stadium Arlington
Aired live July 20, 2024 on TNT
[Hour One] The generic non-Elton John opening aired. Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness checked in on commentary. Arkady Aura was the ring announcer…
1. Darby Allin vs. The Beast Mortos. The Esports Arena is the home of Collision for the next several weeks and it looks like they’ve opted to have the hard camera face the entrance ramp. The match started evenly with Mortos and Allin exchanging chain wrestling moves. The action spilled to the floor when Allin dove onto Morto, who came back and swung Cassidy’s head into the ring steps.
Back in the ring, the majority of the match included Allin bumping for Mortos including taking a Samoan Drop and a running cannonball in the corner. Allin rebounded and brought the action back to the floor where he hit a standing coffin drop on Mortos.
Down the stretch, Mortos hit an impressive press slam off the top rope for a near fall. Allin responded with a Code Red for another near fall. The finish saw both men on the second rope. Mortos went for another Samoan Drop but Allin countered into a crucifix from the second ropes. With Mortos down, Allin hit a coffin drop from the top rope for the pinfall.
Darby Allin defeated The Beast Morton in about 10:30.
After the match, Allin took the mic and said people have been telling him to slow down because he won’t be able to walk when he’s 30. He added that he’s 30 now and feels wonderful. He said he never takes a night off because he doesn’t forget being a dishwasher and he’d rather be kicked in the face every night of the week than go back to that. He spoke about the upcoming Blood and Guts match and that it’s his first one. He also said it’s an appropriate match for him because during Sting’s last match, fans saw his guts hanging out. He said the scar looks like Harry Potter’s head and it stings every day.
Allin spoke about the EVPs, Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson. He said they never come to Collision and never promote the shows on the news or radio, but he does. He added that AEW is his baby now and he will stop at nothing to make sure everyone knows it. He said that he wouldn’t be in AEW if it weren’t for the Young Bucks, so he thanked them for that but added that they suck really bad now. He then turned to Jack Perry and said he won’t stop until he wins back the TNT Title as it means everything to him. He challenged Perry to a title match at All In in Wembley Stadium…
Don’s Take: A physical match and a spirited promo from Allin to hype Blood and Guts and his apparent match with Perry at All In. I wonder if there will be a spot with real glass this year. I’m only half kidding. On another note, the there’s an echo with the live mic that makes it a bit difficult to follow the in-ring promos without closed captioning. They will be there awhile so hopefully it’s fixable.
Max Caster, Anthony Bowens, and Billy Gunn were backstage. Caster started his rap about Blood and Guts before Gunn cut him off. He told Caster this match wasn’t about him being a rapper and it wasn’t about Bowens being a scissor king. It was about Caster being the best wrestler alive and Bowens being a badass. He said it was time for them to nut up or shut up…
Don’s Take: Apparently the echo issue also affects the backstage promos as well…
2. Hikaru Shida vs. Skye Blue. Blue went on the attack early before the two exchanged blows. Shida sent Blue to the floor and hit a crossbody block as the show went to its first picture-in-picture break. [C]
During the break, Blue remained down and was checked on by officials. Coming out of the break, McGuinness noted that she had landed awkwardly on her right knee when taking the crossbody block. The match was stopped and Shida was declared the winner.
Hikaru Shida defeated Skye Blue due to referee stoppage at about 5:00.
Don’s Take: The match never really got going and here’s hoping Blue isn’t seriously hurt.
Backstage, Lance Archer attacked several enhancement talents before saying that it was time to remind everyone who the Murderer was.
Don’s Take: A legitimate push for Archer or another quick build to a match before he goes away for another three months? You make the call…
A video recapped the Chris Jericho/Minoru Suzuki segment from Dynamite…
Chris Jericho cut a backstage promo about his upcoming match with Suzuki on Dynamite. Jericho said he’s been waiting four years for the match as it’s a first-time ever dream match. He said that for Suzuki, it would be a nightmare filled with night sweats and night terrors. He added that it would be more violent than the Blood and Guts match as he was the only one that could match Suzuki blow for blow.
Jericho concluded the promo by saying that Suzuki would learn two valuable lessons. The first would be that it was a mistake to turn down Jericho when he offered him the chance to be his tag team partner. The second would be that it was a mistake to interrupt his TV Time segment. He told Suzuki he would see him on Dynamite. [C]
Mark Sterling, Tony Nese, Josh Woods, and Ariya Daivari came out. Nese insulted Texas and the Texas Rangers. He said that Sterling arranged an open challenge for anyone from Texas to face him. Ray Fenix came out to accept the challenge…
3. Tony Nese (w/Mark Sterling, Josh Woods, Ariya Daivari) vs. Ray Fenix (w/Alex Abrahantes). Nese had the advantage early before Fenix sent him to the floor. Fenix dove onto Nese on the floor and went to follow up, but was distracted by Woods, Sterling and Daivari. This allowed Nese to drape Fenix’s leg over the barricade and superkick him as we went to a picture-in-picture break. [C]
Nese held the advantage coming out of the break. Fenix responded with a huracanrana for a near fall. Down the stretch, Fenix was distracted by Daivari. Nese charged but Fenix moved out of the way causing Nese to land on Daivari on the floor. Fenix dove onto Nese, Daivari and Woods. Back in the ring, Fenix ran across the top rope and kicked Sterling who tried to interfere. This allowed Nese to superkick Fenix and hit a 450 splash for a near fall. Fenix hit a superkick of his own, followed by a second kick after once again running the top rope and a frog splash for the win. [C]
Ray Fenix defeated Tony Nese in about 11:00.
