By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Collision (Episode 85)
Taped March 19, 2025 in Omaha, Nebraska at Liberty First Credit Union Arena
Simulcast March 22, 2025 on TNT and Max
Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness checked in on commentary. The wrestlers were already in the ring for the opening match…
1. Daniel Garcia vs. Adam Cole for the TNT Championship with everyone banned from ringside. Matt Menard sat in on commentary. Cole offered a handshake, which Garcia accepted. Garcia did his dance during the opening minute of the match. Cole reacted with a smirk.
Cole targeted the left knee of Garcia. Cole kicked the knee and then set up for a figure four, but Garcia countered into an inside cradle for a two count. Garcia tried to throw a kick, but Cole caught his foot and then wrenched the bad leg. Cole hit a Backstabber for a two count heading into a picture-in-picture break. [C]
Garcia put Cole down with a nice swinging neckbreaker. Garcia followed up with a second swinging neckbreaker, then hit a draping swinging neckbreaker for a near fall. Cole came back with a ushigoroshi and covered Garcia for a two count.
Cole set up for the figure four again, but Garcia kicked him off and Cole went through the ropes and ended up on the apron. Garcia kicked Cole and then tumbled to the floor with him. Cole sat in a chair against the barricade and was hit by a running kick.
A short time later, ring announcer Arkady Aura announced that there were five minutes remaining in the time limit. Cole hit a Panama Sunrise for a near fall. Cole set up for another Panama Sunrise, but Garcia rolled to ringside to avoid it.
Cole jumped off the apron at Garcia, who dodged him and then threw a kick to his gut. Garcia performed a gut-wrench suplex on the floor before throwing Cole back inside the ring. Garcia put Cole down with a piledriver and covered him for a near fall.
Cole hit another Panama Sunrise for a near fall. Cole got right up and put Garcia in a figure four. Garcia reached the bottom rope to break the hold. Cole pulled Garcia to the middle of the ring, but Garcia caught him in the Dragon Slayer. Cole reached the ropes to break the hold.
Garcia and Cole went to the apron and traded forearms or elbow strikes. Garcia set up for a piledriver, but Cole avoided and then kicked his bad knee out from under him. Cole executed a Destroyer and both men fell to the floor.
Cole rolled Garcia back in the ring. Cole played to the crowd and lowered his kneepad. Garcia grabbed Cole’s leg to prevent him from hitting his Boom finisher. Cole fought free and then ran the ropes for the move, but the bell rang to end the match before could hit it.
Daniel Garcia fought Adam Cole to a 20:00 draw to retain the TNT Championship.
Garcia smiled while Cole was frustrated by the time limit expiring. Garcia stood up and played to the crowd by holding up the title belt…
Garcia hyped Max Caster’s opening challenge for after the break… [C]
Powell’s POV: Is the strategy really to hook new viewers who stuck around after the March Madness game by giving them a draw and then hoping they return to see a rematch? Good luck with that. The match was good and all, but it didn’t strike me as the type of match or finish that would win over unfamiliar fans. And if the goal was to get the fans to come back for the rematch, then the date should have been announced right after the match. On a side note, they announced during the match that the ROH Supercard of Honor event will be held on May 2 in Atlantic City, New Jersey at Boardwalk Hall.
Max Caster stood in the ring and told the fans they were looking at the Greatest Wrestler Alive. Caster said he’s a very busy man with a packed schedule, unlike his former tag team partner. A chant broke out for Anthony Bowens. Caster said Bowens wasn’t there and he wasn’t coming back because he ran his ass out of AEW. Caster encouraged the crowd to join him in saying his comically long chant. Hook made his entrance to accept the open challenge…
2. Hook vs. Max Caster. Caster had a mic and said he knew Hook had a lot to say and started to tell him to get it off his chest, but he threw the mic at him and kicked him. Hook came back by kicking Caster’s legs out from under him and then put him in Redrum and got the submission win…
Hook defeated Max Caster in 0:38.
Powell’s POV: The usual Caster silliness with the expected loss. Caster’s pest heel antics are comical. It just feels like a huge drop from the peak of The Acclaimed’s run.
