AEW Collision Review – 01.24.26

Before we move on to Collision, let’s catch up: Dynamite

Collision was recorded on January 21st after Dynamite ended due to the extenuating circumstances about potentially getting talent in and out of Texas this weekend because of the ongoing winter storm. The show happened at the Additional Financial Arena in Orlando, FL. The television presenters for the show are Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight and Excalibur on match calls and analysis, Justin Roberts on ring announcements, and Lexy Nair on backstage interviews and breaking news. Let’s watch some wrestling.

Orange Cassidy once sent Britt Baker to the Phantom Zone, so let’s remember that!

Katsuyori Shibata vs Adam “Hangman” Page

They start throwing bombs at the outset and Page dumps Shibata to the floor before running him into the barricade and the announce table. Page pushes Shibata back in but he eats a Shibata big boot before he can re-enter. Shibata goes to the floor and runs Page into the barricade before pulling a chair out of the ringside area. The ref puts a stop to that but Shibata mounts Page on the chair. Shibata misses his charge and Page responds with a big kick to send Shibata into the timekeeper’s area. They start slugging it out and then go towards the crowd. Page brings Shibata back and rams him into the timekeeper’s table and then hits a big knee on a staggered Shibata. They finally re-enter the ring and Page hits a fall-away slam before nipping up. Page runs into a big boot and Shibata hits a back suplex on the apron followed by one on the floor. Shibata hits a kneebreaker and then starts working Page’s knee with a Figure Four. Page rolls it over but Shibata rolls back. Page makes the ropes as we go to commercials.

Shibata is throwing kicks to Page’s chest when the show returns, but Page fires up with some chops as they go to a strong style standoff. Shibata goes to the eyes and Page smashes him with a lariat in response. Shibata and Page start exchanging German suplexes before hitting simultaneous forearms. Another striking battle breaks out and Shibata goes low as the ref had his back turned for some reason. Shibata’s cover gets two. They go to the apron and Page hits the Deadeye to send Shibata to the floor. Page ascends and hits a moonsault on Shibata. Page wants the Buckshot but Shibata catches him and slaps on a vice submission hold. Page makes the ropes and Shibata misses a charge. Page hits a short lariat followed by the Buckshot. Page covers and gets three.

A crisp, solid opener with a fairly predictable outcome. Shibata and Page both sold, and it felt like a fight, so I’m good to go. We’ll see how long the Opps group stays together because it feels like Joe might be inclined to move on from this at some point to continue pursuing his singles ambitions. Page is kind of treading water at the moment with the trios stuff, so we’ll see if they move those titles around or just put them on the back burner until it matters again. 3*

Winner – Adam “Hangman” Page (Buckshot lariat)

Here’s Don Callis playing golf with Ricochet until Alex Marvez shows up to find out what’s going on. Davis and Doyle are in the background beating up a caddy who resembles Rocky Romero. Callis explains that he and Ricochet play golf every Wednesday before Dynamite. This was not as funny as I think they were hoping it would be but at least Callis and Ricochet get to be unrepentant assholes for a short segment. We go to commercials.

Isla Dawn vs AEW Women’s World Champion Kris Statlander

Dawn is seconded by Grizzled Young Veterans for some reason. Excalibur calls this an “eliminator” since it’s non-title. Statlander bullies Dawn in a corner with forearms but she runs into a Dawn big boot. Statlander shakes that off and catapults Dawn into a corner. Dawn dumps Statlander to the apron and hits a big knee. Dawn smashes Statlander with a kick and then runs her back in. Dawn hits a vertical suplex and covers for two. Dawn hits some low kicks and a forearm but Statlander fires up with a right. Dawn hits a Saito suplex and covers Statlander for two. Dawn mounts Statlander in a corner and they start slugging it out. Statlander rises and waffles Dawn with a missile dropkick. Statlander yanks Dawn up for a Michinoku Driver that gets two. Statlander hits Staturday Night Fever and covers for three.

Statlander has a defense against Thekla on Dynamite this coming week so this outcome was never in doubt, but Dawn looked solid in just being out there as a warm-up act. GYV disappeared after walking her to the ring so there was no shenanigans whatsoever from that side of things. This was fine for what it was but you didn’t miss much. 2*

Winner – Kris Statlander (Staturday Night Fever)

Post-match sees Thekla on the video board clapping for Statlander while wearing one of her t-shirts. Thekla says that this will be her last win as champion before yanking off the t-shirt and spitting on it. In a clear tribute to AEW’s Patron Saint of Lead-Ins Sheldon Cooper, Thekla hits a “Live long, and prosper” before turning it into a middle finger.

Here’s Jack Perry to say he’s going to take Ricochet’s National Championship soon, but he’s also upset that Ricochet took Luchasaurus from him. Perry says he’s going to take everything Ricochet has but even then, it won’t be enough.

