By Don Murphy, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@DonThePredictor)
AEW Collision (Episode 153)
Taped July 16, 2026, in Boston, Massachusetts, at MGM Music Hall
Simulcast live July 18, 2026, on TNT and HBO Max
[Hour One] Tony Schiavone and Paul Wight checked in on commentary. Arkady Aura was the ring announcer and introduced the opening match…
1. Jack Perry vs. Nick Wayne. Basic chain wrestling to start. Perry sent Wayne to the floor and chopped him several times against the ringside barricade. Wayne recovered and slammed Perry’s head against the steps. [C]
Perry slammed Wayne’s head into the top and middle turnbuckles several times, followed by a leg drop for a near fall. Perry powerbombed Wayne on the ring apron. Down the stretch, Wayne retaliated by jumping through the ropes while Perry was on the floor and hit a destroyer. Perry rolled in and was hit with a frog splash and fisherman buster for a near fall. Perry retaliated with a thrust kick and a running knee for the win…
Jack Perry defeated Nick Wayne in 11:04.
Don’s Take: A fine opener. It was good to see Nick Wayne back on AEW television. And with Jack Perry’s contract situation resolved, these are two talents that I’d like to see inserted into more meaningful programs.
A video package, narrated by the Young Bucks, aired. They talked about regaining their World Tag Team Titles and the Elite being on top again. They talked about working with and against both Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay. They said they didn’t trust either one of them and needed to show Kenny Omega that he can’t trust Ospreay now that he’s a member of the Death Riders. The Young Bucks challenged Moxley and Ospreay to a tag team match at Redemption… [C]
A video package aired, recapping The Death Riders and The Dogs attacking Adam Copeland and Christian Cage. Cage and Copeland offered Claudio Castagnoli and Pac an AEW Tag Team Title match at Redemption…
2. Kevin Knight vs. AR Fox for the TNT Championship. Knight attacked Fox at the bell and was rewarded by having the referee start the match. Knight controlled the action for several minutes, but Fox fought back. Fox missed a flip to the floor from the ring apron and was hit with a flying clothesline by Knight, and leaped off the announce desk for leverage. [C]
Fox made the babyface comeback. Fox hit a cutter, followed by a swanton splash for a near fall. Fox then hit an impressive destroyer from the ramp into the ring while Knight was in the ropes, followed by a 450 splash for a near fall. The finish saw Knight sitting on the top rope. Fox jumped up and attempted a move. Knight blocked it and hit an avalanche crash landing from the top rope, followed by the UFO splash for the win…
Kevin Knight defeated AR Fox in 9:34 to retain the TNT Championship.
Don’s Take: A fun match. For all the losses he takes, Fox always gives full effort in his performances. You had to figure Knight was going over since he’s challenging Kenny Omega for the AEW World Title at Redemption. As an aside, Darby Allin vs. Kevin Knight was officially announced for Dynamite.
Knight joined the commentary team and said that this was a preview of what would happen to Darby Allin on Dynamite and Kenny Omega at Redemption. He stayed on commentary for the next match…
3. Brian Cage, Hechicero, and Jake Doyle (w/Rocky Romero, Trent Beretta, Lance Archer) vs. Gino Medina, Tome Filip, and Nic Nolan. Doyle attacked Filip before the match started. The referee once again rewarded the heel by starting the match. This was a quick squash with Cage hitting a tilt-o-whirl into a knee for the win.
Brian Cage, Hechicero, and Jake Doyle defeated Gino Medina, Tome Fillip, and Nick Nolan in 1:51.
After the match, Cage, Doyle and Hechicero continued the attack, leading to Mike Bailey, Komander, Myron Reed, Zachary Wentz, Dezmond Xavier, Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O’Reilly running down to make the save. Jay Lethal, Blake Christian, and Lee Johnson were shown looking on from the crowd…
Don’s Take: Cue some rather large all-star tag match on an upcoming TV show or at Redemption.
Will Ospreay was backstage with Jon Moxley. Ospreay said he asked Tony Khan for a warm-up match before his big match at Wembley Stadium. He said that he and Adam Brooks go way back and that Brooks used to live with him at his mom’s house. He said tonight wouldn’t be personal.
