By Don Murphy, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@DonThePredictor)
AEW Collision (Episode 99)
Taped June 25, 2025, in Kent, Washington at Accesso ShoWare Center
Simulcast on June 26, 2025, on TNT and Max
[Hour One] Saturday night might be alright for fighting, but apparently so is Thursday. Pyro shot off from the stage as Tony Schiavone welcomed us to Collision and introduced The Outrunners and FTR with Stokely Hathaway.
Hathway said FTR should be challenging for the AEW Tag Team Titles, but they need to address what happened last week on Collision. He added that FTR is “flabbergasted” at the Outrunners’ behavior because they used to be friends, but now the Outrunners are making FTR out to be the enemies.
Wheeler echoed the same sentiments and said that they couldn’t understand what they could have done to offend the Outrunners. He listed out everything they’ve done for Outrunners in taking them under their wing and said they’ve done nothing wrong. He said that everything was until FTR started looking out for themselves and then it became a problem for Adam Copeland, Daniel Garcia, and now the Outrunners.
Wheeler asked them to think about what they’d be giving up and offered them a gift to be played on the big screen. The video showed clips of FTR and the Outrunners together from past shows. Harwood took the mic and said the four of them are friends and that he considered the Outrunners family. He added that somewhere along the way, jealousy reared its ugly head and the Outrunners realized that their ceiling was not as high as FTR’s.
Harwood talked about how popular the Outrunners were and that when they had their one shot to win the tag team titles, they embarrassed themselves. He said that the people now see them as a joke and are not laughing with them, but at them. He added that the people never cared about them and instead of joining FTR, they begged for approval and five star matches.
Harwood said he wasn’t mad at them and that they’ll have to learn the hard way that the people will turn on them eventually. He said their gimmick will earn them a lot of money but not FTR money because they’ll never be FTR good. He ended with “top guys, out” and walked up to the top of the stage.
Magnum took the mic and maybe their not FTR and like to have fun. Maybe they came up short in their title shot against the Hurt Syndicate, but he knows in his heart that the fans never stopped believing in the Outrunners. Floyd added that the belief in them as a team was never a mistake. Their biggest mistake was believing in FTR. He added that they may like to flex and have fun but they’re here to wrestle, entertain and whoop FTR’s ass.
FTR headed back to the ring but stopped. Hathaway said they would, but they don’t fight for free and not in Washington. He said that the match would take place on Dynamite 300 from Ontario, California.
Don’s Take: This was fine. I used to enjoy the Outrunners act but am now in the camp of “less is more” with them. That said, they have history with FTR going back several months so I’m fine with the two teams meeting to provide closure to this part of the story.
A video recapped Dynamite and the events involving Swerve Strickland, Will Ospreay, and the Young Bucks…
Schiavone was joined by Nigel McGuiness on commentary as ring announcer Arkady introduced the opening match….
1. Christian Cage and Nick Wayne (w/Mother Wayne and Kip Sabian) vs. Big Bill and Bryan Keith. Chain wrestling by Wayne and Keith to start. Wayne tagged in Cage, and Keith tagged in Bill. After a brief exchange, Cage tagged Wayne back in. Wayne threw Keith out of the ring and attempted to slap Bill. Wayne turned his back to Bill, allowing Bill to pick him up in a press slam and throw him into Cage. Wayne rolled to the floor and Bill clotheslined Cage over the top rope as Keith dove onto both on the floor….[C]
Wayne was working over Keith coming out of the commercial. Keith fought back and made the hot tag to Bill, who cleaned house. At one point, Bill leap frogged the spear from Cage and hit a big boot. Down the stretch, there was tons of interference, first by Sabian, which prompted Bill to throw him into the crowd. Next, Mother Wayne climbed on the apron as Keith had Wayne pinned after a powerbomb. Bill seemingly took care of Cage and Keith had Wayne set up for another power bomb. Cage broke up the power bomb with a spear on Keith. Wayne hit a thrust kick on Keith and gained the pinfall.
