Collision Review – 02.28.26

Just in case you missed it, here’s SK’s Dynamite Rant.

Tonight’s Collision was recorded on Wednesday February 25th at the Mission Ballroom in Denver, CO after Dynamite ended. The announce team for tonight’s show is Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness on match calls and analysis, Arkady Aura on ring introductions, and Lexy Nair on backstage interviews and breaking news segments. Let’s watch some wrestling!

I think there are still plenty of vacancies in The Dark Order.

AEW World Champion MJF is super grumpy and wants Revolution rectified, because he’s not an indie deathmatch bum, he’s a real wrestler. MJF calls for Tony Khan to come out and Collision won’t start until something gets done. Instead of Tony Khan, Kevin Knight emerges with his Trios belt and grabs a microphone. Knight says if MJF wants to get something done, Knight is right here after stacking W’s the last few weeks. Knight calls MJF a “crybaby-ass bitch” and tells MJF not to walk away from him. Knight says the crowd is tired of MJF’s routine (Truer words have never been spoken, Kevin) and that he’s way more handsome than MJF as well. Knight says he’d make a better world champion and not only is he the future, he’s the here and now. MJF calls Knight an ignorant, arrogant child and asks if Knight wants to tell BIG HEBREW how to do his job? MJF tells Knight to get his ass on a jet to El Paso, TX and says they can fight there for the Triple B. MJF promises to teach Knight a lesson and that he’ll be history after Dynamite. MJF leaves after a quick look back.

Here’s Mark Briscoe to chat about Tommaso Ciampa meeting Jay Lethal tonight on Collision. Jay Lethal promises to win tonight, and Tommaso Ciampa promises that won’t happen.

Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta, PAC and CMLL World Champion Claudio Castignoli vs Lance Archer, Trent Baretta, Rocky Romero and Josh Alexander

AEW Continental Champion Jon Moxley and Marina Shafir second the Death Rider crew and Moxley joins the announce team. The Callis Family guys come out with no accompaniment. It’s Romero and Garcia to start as Archer and Shafir beef with each other on the floor. Garcia trucks Romero and then wallops him with a shotgun dropkick. PAC tags in and he and Garcia drop Romero over before PAC hits a standing moonsault for a two count. Alexander tags in and Castignoli does as well. Alexander gets caught in an underhook and Castignoli hits a deadlift gutwrench suplex. Archer tags in and he grabs an advantage with the help of Alexander womping Castignoli from behind. Archer hits some running uppercuts and tags in Romero who tags in Baretta. Castignoli wipes them both out with lariats and then tags in Yuta. Alexander trips up Yuta and PAC charges in to eat a forearm from Baretta. Romero wipes out Garcia and Castignoli flies in to dump Romero. Archer comes in and smashes Castignoli out and then eats a Yuta DDT. Yuta hits a tope con hilo on the entire crew and Castignoli smashes Archer’s head into the announce desk. Yuta hits a snap suplex on Baretta for a one count and PAC tags in. PAC works Baretta over with kicks and then ascends. Romero charges over to prevent anything form happening and this allows Baretta to dump PAC down. Baretta and Romero hit a double team stomp on PAC who’s draped over the top rope as we go to commercials.

Alexander tags in and puts the boots to PAC in the Callis corner. Alexander rubs his forearm on PAC’s face and then works a rear chinlock. Alexander yanks up PAC for a Death Valley Driver but then PAC fires up with a release German. Romero and Baretta fly in to dump the Death Riders to the floor but PAC uses that time to wallop Romero with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Castignoli gets the tag and he runs wild on the Callis guys en masse. Castignoli hits running uppercuts on Baretta and Romero and then puts Alexander in the giant swing. Baretta flies and eats a Castignoli uppercut and Castignoli gets two on the subsequent cover. Yuta tags in and he and Castignoli hit a sort-of Doomsday Device on Baretta that gets two. Romero hits a running knee on Yuta and Alexander tags in to chokeslam Yuta. Archer dumps Garcia and PAC, and then Shafir charges in to jump on Archer’s back. Archer dumps Shafir off and the Death Riders team up to quadruple-team Archer with running shots in a corner. Castignoli hits a powerslam on Archer and Yuta gets rocket-launched onto Archer before the Callis Family break up the cover at two. Everyone fights on the floor and Romero tags in to hit Sliced Bread on Yuta for two. Yuta fires up with a Baisaku knee on Romero and covers him for three.