Austin Gunn and Billy Gunn vs Kyle Fletcher and Konosuke Takeshita

Apparently Juice Robinson is injured AGAIN (the Bang Bang Gang has THE WORST LUCK I’ve ever seen), and Ace Austin didn’t make it to Orlando due to travel issues, so 62 year old Grampa Ass has to get in the ring with his son tonight. They’re 8-0 as a team, but I don’t like their chances here. Don Callis seconds his group and sadly joins the announce team to punish me. This is Takeshita’s first match in AEW since losing in the semi-finals of the C2. It’s Austin and Fletcher to start. Fletcher gives a clean break before dumping Austin to the mat. Fletcher pops Austin with a right and then starts pounding him in a corner. Austin trips up Fletcher but misses a charge as Fletcher begs off in a corner. Billy tags in and Fletcher wants a test of strength. Billy tells him to suck it, so Fletcher drops an elbow before Billy trucks him on a charge. Takeshita tags in and smacks Billy in the face. They start slugging it out and Takeshita hits a flying forearm after some ring running. Callis tries to chop Billy who can’t believe it, and Takeshita flies in from behind to smash Billy with an elbow as we go to commercials.

Billy trucks Fletcher in a corner as the show returns. Billy hits the Fameasser and covers for two. Austin gets a blind tag and he and Billy hit the 3:10 to Yuma before Austin covers for two. Takeshita tags in and smashes Billy with a forearm. Austin catches Takeshita with a helicopter driver before Fletcher responds with a half-and-half suplex. Takeshita and Fletcher hit simultaneous big boots on Austin before Austin grabs a quick inside cradle for two. Takeshita hits a Blue Thunder Bomb on Austin and covers for two as Billy breaks it up. Fletcher and Takeshita send Billy to the floor. Austin misses a charge and Takeshita hits Raging Fire on him for three.

This is the kind of match that produces a LOT of “Why are Fletcher and Takeshita going 50/50 with goddamn Billy Gunn?” takes and I’ll be honest, if this show had a real audience that would be very valid. However, this is how this promotion has been booked for a long time now and so it is what it is. Listen, I don’t want to watch 62 year old dudes wrestle but Billy Gunn is about as legit as you can get for someone that age and he didn’t look decrepit out there or anything. I just cannot believe the bad luck of the Bang Bang Gang since forming. The Callis guys barely broke a sweat here but they gave it their all to make this look competitive. I’d call this “interesting” but I can’t give it too many more superlatives. 2.5*

Winners – Takeshita/Fletcher (Takeshita Raging Fire on Austin Gunn)

Post-match sees Fletcher enthusiastically shake hands with Callis, while Takeshita’s handshake is much less so. Here’s AEW International Champion Kazuchika Okada out to applaud the winners, but Takeshita seems upset at his presence. Okada grins at a pissed Takeshita.

Here’s Ricochet with GOA to announce that the title defense against Jack Perry will happen in Las Vegas. Ricochet calls Perry a jester and a joke and promises he will be another in the sea of losers who come to Vegas and lose it all. We go to commercials.

Here’s Grizzled Young Veterans to yell about Ortiz and Eddie Kingston cheating to win at Maximum Carnage. Kingston responds about their weapons chatter and dares GYV to make another move on them.

Jordan Oliver and Alec Price vs Mark Davis and Jake Doyle

Oh great, more Don Callis. Doyle charges in and smashes Price around. Davis and Doyle fire up and ram Oliver and Price together like a car crash. They continue beating up both guys as Doyle wallops Price with a lariat. Davis tags in and rams Oliver into a turnbuckle. Davis hits some chops and then rams a running elbow into Oliver’s jaw. Oliver tags in Price and he drops Doyle with a pump kick before nailing Davis with a dropkick. Price hits a neckbreaker and he and Oliver hit some double team stuff on a charging Doyle. Doyle catches a tope attempt and launches Price into a charging Oliver. Davis and Doyle hit dueling powerslams. Davis hits a gut-wrench suplex and Doyle hits a Blue Thunder Bomb and the double pin gets three.

Did you know that squash are a good source of potassium, manganese, calcium, and magnesium, that supports heart and bone health? Well, now you do. 1.5*

Winners – Davis and Doyle (simultaneous finishers)

Because God hates me, post-match sees Callis grab a microphone to berate FTR. Callis says he has a vision of retiring FTR and his family owning the world tag team titles. Here’s FTR and Stokely on the video board to say that Callis is a habitual liar and this is another one in a long string. Stokely says FTR are upstanding citizens and when the bell rings, Justin Roberts will be saying “AND STILL”.

Darby Allin decides to visit Bam Margera in Florida and Margera thinks Allin getting tossed back-first into ring steps was hysterical.

