By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Collision (Episode 76)
January 11, 2025 in Athens, Georgia at Akins Ford Arena
Simulcast live on TNT and Max
[Hour One] Collision opened with Harley Cameron playing a guitar backstage. They cut to AEW Women’s Champion Mariah May, who threatened to rip out Cameron’s vocal cords and throw them into the third row. The Learning Tree” Chris Jericho, Big Bill, and Bryan Keith checked in, followed by “Rated FTR” Cope, Dax Harwood, and Cash Wheeler… The Collision opening aired…
Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness were on commentary, and Arkady Aura was the ring announcer. Cope made his entrance for the opening match. Big Bill’s entrance followed…
1. Cope vs. Big Bill. Chris Jericho sat in on commentary for the match while Bryan Keith stood next to him. McGuinness said he hates when someone changes their name for merchandise. “Terrible,” Jericho responded. Funny.
Cope worked over Bill at ringside and slammed his head on the ringside barricade and then repeatedly on the broadcast table while Jericho threw a fit. Jericho removed his headset and checked on Bill for a moment before returning to the broadcast table.
Bill took offensive control and worked over Cope at ringside. Cope blasted Cope with a couple of chops to the chest before rolling back inside the ring for a moment to break the referee’s count. Bill dumped Cope on top of the barricade heading into the first commercial break. [C]
Bill put Cope down with a Boss Man Slam for a near fall. Jericho left the broadcast table again and bickered with the referee while Bill removed a top turnbuckle pad. Bill got Cope seated on the top turnbuckle, but Cope slipped under and powerbombed him.
Bill sent Cope into the exposed turnbuckle and then hit him with a big boot for a near fall. Bill went for a chokeslam, but Cope countered into a DDT. Cope followed up with a spear and covered Bill for a close near fall. Cope acted shocked over not getting the pin.
Bill grabbed Cope by the throat. Cope kicked Bill in the balls while the referee was turned around. Cope speared Bill and hit him with several elbows to the head. Cope applied a submission hold and the referee called for the bell
Cope defeated Big Bill in 13:35.
After the match, Jericho and Keith attacked Cope. “FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler ran out and made the save. A bunch of referees and security guards came out to get the two sides apart.
Powell’s POV: The near fall after Cope speared Bill the first time was nicely done. Yes, there are a lot of near falls on AEW television, but this one caught me by surprise. I continue to hope that Bill can get away from The Learning Tree and get a singles push.
Schiavone announced that Tony Khan informed him that everyone would be barred from ringside during the Jericho vs. Harwood match later in the show. They hyped upcoming Collision matches and some previously advertised matches for Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite…
A video package recapped Kenny Omega’s return on AEW Dynamite… An ad aired for the AEW Maximum Carnage shows that will be held in Cincinnati on Wednesday (Dynamite) and Thursday (Collision taping)… [C]
Hangman Page delivered a backstage promo. He said he has worked hard to protect his family from the kind of prying eyes that even a small amount of fame can bring. Page said it broke him when all of that work was undone and it nearly tore his family apart.
Page said he was ashamed to come to work and to look his wife and son in the eyes after what he allowed to happen to them. Page said he had to make a decision to remain the husk of a man he was or to do something about it.
Page said he challenged Swerve Strickland and made sure he didn’t keep the AEW World Championship, and also severed ties to the last hope that Swerve had to build a family and a home like he had.
Page said he knows what Christopher Daniels was trying to say to him. Page said he humored Daniels for too long because of who he was. Page said Daniels was the first wrestler he met who had ever done anything and told him that he could too. Page said he listened to Daniels for too long.
Page said Daniels crossed a line last week when he laid hands on him. Page said Daniels will pay a price. Page said he would see Daniels in a Texas Death Match on next week’s Collision. Page said he needs Daniels to understand that he has decided who he will be and he will wake up every morning and make that decision every day. Page said he would rather injure and maim than be the man he was last year. Page said Daniels has made his bed and he will lay him down in it forever…
Powell’s POV: An excellent promo. I wish the production team had enhanced it by adding some highlights of the things Page was talking about for the benefit of newer viewers, but Page was terrific here. Hopefully Daniels can respond with a high level promo to sell viewers on this rushed Texas Death Match.
Pac made his entrance through the crowd and then Komander made a standard entrance…
2. ROH TV Champion Komander (w/Alex Abrahantes) vs. Pac in a non-title match. Pac drew good heat early on by running Komander into the ringside barricade. McGuinness mentioned that people had travel issues getting to the building, but he said the action was red hot inside of it.
Pac went after Abrahantes at ringside. Abrahantes escaped his grasp and then Komander hit a springboard moonsault on Pac on the floor. Back in the ring, Komander hit a nice cutter and then followed up with a DDT for a near fall.
Komander caught Pac with a couple of superkicks and then went up top and hit a Poison Rana on the way down. Komander went up top again and went for a 450 splash, but Pac put his knees up. Pac locked in The Brutalizer and got the submission win. Schiavone said Pac has won 17 of his last 20 matches…
Pac beat ROH TV Champion Komander in 8:00 in a non-title match.
