By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Collision (Episode 47)
Taped May 30, 2024 in Palm Springs, California at Acrisure Arena
Aired June 1, 2024 on TNT
[Hour One] The Collision opening aired… Tony Schiavone, who was joined on commentary by Nigel McGuinness, stood inside the ring and introduced “FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler. Harwood had a bandage over his forehead and a soft cast on his left hand.
Wheeler said they would die for AEW and told The Elite that they are not dead yet. Harwood spoke about feeling down about losing the Anarchy in the Arena match and then taking a shot of tequila. He said Bryan Danielson and Darby Allin will return. He said it will be the summer of AEW and they will whip The Elite’s asses…
Footage aired from after Double Or Nothing of a weary Jack Perry in the shower area. He spoke about how he was set on fire in the name of saving AEW. He said no one believes in the spirit of AEW more than he does. Perry said you can either hate him or come with him, but he will continue to shape the future through blood, sweat, and fire…
Highlights aired from Dynamite of The Young Bucks trying to award Perry the vacant TNT Championship, only to have Christopher Daniels announce the qualifiers for the ladder match that will determine the new TNT Champion at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view…
Ring announcer Bobby Cruise delivered the introductions for the opening match…
1. Lio Rush vs. Roderick Strong (w/Matt Taven, Mike Bennett). Rush sent Strong to ringside early in the match and hit him with back-to-back suicide dives heading into a picture-in-picture break. [C] Rush performed a tornado DDT for a close near fall.
Rush went up top and was distracted by Taven climbed onto the apron. Rush dropped down and fought off Strong before performing a moonsault onto Taven and Bennett on the floor. Strong kicked Rush through the ropes and then threw him back inside the ring.
Strong set up for his finisher, but Rush countered into a huracanrana. Rush followed up with a cutter for a near fall. Rush went up top and had to punch Taven off the apron. Rush went for a frog splash, but Strong put his knees up. Strong hit The End of the Heartache and scored the pin.
Roderick Strong beat Lio Rush in roughly 11:00.
Powell’s POV: A good match despite the distractions from Taven throughout the match. I really like Taven and Bennett as a tag team, but their interference in Strong’s matches is channel changing material.
Backstage, Kyle O’Reilly said he didn’t plan to have a great match, he planned to beating Will Ospreay as efficiently and violently as possible. O’Reilly said everyone is overlooking him. O’Reilly said he would win the AEW International Championship because he refused to leave Palm Springs empty handed… [C]
Lexi Nair stood backstage and then Roderick Strong, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett stormed past her and went to the Gorilla Position. Strong called for Tony Khan and was cut off by Christopher Daniels. Strong said he was the next man scheduled to enter the Casino Gauntlet match before it concluded,
Strong claimed he would have been No. 1 contender at Forbidden Door and called for a match against Swerve Strickland on Dynamite. Khan said it was a great idea and booked AEW World Championship for Dynamite and said the winner will face Will Ospreay at Forbidden Door…
Powell’s POV: Do the other eleven wrestlers who didn’t get in the Casino Gauntlet match before it concluded also get title shots just for being unlucky? Did Tony fear for his life when Roddy raised his voice?
2. Daniel Garcia and Katsuyori Shibata vs. “The Workhorsemen” Anthony Henry and JD Drake. Matt Menard was on commentary. Garcia executed a neckbreaker on Henry heading into a PIP break. [C] Drake performed a moonsault on Garcia and had him beat, but Shibata broke up the pin. Shitata put Drake in a sleeper hold. Once Shibata released the hold, Garcia slapped Drake. Shibata hit Drake with a PK and then Garcia scored the pin…
Daniel Garcia and Katsuyori Shibata beat “The Workhorsemen” Anthony Henry and JD Drake in roughly 10:00.
After the match, Garcia went to ringside and hugged Menard…
Powell’s POV: There was no mystery regarding the outcome, but it was a quality tag team match. Is the Garcia and Menard on-air friendship actually going somewhere? If not, can they just be friendly backstage?
Highlights aired of Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway turning on Willow Nightingale at AEW Double Or Nothing…
Backstage, Hathaway and Statlander insincerely apologized to Willow Nightingale. Statlander said she will destroy anyone who gets in her way…
3. Thunder Rosa vs. Reina Dorada. Both entrances were televised. Rosa won a battle of strikes and then hit a Tiajuana Bomb for a near fall. Rosa applied a submission hold and got the win.
Thunder Rosa vs. Reina Dorada in roughly 3:00.
After the match, Rosa looked into a ringside camera and told Deonna Purazzo that she wouldn’t forget what she did to her at Double Or Nothing… Schiavone hyped Cage of Agony from after the break…[C]
Powell’s POV: A decent spotlight match win for Rosa.
4. “Cage of Agony” Brian Cage, Bishop Laun, and Toa Liona vs. Danny Rose, Ricky Gee, and KM. Cage performed an impressive deadlift suplex on KM while standing on the middle rope. Rose tagged and went for a top rope crossbody block, but Cage caught him and dumped him on the mat. Moments later, Kaun tagged in and then he and his partners tossed an opponent in the air and let him crash to the mat before Kaun pinned him…
“Cage of Agony” Brian Cage, Bishop Laun, and Toa Liona defeated Danny Rose, Ricky Gee, and KM in 2:00.
Powell’s POV: The Cage of Agony name is corny and I’d prefer to see Kaun and Liona work in the tag team division, but this was an effective squash match.
