By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Collision (Episode 93)
Taped May 14, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois at NOW Arena
Simulcast (partially) on May 17, 2025, on TNT and Max
[Hour One] The Collision theme played while pyro shot off on the stage. Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness were on commentary, and Arkady Aura was the ring announcer. Entrances for the opening match took place…
1. Megan Bayne (w/Penelope Ford) vs. Anna Jay (w/Harley Cameron). Schiavone wished Jim Ross well in his battle with colon cancer. Schiavone said they’d see Ross on AEW commentary again. Bayne put Jay in a bear hug and then suplexed her. Jay avoided Bayne’s senton attempt on the apron, causing Bayne to land hard on the mat.
Jay had a run of offense, which included fighting her way out of Bayne’s attempt to hit her finisher. Bayne charged Jay, who held the top rope down, which sent Bayne to the floor. Jay hit a crossbody block from the apron onto Bayne on the floor.
Back in the ring, Jay jumped from the middle rope and hit a Blockbuster. Bayne came right back with a falcon arrow and got a two count. Bayne hoisted up Jay for her finisher, but Jay countered into a DDT and got a near fall. Jay put Bayne in a sleeper until Bayne backed her into a corner of the ring to break it.
The referee distracted herself with the wrestlers in one corner of the ring while Ford entered the other side of the ring and removed a turnbuckle pad. Cameron and Ford fought to the back. Jay used a drop toe hold to send Bayne into the exposed turnbuckle and then rolled her up for a two count.
Jay applied the Queen Slayer sleeper again, but Bayne once again broke it by backing into a corner of the ring. Bayne powered up Jay and hit a lousy-looking Fate’s Descent for the win…
Megan Bayne beat Anna Jay in 7:30.
Powell’s POV: It’s too bad the finish looked so rough because the bulk of the match was solid. It looked like Jay took the move by landing on her hands and feet, so it just didn’t look all that punishing. Ford removing the turnbuckle pad felt unnecessary. Why make the referee look oblivious when the spot didn’t play a meaningful part in the match?
The broadcast team ran through the show’s lineup. McGuinness addressed the issues that he and Daniel Garcia have had with the “FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler. McGuinness said that he figured out that it’s never going to end unless he gets in the ring with FTR, so he said that he and Garcia would face them at the pay-per-view…
Kyle Fletcher and Don Callis made their entrance, and then AR Fox’s entrance followed…
2. Kyle Fletcher vs. AR Fox. Don Callis sat in on commentary. Fox looked to the crowd after hitting an early offensive move. Callis said it was pathetic that Fox was begging the crowd to love him. Fletcher was in offensive control heading into a picture-in-picture break. [C]
Fletcher avoided a top rope move and then hit a Michinoku Driver for a near fall. Fletcher hit a running kick in the corner and set up for another move, but Fox hooked him into a pin for a two count. Fletcher hit a brainbuster a short time later to get the win…
Kyle Fletcher defeated AR Fox in 9:25.
Schiavone hyped a trios match for after the break… [C]
Powell’s POV: The usual Fox match with a lot of flashy offense before he took the expected loss. The McGuinness announcement felt flat. It wasn’t announced to the live crowd, so it was met with a quick pat on the shoulder from Schiavone, and then they moved on quickly to the entrances for the next match.
Entrances for the trios match took place. RPG Vice came out to a flat reaction, and Lance Archer and Don Callis followed. The entrances for the babyface trio followed…
3. Bandido, Brody King, and Tomohiro Ishii vs. Lance Archer and “RPG Vice” Trent Beretta and Rocky Romero. Callis sat in on commentary again and said he sees King as a future member of the Don Callis Family. All six wrestlers were fighting at ringside a couple of minutes into the match as the show went to a PIP break. [C]
Late in the match, Ishii and King hit running clotheslines on Romero in a corner of the ring. The duo launched Bandido, who dropkicked Romero. King followed up with a cannonball on Romero and then pinned him.
