Collision Review – 04.11.26

In case you missed SK’s Dynamite review, you can catch up now!

Collision comes to the TNT airwaves tonight with a show that was recorded after Dynamite on April 8th, 2026 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The announcers for tonight’s show are 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. This is the go-home show for Dynasty, so let’s watch some wrestling!

Ricochet is BALD (and kind of a dipshit) so this is extra-funny.

AEW World Trios Championships: Jet Speed (Kevin Knight and “Speedball” Mike Bailey) and Mistico (C) vs The Dogs (Gabe Kidd, Clark Connors, and David Finlay)

Kidd decides to have words with Schiavone as the champions are entering, and Schiavone calls him “psychotic” shortly thereafter. It’s Mistico and Finlay to start, but the Dogs attack en masse just after the bell. Everyone goes to the floor for more Dogs mauling, and then Kidd and Bailey end up back in the ring. Kidd mocks the Crane pose in front of Bailey, who fires up with with a rana and a dropkick that sends Kidd to the floor. Connors mashes Bailey from behind, and then eats a Knight flying armdrag. Connors gets dumped and Finlay charges in to dump Knight as well. Finlay eats a rana from Mistico that sends him to the floor, and then Mistico does the same to Connors. Kidd flies in with a big right to Mistico, and they slug it out a bit. Everyone comes back in for more fisticuffs. Shockingly, everyone ends up back on the floor and the champs have the advantage. Bailey high fives some fans after smashing Kidd into a barricade. Mistico bites at Finlay’s head and then the champs go back into the ring to make the first actual tags of the match. The Dogs will have none of that and yank Mistico and Bailey to the floor. We go to commercials.

Finlay is working over Knight with a rear chinlock when the show returns. Knight fires up with a dropkick and tags in Mistico. Mistico hits a rana on Finlay that sends him to the floor, and then Kidd and Connors charge in. Kidd gets dumped and Mistico chops Connors a bit before hitting an escalera armdrag that sends Connors to the floor. The champs hit stereo tope suicidas and celebrate with the crowd. Back in the ring Kidd causes havoc in the champs corner while Finlay and Connors double team Knight. Connors hits a spear and covers Knight for two as Bailey breaks i tup. Finlay sends him to the floor and Connors levels Mistico with an uppercut. Kidd rushes in and eats a Bailey thrust kick and then Bailey hits Kidd with a moonsault to the floor. Knight wants the UFO splash but Connors charges in to prevent it. Mistico wallops Connors with a cazadora and Knight’s UFO splash attempt meets Finlay’s left leg. Kidd piledrives Mistico and then clubbers Knight around. Bailey hits a Shooting Star knee drop on Kidd’s back and then drops him with a thrust kick. Bailey rolls up Kidd and gets two but then eats an immediate high-low combo from Finlay and Connors. Kidd mashes Knight with a running lariat and then piledrives Bailey. Connors and Finlay crush Bailey with a combo piledriver/second rope spear and Kidd covers Bailey for three.

It’s felt like Knight will be doing something different in singles so I’m not surprised at this result. This was typical AEW tag team action in terms of very little selling, almost no coherent tagging, and everyone just hitting move after move after move. They spent an inordinate amount of time on the floor, but the finish was at least clean and the heels won outright. I would assume Jet Speed go their separate ways and Mistico can do some higher-level singles stuff now, while Kidd, Connors and Finlay can concentrate on these titles. 2.5*

Winners AND NEW AEW Trios Champions – The Dogs (Combo piledriver/second rope spear on Bailey)

Post-match sees Roderick Strong and Orange Cassidy appear on the video board to challenge the Dogs but Cassidy has apparently forgot to call the third member of their team. This will take place at Dynasty! I’ll guess Mark Briscoe for the MYSTERY MAN OF MYSTERY.

Will Ospreay is with Francesco Akira, Henare, and IWGP Heavyweight Champion Callum Newman. Newman says after winning the title in Ryogoku “Big Brother Bill” made a call for some backup and they stand together as a brotherhood. Ospreay says Moxley and him will do battle on Sunday without any backup at ringside, and Ospreay can’t wait.

Lexy Nair caught up with Kris Statlander and Hikaru Shida as they made their decision to team up.

Kris Statlander and Hikaru Shida vs Ava Lawless and Gigi Rey

Shida starts with Ray and smashes her around a bunch as Schiavone mentions that Harley Cameron is distraught over Statlander teaming with Shida instead of her. Shida hits a Michinoku Driver as Statlander tags herself in. Rey tags in and gets a short flurry but Statlander responds with a suplex and a package suplex. Statlander hits Staturday Night Fever and covers Rey for three.

