Collision Review – 06.20.26

In case you missed it, or just like the comments section, here’s SK’s review of this week’s Dynamite.

Collision was recorded on Wednesday June 17th after Dynamite ended at the Smart Financial Center in Houston, TX. The announcers for tonight’s show will be Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Nigel McGuinness on match calls and analysis, Arkady Aura on ring introductions, and Lexy Nair on interviews and breaking news. We are just a week away from Forbidden Door and lots of things are happening around that card, so let’s see what tonight brings. Let’s watch some wrestling!

Shoutout to our pal Adam Cole, come back soon dude.

The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) and Jack Perry vs The Lethal Twist (Jay Lethal, Blake Christian, and Lee Johnson)

Schiavone calls Perry “one of the most successful AEW wrestlers in the history of the company” and I’m not so sure, but okay Tony, go off. It’s Nick and Christian to start, and Christian decides to greet Nick’s offer of a handshake with the middle finger and a kick to the gut. Christian pounds away with a rights and instantly manages to get caught in a Nick-Matt double team maneuver that Rick Knox lets happen without caring if anyone made a tag. The Bucks hit a neckbreaker-backbreaker combo on a charging Johnson and then Perry comes in (without a tag) to drive Lethal down with a rana. Perry clotheslines Lethal to the floor while the Bucks hit stereo bulldogs on the helpless Christian and Johnson. The Bucks hit a double team buckle bomb-enziguri on Christian and Perry tags in. Perry smashes Johnson and Christian with back-to-back tope suicidas and then yanks Lethal throat-first over the top rope. Perry tries a moonsault but Christian sees it coming and waffles Perry with a superkick. The Bucks immediately crush Christian and Johnson with a Nick flying cross-body. Perry dumps Christian back in and the faces start a conveyor belt that ends with a triple dropkick on Christian. Perry covers and gets two. A Christian irish whip sends Perry into Johnson’s knee and Lethal charges over to drop Nick off the ring apron. Christian and Johnson hit some double team stuff on the Bucks and Lethal joins in with a tope on Matt. This flurry ends with a double dropkick on a helpless Perry who’s in the Tree of Woe, followed by a Christian moonsault to the floor on Matt. We go to commercials.

Perry is being triple-teamed when the show returns because Rick Knox is literally terrible at his job. Lethal slaps on a Figure Four and Perry manages to break out of it but of course he crawls to the heel corner. Lethal imitates Ric Flair while Perry uses that time to recover and send Johnson careening to the floor with a top rope rana. Perry stupidly crawls back in the ring on the heel side instead of, you know, just walking over to where the Bucks are standing and entering there. Lethal starts pounding away but Perry shakes all that off and mashes Lethal with a lariat. Matt tags in and he runs over all the heels before crushing Johnson and Christian with a double lariat. The Bucks hit a bunch of double team stuff on Johnson that ends with Johnson being suplexed onto a hapless Christian. Christian gets draped over the top rope and Nick hits a top rope double-stomp that sends Christian into a Matt powerbomb. Lethal breaks up Matt’s cover at two. Nick sends Johnson and Lethal flying and the Bucks go up for moves, but the countdown allows Christian and Johnson to spring up for some fisticuffs. The Bucks shake that off for stereo powerbombs and Sharpshooters. Lethal slaps the Snare Trap on Lethal and Christian manages to make the ropes. Perry tags in and he and Lethal go toe-to-toe mid-ring. Lethal hits a neckbreaker-backbreaker and wants the Lethal Injection, so the Bucks fly in and stop that from happening. McGuinness actually questions Rick Knox’s ability during all this while Christian and Johnson hit stereo bulldogs on the Bucks. Lethal hits a double Lethal Injection on the Bucks while Perry eats a Johnson thrust kick. Johnson and Christian hit a double stomp/Death Valley Driver combo on Perry, and Lethal flies in with a Savage Elbow. Perry kicks out at two. Perry fires up against a triple team and Lethal manages to run over Christian with a clothesline. Lethal backdrops Perry onto the ramp and the Bucks are sent out and down by Christian and Johnson. The Bucks toss a charging Perry over the top rope where he dropkicks Lethal. The Bucks hit stereo superkicks on Johnson and Christian before Perry sneaks in to hit a double poison rana on them. Perry hits a moonsault to the floor on Lethal and Johnson while the Meltzer Driver from the Bucks onto Christian ends things.