Tony Schiavone introduced “FTR” Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood. Tony asked Harwood about helping Tommy Billington against the Don Callis Family last week. Harwood said that Billington had a bright future and that they weren’t going to let Callis take advantage. He said that FTR has been on the greatest run of their careers during these past two years. He spoke about his personal issues that had dragged his name through the mud. He admitted he was a hot head but declared innocence. He said that he forgot all of his issues every time he was in the ring and wrestled every match as if it was his last. He said they are back on track and are focused on winning the tag team titles from the Young Bucks.
Wheeler added that they had a great 2022 and 2023 with three great matches with the Briscoes, a great 58-minute match with Bullet Club Gold and a win over the Young Bucks at Wembley. He spoke about his back injury and how he watched the Bucks leapfrog FTR as the greatest tag team. He said he watched all the shows hoping that the Bucks would continue to elevate the tag division, but he was let down as they’ve not defended the titles. Wheeler declared that next week on Collision would be the beginning of FTR’s journey back to the tag team titles, which will end in Wembley at All In vs. the Young Bucks for the titles. He concluded by promising that they would regain the titles.
Don’s Take: A nice hook for future episodes of Collision. It’s always good to take fans on a journey even if the Collision matches will be somewhat predictable. My only concern is that since the Bucks are also feuding with the Acclaimed, this could be leading to a triple threat at All In, which takes the match down a notch.
[Hour Two] Lexy Nair was backstage with Hikaru Shida, who said she was still looking for a fight and challenged Britt Baker for this Wednesday’s Dynamite. Shida reminded Baker that the last time they met, Shida broke Baker’s nose and made her bleed…
4. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Roderick Strong. The early part of the match saw Strong and Ishii trading chops and Ishii no-selling Strong’s forearms. Ishii held the early advantage before the two fought to the floor. Strong hit a sliding dropkick under the bottom rope before picking Ishii up and slamming him back first on the apron. The show went to a picture-in-picture break. [C]
Strong held the advantage coming out of the break. Down the stretch was back and forth between both competitors with Ishii continuing to no-sell Strong’s forearms and several near falls out of a German release suplex and delayed superplex off the second rope. Strong hit an Olympic slam followed by his suplex into double knees to the gut for a near fall. The finish saw Matt Taven and Mike Bennett distract Ishii which allowed Strong to hit a low blow and a high knee for the win.
Roderick Strong defeated Tomohiro Ishii in about 12:20.
After the match, Strong, Taven and Bennett continued the attack on Ishii until Kyle O’Reilly and Mark Briscoe made the save…
Don’s Take: A fine match with two main drawbacks. The announcers hyped this as a rematch that was eight years in the making. That would have been fine if it weren’t for the fact that Strong is challenging Briscoe for the ROH title this Friday. This made the outcome predictable. In addition, this was a bit too competitive headed into a title match for my taste. That said, given that it’s Ishii, it’s not the end of the world, but I’d like to see them run this back when the outcome isn’t as obvious.
A video recapped MJF vs. Will Ospreay from Dynamite…
5. Hologram vs. Gringo Loco. This was a brief spot fest with Hologram getting the majority of the offense. Hologram won with a torture rack that he converted into a release airplane spin for the win.
Hologram defeated Gringo Loco in about 4:00.
Don’s Take: Hologram is apparently Aramis from AAA – not Ricochet or Sammy Guevara as was rumored. I’ve also seen him work some MLW matches. The match was fine, but this is another case of a flashy “high spot” guy in a company full of them. That’s not to say he can’t have great matches, but I want to see how he might stand out. Apparently this character has been in the works for some time and has been deemed “technologically ambitious.” I’m trying to keep the bad memories of WCW’s Glacier character out of my head while I give this a chance.
Kevin Von Erich was backstage with his sons, Ross and Marshall, along with Dustin Rhodes. Von Erich talked about his relationship with Dusty Rhodes and how he learned so much from him. He asked Dustin to offer some advice to his sons. Dustin said he would be happy to as it was the first time the Von Erich and Rhodes families had worked together since 1978. [C]
Don’s Take: Another trios team on the horizon I assume….
Mark Briscoe cut a backstage promo previewing his title defense against Roderick Strong at Death Before Dishonor on Friday, as well as his participation in Blood and Guts on Wednesday.