Bandido, Brody King, and Tomohiro Ishii defeated Lance Archer and “RPG Vice” Trent Beretta and Rocky Romero in 6:55.
After the match, the heel trio attacked the babyfaces. “The Outrunners” Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd ran out and cleared the Callis Family members from the ring…
Powell’s POV: Solid action, yet this felt like a throwaway trios match.
Backstage, Lexi Nair interviewed Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O’Reilly. Cole spoke about welcoming challengers for the TNT Championship. “Grizzled Young Veterans” Zack Gibson and James Drake interrupted. Drake told O’Reilly he’s gone soft. Strong yelled “Grizzled” and said he’d like to beat their asses. Gibson said they will drag Strong and O’Reilly into the deep waters next week. Cole said the pressure is on Gibson and Drake…
Powell’s POV: They established that a match will be taking place next week, but no one involved said anything that sold me on it.
Blake Christian and Lee Johnson made their entrance, and then Mike Bailey’s entrance followed…
4. Mike Bailey vs. Blake Christian (w/Lee Johnson). Christian offered a handshake, but he pulled his hand and licked it. Christian went for a cheap shot on Bailey, who avoided it and went on the offensive. Christian battled back and hit a 450 double stomp, which led to a near fall.
Later, Bailey hit a Crane Kick. Christian regained offensive control briefly thanks to Johnson providing a distraction at ringside. Back in the ring, Bailey hit a tornado kick and then pinned Christian clean. Schiavone said Bailey is 5-1 in 2025.
Mikey Bailey defeated Blake Christian in 5:10.
After the match, Bailey took the mic and said they had beautiful weather in Chicago. He called for Okada to come out with his AEW Continental Championship so they could make it rain. Okada made his entrance dressed in a suit. In a shocking development, Okada called Bailey a bitch.
Dralistico attacked Bailey while Rush entered the ring behind him. Rush jawed at Okada, who remained on the stage. Rush threw a headbutt on Bailey and then stepped on his face while he and Dralistico posed…
A video package recapped the issues involving Gates of Agony and the team of Big Bill and Bryan Keith… [C]
Powell’s POV: A spotlight win for Bailey. Christian is a talented guy. It would be nice to see him get a couple of wins so that it doesn’t always feel like a slam dunk that he’s going to lose on AEW television.
[Hour Two] A Jon Moxley promo video aired that was taped after his cage match on Dynamite. Gabe Kidd and Marina Shafir stood by while a bloody Moxley said you can’t break someone who has already been broken over and over again. He spoke about how everyone is pretending to be someone they are not. Moxley said Kidd works for him. He said professionals work for him, and they have standards. “Abandon all hope,” Kidd said to close…
Schiavone said Anarchy in the Arena would take place at AEW Double or Nothing. He didn’t provide any specifics about the entrants, and instead said the match would be violent and bloody…
Entrances for the Chicago Street Fight took place. Big Bill and Bryan Keith came out first and set up a table in a corner of the ring. Gates of Agony followed and brought weapons inside of trash cans. The teams met at ringside and started to brawl.
5. “Gates of Agony” Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun vs. Big Bill and Bryan Keith in a Chicago Street Fight. Schiavone noted that they had one referee in the ring and another at ringside. The wrestlers used various weapons while brawling on the floor as the show cut to a PIP break. [C]
Kaun hit an Annihilator on Keith, who had a trash can over his head. Bill broke up the pin and then took Kaun to ringside where two tables were set up next to one another. Bill dumped bricks out of a backpack. Bill picked up one of the brings and tried to hit Kaun, who moved, causing Bill to smash the brick against the ring post. Liona shoulder-blocked Bill over the broadcast table.
Keith slammed a trash can lid over Liona’s head. Liona no-sold it, and some fans chanted, “You f—ed up” at Keith. Liona had Keith seated on the barricade when he ran toward him. Keith threw another trash can lid at his head. Liona acted dazed for a moment, then hit a running crossbody block that sent him and Keith over the barricade.