A lot of moves, no selling, and almost no psychology other than a long heat sequence on PAC during the commercial break. I guess the Death Riders are moving further and further towards face-dom at this point so at least we know that part of things. Also, as sure as the sun coming up in the East, if Rocky Romero is in a match he’s getting pinned. 2.5*

Winners – The Death Riders (Yuta Baisaku Knee on Romero)

Post match sees Konosuke Takeshita emerge and enter the ring alone to throw hands with Moxley. Another giant brawl breaks out with the Death Riders and the Callis Family before everyone tries to separate Moxley and Takeshita specifically. They fight up the aisle and finally everyone is separated. We go to commercials.

Tommaso Ciampa vs Jay Lethal

Lethal comes out with The Swirl in tow, while Ciampa is out alone. There’s a standoff to start and they start jawing at each other. A slap exchange ensues and Ciampa waffles Lethal with a back elbow, a high boot, and a Saito suplex. Ciampa works Lethal over in a corner but when the ref checks on Lethal Blake Christian flies in to dump Ciampa down. Lethal goes to work with rights and a big back elbow. Lethal does the Flair strut and WOOOO’s to the crowd before dumping Ciampa to the floor. Ciampa smashes an advancing Lee Johnson with a right and then womps Christian with a lariat. Lethal hits a springboard dropkick and a tope suicida on Ciampa that sends him over the announce desk as we go to commercials.

Ciampa sends Lethal to the apron when the show returns, and then clobbers him with a chop. Ciampa ascends and they fight on the top of a corner. Lethal chops Ciampa down and ascends to the top, but when he comes down Ciampa grabs a quick roll up for two. Ciampa grabs Lethal’s legs and gets another two. Ciampa runs into a Lethal Combination and Lethal ascends again. Lethal misses the Kings Elbow and Ciampa rolls him over for two. They start slugging it out and Lethal hits a cutter. Ciampa cuts off a Lethal Injection attempt and hits a drop double-knee to the back before covering and getting two. Ciampa pulls his knee pad down and takes care of the Swirl guys but Lethal uses that to grab a roll up for two. Ciampa shakes that off to smash Lethal with two knees and the second one produces a three count.

Jay Lethal doesn’t win matches on television anymore when facing anyone credible but this still managed to be fun. Ciampa sold appropriately and Lethal got in all of his greatest hits, so if you’re a fan of early 2010’s era ROH, this was your jimmy jam. I would assume this gets Ciampa into a thing with Mark Briscoe that will lead one of them back to Kyle Fletcher, but we’ll see how it plays out. Nothing wrong with this, but you don’t have to seek it out or anything. 2.75*

Winner – Tommaso Ciampa (Running Knee strike)

Hey, it’s The Iinspiration to let us know that they have an issue with The Brawling Birds. They’ll make their debut on Dynamite this week! We go to commercials.

The Brawling Birds (Alex Windsor and Jamie Hayter) vs Gypsy Mac and Tyra Russamee

It’s Hayter and Mac to start. Hayter smashes Mac around with some forearms and then hits a gutwrench suplex. Hayter drags Mac over to Russamee and dares her to tag in. Windsor tags in and smashes Russamee from behind before clubbering her down. Windsor works Russamee over in a corner and then snap-mares her over. Windsor hits a kick to the back and covers Russamee for two. Windsor works a side headlock and Hayter tags in. The Birds hit a double team move that ends with Hayter smashing Russamee with a running boot. Hayter goes to ground and pound on Russamee as Windsor smashes Mac around on the outside. Hayter chops away and tags in Windsor. Windsor smashes Russamee with chops and then she and Hayter double team Russamee with chops. They hit a back suplex and then line up Russamee for the Hart Attack. Windsor covers Russamee and gets three.

Winter squash is rich in postassium! 1*

Winners – The Brawling Birds (Hart Attack on Russamee)

The Swirl, Private Party, The Outrunners, and LFI are in a $200,000 four way tag match on next week’s Collision! I’m sure that won’t be annoying and difficult to recap at all.

AEW TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher and AEW International Champion Kazuchika Okada vs Top Flight (Dante and Darius Martin)

Don Callis is out with his guys, and Christopher Daniels is out with Top Flight. Fletcher looks like he’s maybe cycled off the CHICKEN AND BROCCOLI if you get my drift. Okada starts with Darius. There’s a headlock-head scissors exchange until Okada has had enough of that. He and Fletcher boot Darius down and out to the floor. Darius hits a back elbow and a dropkick on Fletcher when he returns, and Dante tags in. Dante hits a dive from the apron and covers Fletcher for two. Okada distracts Dante so Fletcher can clobber him with a lariat that sends Dante to the floor. Okada DDT’s Dante on the floor and we go to commercials.