I think the Bucks have a pretty healthy respect for Jay Lethal so despite Lethal being a complete jobber at this point, they always manage to give these guys plenty of offense. Christian and Shotty are not a bad team at all and in a different world, they get a push up the card at some point and maybe make some noise. Being stuck with Lethal doesn’t help them at all, though. You know how Bucks matches go at this point in terms of selling and psychology so there’s no need to walk that ground again. 3*

Winners – The Young Bucks/Perry (Meltzer Driver on Christian)

Here’s Lexy Nair with Kris Statlander, Mina Shirakawa, and Harley Cameron backstage. Nair wants to know if Statlander and Shirakawa are still friends prior to their Survival of the Fittest qualifier that’s happening tonight. Shirakawa tells Statlander that she told her about Shida and Shirakawa wants to fight tonight because she’s never held a title in AEW before. Statlander points out that she beat Shirakawa the last time they faced off and will do it again. Cameron intervenes to point out that she’ll be on commentary tonight and will win her qualifier next week to face one of them in the big Survival match. Cameron orders a handshake which happens as we go to commercials.

When the show returns, Nair is now with Hikaru Shida who qualified for Survival of the Fittest last week. Shida says that whomever wins tonight will get her in the Survival match and TBS will stand for The Best (is) Shida after she wins. Shida appears to insult Nair in Japanese before leaving.

Harley Cameron joins the announce team as Excalibur puts over her history with both Statlander and Shirakawa.

Survival of the Fittest Qualifier Match: Mina Shirakawa vs Kris Statlander

Statlander has never lost a singles match on Collision according to Schiavone. Shirakawa works a side headlock to start and Statlander rolls her over for a one count. Shirakawa gets run into a corner and Statlander fires off some uppercuts. Shirakawa shakes that off and nails Statlander with a bulldog. Shirakawa slips a charge and yanks Statlander throat-first over the top rope. Shirakawa hits a rope-assisted torneo and covers Statlander for two. Shirakawa ascends and Statlander catches her with some rights before hoisting her up for a shoulder-first drop to the apron. We go to commercials.

They’re on the floor when the show returns, and both roll in. Statlander gets caught in a helicopter armdrag and Shirakawa follows with a discus forearm. Shirakawa hits a draping DDT and covers Statlander for two. They start slugging it out and Statlander ends that with a discus lariat. Statlander gets dumped to the floor and Shirakawa ascends for a cross-body. Shirakawa tosses Statlander in and ascends again for a shotgun dropkick that gets two. Shirakawa eats a thrust kick and Statlander yanks her up for Staturday Night Fever before covering and getting two. Statlander gets rolled over for two, and she responds with a jackknife roll up on Shirakawa that gets two. There’s a series of roll ups and Statlander manages to score a three count.

I thought this was fine but kind of heatless since the crowd likes both of these people and don’t typically want to boo or root against them. I think at some point you have to give Mina something singles-wise but I guess it’s not meant to be right now. Statlander likes chaos matches so she’s solid for Survival of the Fittest. 2.25*

Winner – Kris Statlander (roll up)

Statlander offers a handshake post-match which is accepted. Cameron charges down from commentary to hug everyone.

Here’s the Bang Bang Gang making a commercial for JUICE ROBINSON’S SPAY AND NEUTER CLINIC FOR LOST DOGS. Juice Robinson says the Dogs have an appointment booked and it can be a home visit if they don’t show up. The phone number for the clinic is 1-800-GUNS UP and I would not call that number if I were you.

Here’s a pensive Jack Perry talking about Zack Sabre Jr going out of his way to help Perry adjust to life in Japan the first time Perry visited there. Perry wants to test himself against ZSJ on Dynamite and then he’ll pick up the tab at the bar because winners always pay.

The Hurt Syndicate (Bob Lashley and Shelton Benjamin) vs Warren Johnson and Zack Mason

MVP accompanies Lashley and Benjamin. Lashley offers a handshake and one of these goofs decides its a good idea to slap him in response. The jobbers double team Lashley and then get utterly destroyed by Benjamin and Lashley. Benjamin comes in and Germans one guy halfway across the ring and Lashley follows with a spear on the other one that finishes things.

