AEW Collision Review – 12.17.25

Tonight’s episode of Collision: Holiday Bash PART ONE comes to the TNT airwaves from the Co-Op Live Arena in Manchester, England. The presenters of tonight’s broadcast are Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Nigel McGuinness on match calls and analysis, Arkady Aura on ring announcements, and Lexy Nair on backstage interviews and breaking news segments. Let’s watch some wrestling!

Fare thee well, Santahausen.

We’re picking up directly after Dynamite ends. Bandido and Ricochet were the two finalists in the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal, and they’ll meet next week for CONTROL OF THE RING. Dynamite had a long over-run more than likely due to the very long contract signing segment surrounding the Men’s World Title picture, so we’ll see how long Collision goes.

Jon Moxley says he really likes the Continental Classic because there’s nowhere to hide out there, everything is measured in guts and effort. Moxley admits to pushing people’s buttons and antagonizing them. Moxley says that people rise up during the C2 and mentions Roderick Strong’s performance against him on Dynamite. Moxley promises to leave no bullets in the chamber as he finishes up the tournament.

Continental Classic Blue League: Orange Cassidy (3 points) vs Mascara Dorada (3 points)

There’s a show of respect before they lock up. It’s mat-based to start as they try to figure out each other. Dorada works some arm-drags and then rolls Cassidy over for a quick two. There’s more mat-based stuff with no real advantage as we go to commercials.

There’s another acrobatic standoff as the show returns. Dorada hits an armdrag off a rope-walk, and then Cassidy fires up with some mega chops. Cassidy walks the ropes and then leaps down to put his hands in his pockets. Cassidy hits an armdrag and a dropkick that sends Dorada to the floor. Cassidy’s tope suicida is blocked, and then Dorada charges in to hit a tope of his own. Dorada hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and then fires off a Shooting Star Press from the apron. Dorada hits a springboard cross-body and gets a two count. Dorada hits a twisting powerslam and covers Cassidy for two. Dorada eats a couple of kicks when he charges, and after some switches, Cassidy spikes Dorada with an implant DDT. Cassidy eats an enziguri when he charges and then Dorada rips off a backbreaker. There’s a series of roll-ups that get two for each competitor. Dorada ends up on the apron and he yanks Cassidy’s arm over the top rope during an Orange Punch attempt. Dorada charges back in and wants a torneo, but Cassidy avoids it and rolls Dorada over into a crucifix pin that gets the three count.

The finish felt a bit rushed but I’m guessing almost everything had to be cut for time after the long yap-fest over the Men’s world title on Dynamite. Cassidy gets a super valuable three points and is now tied for second in the group with Jon Moxley, while Dorada is stuck at 3 points. It was very mat-based and pretty cordial given some of the other wars we’ve seen lately in the C2, but Cassidy is just so efficient with everything he does that it feels like the match just flies by. The crowd was into it, but it never really hit another gear for me. 3*

Winner – Orange Cassidy (Crucifix roll-up) – (6 points)

Lexy Nair is backstage with Athena and Mercedes Mone. Athena thinks it’s a great idea if her and Mone take on the “Hussies of Wrath” at Worlds End for the Women’s Tag Titles. Mone also thinks it would be a great idea to put up her Rev-Pro British title during the Saturday portion of Collision.

Jamie Hayter vs Isla Dawn

There’s some headlock-head scissors reversals to start and Dawn fires off some kicks only to eat a Hayter forearm. Hayter hits a high boot and Dawn recovers to send Hayter to the floor before hitting a sliding dropkick. We go to commercials.

They’re slugging it out when the show returns and both hit running cross-bodies simultaneously. Hayter hits a second rope dropkick and a running lariat. Hayter hits a back suplex and covers Dawn for two. Dawn fires up with some forearms and a back suplex of her own before covering and getting two. Hayter hits an awkward sit-out backbreaker and then wallops Dawn with Hayter-ade. Hayter’s cover is academic and gets the three count.

