By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
AEW Collision (Episode 84)
March 15, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada at The Theater at Virgin Hotels
Simulcast live on TNT and Max
[Hour One] Collision opened with brief promo clips from Ricochet, Katuyori Shibata, Mark Davis, Mark Briscoe, the trio of Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O’Reilly, and “FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler… The Elton John theme song aired… Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness check in on on commentary…
Ring announcer Arkady Aura delivered the introductions for the opening match as the entrances took place…
1. Katsuyori Shibata vs. Ricochet in an AEW International Championship Eliminator Tournament first-round match. Schiavone announced “Slam Dunk Saturday” and Slam Dunk Sunday” with episodes of Collision that will air air next weekend after NCAA basketball tournament games. Ricochet was in offensive control heading into a picture-in-picture break. [C]
Powell’s POV: Next weekend’s Collision episodes are listed for an approximate start time of 10CT/11ET. The one-hour episodes will be taped on Wednesday in Omaha. Dot Net live coverage? Doubtful, but never say never.
Shibata had Ricochet seated in a corner of the ring when he charged toward him. Ricochet covered up to brace for the blow, but Shibata stopped and slapped him on the head. McGuinness said you never slap a bald man on the head and then compared it to punching a man with glasses (amen, brother!).
Ricochet rallied and hit a springboard moonsault for a two count. He followed up with a standing shooting star press for another two count. Shibata caught Ricochet in a sleeper. Ricochet pushed off the ropes and rolled into a pin for a two count. Shibata went right back on the offensive until Ricochet caught him with an elbow in the corner. Ricochet covered Shibata and then put his feet on the ropes while getting the three count.
Ricochet defeated Katsuyori Shibata in 12:35 to advance to the four-way for a shot at the AEW International Championship.
A graphic showed that Ricochet will join Mike Bailey and Orange Cassidy in the four-way match that will be held on Dynamite. The final entrant will be determined later tonight…
Powell’s POV: The match was entertaining, but it continues to look like the creative forces in this company look for new and exciting ways to make referee Rick Knox look like an oblivious moron.
Brian Cage, Lance Archer, and Mark Davis were shown beating up some independent wrestlers in a backstage hallway… [C]
AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm delivered a promo while seated in a chair as Luther sat in the background. She said there’s no one she would like to collide with more than Megan Bayne…
Powerhouse Hobbs made his entrance through the crowd while three wrestlers were already inside the ring…
2. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Griff Garrison (w/Preston Vance, Jacked Jameson). Hobbs put Garrison down and then got the better of Vance and Jameson when they tried to get involved. Hobbs awkwardly reversed a whip into the ropes and then hit Garrison with a spinebuster before pinning him…
Powerhouse Hobbs beat Griff Garrison in 1:20.
After the match, the heels surrounded Hobbs, but “The Outrunners” Turbo Floyd and Truth Magnum ran out and helped Hobbs clear the ring…
Powell’s POV: It looked like Hobbs intended to turn Garrison around and whip him into the ropes on the far side of the ring, but Garrison wasn’t on the same page.
Backstage, Lexi Nair interviewed Thunder Rosa about her match with Megan Bayne. Rosa said the business is built on respect. She said Bayne has disrespected her, Kris Statlander, and Toni Storm. Rosa said she would teach Bayne a lesson in respect.
Bayne entered the picture and hit Rosa with a big boot. Bayne threw knees to Rosa’s ribs and then tossed her to the ground. Bayne threw a kick to Rosa’s ribs and then walked away. Nair checked on Rosa, who sold her injured ribs…
3. Mark Briscoe vs. Mark Davis in an AEW International Championship Eliminator Tournament first-round match. Both entrances were televised. Briscoe set up a table on the apron and then launched off it and performed a cannonball dive onto (or over) Davis on the floor going into a PIP break. [C]
Davis hit Briscoe with a running knee and covered him for a two count. Both men went to ringside, which led to Briscoe hitting a Blockbuster from the apron. Briscoe climbed onto the barricade and hit a Cactus Jack elbow. Back inside the ring, Briscoe hit a fisherman’s suplex for a near fall.
A short time later, Briscoe set up for Froggy Bow, but Lance Archer came out and distracted the referee while Brian Cage shoved Briscoe off the ropes. Davis hit Briscoe with his finisher and got the three count…
Mark Davis defeated Mark Briscoe in 12:10 to advance to the four-way for a shot at the AEW International Championship.
A graphic listed Orange Cassidy vs. Mark Davis vs. Ricochet vs. Mike Bailey in the four-way on Dynamite for a shot at the AEW International Championship at AEW Dynasty… [C]
Powell’s POV: A minor upset with Davis going over. It would be nice to see one of the heels win clean tonight rather than going with cheap finishes to both tournament matches.