The story here appears to be that Statlander is sort of doing this reluctantly. Shida was wildly unhappy about losing to Willow Nightingale last week so we’ll see what all of this leads to, but if it’s a Statlander heel turn…. 1*

Winners – Statlander/Shida (Staturday Night Fever on Rey)

Post-match sees a thumbs up and a double high five after it looked like Shida might attack Statlander.

Here’s Hyan and Maya World cutting a promo about coming for Divine Dominion who they’ll face during the Dynasty pre-show. I don’t like your chances, ladies. We go to commercials.

Here’s Jon Moxley with the Death Riders when the show returns. Moxley congratulates the United Empire on surviving their recent match and says the Death Riders thrive in the chaos. Moxley says there’s no other group like his and no one can run with them. Moxley knows Will Ospreay wants to break his neck but he may have gone too far wanting 20 minutes alone with Moxley. Moxley says it’s the Riders against the world, and Daniel Garcia emphasizes it.

Rush vs Anthony Bowens

The winner of this gets the #2 spot in the TNT Championship Casino Gauntlet match at Dynasty with Tommaso Ciampa holding #1. There’s some grappling to start and they truck each other before going nose to nose. They slug it out and a chop battle breaks out. Rush stomps on Bowens in a corner and then kicks him in the face before letting everyone know things are tranquilo. Rush eats a pump kick from Bowens followed by Bowens clubbering away. Rush bails to the floor and Bowens goes out after to ram him into a barricade a couple of times. Bowens bounces Rush’s head off the ring steps before barking at the camera about taking #2. (Anthony, you have to do that prior to the match, bro.) Rush gets bounced around again as we go to commercials.

Bowens hits a Ruff Ryder when the show returns and covers Rush for two. Rush fires up with a running splash and a shotgun dropkick. Rush bullies Bowens around and another chop battle breaks out. They slug it out mid-ring and Rush yanks Bowens into a half-and-half suplex that gets two. Bowens fires up with a kaman giri and drops Rush with a twisting DDT. Bowens covers and gets two. Rush fires up by tossing a charging Bowens back first into a turnbuckle but walks right into a Bowens reverse thrust kick. Bowens hits a running knee strike and covers Rush for two. Rush yanks a charging Bowens into a release German before smashing him with a running shotgun dropkick. Bowens goes to the floor and Rush rams him into the barricade before clubbering him a bunch. Rush slides Bowens back in and puts the boots to him in a corner, and then calls for The Horns. Rush hits The Horns and covers Bowens for three.

Lots of chops in this one. Like, a LOT. Rush really didn’t sell too much for Bowens, but he never really does. Bowens twisting DDT was pretty gnarly and he should keep that move around as long as he feels safe enough doing it. Rush moves on to the Casino Gauntlet while Bowens storyline maybe continues on with what’s left of the Opps? I don’t know, other than Excal continuing to mention it Hook and Shibata have basically disappeared. Anyway. 2*

Winner – Rush (The Horns)

Here’s Lexy Nair with The Brawling Birds. The Birds will be in action tonight against Marina Shafir and AEW Women’s Champion Thekla tonight before battling them in singles matches at Dynasty. They promise violence tonight and tomorrow. We go to commercials.

The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin) vs Andy Anderson and Mo Jabari

No word on if Andy Anderson is part of the legendary Anderson family, but I’m guessing not. MVP is out with Lashley and Benjamin. Lashley starts with Anderson and Anderson eats some back elbows before getting trucked by Lashley. Lashley hits a vertical suplex and Jabari tags in. Jabari hits Lashley from behind while he’s consulting with Benjamin, so Lashley no-sells all of it and tags in Benjamin. Benjamin eats a chop in a corner and Anderson gets a blind tag as Benjamin tosses Jabari halfway across the ring. Anderson gets dropped by Lashley, who then spears Anderson out of his shoes. Benjamin hits a superkick on Anderson and covers him for three.

This wasn’t an act I was dying to see come back, despite my longtime fondness for Shelton Benjamin. Doing a squash on Collision doesn’t really indicate what the plans might be for them anyway. 1*

Winners – The Hurt Syndicate (Benjamin superkick on Anderson)

Here’s Lexy Nair with Harley Cameron and Mina Shirakawa. Cameron ruminates about her tag team breaking up and Shirakawa says there’s only one thing to do. She produces a bottle of champagne and a half-filled glass. Cameron takes the bottle and downs it while Shirakawa has the contents of the glass.