Christian Cage and Nick Wayne defeated Big Bill and Bryan Keith in about 12:42.
Don’s Take: I had originally thought that by now, Adam Copeland would have returned, leading to the Waynes and Sabian turning on Christian so that we get the Edge and Christian reunion for All In. It seems like we will have to wait a bit longer. Plus, I thought the story for Bill and Keith had them going on a tear and feuding with Chris Jericho upon his return. With Mother Wayne’s interference in this match, they have an out and can still get there. I just hope they’re not spinning their wheels as Bill can be so much more.
Josh Alexander cut a backstage promo on Adam Cole to set up their match later in the show, noting that he knew Cole had a bad ankle….[C]
The Patriarchy was walking backstage and ran into MVP who tried to talk Cage out of his idea of challenging The Hurt Syndicate for the AEW tag team titles. Cage said he lives by the rule of never trusting a criminal and that MVP is a better criminal than he is a manager. Cage said he runs AEW and that if he wants the tag titles, they’re as good as theirs. MVP wished them good luck.
2. Brody King and Templario vs. Hechicero and Rocky Romero. The match started off with a CMLL showcase between Templario and Hechicero. King and Romero tagged in with King getting the advantage. The heels briefly took over until King tagged in Templario. King stacked Hechicero and Romero and slammed Templario onto them before performing a senton onto both… [C]
The heels worked over Templario, who made the hot tag to King. King hit the cannonball on Hechicero in the corner for a near fall, broken up by Romero. Down the stretch, all four men battled, including Templario diving onto Hechicero on the floor. In the end, it was King with the Gonzo Bomb on Romero for the win.
Brody King and Templario defeated Hechicero and Rocky Romero in about 10:14.
Don’s Take: Decent, inconsequential match. Forbidden Door is on the horizon, so I suspect we’ll continue to see the CMLL talent. Good to see King get a win, but as I said, the match doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things.
A video package on Mercedes Mone aired. Mone voiced over the package, listed her accomplishments, and said that she was leading a global women’s revolution….
A Toni Storm movie, “Hold That Butler” began to air but Mone kicked the camera stopping the film. Mone talked about how Storm was an act and a mark, dropping several “f bombs” in the process. She once again put over her accomplishments and invited Storm to watch her match next week against Mina Shirakawa as it will be her 1,000th match. She said she’d give Storm the death sentence she wanted because while Storm is playing checkers, she is playing chess….[C]
Lexy Nair was backstage with Toni Storm, Mina Shirakawa and Luther. Storm talked about all the games she would play with Mone. Shirakawa made Storm promise not to get involved no matter what. Storm agreed but asked Shirakawa to “keep her alive”…
[Hour Two] Megan Bayne made her entrance with Penelope Ford…
3. Megan Bayne (w/Penelope Ford) vs. VertVixen. A complete squash with Bayne winning with her Fate’s Descent finisher.
Megan Bayne defeated VertVixen in about 1:55.
Don’s Take: Simple and effective. I just hope that this is leading to something more meaningful for Bayne.
Anthony Bowens cut a backstage promo and announced that he will be in a 4-way match next week on Dynamite 300 to determine who is the second entry in the men’s Casino Gauntlet match at All In. Of note, he mentioned that he asked Billy Gunn to stay home and rethink their strategy.
4. Adam Cole vs. Josh Alexander (w/Trent Beretta) for the TNT Championship. Both were evenly matched from the start and for the first several minutes. Alexander gained the advantage and knocked Cole to the floor… [C]
Cole hit a superkick coming out of the break after Alexander worked over Cole’s ankle during the break. Cole hit a pump kick and a knee to the neck for a near fall. Cole followed up with a backstabber for another near fall.
Lots of action down the stretch with Cole blocking the C4 spike and Alexander wrapping Cole up in an ankle lock at several points. Both men fought on the top rope with Cole knocking Alexander off and hitting a Panama Sunrise for a near fall. Cole went for the Boom, but Alexander ducked. In the end, Alexander ate a superkick, allowing Cole to hit the Boom for the win.