Aura announced that the next match would be a four-on-two match. Brian Cage and Lance Archer brought their opponents onto the stage and roughed them up. They brought a couple of their opponents to the ring and the referee rewarded them for being dicks by calling for the bell to start the match.
4. Brian Cage and Lance Archer vs. four enhancement wrestlers in a handicap match. Cage and Archer hit a double team move on one of the wrestlers got get the quick win.
Brian Cage and Lance Archer beat four enhancement wrestlers in 0:30 in a handicap match.
After the match, Cage and Archer continued to rough up the enhancement wrestlers. Mark Briscoe ran out to help. Powerhouse Hobbs’ entrance music played and he also came out to fight Cage and Archer. Hobbs and Archer fought on the stage and eventually to the back. Cage and Briscoe fought in the crowd and eventually out of the arena area…
Footage aired from AEW Dynasty of Jon Moxley choking out Christian Cage to retain the AEW World Championship at AEW Revolution, followed by Swerve Strickland fighting Moxley. The video also showed the Swerve and Adam Copeland backstage chat from Dynamite…
Swerve Strickland made his entrance without Prince Nana. Swerve recalled saying he would beat Ricochet at AEW Revolution to become No. 1 contender. He spoke about winning the match even though Ricochet ruptured his eardrum. He said he would smack Ricochet’s bald ass down again when the time comes.
Swerve said he couldn’t bring Prince Nana with him because he was at home safeguarding The Embassy robe so that he could focus on the big things, namely the AEW World Championship. Swerve said it’s the top prize for the best roster in the world. Swerve said you have to be great to compete for the championship and you have to be elite to win the title. Swerve said he was elite last year because he won the championship and held it for 126 days.
Swerve mentioned that he will challenge for the title again at AEW Dynasty. He spoke about Jon Moxley facing Adam Copeland on AEW Dynamite. Swerve said he has looked up to Copeland since he was a kid. He said Copeland took him under his wing and taught him what it’s like to really seize the opportunity.
Swerve said you don’t become dangerous without learning from Rated R. Swerve said that whether Copeland is a challenger or a champion, he is in his way. Swerve said Copeland is a legend and an icon, but he is standing in the way of the future and he will mow him down.
Swerve turned his attention to Jon Moxley. He said he thought they were cut from the same cloth until Moxley said no one could hold down the AEW World Championship like he could. Swerve said he doesn’t think Moxley even believes what he’s saying. Swerve said all he sees when he looks at Moxley is desperation.
[Hour Two] Swerve said that whether it’s Moxley or Copeland, the dynasty era will continue. He said he will take the championship. Swerve did his “Whose House” line.
Jon Moxley entered the ring dressed in black with a black hat on and hit the back of Swerve’s knee with a crowbar. Moxley followed up with a Stomp and then exited the ring and through the crowd and then out the back door. Moxley stopped and delivered a quick promo while standing in front of a couple of ambulances. He said he hates Copeland’s guts and it will be over on Wednesday. In the ring, the trainer checked on Swerve, who was selling his ear injury…
Powell’s POV: A rare flat promo from Swerve, at least by his standards. Prowler Moxley’s attack was fine. It did seem a little odd that Swerve was selling his ear rather than his knee given that Moxley hit the knee with a crowbar.
Backstage, Lexi Nair checked on Thunder Rosa to see if she was able to compete. A trainer was wrapping Rosa’s ribs. Rosa said she wouldn’t let Megan Bayne punk her out. Rosa cussed and was censored…
Schiavone said they were going to their standby match. Hologram and Top Flight made their entrance. Lee Moriarty, Carlie Bravo, and Shawn Dean made their entrance. “The Cru” Lio Rush and Action Andretti came out wearing their silly jackets and took a seat on the stage to watch the match…
5. Hologram and “Top Flight” Dante Martin and Darius Martin vs. Lee Moriarty, Carlie Bravo, and Shawn Dean (w/Shane Taylor). HarleyGram was shown watching the match on a backstage television. They cut to an early PIP break. [C]
HarleyGram was shown posing in front of the backstage television when horny Beast Mortos showed up. HarleyGram and Mortos went face to face. For some reason, Schiavone threw it to the Spanish broadcast team for a moment and then asked McGuinness if he understood what they were saying. Late in the match, Dante took a blind tag. Dante dropkicked Bravo into a suplex by Darius. Dante covered Bravo for the three count.
Hologram and “Top Flight” Dante Martin and Darius Martin defeated Lee Moriarty, Carlie Bravo, and Shawn Dean in 9:10.