The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) vs CMLL World Heavyweight Champion Hechicero and El Clon

Rocky Romero is out with the Callis guys, which means he can’t be pinned in this match! Good for you, Rocky. The Bucks are facing Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita tomorrow at Dynasty, so they get to beat the Mexican section of the Don Callis Family before facing the Japanese section. It’s nice when it works out that way.

It’s Matt and Clon to start and there’s some acrobatics to start. Hechicero charges in and Matt takes them out with a combo rana/armdrag. Nick tags in and he gets dumped by a combo sunset flip/German suplex. The Bucks hit stereo ranas and celebrate a bit, but Clon tries to cut off the flurry. That doesn’t last long as the Bucks hit the double team Destino on Clon before Nick covered and got two. Clon and Nick slug it out and Clon wallops Matt with a lifted knee. Clon ties up Matt in the ring ropes while Hechicero drops Matt with an X-Factor. Clon and Hechicero double team Matt but he sends Clon to the floor before hitting Sliced Bread on Hechicero. Matt hits Sliced Bread on Clon on the floor (Exactly none of this is being called by the announcers by the way, who insist on talking about everything but the match happening in front of them. Just let fucking Excal call the match, Tony, for fucks sake.) Hechicero crushes Nick with a running knee and then smashes Matt with a Black Hole Slam that gets two. We go to commercials.

Hechicero has an abdominal stretch on Matt when the show returns, before smashing him with a shotgun dropkick. Clon tags in and Matt hits back to back Northern Lights suplexes. Hechicero flies in and gets caught in a double Northern Lights as Matt finally tags in Nick. Nick hits a double cross body and then drives both Clon and Hechicero down tothe mat. Clon gets dumped to the apron and Nick smashes a charging Hechicero. Nick hits a top rope rana on Clon and then hits a Canadian Destroyer on Hechicero that gets two. Clon breaks that up and a recovered Matt comes in. The Bucks get dumped to the apron and they hit stereo sunset flips that turn into Scorpion Deathlocks. Clon and Hechicero break out of the holds and hit superkicks on the Bucks before driving them together. Clon and Hechicero hit stereo jackknife pins that both get two. There’s a superkick party from the Bucks and everyone hits stereo clotheslines as Schiavone yells “WHAT A MATCH UP”. The Bucks superkick Clon and then want the Meltzer Driver, but Hechicero prevents it. Hechicero puts Nick into a rear naked choke and just escapes as Matt flies in with a frog splash that gets two. The Bucks miss a BTE Trigger but catch Clon for an Indytaker that gets three.

If you enjoy the Young Bucks style of tag wrestling, this was right up your alley. I suspect that tomorrow evening’s match won’t be at this pace or have this much chaos, but we’ll see. 3*

Winners – The Young Bucks (Indytaker on Clon)

Here’s a highlights package on the Chris Jericho-Ricochet confrontation from Dynamite. They’ll meet at Dynasty.

AEW International Championship: Kazuchika Okada (C) vs Myron Reed

Okada has Don Callis and Lance Archer with him, while Zach Wentz and Dezmond Xavier are out with Reed. Callis joins the announce desk as usual. Okada doesn’t give a clean break and starts booting away at Reed in a corner. Reed gets tossed back into the corner after a short flurry and then clotheslined to the apron. Reed baits Okada in and hits a legdrop and an enizguri. Reed hits a springboard dropkick and Okada bails to the floor. Reed hits a thrust kick, but Okada prevents a springboard move and dropkicks Reed while he’s mounted on a top turnbuckle. We go to commercials.

Okada plants Reed with a DDT when the show returns, and Okada’s cover gets two. Okada hits a body slam and ascends, but his elbow drop attempt meets Reed’s knees. Reed slaps on a crucifix and gets two. Okada gets dropped into a jawbreaker and both guys are down as we reset. Reed nips up and smashes Okada with some forearms. Reed avoids a bunch of stuff and smashes Okada with another enziguri. Reed hits a kaman giri and a guillotine legdrop that gets two. Reed hits a tope con hilo and then runs Okada back in. Okada catches a springboard move and drops Reed with a neckbreaker. Okada slams Reed and ascends again and this time he hits the big elbow drop. Okada flips the bird at the crowd and pulls Reed up to waffle him with a dropkick. Reed yanks Okada up and drops him with a Hang Five facebreaker. Reed hits a running cutter that goes over the top rope to the floor. Reed runs Okada back in and his springboard 450 meets Okada’s knees. Okada yanks Reed up and gets rolled up for two. Okada pulls Reed up for the Tombstone piledriver and then mashes him with the Rainmaker. Okada’s cover gets three.