Moxley said that he’s been an enemy of and an ally of the Young Bucks depending on the situation. He said no matter what, he’s always had a disdain for the Elite and accepted their challenge for Redemption. He said, as always, it would be a little personal… [C]
Clark Connors and David Finlay cut a public service announcement on Jay White, Juice Robinson, Ace Austin, Colten Gunn, and Austin Gunn. The call to action was “Guns Down”…
Don’s Take: Please make this program go away.
Jon Moxley joined the commentary team….
4. Will Ospreay vs. Adam Brooks. The two embraced before the match. The friendliness quickly ended as Brooks went on the attack. Highlights included Brooks pulling the referee in front Ospreay and then kicking him while the referee was distracted. The finish saw Ospreay go for the Hidden Blade and Brooks spit on him as he was running in. Ospreay attacked him with forearms to the back of the neck until Brooks tapped out…
Will Ospreay defeated Adam Brooks in 8:20.
Don’s Take: A good match that didn’t overstay its welcome. I expect we’ll see more of these showcase appearances as we build toward his match against Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship at Wembley Stadium at the end of August. I haven’t been thrilled with Omega and Ospreay and their mutual respect so far, but they have time to heat this up. Moxley’s involvement in the story has been intriguing.
Darby Allin set a car on fire after spray-painting it with “Kevin needs to be humbled.” Allin said he would humble Knight by taking the TNT Title…
5. ROH Women’s World Champion Athena vs. Ava Everett. Athena sent Everett to the floor and slammed him back-first into the ringside barrier.
[Hour Two] Everett had a couple of hope spots, but Athena hit a running cross punch, followed by the Koji Clutch for the submission.
Athena defeated Ava Everett in 2:11.
After the match, Alex Windsor and Jamie Hayter crossed paths with Athena as they made their way to the ring for their match…
Don’s Take: I hope this is the beginning of a stronger push for Athena on the AEW main roster.
6. “The Brawling Birds” Alex Windsor and Jamie Hayter vs. Tiara James and Kayla Lopez. This was a squash, with Windsor and Hayter hitting their “Two Birds with One Stone” finisher on James…
“The Brawling Birds” Alex Windsor and Jamie Hayter defeated Tiara James and Kayla Lopez in 2:50.
Don’s Take: I haven’t been impressed by the Birds’ return as of yet, but I’m expecting a push over the next month, with some kind of feature match at All In, potentially as challengers for the AEW Women’s Tag Team Titles.
Jay White, Juice Robinson, Ace Austin, Colten Gunn, and Austin Gunn were backstage. They reacted to the earlier promo by David Finlay and Clark Connors. White challenged Connors to a match on Dynamite.
Don’s Take: Please make this program go away.
7. Tommaso Ciampa vs. Myron Reed. Zachary Wentz and Dezmond Xavier accompanied Reed on the stage and returned to the back. Ciampa, though a heel, was the hometown’s favorite. Back-and-forth action from both. Ciampa caught Reed running off the ropes and DDT’ed him on the ramp.[C]
Down the stretch, Ciampa hit an avalanche air raid crash from the top rope for a near fall. Reed retaliated with a series of cutters for near falls. The finish saw Reed get caught by Ciampa, who turned an offensive attempt into a backstabber. Ciampa lowered the knee pad and hit the running knee for the win.
Tommaso Ciampa defeated Myron Reed in 10:28.
After the match, Ciampa took the mic and stood on a chair to talk to Paul Wight. Ciampa said he knew that Wight and Chris Jericho were best friends. Ciampa told Wight to take a message to Jericho that he’s better than Jericho and not afraid of the Painmaker. He told Wight that his match with Jericho would now be no-holds-barred…
Don’s Take: This was fine, and I continue to wish more for the Rascalz. I also want Ciampa to move on from Jericho. It’s really not doing much for me, even with the Painmaker and the no-holds-barred stipulation.