Fletcher is having his way with Dante when the show returns. Okada tags in and boots Darius off the apron before putting a knee into Dante. Dante escapes to tag in Darius who hits a Spanish Fly on Okada before smashing Fletcher on the floor. Darius hits a spear and a Northern Lights suplex on Okada before covering and getting two. Darius hits some uppercuts on Okada but then wanders into an Okada facebuster. Fletcher tags in and superkicks Darius before yanking him up for a Michinoku Driver that gets two. Fletcher misses a charge and Dante tags in. Fletcher gets hit with a dropkick into a snap suplex and then Top Flight hit a double team facebuster as Okada breaks up Dante’s cover at two. Darius tags in and Okada dumps Dante to the floor while booting Chris Daniels down as well. Fletcher wallops Darius with a lariat and tags in Okada. Okada misses a Rainmaker and Darius runs into an Okada dropkick. Okada yanks up Darius for the Rainmaker and then tags in Fletcher. Fletcher boots Dante off the apron and then smashes Darius with the sheer drop brainbuster. Fletcher’s cover gets three.

At least it wasn’t a total squash even if the outcome was never in doubt. Okada worked his normal pace here but seemed to at least enjoy tagging with Fletcher. The Martins worked at a slower pace than usual probably due to Fletcher’s uh…new physique…and Okada’s….pace issues. Regardless, this was just kind of a showcase for whatever story they’re continuing to try to tell with Okada and Takeshita. 3*

Winners – Okada/Fletcher (Fletcher sheer drop brainbuster on Darius)

Fletcher grabs a microphone post-match and wants Denver to say his full name. Fletcher says he and Okada are the greatest champions in AEW history but together as PROTOKADA they are unstoppable. Here’s Jet Speed out to interrupt and point out that Bailey beat Fletcher and Knight beat Okada during the Continental Classic. Okada says that they’ve never beaten PROTOKADA and Fletcher calls Bailey a bitch. Knight says it would be box office and says he’d like Okada to be his first defense after he beats MJF. Bailey mentions wanting Fletcher’s belt and would also defend the trios titles against Okada, Fletcher and “any of the other twelve thousand Don Callis Family members”. Everyone barks back and forth at each other, and Schiavone throws it to highlights of the Gabe Kidd-Orange Cassidy aftermath from Wednesday night. It appears that there will be a tag match in the future.

Toni Storm vs Zayda Steel

Christopher Daniels is out with Steel, who kisses Storm’s hand as a show of respect. Luther is out with Storm. There’s a standoff and Storm gets caught in a Steel headlock. Steel cannot shoulder Storm down but she does manage a rana and a running elbow. Steel hits a shotgun dropckick and stacks up Storm for two. Storm yanks up Steel for a slam and then mashes her with a snap suplex before covering and getting two. Storm goes to the apron and Steel hits a kick and a lungblower that sends Storm to the floor. Steel hits a tope suicida and dumps Storm back in. Steel ascends and hits a cross-body before covering and getting two. Storm yanks Steel over for three Germans and then hits a Hip Attack in a corner. Storm yanks Steel up for Storm Zero and covers her for three.

Squash is a very old food crop. There is evidence of its cultivation going back at least 8,000 B.C in Central Mexico, Peru, and the Eastern United States. 1.5*

Winner – Toni Storm (Storm Zero)

Post-match sees Marina Shafir enter to start smashing Storm who responds with a Thesz Press and some ground and pound. Wheeler Yuta comes in and Storm yanks off his beanie to expose his bald head. Yuta scampers away through the crowd and Shafir glares at Storm from the aisle. Storm claims Yuta’s beanie and we go to commercials.

Hook runs into Anthony Bowens while recruiting, and Bowens offers to join the Opps as he and Hook are apparently good friends. Hook says it’s business, and wants to know if Bowens is a “killer”. Hook says he’ll think about it, and he and camera-person Katsuyori Shibata leave.

Julia Hart and Skye Blue vs Thunder Rosa and Kris Statlander

Hart and Rosa start and Rosa takes the early advantage with chops. Rosa rams Hart into a couple of top turnbuckles and then smashes her with a couple dropkicks. Rosa positions Hart for a running lariat and covers her for two. Hart starts firing up with rights and then tags in Blue. Blue and Hart hit a double team facebuster and Blue covers Rosa for one. Rosa runs Blue into her corner and mashes her with a lariat. Statlander tags in and she wallops Blue with a running knee. Statlander hits a sit-out driver that gets a two count. Hart tags in and runs into a Statlander reverse thrust. Hart fights her way out of the corner but runs into a Statlander slam. Blue mashes Statlander with a boot during a tope attempt and Hart snaps Statlander over the second rope before Blue wallops Statlander with a running boot. We go to commericals.