Hey, this was kind of fun for a match with a wildly predictable outcome. If you accept that Okada is working at his pace now and just go with it, he’s still a guy who gets the nuts and bolts of pro wrestling down to the tiniest details. Reed was game here and Okada gave him a lot of offense including that sweet over the top rope cutter to the floor. Match of the night for me thus far. 3.5*

Winner AND STILL AEW International Champion – Kazuchika Okada (Rainmaker)

Here’s AEW TBS Champion Willow Nightingale to talk about waiting to defend against anyone at any time. Hey, maybe Mercedes will finally come back for that title since she’s lost every other one she had. TUNE INTO NITRO, ER, DYNAMITE, OR MAYBE DYNASTY, OR NEXT WEEK’S THURSDAY NIGHT COLLISION TO FIND OUT!

Here’s AEW Women’s Tag Team Champions Lena Kross and Megan Bayne to chat about Hyan and Maya World challenging them for Zero Hour at Dynasty. Bayne says they’re accepting the challenge but that Hyan and World are beneath them and are just there for entertainment. Schiavone runs down the Zero Hour card followed by the current Dynasty card.

AEW Women’s World Champion Thekla and Marina Shafir vs The Brawling Birds (Alex Windsor and Jamie Hayter)

Shafir whips her dirty socks at Tony Schiavone prior to the Birds coming out. More people should whip clothing at Tony in my opinion. Someone should pelt Jim Ross with a shoe when he inevitably comes back to babble over a main event. A Pier Six breaks out immediately and the Birds get dumped to the floor. Thekla and Shafir go out and everyone battles out there for a bit. The bell hasn’t rung yet as Aubrey Edwards desperately tries to get people to come into the ring. Thekla chats with some fans after crushing Hayter into the barricade before choking her with the rubber grommet that rings the top of the barricade. Thekla stops to chat with the announcing team as she continues smashing Hayter around. Shafir and Windsor are slugging it out and Windsor finally gets the bell after running Shafir in. Hayter and Windsor chop Shafir and then mash a charging Thekla down. Shafir and Thekla fire up and Shafir mashes Windsor with a release German. We go to commercials.

Shafir kicks Windsor around but finds herself trapped in the ropes as Windsor fires up with some chops as the show returns. Windsor hits a draping DDT on Shafir and tags in Hayter. Hayter drops Shafir with a series of release Germans and then hammers Shafir with a back elbow and a second rope dropkick. Hayter gets pulled into a guillotine before Shafir boots her directly in the face. Thekla tags in and bullies Hayter around with some kicks. Thekla puts on an octopus and uses Shafir for leverage when Windsor complains. Shafir dumps a charging Windsor. Hayter breaks out of the octopus but gets dumped by Shafir who then gets immediately trucked by Windsor. Thekla spears Windsor and then gets caught by a Hayter headbutt as everyone is down. Shafir gets a tag as does Windsor and they slug it out. Shafir hits some kicks but gets dropped by a big right hand from Windsor. Thekla prevents Hayter from hitting Two Birds, One Stone. Hayter drops Thekla with a kick and then her and Windsor manage to complete Two Birds, One Stone on Shafir before Windsor covers and gets three.

That was a physical brawl right there. It’s nice to see people make a choreographed fight look like a real fight once in awhile. I don’t think Hayter is winning the title tomorrow night based off this result tonight, but that’s conditioning from watching years of “whomever stands tall on the go-home means they aren’t winning at the PPV”. We’ll see how it all goes. This was fun for what it was. 3*

Winners – The Brawling Birds (Two Birds, One Stone on Shafir)

Taped Collisions run the gamut, truly. Some are good, some are very bad with burned out crowds, and then some go to a ridiculous category like tonight’s did. Everyone was in a mood to just get things done and move on to Vancouver, but the crowd stayed with them throughout the taping and popped a bunch for the main event brawl. I’d call tonight’s show very firmly thumbs in the middle, because the squashes were just content and not everything clicked. The trios match title change was unexpected, and the Okada-Reed and main event matches made up for a pretty mid collection of other matches.

Thanks for reading and commenting. Enjoy Dynasty!