AEW TBS Championship: Willow Nightingale (C) vs Julia Hart

Hart pie-faces Nightingale and Nightingale trucks her in response. Nightingale misses a legdrop and Hart puts on a crucifix that gets two. Nightingale hits a bridging suplex and gets two. Nightingale starts throwing clotheslines in a corner, and Hart responds with a double thrust. Hart goes to the rope walk and hits a rana from up there. Nightingale fires up with a short shotgun dropkick, and here’s Skye Blue on the apron to bother Nightingale. Harley Cameron charges out to take out Blue, but Nightingale misses a cannonball in the corner back in the ring. Hart hits a twisting neckbreaker over the second rope and covers Nightingale for two as we go to commercials.

Hart has control when the show returns. Hart hits a few charges in a corner before dropping to a double stomp to Nightingale’s chest. Nightingale wallops Hart with a lariat in response and both ladies are down. Nightingale smashes Hart with chops and a hip attack. Nightingale gets caught with a superkick after ascending and Hart charges out to mash Nightingale’s head into the apron. Hart walks the barricade but Nightingale catches her in a vertical suplex on the floor. Nightingale runs Hart back in and hits a cannonball before covering Hart and getting two. Nightingale gets caught in a tarantula by Hart and then she catches Nightingale with a helicopter DDT that gets two. Hart puts on a Flying Octopus but Nightingale rams her into a corner to break it. Nightingale charges and meets a Hart double stomp. Hart ascends and her moonsault meets Nightingale’s raised boots. Hart grabs a quick roll up for two. Nightingale has had enough and hits her sit-out powerbomb before covering and getting three.

Hart was game here and looked better than she has in awhile. Nightingale gave her plenty of shine, too. Nightingale has leveled up in terms of being over with the crowd and as much as we can get on Tony Khan for….many things…Willow has thrived and moved up the card. This was fine for what it was in that there was no way Hart was winning on a randomly thrown-together Collision with three days hype. At any rate, Nightingale moves on and hopefully her, Cameron, and Statlander can begin to move on from the Triangle after Dynamite. I guess we’ll see. Mercedes has to be coming back at some point, right? 3*

Winner AND STILL AEW TBS Champion – Willow Nightingale (sit-out powerbomb)

The Rascalz are having some munchies and chat about the Cru being weird for wearing those prickly coats. Wentz wants to know who’s going to face them since they have three people and Cru only have two. A game of rock, paper, scissors produces a result of Wentz and Xavier being the choices with Reed as the backup. Smoke’em if you got’em, and we go to commercials.

Here’s Alex Windsor chatting up Jamie Hayter about getting some gold, and they agree to team up.

Magnus vs Andrade El Idolo

Magnus is a tag champ in CMLL, as Excal informs us. Don Callis has apparently decided that he’s been on the show enough, and doesn’t second Andrade. Andrade eats a couple of kicks but fires up with a clothesline to cut that off. Andrade kicks Magnus down and then puts a knee over his throat. Andrade whips Magnus into a corner and then hits a big back body drop. Andrade signals for a Figure Four and then brushes that off before kicking Magnus in the face. Andrade hits a huge chop and then boots him in the gut. Magnus fires up with a rana that sends Andrade to the floor, but his charge is met by an Andrade right hand. Andrade finally removes his t-shirt to the crowd’s delight but he won’t give them his shirt. Andrade takes a selfie with a fan and then rams Magnus into the ring steps. We go to commercials.

Andrade drops Magnus to the mat when the show returns before going for the Three Amigos. Andrade yanks Magnus up at one after covering. Andrade starts trying to take Magnus’s mask but can’t get it done. Andrade gets rolled up for two but then he fires a back elbow at Magnus. Magnus hits a short dropkick and a running knee to Andrade’s head. Andrade gets sent to the outside by a lariat and Magnus follows that with a tope suicida. They go back in and Magnus hits a senton atomico that gets only one. Magnus misses a charge and Andrade indicates he’s smart. Andrade hits a huge Meteora and yanks up Magnus at one again. Andrade hits the DM and covers for three.

Andrade was in a mood tonight, and I guess I can describe it as “doesn’t give a shit and won’t sell anything for too long”. He looked healthy (this is the best way I can put this) but this outcome, like all the others tonight, was never in doubt. Magnus did well for being a guy that almost exclusively wrestles tag matches and was working with a guy who was giving him very little in the way of professional respect. This was a squash disguised as a close match but you didn’t miss much if you didn’t see it. 2*

Winner – Andrade El Idolo (The DM)

After commercials, Andrade cuts a promo and claims he wants the world title. Andrade calls out Swerve Strickland for Wednesday night. That could be fun, I guess.