A promo from AEW Rampage aired with AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm, Mariah May, and Luther. Storm was upset with Saraya for mocking May, who questioned why they cut the downfall of Saraya’s life out of her movie. Storm closed by saying they should go the bar…
A horny Nigel McGuinness stood up at the broadcast table and started to remove his headset, but Schiavone said the promo was taped the night before, meaning Storm and May were not going to the bar…
Claudio Castagnoli made his entrance…
[Hour Two] Johnny TV and Taya Valkyrie made their entrance…
5. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Johnny TV (w/Taya Valkyrie). Castagnoli held up TV before finishing a vertical suplex. Castagnoli went for the giant swing, but Taya grabbed her husband’s hands and was pulled inside the ring. While the referee was focused on Valkyrie, TV kicked Castagnoli before the belt. TV hit a springboard kick and got a near fall before a PIP break. [C[
Late in the match, Castagnoli was distracted by Valkyria at ringside. TV dove over the ring post onto Castagnoli on the floor. They aired a quick replay and the wrestlers were back inside the ring. Castagnoli put TV in a Sharpshooter. Rinse and repeat with Valkyria grabbing her husband’s hands and being pulled in the ring followed by TV throwing another low kick. Castagnoli blocked the pick and performed the giant swing. Castagnoli hit TV with a running clothesline and scored the pin…
Claudio Castagnoli beat Johnny TV in roughly 12:00.
Powell’s POV: The most entertaining much of the night thus far. Castagnoli going over was the expected finish, in part because TV never wins. I believe his last televised AEW win was in a tag team match nearly one year ago. Has TV ever won a singles match in AEW?
A video package aired on “The Premier Athletes” Josh Woods, Ariya Daivari, and Tony Nese… [C]
Footage aired of “The West Coast Wrecking Crew” Royce Isaacs and Jorel Nelson from their NJPW Strong matches… Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty made their entrance while Isaacs and Nelson were already in the ring…
6. Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty (w/Anthony Ogogo) vs. “The West Coast Wrecking Crew” Royce Isaacs and Jorel Nelson. Taylor hit Nelson with a headbutt and a uranage slam. Taylor followed up with a running splash and went for the pin, but Isaacs broke it up. Moriarty took Isaacs to ringside. Nelson fought back briefly, but Taylor performed a powerbomb onto his knees and scored the pin…
Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty beat “The West Coast Wrecking Crew” Royce Isaacs and Jorel Nelson in roughly 6:00.
Powell’s POV: The least predictable outcome of the night thus far. Isaacs and Nelson didn’t get a televised entrance, but their highlights were shown prior to the match. And with Forbidden Door less than a month away, it felt like there was a chance that the NJPW team could win.
Jacked Jameson spoke backstage while “The Iron Savages” Bronson and Boulder stood next to him. Jameson spoke about booking travel to Titty City for the trios teams. Killswitch showed attacked all three men and left them lying…
Powell’s POV: I guess Killswitch finds Titty City just as silly as I do.
Schiavone ran through the lineup for AEW Dynamite… [C] Entrances for the main event took place…
7. Will Ospreay vs. Kyle O’Reilly for the AEW International Championship. Ospreay sent O’Reilly to ringside and then dove onto him heading into a PIP break. [C] O’Reilly took offensive control while a backstage shot aired of Daniel Garcia and Matt Menard watching the match on a backstage monitor.
Both wrestlers fought on the apron. O’Reilly grabbed the arm of Ospreay and jumped from the mat, causing Ospreay to slam shoulder first onto the apron. Back in the ring, O’Reilly hit Ospreay with a knee drop from the ropes and got a two count.
O’Reilly caught Ospreay in a crossarmbreaker, but Ospreay reached the ropes to break the hold. O’Reilly ran Ospreay’s bad shoulder into the barricade and then followed up with a dropkick heading into another PIP break. [C] O’Reilly continued to target Ospreay’s left arm.
Ospreay went for a springboard move, but O’Reilly kicked him off the ropes. Ospreay came right back with a series of kicks and then they inserted a replay of the sequence. O’Reilly caught Ospreay in a crossarm breaker. Ospreay rolled on top of him, but O’Reilly rolled on his back. Ospreay powered up O’Reilly and slammed him to the mat to break the hold.
O’Reilly executed a suplex into a bridge for a two count. O’Reilly threw a PK, but Ospreay shot up and blasted him with an elbow strike. Ospreay went for the Hidden Blade. O’Reilly stuffed it with a knee strike and then both men stayed down.
Ospreay and O’Reilly got to their knees and traded headbutts and elbow strikes. Both men got to their feet and O’Reilly caught Ospreay with a big rolling elbow. Ospreay countered into a cutter. Moments later, Ospreay hit the Storm Breaker and scored the pin.
Will Ospreay defeated Kyle O’Reilly in roughly 19:00 to retain the AEW International Championship.
After the match, Ospreay sold his left arm and had the trainer take a look at it before he celebrated his win. O’Reilly offered a handshake, which Ospreay accepted. O’Reilly looked to the crowd, pointed at Ospreay, and applauded him. O’Reilly bowed to Ospreay before leaving the ring…
A video aired with AEW World Champion and congratulated Ospreay. Swerve spoke about being on the last Forbidden Door pre-show while Ospreay stole the show. Swerve noted that Ospreay had yet to main event an AEW pay-per-view.
Swerve shifted his focus to his next challenger Roderick Strong. Swerve mentioned Strong beating Lio Rush earlier. He said Strong is no longer the gatekeeper. Swerve said he will be champion going into and coming out of Forbidden Door…
Powell’s POV: A great television main event that closed the show on a high note. Overall, a better than average edition of Collision. It was still match heavy and light on meaningful storyline developments, but it was an enjoyable show if you were just looking for a couple hours of in-ring action. Will Pruett’s weekly AEW Collision audio reviews are available weekly for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons).
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