By Don Murphy, ProWrestling.net Staffer (@DonThePredictor)
AEW Collision (Episode 151)
Taped July 1, 2026, in San Diego, California, at Viejas Arena
Simulcast July 2, 2026, on TNT and HBO Max
[Hour One] Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, and Nigel McGuiness checked in on commentary. Arkady Aura was the ring announcer and introduced the opening match…
1. Pac and Claudio Castagnoli vs. Shingo Takagi and Drilla Moloney. Pac and Takagi were even to start. We then saw more of the same between Castagnoli and Moloney. The tide shifted when Moloney ran into a backbreaker by Castagnoli, followed by a stomp from Pac. Takagi tagged in and exchanged moves with Castagnoli. Headed into the break, Moloney and Takagi held the advantage over Castagnoli. [C]
Pac and Castagnoli are now working on Moloney. Castagnoli and Moloney exchanged chops, but Castagnoli quickly regained the advantage. Moloney hit Pac with a dropkick and made the hot tag to Takagi, who cleaned house for a bit.
At one point, Pac and Moloney were on the floor, and Moloney had his back against the ring barricade. This allowed Daniel Garcia to pop up from the crowd and choke out Moloney. In the ring, Pac and Castagnoli took turns attacking Takagi until Pac hit a running lariat for another near fall. The finish saw Takagi knock down Pac. For reasons only known to him, referee Rudy Charles turned his back to check on Pac. Daniel Garcia ran in and attempted to attack Takagi. Takagi clotheslined Garcia over the top rope. He was distracted as Castagnoli rolled him up for the win.
Pac and Claudio Castagnoli defeated Shingo Takagi and Drilla Moloney in 17:14.
After the match, Takagi jawed with Castagnoli…
Don’s Take: This was a little long but fine. I’ll admit it was a little lost on me as I don’t follow New Japan closely. One minor quibble – they’re supposed to be this badass group. I’m not saying they have to win cleanly all the time, but for where they are in the story, I could do without Garcia’s interference for a match like this. That said, I recognize the politics with the other promotions, so perhaps the New Japan talent needed to be protected in the loss. I do still wish they’d stop making the referees look like dopes.
Lexy Nair was backstage with Orange Cassidy, Kyle O’Reilly, and Roderick Strong. Cassidy and O’Reilly said that both Mark Briscoe and Tomohiro Ishii were injured and that they weren’t sure when they would be coming back. They said Willow Nightingale would be back soon and introduced Konosuke Takeshita. Takeshita said he liked El Phantasmo, he wanted Kyle Fletcher, and he hated Kazuchika Okada… [C]
2. Andrade El Idolo vs. Brian Cage (w/Don Callis, Lance Archer). El Ídolo dove onto Cage and Archer as they were making their way to the ring. Cage and El Idolo brawled on the floor for a bit, and once in the ring, referee Aubrey Edwards called for the bell. Don Callis joined the commentary team.
Cage worked over El Idolo in the corner and held the advantage for several minutes. El Idolo kicked Cage to the floor and dove onto him. Cage, upon returning to the ring, grabbed El Idolo and suplexed him from the second rope back into the ring. [C]
Notable highlights included the Three Amigos series of suplexes by El Idolo and a frog splash for a near fall. Cage, for a big man, hit a decent-looking 619 and a power bomb, also for a near fall. The finish saw El Idolo catch Cage running in with Dia de Los Muertos, followed by the DM for the win.
Andrade El Idolo defeated Brian Cage in 13:22.
After the match, El Idolo took the mic and asked Callis if he thought this was over, followed by his “How You Know” catchphrase…
Don’s Take: I guess we’ll see this for a while as Andrade establishes himself as a babyface and works his way through the ranks of the Don Callis Family.
A video package on Gabe Kidd aired. He told Jay White that the Dogs took over the Bullet Club and made it their own in New Japan. Kidd added that they would do the same thing in AEW, alongside the Death Riders. [C]
3. Thunder Rosa and Mina Shirakawa vs. Zara Zakher and B3cca. This was a squash. The enhancement talent showed some brief offense, but it was Rosa with the Tijuana Bomb on B3cca for the win…
Thunder Rosa and Mina Shirakawa defeated Zara Zakher and B3cca in 2:20.
