By Don Murphy, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@DonThePredictor)
AEW Collision (Episode 117)
Taped on October 29, 2025, in Edinburg, Texas, at Bert Ogden Arena
Simulcast November 1, 2025, on TNT and HBO Max
[Hour One] A Halloween-themed video opened the show and ran down the card…
The “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” opening aired. Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness checked in on commentary. Arkady Aura was the ring announcer and introduced the opening match…
1. Max Caster and Anthony Bowens vs. Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita. Takeshita and Okada came out separately while Don Callis sat in on commentary for the match. Anthony Bowens came out first but was quickly followed by Caster. The opening part of this match continued to spotlight the tension between both teams. First, Caster blind tagged himself in which irritated Bowens. Okada did the same to Takeshita twice.
Takeshita charged at Caster, who ducked, and Takeshita almost hit Okada. Caster then shoved Takeshita into Okada, sending them both to the floor, where Takeshita and Okada delivered simultaneous DDTs to Caster and Bowens before going nose-to-nose. Finally, Okada teased tagging in Takeshita, but he flipped him off instead. [C]
There was more of the same down the stretch, with both teams showing tension. Caster made the hot tag to Bowens, who cleaned house for a bit. Okada regained the upper hand and went to superplex Bowens. Takeshita ran in for the Tower of Doom spot and ended up power bombing Okada while Okada superplexed Bowens. There was another spot where Takeshita was going for his power-drive knee on Bowens, but Okada picked him up mid-move and went for the Rain Maker, almost hitting Takeshita.
The finish saw Bowens drop Okada and go for the pin, but Caster had tagged himself in, making the pin invalid. Caster and Bowens got into a shoving match before coming to blows. Bowens got the better of the exchange. Bowens super kicked Okada into the corner, and Takeshita blind tagged himself in. Okada immediately hit the Rain Maker on Bowens and went for a second one on Caster, who was the legal man. Takeshita pushed Okada out of the way, hit a forearm on Caster, followed by his Raging Fire finisher for the win.
Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita defeated Max Caster and Anthony Bowens in 14:02.
After the match, Takeshita and Okada squared off. Callis stood between them and raised their hands. Okada and Callis left the ring with Takeshita looking on. [C]
Don’s Take: In my opinion, the slow build to the Takeshita/Okada implosion is the most interesting thing on AEW television, and I am enjoying the story. On the flip side, despite them coming to blows tonight, let’s get to the part where Caster and Bowens officially reunite.
Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron cut a backstage promo to hype their Women’s Tag Team Title Quarterfinal match against Mercedes Mone and Athena on Dynamite. Nightingale and Cameron said that, unlike Mone and Athena, they would keep smiling whether they win or lose.
Toni Storm voiced over a highlight video recapping the relationship between Storm and Mina Shirakawa. Apparently, they’re known as the Timeless Love Bombs. Storm said not to be afraid of the woman in front of you, but be afraid of the woman beside her.
AEW Women’s Champion Kris Statlander came out to join the commentary team….
2. Mercedes Mone vs. Olympia for the CMLL Women’s Championship. There was chain wrestling to start. Olympia had the early advantage and at one point, gorilla-pressed Mone, dropping her to the mat. Mone retaliated with a double knee strike, knocking Olympia to the floor before diving onto her with both knees. [C]
Olympia regained the advantage coming out of the break. There was a lot of back-and-forth action and near falls down the stretch. The finish saw both women on the floor, with Mone shoving Olympia into Statlander, knocking her down. Mone and Statlander squared off, allowing Olympia to pull Mone back into the ring. Mone was able to immediately lock Olympia in the Mone Maker for the submission.
Mercedes Mone defeated Olympia to retain the CMLL Women’s Championship in 10:56.
After the match, Statlander chased Mone from the ring…
Don’s Take: While I could do without another non-AEW title being defended on AEW TV, this makes sense given that Mone is challenging for the AEW Women’s Title at Full Gear and will be teaming with Athena in the AEW Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament. Also, please don’t put Kris Statlander on commentary again.
A video recapped the events of this past week’s Dynamite. [C]
An interview taped “after Wednesday’s Dynamite with Renee Paquette and The Young Bucks aired. Paquette asked the Bucks where they go from here after another loss. Don Callis entered and said that he just met with Tony Khan and set up the first tag team match for $1,000,000. He asked them to team with Josh Alexander at Full Gear against Jurassic Express and Kenny Omega. Callis celebrated the opportunity and said he would make them rich one more time. The Bucks stood there looking perplexed.
3. Megan Bayne and Marina Shafir (w/Penelope Ford) vs. Nixon Newell and Miranda Alize. Jon Moxley joined the commentary team. Alize and Newell attacked Bayne at the bell. After some quick offense from Newell and Alize, this quickly turned into a Bayne/Shfair squash match with Bayne using power moves and Shafir using martial arts. The ending saw Bayne pin Newell after a running power bomb while Shafir had Alize locked in her Mother’s Milk submission.
Megan Bayne and Marina Shafir defeated Nixon Newell and Miranda Alize in 2:27.
Don’s Take: I never want to see anyone injured, and all the best to Penelope Ford for a quick recovery. That said, a Bayne/Shafir alliance could be interesting. Shafir has had her challenges in the ring, but she’s evolved as a character through her work with the Death Riders. Bayne also has a strong presence and is a better worker. I’d be interested to see them get a title run, and if not, you’d have to think they’d be top contenders out of the gate. As an aside, I’m surprised to see Newell and Alize job so quickly after being introduced. I continue to hope for good things for them.