Blue and Hart are working over Statlander in their corner when the show returns. Hart wrenches Statlander’s arm over the top rope but Statlander fights her way out of a double team. Statlander crawls over and tags in Rosa who starts walloping Blue and Hart. Rosa hits a dropkick on Hart and then flies over to do the same to Blue. Hart breaks up Rosa’s cover and then gets a tag from Blue. Rosa hits a cutter and tags Statlander. Statlander hits a pump kick and then runs into a Blue swinging neckbreaker. Everyone hits moves and Blue and Hart finally get the advantage by hitting double kicks on Statlander. Rosa breaks up Hart’s cover at two and everyone is down. They all start slugging it out and Hart dumps Rosa to the floor. Rosa drags Hart out with her and Statlander crushes Blue with a German. Statlander hits Staturday Night Fever on Hart as Rosa gets a blind tag. Rosa hits a package driver on Hart and covers her for three.

Rosa is being positioned as a challenger for Thekla’s world title this Wednesday so this finish makes sense, but it feels like Thekla is SO far and above Blue and Hart at this point I’m not sure how much of a thing this actually is. Statlander just seems to be along for the ride at the moment unless they’re going to turn her heel again. I would not advise doing that, but my thoughts are pretty meaningless on this stuff clearly. This was heatless as this crowd is just deader than dead at this point. 2.5*

Winners – Statlander/Rosa (Rosa package driver on Hart)

Post-match sees AEW Women’s World Champion Thekla come out and call Rosa and Statlander “dumb bitches”. Thekla orders Statlander to tell Rosa how she messed her up and says she doesn’t fight to win, she fights to kill and wants Rosa to retire. Thekla calls Statlander and Rosa “the past of the AEW women’s division” and says it now belongs to her. We go to commercials.

Andrade El Idolo vs Tomohiro Ishii

Don Callis is out with Andrade and joins the announce team as usual. Andrade gives a clean break after pushing Ishii into a corner. Schiavone says Collision has been amazing, and well, I beg to differ. Ishii starts throwing rights and then tries to dump Andrade, but he’s tranquilo. Andrade gets mounted on a top turnbuckle and Ishii comes up to join him. Andrade hits a headbutt and a cross-body before covering and getting two. Ishii trucks Andrade but then runs right into an Andrade dropkick. Andrade gets dumped on his face on the apron and then Ishii runs him back in. Ishii starts throwing knife-edge chops but run into an Andrade big boot when he charges. Andrade hits a pump kick and covers Ishii for two. They go to the floor and Andrade smashes Ishii’s head into the announce table a couple of times. Andrade finds the weekly female plant in the audience and grabs a selfie with her. We go to commercials.

Andrade hits Ishii with a back suplex, but Ishii immediately springs up with one of his own. Callis leaps off the desk to pump up Andrade. Ishii fires some chops off and then yanks Andrade up for a Saito suplex. Andrade fires up with Three Amigos and covers Ishii for two. Andrade misses a charge and Ishii pulls him into a German. Ishii hits a headbutt and then waffles Andrade with a running lariat before covering and getting two. They start slugging it out and Andrade catches Ishii’s charge and smashes him face-first into a second turnbuckle. Andrade hits a running meteora and covers Ishii for two. Andrade pulls Ishii to the center of the ring and ascends. Andrade hits the moonsault press and covers Ishii for two. Andrade gets caught with an enziguri and then crushes Andrade with a running lariat. Andrade hits a back elbow and covers Ishii for two. Andrade pulls Ishii into the DM and covers him for three.

At least this was competitive fun. Ishii never wins singles on television with AEW but he was at least given some solid offense tonight. Andrade seems to be trying right now, and that’s a good thing for the company and him, but I’d keep him motivated, you know? This gimmick with the audience plants is kind of dumb, though. This was fine, they both worked hard, the dead crowd woke up and bit and was into it, and so the only complaint I have is that again this had a wildly predictable outcome. 3.5*

Winner – Andrade (DM)

Post-match sees Bandido emerge to walk towards the ring. Andrade removes his pants as Bandido offers a handshake. Andrade spits on Bandido in response, and Bandido points his fingers at him while pointing to the Revolution sign. Schiavone runs down upcoming matches and we close out the show.

Not a great effort tonight show-wise, but these taped Collisions are always very much on the miss side of “hit and miss”. Thumbs leaning down and I know that these shows are easier economically and for the talent, but it’s just not compelling television. Knight-MJF feels fresh, at least, but MJF is not losing prior to Revolution. There’s also the women’s title match with Thekla and Rosa for Wednesday night, so if Rosa is on, that could be fun as well. You don’t have to seek this episode of Collision out unless you really want to.

Thanks for reading and commenting. Have a good Sunday.