Renee Paquette interviewed Andrade El Idolo. El Idolo showed off MJF’s Dynamite diamond ring and said he needed to add one more piece to his collection. AEW National Champion Mark Davis attacked him and choked him out… [C]
In the ring, Renee Paquette introduced Mercedes Moné. Paquette asked her who she preferred to face at All In, Thekla or Willow Nightingale. Mone put over her hometown and said the belt was coming home with her at All In. Mone said that after she hit Thekla with the Owen Hart Foundation Cup title, she went to Japan. She said Nightingale did the same after Mone beat her. She said both Thekla and Nightingale are the same. One hides behind fake poison, and one hides behind a fake smile. She said the question isn’t who is walking into All In as champion, but who is walking out. And the answer is the CEO.
Don’s Take: A decent promo. They’re in Boston, so it made sense for Mone to appear for the live crowd again.
Adam Copeland and Christian Cage were backstage. Copeland reiterated his challenge to Claudio Castagnoli and Pac for Redemption. The Young Bucks entered. Matt Jackson congratulated Copeland and Cage for winning the titles. Jackson said the titles looked good on them and also looked good three times on them. Cage said the Bucks lost them three times because the titles were just things to them, but to Copeland and Cage, they are championships.
8. Bandido vs. Adam Priest for the ROH Championship. During the match, Tony Schiavone announced that Tony Khan officially made Chris Jericho vs. Tommaso Ciampa a no-holds-barred match at Redemption. Priest threw Bandido to the floor. [C]
A good back-and-forth match down the stretch. Bandido took Priest down with a slam. Priest grabbed Bandido’s leg as he was going to run off the ropes. Bandido flipped over Priest and hit a German suplex into a bridge for the win…
Bandido defeated Adam Priest in 7:49 to retain the ROH Championship.
Don’s Take: This was also fine. I have no issue with Bandido showcasing the ROH title on AEW television, but this is a situation where you could use it as an exclusive element of the show and make it seem more important.
Julia Hart and Skye Blue were backstage as two-thirds of the Artist of Stardom champions. Hart said they were still hungry for gold and challenged Lena Kross and Megan Bayne to an AEW Women’s Title match for next week in Nashville. Blue said it would be a hardcore match and that the dominant champions shouldn’t be afraid of the Sisters of Sin. [C]
Don’s Take: This match was made official for Dynamite.
9. Hikaru Shida vs. Queen Aminata for the TBS Championship. Early highlights included Aminata hitting a double stomp to Shida on the floor from the apron while Shida was seated in a folding chair. Aminata went for another double stomp from the top rope, but Shida rolled to the ramp. Aminata tried the move on the ramp, but Shida moved, and Aminata sold tweaking her leg. Shida hit a reverse piledriver-like move on the ramp. [C]
Aminata had Shida in a Boston Crab, but her back gave out. Down the stretch, Shida went to use the kendo stick on the floor, but the referee took the stick away. Shida went to the eyes on the floor and threw Aminata into the barricade. Shida hit a Meteora from the top rope, followed by a Falcon’s Arrow for a near fall. The two traded roll-ups for near falls. Shida caught Aminata’s leg in the rope and rolled her up for the pin while Shida put her legs on the bottom rope for leverage.
Hikaru Shida defeated Queen Aminata in 10:50 to retain the TBS Championship.
After the match, Shida attacked Aminata with the kendo stick. Maya World ran out to make the save as the show came to an end…
Don’s Take I never bought Aminata as a challenger, but I am enjoying Shida’s title run so far. And I like the formula of using one match to set up the next challenger. A match with Maya World should be fun, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see this added to Redemption. That said, similar to Bandido, Shida’s defenses should be an exclusive part of Collision.
This was a standard episode without much news, but with the wrestling action you’d expect from AEW. As for Dynamite, aside from the matches I mentioned that were announced during the show, Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, and Jon Moxley will team up to face Brian Cage, Hechicero, and Jake Doyle.
That’s all for me for tonight. Will Pruett has the night off, so Jason Powell’s audio review of tonight’s episode will be available for Dot Net Members (including Patreon patrons). You’re getting a break from my Collision reviews for the next two weeks due to prior commitments. But don’t fret, as I’ll be checking in with predictions for upcoming pay-per-views during that time. Until then, enjoy wrestling!
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