Schiavone said this was as violent a match as they’ve had on Collision. Liona got Keith on the apron in front of the two tables on the floor. Liona hoisted Keith up, but Keith slipped away and raked his eyes. Keith hit Liona with a headbutt, but Liona held the ropes. Bill hit Liona with a big boot that knocked him off the apron and through the two tables on the floor.
Keith slammed a piece of drywall over the back and head of Kaun, who laughed once he was down on the mat. Bill hit Kaun with a big boot, and then followed up with chokeslam before pinning him…
Big Bill and Bryan Keith beat “Gates of Agony” Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun in a Chicago Street Fight in 13:55.
Powell’s POV: Both teams worked hard, and the burned-out crowd was fairly receptive. The wait continues for GOA to get a breakthrough victory.
A Mina Shirakawa promo video aired. She said this time it was just her and Toni Storm, and she’s coming for the title. Shirakawa said she did everything in Japan and will do everything in AEW. “Toni is timeless, but Mina is now,” Shirakawa said to close…
Tony Schiavone stood on the stage for the Steve “Mongo” McMichael tribute. Schiavone introduced McMichael’s widow, Misty, and Dean Malenko, who was in the Four Horsemen with Mongo. Photos of Mongo were shown from his football and wrestling careers. Schiavone spoke about his football career and how he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A QR Code appeared on the screen for fans interested in donating to a charity for ALS research.
Ric Flair was introduced by Schiavone. Flair came out and hugged Misty and Malenko. Flair said Chicago is one of the greatest wrestling towns in the world. Schiavone said he coined the phrase “to be the man, you gotta beat the man.” He said that Mongo was more of a man than anyone he’d ever known. He said Mongo fought ALS for six years.
Flair said he was fully aware of everything around him, yet was unable to move. Flair said Mongo made the Hall of Fame and is now in heaven. Flair praised Misty for learning how to be a nurse and never leaving Mongo’s side. A “Mongo” chant broke out. Flair thanked the fans for participating in the tribute. Schiavone touted the Les Turner ALS Foundation charity as the QR Code was shown again… [C]
Powell’s POV: A brief, yet very nice tribute to McMichael. Flair was somber and respectful while speaking about his late friend. Coming out of the commercial break, The Rock’s Black Adam movie, that was supposed to air after Collision, started to play on TNT. I went to Max, and the Collision episode ended around an hour and 27 minutes in. The network clearly screwed up and cut the Cru vs. Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara match and whatever else was left for the final half-hour. Strange. Tony Khan wrote on social media that they were having “transmission” issues, and the remainder of the show will be available later on Max. A graphic eventually ran on TNT that acknowledged the technical difficulties and told viewers to check out the AEW website for updates.
Powell’s POV: Three hours later, I returned with the intent of watching the West Coast feed for the last 30 minutes of the show. The good news is that they didn’t go right to Black Adam after the Mongo tribute. The bad news is that they aired over ten straight minutes of commercials, and then Black Adam started. After directing fans to the TNT West feed, Tony Khan wrote on his social media page that they are still experiencing transmission issues, but the full episode will be available on Max as soon as possible. What a shit show.
Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara made their entrance. The Cru duo came out wearing their weird jackets…
Powell’s POV: Two days after the first 90 minutes of the show aired, the remainder of the show is finally available. It’s not on Max as I write this, but the full show was finally made available via the TNT app. You’d think they would have had the decency to release an ad-free version of the show, given the debacle this has been for AEW fans, but there are three ad breaks marked for the final 30 minutes of the show. I guess the suckers at WBD have to make enough money to cover CEO David Zaslav’s salary. They gave him $51.9 million last year despite several major failures, and they’ll probably give him another raise this year. Hey, at least he had the genius to rebrand the Max app as HBO Max. Oh, wait, damn near everyone thought it was ridiculous to drop the HBO name, so he’s just correcting one of his many mistakes.