After the match, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta made their entrance through the crowd. Pac and Yuta held Komander. The Outtrunners ran out for the save while Castagnoli punched Komander.
Powell’s POV: Holy shit, a wrestler didn’t just freeze at the sound of entrance music. Castagnoli actually hit Komander while The Outrunners were rushing to the ring. Anyway, this was a nice television match. I’m not really sure why they don’t protect the ROH champions on AEW television, but I can’t get too worked up about a promotion that feels so insignificant these days.
3. Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta vs. “The Outrunners” Turbo Floyd and Truth Magnum. The two teams ended up in the ring together when The Outrunners ran out to help Komander, so the referee just called for the bell to start the match. McGuinness said The Outrunners started in the frigid conditions of Verne Gagne’s farm in Minnesota. Funny. The Outrunners cleared the heels from the ring heading into a break. [C]
Castagnoli performed the Giant Swing on Floyd and then Yuta dropkicked him. Yuta went for the cover, but Castagnoli was the legal man, so they swapped places, but Magnum was able to break up the pin.
Late in the match, Yuta crotched Floyd on the top rope while the referee was distracted. Castagnoli superpelxed Floyd and then launched Yuta onto him, resulting in Yuta getting the three count…
Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta defeated “The Outrunners” Turbo Floyd and Truth Magnum in roughly 10:00.
Powell’s POV: The match worked for the live crowd. But even as someone who gets a kick out of The Outrunners, it felt counterproductive to have members of the killer heel faction struggle to beat the comedy team.
A video package spotlighted the Jon Moxley vs. Powerhouse Hobbs match for the AEW World Championship that will take place on Wednesday’s Dynamite, along with the Kenny Omega vs. Brian Cage match… [C]
A Powerhouse Hobbs promo aired. He said Jon Moxley wants people to stand up and show initiative. Hobbs said he did that by winning the Casino Gauntlet. He said he stepped up to Moxley on Dynamite, but Moxley backed down.
[Hour Two] Hobbs said he’s aware of the fact that the match will occur in Moxley’s hometown. Hobbs said he’s been shot, stabbed, homeless, and left for dead, so there’s nothing that Moxley can actually do to him. Hobbs said he will make Moxley his bitch…
The broadcast team spoke briefly about the Women’s Casino Gauntlet match that will be held on Dynamite and then entrances for the next match took place…
4. AEW Women’s Champion Mariah May vs. Harley Cameron in a non-title match. Cameron rolled up May for a one count to start the match. She followed up with a couple more pin attempts, but May caught her with a headbutt to go on the offensive. [C]
Cameron had a run of offense and executed a pump-handle suplex for a near fall. May came back and drilled Cameron with a knee strike to the head. May followed up with Storm Zero and scored the clean pin…
AEW Women’s Champion Mariah May defeated Harley Cameron in 9:20 in a non-title match.
Powell’s POV: It was good to see the crowd get behind Cameron during her run on offense. Cameron is still a work in progress in the ring so it was no surprise to see her take this loss, but she has a ton of charisma and upside.
A Christopher Daniels video promo aired. He said he never approached Page as an AEW official and tried to be his friend when he saw Page’s friends and fans leave him during the worst year-and-a-half of Page’s life. Daniels took issue with Page questioning what he’s done during his career.
Daniels said he may not have had the best 2024, but it’s 2025 now. Daniels spoke about winning titles and helping build two companies from the ground up. He said he’s tired of being disrespected. Daniels said maybe he’ll add beating Page’s ass to his list of accomplishments…
Powell’s POV: This wasn’t a bad promo video, but it just didn’t grab me the way Page’s promo did earlier.
Brody King and Julia Hart made their entrance. King’s opponent was already inside the ring…
5. Brody King (w/Julia Hart) vs. Trevor Blackwell. King dominated the match before hitting the Gonzo Bomb and getting the three count…
Brody King defeated Trevor Blackwell in 1:30.
Powell’s POV: I think we all thought this was going to be Blackwell’s night. No?
Schiavone hyped the TNT Title match for after the break… [C]
Backstage, Lexi Nair interviewed Brody King while Julia Hart stood by. King spoke about how it’s a confusing time for the House of Black. Cope showed up and said he and King have been through a lot, but he respects King, Hart, and Buddy Matthews. Cope said King has a world of potential and he knows what he brings to the table. Cope said he wanted them to be a group, but it’s time for King to take the reins and run…
Entrance took place for the TNT Title match. Schiavone plugged the Red Cross and other charitable outlets for the California wildfire relief effort…
6. Daniel Garcia vs. Katsuyori Shibata for the TNT Championship. Matt Menard sat in on commentary. Shibata jumped out to a dominant start and performed a butterfly suplex for a near fall. Schiavone questioned whether a hard day of travel was catching up to Garcia. [C]
Shibata caught Garcia with a knee to the face. Shibata suplexed Garcia, who shot right up and returned the favor. Shibata tripped Garcia while slamming him to the mat, which left both wrestlers down. Both men sat up and crosslegged and then stood up simultaneously.