Don’s Take: Wednesday was “Thunder Rosa Day” in San Diego, so it was logical that AEW would get her on last night’s taping of this episode.
AEW Women’s World Champion Thekla came out on the stage wearing the Starlight Kid mask. She talked about beating Kid and killing Stardom. She said with All In coming up, she has a big golden target on her back and told the women’s division to take their best shot. She said she would catch the bullet in her teeth and spit it back at them.
Darius and Dante Martin, along with Matt Sydal, Scorpio Sky, and Christopher Daniels, were backstage. Dante officially welcomed Sydal to the SkyFlight faction…
Don’s Take: Well, this tells me that Matt Sydal isn’t watching AEW because if he did, he’d know that joining SkyFlight isn’t exactly the best career move.
4. Adam Copeland, Jay White, Austin Gunn, and Colten Gunn (w/Juice Robinson, Ace Austin) vs. Shane Taylor, Lee Moriarty, Carlie Bravo, and Shawn Dean. Ring introductions took place…
[Hour Two] Moriarty and Colten exchanged holds. The heels got the brief advantage on Copeland, who tagged in Austin. The heels got the quick advantage over Austin. [C]
The heels continued to work over Austin. Austin eventually made a hot tag to White, who cleaned house. Down the stretch, a notable highlight was Copeland and White double suplexing Taylor from the second rope. The finish saw Dean and Bravo setting up White for a double-team move. Copeland stopped the attempt by spearing Bravo. White hit Dean with the Blade Runner for the win.
Adam Copeland, Jay White, Austin Gunn, and Colten Gunn defeated Shane Taylor, Lee Moriarty, Carlie Bravo, and Shawn Dean in 10:41.
After the match, Clark Connors, David Finlay, Claudio Castagnoli, Pac, Wheeler Yuta, Marina Shafir, and Daniel Garcia came out and laid out Copeland and the Bang Bang Gang.
Don’s Take: This is another example of not having a clear path for the Death Riders. Are they babyfaces or heels? That aside, I’m wondering if this is leading to a Stadium Stampede or Anarchy in the Arena-type match at Redemption.
A video package aired on Willow Nightingale. She said that after all she’s done in three years, she’s not the best. But this year, she can prove it…
5. “The Demand” Ricochet, Toa Liona, and Bishop Kaun vs. Sonico, Chris Nastyy, and Jordan Oasis. Another squash match. Liona and Kaun held Nastyy on their shoulders, and Ricochet came off with the Doomsday Device clothesline. Oasis and Liona were both bleeding from the side of their eye.
“The Demand” Ricochet, Toa Liona, and Bishop Kaun defeated Sonico, Chris Nastyy, and Jordan Oasis in 1:55.
After the match, Ricochet took the mic and called out Matt Sydal and the rest of Skyflight. [C]
Don’s Take: My crystal ball tells me a trios match is coming between the two teams on a future episode of Collision.
6. Athena vs. Rina for the No. 1 spot in the Casino Gauntlet match. This was even for the first several minutes until Athena threw Rina into the ring post from inside the ring. [C]
Down the stretch, a lot of back and forth and near falls from both. In the end, Athena kicked Rina out of the ring and dove onto her. Athena got her back in the ring and hit her O-Face finisher for the win.
Athena defeated Rina in 13:37 to earn the No. 1 spot in the Casino Gauntlet match.
Don’s Take: They’re really stacking Wednesday’s Dynamite. I’d have to see who the other entrants are, but as you’ll recall, Athena lost to Maya World on Collision during the Owen Hart Cup Tournament. It’d be interesting if she ended up with the title shot at Redemption before Mercedes Moné gets her show at All In. As an aside, the crowd is fading during this long night they had to sit through.
Lexy Nair was backstage with Kyle Fletcher and Don Callis. Fletcher said he would beat El Phantasmo tonight and would then go on to defeat Konosuke Takeshita on Dynamite for the International Title…
7. Bandido, Mistico, and Mike Bailey vs. “The Rascalz” Myron Reed, Dezmond Xavier, and Zachary Wentz. Everyone took turns diving onto each other on the floor. [C]
Bandido and Reed tagged in and exchanged moves. The Rascalz took turns hitting flying attacks on Bandido. The finish saw Bailey and Mistico dive onto Wentz and Reed on the floor. In the ring, Bandido hit the 21 Plex on Xavier for the win.