Backstage, Lexi Nair tried to interview Queen Aminata, but Serena Deeb interrupted her before she could speak. Deeb said everything Aminata needed was in the book, adding that it contained 1,000 holds and was something she’d worked on for twenty years. Aminata thanked her and said she thought she could win her match on her own. “We’ll see about that,” Deeb said…
Powell’s POV: Deeb’s book was a hard cover folder that didn’t appear to contain many pages. Deeb must be a painfully slow or picky writer if it took her twenty years to put that together.
Entrances for the women’s match took place…
3. Julia Hart vs. Queen Aminata. Hart used a backslide to get an early two count. She rolled Aminata into another pin for a two count. Aminata came back with a kick and then suplexed Hart in a corner of the ring. Aminata took Hart to the apron and gave her a uranage slam heading into a PIP break. [C]
Hart hit a standing moonsault for a two count. Aminata rallied with an Air Raid Crash and got a two count. Hart came up with a bloody nose. Hart caught Aminata on the ropes. Hart suplexed Aminata and then hooked her own legs on the top rope.
Hart went for a moonsault and had to roll through because Aminata moved. Aminata put Hart down with a headbutt and covered her for a near fall. Moments later, Aminata knocked Hart down with a forearm strike. Aminata went for a running kick that Hart avoided, causing Aminata’s foot to bounce off the bottom rope. Hart quickly covered Aminata and got the three count.
Julia Hart beat Queen Aminata in roughly 8:00.
After the match, Hart leaned against the ringside barricade and sang her song. She looked back at a clapping fan and nodded… [C]
Powell’s POV: The match was fine and it’s nice to get a women’s program that isn’t tied to a title belt. It just doesn’t feel like either wrestler really came out of this trio of matches in a better place than they were beforehand (unless you count Aminata simply getting more television time).
Harley Cameron was interviewed by Lexi Nair on the backstage interview set. Nair brought up The Beast Mortos’s interactions with Harleygram. Cameron put her hand over Nair’s mouth. Cameron said she would have a match on Sunday and would still stick around and sit in on commentary for the lucha match. When Nair brought up the idea of Cameron and Harleygram being the same person, Cameron silenced her and ran off…
Introductions for the main event took place…
4. Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage, and Lance Archer vs. Powerhouse Hobbs, Mark Briscoe, and Rocky Romero. Don Callis sat in on commentary. Hobbs scooped up Takeshita and tagged in Romero before slamming Takeshita to the mat. Romero hit a double stomp on Takeshita, who rolled to ringside. Romero went for a dive, but Cage caught Romero and handed him off to Takeshita, who powerbombed him on the apron heading into a break. [C]
Hobbs took a hot tag and worked over Cage and Archer. Hobbs lowered the straps on his gear. Takeshita entered the ring behind him. Hobbs ducked a clothesline and put Takeshita down with a spinebuster. Cage suplexed Hobbs, who tagged out.
Romero entered the ring and hit Cage with a step-up enzuigiri, and then Hobbs put Cage down with a spinebuster. Takeshitq hit Hobbs with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Briscoe hit a nice suplex on Takeshita. Archer put Briscoe down with a shoulder block. Archer pressed Romero, who put him in a sleeper. Archer flung Romero to the mat.
Romero rolled up Archer for a two count. Romero went for a springboard move and was punched in midair by Archer. Cage and Archer hit a powerbomb and chokeslam combo move. Takeshita tagged in and hit Raging Fire on Romero and then pinned him…
Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage, and Lance Archer defeated Powerhouse Hobbs, Mark Briscoe, and Rocky Romero in roughly 12:00.
Callis entered the ring and raised his arms along with his Callis Family members to close the show…
Powell’s POV: A solid win for the heel trio, though it was pretty predictable that Romero would take the loss for his team. Overall, this was an easy one-hour watch. Oddly, it felt like they were playing to the usual AEW viewers as opposed to attempting to really hook viewers who stuck around after the NCAA basketball. Perhaps Will Pruett will feel differently. His Collision audio reviews are available exclusively for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
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