Did you know that butter was so precious to Norsemen that they were sometimes buried with it after passing away? Well now you do. .5*

Winners – The Hurt Syndicate (Lashley spear)

Post-match sees MVP grab a mic to tell everyone that they are merchants of misery and purveyors of pain. They aren’t interested in competing for titles, they just want to beat people up for money. MVP says they are businessmen and are in the business of HURT. MVP says if you want someone’s ass whipped properly all you have to do is show up with some cash. MVP gets a “We hurt people!” chant going.

The Sky Flight group is backstage and Christopher Daniels tells Dante Martin that he’ll be working singles tonight against Mistico. Daniels tells them that Matt Sydal is back and Sky Flight has his back. Sydal says he’s going to higher heights that have ever been seen before. I hear sativa is best for that, Matt. We go to commercials.

Nigel McGuinness is in the ring when the show returns, and he introduces Tommaso Ciampa. Ciampa enters, and McGuinness announces Chris Jericho. Jericho is shirtless and I wish he wasn’t, but the crowd likes his song so I guess it all balances out. McGuinness says the ball is in Jericho’s court and Jericho says if Ciampa wanted a serious Chris Jericho he’s got it. Jericho knows how good Ciampa is but isn’t sure Ciampa has he same respect for him. Jericho promises that every version of him is going to kick Ciampa’s ass. Ciampa takes the mic and says that this is the Jericho that he’s wanted from the beginning. Ciampa says he’s got an idea for July 8th in Clearwater, FL at Beach Break and it’s for Jericho to bring all his friends and family so they can find out that Ciampa is better than him. Jericho says yes to that and tonight, we fight. They go to the floor and Ciampa tries to escape to the floor, and Ciampa decides to go low to stop Jericho’s momentum. Ciampa runs Jericho into the ring steps and then starts smashing his head into them. Ciampa pulls a cameraman over and busts Jericho’s head open with rights before running him back in. Ciampa drops the knee pad and crushes Jericho with a running knee. Ciampa gives Jericho a kiss on the cheek and then tells Jericho that he’s going to whoop his ass at Beach Break.

PAC has challenged IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion Shota Umino for Forbidden Door.

Dante Martin vs Mistico

Mistico’s entrance theme remains undefeated, friends. Christopher Daniels remains at ringside with Martin. Mistico offers a handshake which is accepted. Martin works a side headlock and Mistico reverses. Schiavone announces a three way tag team match for Forbidden Door with Shingo and Titan of Unbound Company facing The Young Bucks and Mistico/Mascara Dorada. Mistico hits a cross body and Martin responds with a back elbow. Mistico misses a charge and tumbles out, and Martin follows with a couple of topes that drive Mistico into the barricade. Martin gets caught by an enziguri and Mistico hits his own tope as we reset. Mistico rises first and drives Martin back in before ascending. Martin springs up and smashes Mistico with an overhead suplex. Mistico grabs his knee and Martin starts working it as we go to commercials.

Mistico hits a springboard coffin drop type move and then mashes Martin with an enziguri. Mistico hits a cross body and a torneo from the ring to the floor. Mistico runs Martin back in and covers him for two. Mistico stomps on Martin’s hand and they start slugging it out. Mistico tricks Martin into accepting a reverse thrust kick and then they crush each other with simultaneous kicks. Daniels tries to gee up Martin but he gets caught by a Mistico enziguri. Mistico drops a leg and pulls Martin into place. Mistico ascends and meets Martins feet when he tries a moonsault. Martin rolls up Mistico for two. Mistico prevents an irish whip and then wallops Martin with a snap powerslam. Mistico ascends but he misses a springboard before Martin pulls him into a package powerbomb that gets two. Martin ascends but Mistico catches him with a kaman giri. Mistico ascends and waffles Martin with a Spanish Fly that finishes things.

I think Mistico likes to have fun once in awhile and this match seemed to be him having a bit of fun. Martin was game as he always is, and functionally this was fine. Whenever they tape Collision after Dynamite you can tell when the crowd has kind of reached it’s apex of caring and I think they popped for the entrance and sat on their hands for pretty much everything else. Mistico got a pop for winning but it would have probably been much louder had this match happened during the Dynamite portion of the evening. 3*

Winner – Mistico (Top rope Spanish Fly)

Post-match sees Mistico get another nice hand from the crowd as his entrance theme plays again.