After the match, Dante stuck his head through the ropes and stared down Lio Rush and Action Andretti. Dralistico was shown in the crowd while Hologram stared him down from the middle rope… [C]
A vignette aired with Hologram and Komander with Alex Abrahantes talking about how they want to face LFI…
Schiavone hyped next weekend’s Collision shows… Entrances for the women’s match took place…
6. Megan Bayne vs. Thunder Rosa. Rosa had her ribs wrapped from Bayne’s earlier attack. Bayne was dominant and performed a suplex that led to Rosa rolling to the apron. Bayne booted Rosa off the apron to the floor. Rosa sold her ribs heading into a PIP break. [C]
Rosa hit a missile dropkick. Rosa was censored again before she dropkicked Bayne, who tumbled to the floor. Rosa followed. Bayne scooped up Rosa, who slipped away and ran Bayne into the ring post. Rosa slammed Bayne’s head on the ring steps multiple times.
Both wrestlers went to the ramp, which was level with the ring. Bayne ended up giving Rosa an Fate’s Descent (F5) on the stage. Rosa crawled back to the ring and beat the referee’s count. Bayne hit another Fate’s Descent and scored the pin.
Megan Bayne defeated Thunder Rosa in 9:00.
After the match, Bayne hoisted up Rosa and put her in a backbreaker. Toni Storm came out and hit Bayne with a forearm. Bayne fired back and then both women traded blows. Bayne hit Fate’s Descent on Storm. Kris Statlander ran in and helped Rosa to her feet at ringside. Luther joined the referee’s checking on Storm. Luther carried Storm to the back while Statlander carried Rosa…
Powell’s POV: A good showcase of Bayne, who is obviously being set up for an AEW Women’s Championship match with Storm. I wasn’t a fan of Statlander picking up Rosa to carry her to the back when she saw Luther doing the same for Storm. That’s something we’ve seen Luther do for Storm before. It came off like Statlander was trying to be cute and this just wasn’t the time for that.
The broadcast team hyped the following matches for AEW Dynamite: Jon Moxley vs. Adam Copeland for the AEW World Championship, Megan Bayne vs. Kris Statlander (yes, Tony Schiavone did credit Tony Khan for booking this match), and Ricochet vs. Mike Bailey vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Mark Davis in a four-way for a shot at the AEW International Championship…
Daniel Garcia vs. Adam Cole for the TNT Championship with everyone banned from ringside was announced for the Slam Dunk Saturday episode of Collision. Komander and Hologram vs. Dralistico and The Beast Mortos was announced for the Slam Dunk Sunday edition of Collision…
Powell’s POV: The TNT Title match is a nice hook for the Saturday show. The tag match for Sunday? Not so much.
A video package recapped Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly beating FTR a couple weeks ago… [C] Entrances for the main event took place. Daniel Garcia came out with FTR, and then Adam Cole came out with Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly…
7. “FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler vs. Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly. Daniel Garcia and Adam Cole sat in on commentary for the match. There was an awkward moment when Strong and Wheeler were apparently not on the same page on a leapfrog spot. FTR hit a Hart Attack clothesline on Strong, which led to Harwood covering him for a near fall before a PIP break. [C]
Strong and O’Reilly hit their High/Low on Harwood. Strong had Harwood pinned, but Wheeler drove O’Reilly into both men to break the pin. FTR came back and hit the Shatter Machine on Strong. Harwood covered Strong until O’Reilly pulled him to the floor. Aura announced that five minutes remained in the 20-minute time limit. A brief “Fight Forever” chant broke out.
FTR went for Power and Glory on Strong, who put his knees up when Wheeler did the top rope splash part of the sequence. O’Reilly jumped from the top rope and hit Harwood with a knee strike. Strong went for the pin on Wheeler, who kicked out.
Strong and O’Reilly set up for their High/Low on Wheeler, but Harwood shoved O’Reilly out of the way and then he and Wheeler hit Shatter Machine on Strong. Wheeler covered Strong and got the three count.
“FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler defeated Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly in 18:40.
After the match, Cole left the broadcast table. Garcia thanked the broadcast team and said he had business to attend to. Cole checked on his guys and then Garcia stood with FTR. Cole and Garcia went face-to-face in the middle of the ring to promote their TNT Title match for next Saturday. Cole offered a handshake, which Garcia accepted. Strong and O’Reilly offered handshakes to FTR, who blew them off again…
Powell’s POV: A good main event, although I did enjoy their previous match more. This sets the table for a rubber match between the two teams. Here’s hoping they saved the best for last. Overall, a decent episode. AEW has had some lively crowds that have improved the atmosphere for their television shows since they moved to smaller venues. Perhaps it’s because the show started late afternoon Vegas time, but this was not one of those crowds. They had some vocal fans who tried to get some chants started and most faded out quickly. Will Pruett’s audio reviews of AEW Collision are available exclusively for Dot Net Members (including our Patreon patrons). Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
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