Bandido, Mistico, and Mike Bailey defeated “The Rascalz” Myron Reed, Dezmond Xavier, and Zachary Wentz in 8:14.
Don’s Take: This was a match for the sake of having a match. It was fine for what it was.
AEW Women’s Tag Team Champions, Lena Kross and Megan Bayne, cut a backstage promo about how they are on the top of the mountain and that every other woman should be on their knees so that they can bow down.
8. Rush vs. Jordan Cruz. Rush ended it quickly with his Bull’s Horns dropkick finisher in the corner for the win.
Rush defeated Jordan Cruz in 1:35.
Rush took the mic and delivered his “If you mess with the bull…” catchphrase…
Don’s Take: Ah, the tried-and-true Rush squash match before they figure out who he’ll lose to next.
Hook, Anthony Bowens, and Katsuyori Shibata were backstage. Hook said that Shibata would be coming after Bandido for the ROH Title on the July 10 Collision. Bowens said that everyone should applaud and started to clap, but Hook stopped him…
Don’s Take: Wow! Someone actually cares about the ROH Title.
9. Maya World vs. Julia Hart for the No. 2 spot in the Casino Gauntlet match. After a brief exchange, both ended up on the floor.
[Hour Three] The two battled on the floor and back in the ring, Hart locked World in the spider hold in the ropes. [C] Hart stayed in control. A lot of back-and-forth action down the stretch. Hart went for a top rope moonsault, but World got the knees up. World finished her off with the Shining Wizard for the win. [C]
Maya World defeated Julia Hart in 9:51 to earn the No. 2 spot in the Casino Gauntlet match.
Don’s Take: Given the story they’re establishing between World and Athena, it makes sense to have them Nos. 1 and 2. I’m thinking World eliminates Athena to continue building to a showdown match for the ROH Women’s Title. This crowd is definitely spent.
Video packages previewed Chris Jericho and Tommaso Ciampa on Dynamite. Highlights from this past week’s Dynamite were also shown…
10. Kyle Fletcher (w/Don Callis) vs. El Phantasmo. Don Callis joined the commentary team. The action went to the floor with Fletcher gaining the advantage.[C]
El Phantasmo made the babyface comeback. Down the stretch, we had the action you’d expect. Of note, at one point, Fletcher hurled El Phantasmo onto the top of the ringside barricade, as well as a steel chair. Back in the ring, Fletcher hit snake eyes on El Phantasmo on the second turnbuckle, followed by a kick and his brain buster finisher for the win.
Kyle Fletcher defeated El Phantasmo in 11:59.
After the match, Don Callis raised Fletcher’s arm. Fletcher turned and appeared to cough before squatting down in a corner of the ring. It was the last time Fletcher was shown. Callis spoke about how Konosuke Takeshita betrayed him. He ran through their history and noted that he recruited Takeshita and made him what he is. He said the Callis Family would take back everything from Takeshita, starting with the AEW International Title. Takeshita came out and ran off Callis to end the show…
Don’s Take: A fine main event and a nice hook for Wednesday’s title match. I’m surprised they’re giving all of these matches away on Dynamite and not saving some for Redemption, but of course, they can always run this back. Will Pruett attended this show and said Fletcher was checked on at ringside before being rushed to the back. The word coming out of the show was that Fletcher was okay.
I don’t know why AEW felt the need to make this show 2.5 hours. If you asked Tony Khan, it would probably be a variation of “the holiday being lonely for some, and he wants wrestling to be there for them.” There’s also the possibility that he wanted to stick it to TNA, given the recent situation where Carlos Silva pulled TNA talent from scheduled independent matches against AEW talent. If that’s the case, that’s another example of these companies getting involved in petty battles at the expense of the fanbase. Most of tonight’s matches, while good from an in-ring standpoint, were nothing more than filler. Still, I doubt Tony will ever change his approach.
That’s all for me for tonight. It will be interesting to hear Will Pruett describe what happened with Kyle Fletcher during his audio review of tonight’s episode for Dot Net Members (including Patreon patrons). I’m back next week to cover another edition of Collision, which will be back at its normal start time of 7CT/8ET and live on Saturday night. Until then, enjoy wrestling!
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