6. “The Sons of Texas” Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara vs. “Cru” Lio Rush and Action Andretti for a shot at the AEW Tag Team Titles at Double Or Nothing. Sammy encouraged Dustin to dive onto both opponents. The crowd fired up Dustin, who ran the ropes and then flipped off the Cru duo before doing a Spinaroonie. [C]
Cru double teamed Guevara. Dustin returned to the ring and broke up a pin attempt. Dustin hit a Destroyer on Rush. Andretti superkicked Dustin, then rolled up Guevara and used the ropes for leverage while getting a two count. Guevara hit the GTH on Andretti before pinning him…
“The Sons of Texas” Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara defeated “Cru” Lio Rush and Action Andretti in 11:55 to earn a shot at the AEW Tag Team Titles at Double Or Nothing.
Backstage, Kris Statlander was about to be interviewed by Lexi Nair, but Statlander spotted Willow Nightingale and called out to her. Willow mockingly asked if Statlander was going to apologize to her again. They ended up bickering heading into a break… [C]
Tony Schiavone ran through the card for Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite (the lineup is available via the main page)…
Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly vs. “Grizzled Young Veterans” Zack Gibson and James Drake was made official for Thursday’s AEW Collision… Schiavone ran through the Double or Nothing card…
Entrances for the main event took place…
7. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Wheeler Yuta. Hobbs scooped up Yuta and ran him into a corner of the ring before powerslamming him. Hobbs tossed Yuta to ringside and followed. Hobbs picked up Yuta and drove his back into the ring post, then slammed him on the apron several times before rolling him back inside the ring.
Hobbs superplexed Yuta and covered him for a two count. Hobbs set up for a move from the ropes, but Yuta slipped out from under him and slammed him from the ropes to the mat. Yuta dropkicked Hobbs’ right knee. Schiavone noted that Collision will air Thursday night on TBS this week. [C]
Hobbs made a late comeback after selling for Yuta for a stretch. Hobbs hit Yuta with clotheslines in the corner and then followed up with a short-arm clothesline for a near fall. Hobbs lowered the straps on his gear. Hobbs hit a spinebuster moments later and scored the clean pin.
Powerhouse Hobbs beat Wheeler Yuta in 11:45.
Hobbs sold his right knee after the match. Marina Shafir ran in and clipped the bad knee from behind. Yuta and Shafir worked over Hobbs. Willow Nightingale ran out and put Shafir down with a spinebuster. Willow threw punches at Shafir until Yuta grabbed her by the hair. Willow turned around and hit Yuta. Hobbs took a shot at Yuta, and then Willow set up for a Doctor Bomb, but Shafir stepped in. Kris Statlander was shown watching from the stage…
Powell’s POV: Please tell me that the Willow and Statlander relationship isn’t going to play a big part in determining who wins the expected Anarchy in the Arena match. Hobbs vs. Yuta didn’t strike me as a main event when the show was announced, nor did the drained live crowd react like they were watching a main event match. Hobbs should be a main event player, but beating the low man in the Death Riders made for a flat main event, even though the match was well worked. I’m not sure why they opted to headline with this over the Dustin Rhodes and Sammy Guevara win over Cru, given that it was for a tag team title shot at the pay-per-view.
Overall, this show continues to make me feel like a broken record, as it was another “fine if you saw it, fine if you didn’t” episode. The Beach Break theme meant nothing. Is it worth watering down the AEW show themes by attaching them to Collision if they are just going to present an ordinary show? Due to the two-day delay for the final 30 minutes of the show, I will be filling in for Will Pruett with today’s audio review of this episode. Will returns on Thursday with the audio review of the Double or Nothing go-home version of Collision for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Join me for Double or Nothing coverage this weekend.
How do you fuck up a pretape?
You put a crackhead trust fund dipshit in charge of everything, that’s how.
Well atleast they got the most important thing from the show before it cut off.
RIP MONGO!