All twelve women were announced for the “Blood and Guts” women’s match on November 12th. It will be Thekla, Skye Blue, Julia Hart, Megan Bayne, Marina Shafir, and Mercedes Mone vs. Jamie Hayter, Queen Aminata, Willow Nightingale, Harley Cameron, Toni Storm, and Kris Statlander.
[Hour Two] Entrances for the trios match took place…
4. Mark Briscoe, Komander, and Roderick Strong (w/Alex Abrahantes) vs. Sammy Guevara, The Beast Mortos, and Dralistico. The opening part of the match is what you’d expect. There was a great exchange of moves between Komander and Dralistico. Briscoe then squared off with Mortos, whom Briscoe got the better of. Heading into the commercial, Komander went to do a running dive onto Guevara on the floor, but the other four men entered the ring and prevented him from doing so. Briscoe and Strong knocked Mortos and Dralistico to the floor and dove onto them. The heels then got the upper hand with Guevara working over Komander. [C]
Dralistico continued the offense on Komander, who eventually made the hot tag to Strong. Strong cleaned house. Tons of action down the stretch, with each man getting his turn at an offensive move. The finish saw Briscoe attempting a Jay Driller on Dralistico but was thwarted by Mortos. Dralistico then missed a spinning kick, allowing Briscoe to hit the Jay Driller for the win.
Mark Briscoe, Komander, and Roderick Strong defeated Sammy Guevara, The Beast Mortos, and Dralistico in 12:00.
After the match, Briscoe and Komander celebrated in the ring while Strong paced on the outside.
Don’s Take: Aside from my enjoyment of watching Mark Briscoe work, this was pure filler.
A video recapped the events between Hangman Page and Samoa Joe on Dynamite.
Eddie Kingston was backstage with Hook after Dynamite. Someone off-camera asked Hook why he tapped so quickly. Hook said, “When you’re caught, you’re caught. You live to fight another day.” [C]
MxM TV came out for the Casting Call segment, with Mansoor doing his usual schtick, heeling on the crowd. Mansoor asked for their opponents, which led to…
5. “The Gunn Club” Juice Robinson, Austin Gunn, and Ace Austin vs. “MxM TV” Johnny TV, Mason Madden, and Mansoor (w/Taya Valkyrie). This match didn’t overstay its welcome and was a babyface squash. Gunn and Austin hit Mason Madden with a double suplex, knocking off his blonde wig. Gunn hit the Fame Asser on Mansoor, immediately followed by The Fold by Austin. Robinson covered Mansoor for the win. [C]
“The Gunn Club” Juice Robinson, Austin Gunn, and Ace Austin defeated “MxM TV” Johnny TV, Mason Madden, and Mansoor in 2:31.
Don’s Take: This was what it was. The weekly MxM TV Casting Call segment is fine, but I really want to see Ace Austin do something more meaningful.
In addition to the AEW Women’s Tag Title tournament quarterfinal match, Hangman Page will team up with Hook and Eddie Kingston to meet Samoa Joe, Katsuyori Shibata, and Powerhouse Hobbs in a trios match. The AEW Trios Titles do not appear to be on the line. It was also announced that for the men’s “Blood and Guts” on November 12, it will be Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta, and Pac facing Darby Allin, Orange Cassidy, Mark Briscoe, Kyle O’Reilly, and Roderick Strong. A graphic for the women’s “Blood and Guts” match was also shown…
A video previewed Bandido vs. Mascara Dorada…
6. Bandido vs. Mascara Dorada (w/Alex Abrahantes) for the ROH Championship. Tons of lucha high spots early, which the live crowd loved. Heading into the first break, Bandido sold his shoulder after missing a dive onto Dorada on the outside of the ring. [C]
After the break, Bandido was still selling the shoulder. Dorada allowed Bandido to get up rather than capitalize on the injury. In another spot, Bandido hit a frog splash and did the Eddie Guerrero “shimmy” because it’s not a lucha match without an Eddie tribute. Heading into the second commercial, a spectacular spot saw Bandido catch Dorada running at him on the apron and drive him face-first onto the floor below. This prompted a “holy shit” chant from the crowd. [C]
Great action down the stretch with a series of near falls. Dorada looked strong with a series of offensive moves and a block of the first 21 Plex attempt. In the end, it was Bandido with a knee strike followed by a successful 21 Plex attempt for the win.
Bandido defeated Mascara Dorada to retain the ROH Championship in 22:46.
After the match, the wrestlers shook hands and embraced as Collision went off the air…
Don’s Take: This was a blast. I mentioned earlier that I could do without non-AEW titles being defended on AEW TV. I’ll make an exception for the ROH Title. While I agree with those who feel that Tony Khan should either discontinue ROH or make a real effort to make it something beyond just a series of matches featuring AEW talent he doesn’t have room for, I think it’s fine to showcase their champion from out behind the paywall once in a while. Matches like these will only help to make that particular title seem more relevant.
That’s all for me for tonight. Check out Will Pruett’s weekly audio reviews of Collision that are available exclusively for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). I’ll check in with you again with AEW Full Gear predictions. Until then!
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