CMLL World Heavyweight Championship: Claudio Castignoli (C) vs Roderick Strong

Strong has Orange Cassidy with him, and Jon Moxley has joined the commentary desk because three guys just wasn’t enough. Wheeler Yuta is with Castignoli because we MUST overbook everything. Marina Shafir is also standing guard next to Moxley. Here’s Tony Khan to come in to the ring to do the traditional pose with the champion and challenger since the CMLL folks couldn’t be there on short notice to do this as well. Moxley talks about “participation championships” as I chuckle to myself. Justin Roberts does the in-ring announcements and we’re off.

Castignoli attacks prior to the bell and stomps Strong down. The ref checks on Strong and the bell rings. Strong fires up with some chops but Castignoli cuts it off with a knee lift. They go to the floor and start slugging it out. Moxley points out that Strong beat Castignoli in the C2 as Strong wallops Castignoli with a series of chops. Castignoli gets pissed and runs Strong back into the ring before smashing him with forearms and chops. Castignoli hits an uppercut and then pulls Strong into a side headlock. Strong shakes it off and hits a dropkick before mounting Castignoli in a corner to drop ten right hands on his head. Castignoli heads to the floor so Strong runs Castignoli into the barricade. Castignoli cuts that flurry off by dropping Strong throat-first onto the barricade. They go back in and Castignoli starts working Strong’s knee. Castignoli slaps on a half-crab before smashing Strong’s knee into the mat. Castignoli hits some uppercuts and then works the body with rights and lefts. Strong fires up with some forearms but Castignoli cuts it off with a bodyslam into the ropes. Castignoli goes back to a knee lock before yanking Strong up for more chops. Strong responds with chops of his own and then yanks Castignoli into a backbreaker. Castignoli slips a charge and drops Strong knee-first over the barricade as we go to commercials.

Castignoli has a knee lock on when the show returns and continues working the knee. Castignoli yanks Strong up for an uppercut but meets Strong’s boot when he charges. Strong hits a kick and dumps Castignoli to the floor. Strong hits a baseball slide dropkick and then drops Castignoli over the barricade before running him into the ring post. Strong catches Castignoli with a lariat and a flurry of chops and forearms. Strong hits a facebreaker and covers for two. Strong yanks Castignoli up but he slips away and clips Strong’s knee. Castignoli drives Strong’s knee into the canvas a bunch of times and then puts on the half-crab again. Strong slips through and fires some kicks into Castignoli’s face, but Castignoli responds with a double stomp to Strong’s chest. Castignoli gets rolled up for two after a Gotch-style piledriver set up. Castignoli hits his toss uppercut and covers for two as Strong sneaks his boot under the ropes. Castignoli fires off some uppercuts and then starts kicking Strong in the knee. Castignoli mounts Strong in a corner and ascends. Strong escapes and crotches Castignoli on the top turnbuckle. Strong ascends and hits a second rope Saito suplex before covering and getting two. Strong tries for the Stronghold and Castignoli fires elbows at Strong’s knee. Strong steps over and puts the hold on properly. Castignoli makes the ropes to break it. Castignoli grabs Strong after a high knee attempt and puts on the big swing before slapping on the half-crab again. Strong kicks Castignoli off and to the floor. Castignoli yanks Strong down and smashes his knee into the ring post a few times. Strong drags Castignoli face-first into the ring post. Yuta finally interferes and immediately eats an Orange Punch. Castignoli flattens Cassidy with a lariat and climbs back in the ring. Strong hits a couple of high knees and goes outside with Castignoli to drag him back in. Strong drops his knee pad and Castignoli pulls the ref into the way of Strong’s attempted knee strike. Castignoli drops Strong to the mat and hits a single leg big swing before crushing Strong with the Neutralizer. Castignoli covers and gets three.

Match of the night by a country mile as these two long-time foes have tremendous chemistry. They were on the floor a bunch, which is not my favorite, but the shenanigans were kept to a minimum and so it didn’t detract too much. Claudio did his Claudio shit, and Strong fought from underneath as he almost always does these days. I didn’t think they were switching this title here, especially with no one from CMLL’s hierarchy in attendance, but this was still a good back-and-forth battle that was the best thing on this show. 4*

Winner AND STILL CMLL World Heavyweight Champion – Claudio Castignoli (Neutralizer)

Post-match sees the Death Riders leave triumphantly as the credits roll and we’re out.

They had to cobble this show together due to the winter storm that tore through America this weekend, and it showed. It was fine for what it was with that in mind, although every match had a wildly predictable outcome. I’m not sure what the hell was going on with Andrade, but for the most part everyone worked hard and the show itself was about as good as it could be under these cirucmstances. Thumbs in the middle but I give them full credit for pulling this all together on short notice.

Thanks for reading and commenting. Have a good week and be safe out there.