Don’s Take: Due to lack of time, ROH has dropped from the roster of companies that I follow. It’s not that I don’t want to…there’s just not enough time with all of the other wrestling on, in addition to that little thing called life. I’m sure I’m not alone and although Strong and Briscoe will likely deliver a good match, I’m surprised AEW isn’t trying to hook more guys like me by at least announcing what the rest of the card looks like thus far.
6. Thunder Rosa vs. Deonna Purrazzo in a lumberjack match. The lumberjacks (or is it lumber jills?) were already at ringside so it was tough to see who was there. Purrazzo brushed by Rachael Ellering and Lady Frost. The early part of the match involved Purrazzo escaping the floor, only to be confronted by lumberjacks, including Ellering, Frost, Abadon and Queen Aminata. Marina Shafir and Tyra Valkarie tried to interfere on behalf of Purrazzo. Heading into the picture-in-picture break, Ellering attacked Purrazzo on the floor while Valkarie held Rosa’s leg on the second rope. This allowed Purrazzo to superplex Rosa from the top rope to the floor onto the lumberjacks who were standing around arguing. [C]
Purrazzo held the advantage coming out of the break. Purrazzo threw Rosa to the floor and she was attacked by the heels. Rosa went after Diamante on the floor before making the big comeback on Purrazzo in the ring. Down the stretch, the two exchanged near falls. Purrazzo ended up on the ring apron and traded blows with Rosa. Rosa speared Purrazzo into the pile of lumberjacks. Valkarie clotheslined Ellering inciting a brawl on the floor. Billie Starkz and Red Velvet were also spotted. During the melee, Valkarie handed Purrazzo a turnbuckle handle which she used to hit Rosa with for the win.
Deonna Purrazzo defeated Thunder Rosa in a lumberjack match in about 12:00.
Don’s Take: Given the length of this feud, I was hoping they’d get more time, and it would end decisively. The feud is likely over, but it’s set up in a way where they could easily run it back one more time.
The Patriarchy was shown walking backstage….[C]
7. Juice Robinson, Austin Gunn, and Colten Gunn vs. Christian Cage, Killswitch, and Nick Wayne for the vacant Unified Trios Titles. Wayne and Austin Gunn started out as Tony announced ticket on-sale dates while mentioning that TNT would stick with the match even if it goes past the top of the hour, which pretty much guarantees an overrun.
Cage teased squaring off with Robinson, but he quickly tagged out to Killswitch, who no-sold some offense. Robinson started to get the better of him, but Cage kicked him in the back from the outside and snapped the back of his neck on the top rope, allowing Killswitch to regain the advantage. The show went to its final picture-in-picture break of the night. [C]
The heels worked over Robinson through the break until Robinson made the hot tag to Colten right as the show came back. Colten cleaned house. The heels regained the advantage when Ausin missed a charge in the corner and flew over the top rope. The heels worked over Austin until he fought his way out and made the hot tag to Robinson.
[Overrun] It was Robinson’s turn to clean house on Wayne as the Gunns battled with Killswitch on the floor. The Gunns sent Killswitch over the barricade. Robinson hit a jackhammer on Wayne for a near fall that was broken up by Cage. The Gunns and Robinson took turns attacking Cage. Robinson went back to the attack on Wayne, but Killswitch caught him on the top rope and chokeslammed him from the top rope.
Down the stretch, Cage hit a frog splash on Robisnon for a near fall. Cage held Robinson for Wayne, but Robinson backdropped Wayne over the top rope. Cage then held Robinson for Killswitch but Killswitch hit Cage by accident. Robinson hit a jackhammer on Cage for a near fall. The Gunns, Killswitch and Wayne battled on the floor. Cage went for the Killswitch. Robinson reversed it into a Killswitch attempt of his own but Shayna Wayne sprayed Robinson in the eyes with what looked like hair spray for the win.
Christian Cage, Killswitch, and Nick Wayne defeated Juice Robinson, Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn in about 13:00 to win the vacant Unified Trios Titles.
The Patriarchy celebrated as Collision went off the air…
Don’s Take: Overused “spray to the eyes” finish aside, this was a fun match and for the first time, I’m interested in the trios titles. Killswitch’s miscue should play into the continued build where he eventually turns. I’m wondering if an overrun on Collision will become a regular thing.
A decent edition of Collision headlined by new champions, as well as good promos from FTR and Darby Allin. The wrestling itself was fine and the company did a nice job hyping Blood and Guts, as well as the Death Before Dishonor main event. I liked the look of the Esports Stadium. It gives the show a consistent identity and it’s a venue where they can likely draw a decent number of fans. And, if not, they can just point the hard camera at the stage like they did tonight. Audio was an issue but it seemed to get better as the night went on.
That’s all from me. Will Pruett’s excellent audio reviews of Collision are available weekly for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). I’ll be back next Friday with another Rampage review. Until then!
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