Adam Cole defeated Josh Alexander in about 12:34 to retain the TNT Championship.
Don’s Take: As you would expect, this was good, and I liked how the announcers played up Cole’s bad ankle and Alexander’s bad neck. The issue is that the title has been defined down in the past year, and Alexander loses more matches than he wins. This impacted the match in a negative way despite the decent in-ring action. TNA fans – remember when Josh Alexander was their top guy? This was my fear when he went to AEW.
Backstage, Ricochet was asked why he walked out on AR Fox on Dynamite. Fox confronted Ricochet and was jumped by Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona – the Gates of Agony. Ricochet smiled and said, “Let’s talk.”….[C]
Don’s Take: We’ve been hoping for something better for the Gates of Agony for years. This may not be it, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
Alex Windsor cut a backstage promo to introduce herself….
5. Queen Aminata vs. Skye Blue (w/Julia Hart). Fairly even to start with Blue gaining the advantage by slamming Aminata’s head onto the ring apron, followed by a draping DDT to the floor….[C]
Aminata hit a kick to the head in the corner for a near fall. Down the stretch, Aminata hit a head butt followed by that move where she drives her opponent’s face into her ass several times. Blue mounted a comeback after hiding behind Hart and using it as a way to ram Aminata into the ring post. Blue hit a nice-looking double knee dive to Aminata on the floor. In the end, it was Aminata with a running kick to the chest while Blue was in the ropes for the win.
Queen Aminata defeated Skye Blue in about 9:03.
After the match, Aminata was attacked by Thekla, Hart, and Blue. Anna Jay and Tay Melo ran in for the save, wielding a pipe and a 2×4. Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford watched on at a distance.
Don’s Take: There’s Toni Storm and Mercedes Mone. Then there’s everyone else. Fine match, but again, it doesn’t mean much in the long run.
Lexy Nair was backstage with Daniel Garcia and Matt Menard. Nair asked them about Garcia’s partnership with Adam Cole vs. the Don Callis Family. Rocky Romero entered and told Garcia to think about Don Callis’ offer. He asked Garcia if Cole would still be his friend if Garcia had the TNT title. Menard took exception when Romero asked Garcia if he ever had a real friend. Romero told Garcia when he wants a real family, he knows where to find them… [C]
Brody King vs. MJF vs. AR Fox vs. Anthony Bowens was announced for Dynamite, with the winner getting the second spot in the Casino Gauntlet match. The Outrunners vs. FTR was announced for Collision…
6. Kyle Fletcher vs. Kyle O’Reilly. This was the well-worked match you’d expect. It was evenly matched to start with Fletcher slowly taking over on offense. Down the stretch, there was an exciting back-and-forth sequence with several near falls. In the end, it was Fletcher with his brainbuster finisher for the win.
Kyle Fletcher defeated Kyle O’Reilly in about 13:33.
After the match, Lancer Archer came out and joined Fletcher in attacking O’Reilly. Roderick Strong and Adam Cole came out to clear the ring and help O’Reilly. This brought Collision to an end…
Don’s Take: The fans ate up the “Battle of the Kyles.” A good TV main event, but as we’ve been saying, Fletcher should be a main event player, and these matches just aren’t it, despite the in-ring work. Perhaps we’ll see Fletcher eventually break away from Callis to feud with Okada should Okada win at All In. Okada is stale, too, but it would be a bit of an improvement.
This was maybe a notch above the standard edition of Collision. Maybe putting it on mid-week instead of Saturday night forces them to bulk up the show, not that I want more wrestling during the week!
That’s all for me for now. Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons) should check out Will Pruett’s fantastic audio review of this show. I’ll be by on Friday and Saturday with my preview and predictions for WWE Night of Champions. Until then!
You are the best review go on this site. I wish you could be the permanent Collision guy. Keep up the great work
Review guy
So do I!!!