Garcia and Shibata traded chops and then Shibata applied an abdominal stretch. Garcia reached the ropes and then performed a dragon screw leg whip. Garcia applied the Dragon Tamer, but Shibata pressed up and then countered into a single leg lock before transitioning into a Figure Four. Garcia reached the ropes to break the hold. Shibata drilled Garcia with a slap to the face. Garcia took him down and used a jackknife pin to get a three count.
Daniel Garcia defeated Katsuyori Shibata in 11:25 to retain the TNT Championship.
After the match, Garcia and Shibata shook hands and then took turns raising the other’s arm…
Powell’s POV: A quality match. Garcia using the jackknife pin to win matches is underwhelming, thought I was happy to see a clean finish. But what does it say about the TNT Championship that a TNT Title match is in the semi main event slot while the ROH Champion is closing the show in a non-title match? And this occurred while Garcia going 2-2-1 in the Continental Classic is still fresh in the minds of a lot of viewers.
A video package aired on the Casino Gauntlet match, which the narrator said has become AEW’s signature match (really?). The first women’s Casino Gauntlet match was hyped along with the rules for the match. The winner of Wednesday’s match will get a shot at the AEW Women’s Championship at Grand Slam Australia…
Schiavone hyped Chris Jericho vs. Dax Harwood for after the break… [C] Entrances for the main event took place…
7. ROH Champion Chris Jericho vs. Dax Harwood in a non-title match. Big Bill, Bryan Keith, Cope, and Cash Wheeler were banned from ringside. Jericho was in offensive control heading into a break. [C]
Jericho hit a Lionsault for a two count. Harwood wrenched Jericho’s knee and set up for a submission hold, but Jericho kicked him away, causing Harwood to go through the ropes into the post, which led to a two count.
Schiavone announced Mark Briscoe, Marq Quen, and Isiah Kassidy vs. The Hurt Syndicate in a trios match for Dynamite.
Harwood went for a superplex, but Jericho slipped on the ropes. Jericho got back in position and they followed through with the move. Both men got to their knees and traded punches and continued to do so once they were back on their feet. Harwood got the better of a chop battle and then both men slapped each other and fell to the mat.
Jericho rolled to the floor and grabbed the ROH Championship belt. Jericho charged at Harwood with the belt, but Harwood cut him off. Jericho sent Harwood into the ring steps and then hit a Codebreaker on the floor before returning to the ring. Harwood struggled before beating the referee’s count at nine.
Schiavone said they would stick with the match as long as it took. Harwood put Jericho in a Scorpion Leg Lock, er, Dragon Tamer, er, Sharpshooter. Jericho reached the ropes. Harwood and the referee bickered. Jericho grabbed the title belt, but Harwood cut him off. Jericho poked the referee in the eye.
Harwood hit a top rope headbutt. Referee Bryce Remsburg sold an eye injury. Jericho hit Harwood with the title belt and made the cover, but Harwood kicked out at two. Jericho hit the Judas Effect and covered Harwood for the three count.
ROH Champion Chris Jericho beat Dax Harwood in 15:25 in a non-title match.
[Overrun] Big Bill and Bryan Keith came out afterward and put the boots to Harwood. Cope and Cash Wheeler ran out to help Harwood. Claudio Castagnoli, Pac, and Wheeler Yuta ran out, and then The Outrunners joined in the brawl. Cope speared Pac while the others fought at ringside.
Jon Moxley entered the ring and put Cope down with a Paradigm Shift. Marina Shafir slid a chair in the ring and then brought another one in when she entered. Shafir placed a chair under Cope’s head.
Powerhouse Hobbs came out and worked over the heels. Moxley slammed a chair over the back of Hobbs, who no-sold it. Moxley showed concern. Hobbs swatted the chair out of Moxley’s hand. Moxley exited the ring. Hobbs went after him, but he stopped when Shafir stood in front of him. Yuta jumped from the ring steps and was caught by Hobbs, who then put him through the broadcast table with a uranage slam to close the show…
Powell’s POV: The main event was forgettable and there’s only so much enthusiasm I could muster up for what felt like a throwaway match with nothing at stake. The post match brawl had me fearing that it was a set-up for another worthless “all-star” ten-man or eight-man tag team match. Fortunately, it was a showcase for Hobbs to make him look good heading into his title match on Dynamite (or at least I hope that’s all it was).
Overall, this was another “fine if you saw it, fine if you missed it” edition of Collision. It’s more understandable than usual in that the show ran opposite an NFL playoff game, albeit one that is streaming on Amazon rather than on a broadcast or cable. Will Pruett will be by either late tonight or on Sunday with weekly audio review of Collision for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Let me know what you thought of the show by grading it below.
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