So much of this happened during commercials, but there was no doubt about who was winning given Hayter being the number one contender for Kris Statlander’s title. What was shown was functionally fine and I hope they keep Isla Dawn around, she’s a fine “opponent” type of wrestler with a big enough name to make someone seem like they beat someone important. 2*

Winner – Jamie Hayter (Hayter-ade)

Post-match sees The Triangle of Madness rush in to attack both women, before focusing specifically on Hayter. Thekla whips Hayter with her belt before AEW Women’s Champion Kris Statlander charges down to help. Statlander wipes out the Triangle and then runs into an inadvertant Hayter-ade. Hayter doesn’t seem to phased by wall Statlander, so she pulls up Statlander’s belt and poses with it to a big ovation from the Manchester crowd. We go to commercials.

AEW Men’s World Tag Team Championship: FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) (C) vs The Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson and Austin Gunn)

FTR are seconded by Stokely as usual. Wheeler starts with Gunn and Wheeler gains the advantage with a wristlock. Gunn reverses and then trucks Wheeler after they run the ropes. Robinson tags in and continues the wristlock. Wheeler gouges Robinson’s eyes as the ref was chastising Harwood, and Harwood then tags in. Robinson grabs a quick roll-up on Harwood for two, and then comes off the second rope with a cross-body that gets two. Wheeler charges in and Robinson smashes him with an atomic drop and a lariat. Wheeler trips up Robinson as the ref is now barking at Gunn. Robinson crushes FTR with a double cross-body and then Robinson sends Wheeler to the floor with a catapult as we go to commercials.

FTR fake a tag and Wheeler comes in to keep Gunn in an abdominal stretch. Gunn grabs a small package on Wheeler and has him pinned forever but Harwood has the ref distracted and by the time he gets there, all he can get is two. Harwood escapes and Wheeler tags in. Wheeler gets a roll-up off a Harwood clothesline and covers Gunn for two. Wheeler stands on Gunn but he poses too long and runs into Gunn’s boots when he comes off the second rope. Harwood and Robinson tag in and Robinson runs wild for a few minutes with elbows and a bunch of jabs. Robinson hits a double lariat to a huge pop. Robinson hits spinebusters on both guys and covers Harwood for two. Wheeler charges in to smash Robinson and Robinson rolls out of a Shatter Machine to roll-up Harwood for two. Stokely tries to powder Robinson, but he sees it and smashes Stokely to the floor before rolling Harwood up for a long two. Robinson fires off a lariat and a headbutt on Harwood. Harwood bites Robinson’s nose and Gunn charges in to snatch up Harwood for a superplex. Robinson flies off with a splash and then ducks out of the way as Wheeler splashes Harwood inadvertently. Gunn hits a Fameasser on Wheeler to send him to the floor as Robinson covers Harwood for two. Gunn charges Wheeler who dumps him into the timekeeper’s area. Robinson is alone and Gunn recovers quickly to crotch Wheeler. Robinson pops Harwood with a left and Gunn flies in with another Fameasser. The ref counts three but Harwood’s foot was on the ropes so the ref calls it off. Harwood and Wheeler double-team Robinson and Wheeler comes off the second rope to drop a foot on Robinson’s knee as Harwood had him in the Figure Four. Harwood slaps on an inverted Figure Four and Robinson is forced to tap as Wheeler held off Gunn from helping.

This was a hell of a main event with a lot of old-school double team and ref distraction stuff. Right in this old fart’s wheelhouse, you could say. FTR are so much fun as heels and while I still question how much Stokely adds to their act, they just have the heel tag team playbook down pat. Robinson and Gunn are a decent team, but they have their limits and I’m pretty sure no one really thought that they were winning here. Weirdly, they burned through this prior to World’s End, so we’ll see if FTR gets another match lined up for that show or if they’ll be part of something else. If you’re going to seek out one thing from this part of Collision, this would be my recommendation. 4.25*

Winners AND STILL AEW Men’s World Tag Team Champions – FTR (Harwood inverted Figure Four on Robinson – submission)

Excal reminds us of the other hour of Collision coming Saturday afternoon as the credits roll and we’re out.

The C2 match was solid if unspectacular, and the main event delivered in spades, so this is an easy thumbs up from me. There’s another hour coming on Saturday so we’ll see how that balances this out. Spoilers for that show are out there so please DO NOT discuss them in this comments section, please and thank you.

Thanks for reading and commenting, and enjoy your Thursday. Be good to your people at this time of year, and all year long really.