The Demand are backstage and Ricochet has words for AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita. Ricochet claims that Takeshita is afraid of him and is using the Don Callis Family drama as a shield. Ricochet wants Takeshita to man up, but stops to throw out a bunch of insults to Matt Sydal. We go to commercials.

The Dogs are backstage when the show returns, and they seem put out by Cope and Cage comparing themselves to the Dogs. David Finlay says they can’t teach him anything, and Clark Connors says that Cope and Cage should bring all their old man stuff to face them. Finlay promises to teach a cold hard truth when they take the AEW Tag Team Championships at Forbidden Door.

PAC vs Jay Alexander

Jon Moxley joins commentary for some reason, while Marina Shafir stalks around ringside. Alexander gets bullied to a corner and PAC grabs a side headlock. PAC fires off a back elbow and a lariat that drops Alexander mid-ring. Alexander goes to the floor and eats a Shafir pump kick before PAC goes out to run him back in. PAC fires off some kicks and ascends for a missile dropkick. PAC runs the ropes for a huge lariat and slaps on the Brutalizer to end things.

Did you know that ducks have different accents depending on where they live? Well, now you do. .5*

Winner – PAC (Brutalizer)

Here’s Thunder Rosa mentioning that she’s been in CMLL for a bit but has been keeping an eye on things. Rosa throws out a challenge to Divine Dominion for the tag titles and says she’ll bring someone from CMLL with her to go for them. WHO WILL HER PARTNER BE?

Adam Priest vs Zack Sabre Jr.

McGuinness puts over ZSJ’s abilities after Schiavone reminds everyone that Nigel faced ZSJ at last year’s Forbidden Door. ZSJ works a wrist lock and drives Priest to the mat. There’s a reset as Schiavone announces ZSJ vs Jack Perry and Young Bucks vs Bad Dude Tito and Mikey Nicholls for Dynamite. ZSJ targets Priest’s arm and drives him to the ropes for a slap. Priest hits a chop and an uppercut before snapping ZSJ over in a suplex that gets two. ZSJ kicks Priest in the left arm and then goes to SMALL JOINT MANIPULATION. ZSJ eats some chops and bails to the apron, so Priest charges over and gets caught in a draping wristlock. We go to commercials.

They crush each other with lariats when the show returns. ZSJ gets mashed in the knee by Priest but he fires up with some rights. They slug it out and Priest pulls ZSJ into a DDT that gets two. Priest works an ankle lock and drives ZSJ’s knee into the canvas a bunch. Priest eats a back elbow and ZSJ torques Priest’s already-hurt elbow. ZSJ stomps away and they start slugging it out again. ZSJ hits a chest kick and Priest fires off a chop block before grabbing a half-crab. ZSJ rolls into a double armlock and Priest gives up immediately.

Just a showcase for ZSJ, really, although Priest kept it interesting. ZSJ moves on to face Jack Perry on Wednesday night prior to seeing Kenny Omega at Forbidden Door. This was fine but you don’t need to go out of your way to see it. 3*

Winner – Zack Sabre Jr. (double armlock submission)

Divine Dominion have words for Thunder Rosa and they dare her to find a luchadora who has no idea what she’s going to be in for when they face them for the titles. We go to commercials.

Here’s a bloodied Chris Jericho thanking Tommaso Ciampa for the blood, but Ciampa won’t be thanking Jericho for what happens next.

Owen Hart Women’s Tournament Semi-Final Match: ROH Women’s World Champion Athena vs Maya World

The winner here gets to job to Mercedes at Forbidden Door. Athena kicks World down after bullying her to a corner. Athena grabs a side headlock and then gets trucked by World after some rope-running. There’s an exchange of covers as it’s announced that Thunder Rosa’s partner will be Olimpia when they face Divine Dominion on the Buy In show. Athena rolls World up for two. They exchange dropkicks and World wanders in to an Athena superkick. Athena hits some running elbows but World fires up and dumps her into a turnbuckle. World hits a hiptoss and smashes Athena with a shotgun dropkick. Athena bails to the apron and they slug it out before World hits a cannonball. Athena rolls through and yanks World over into a facebuster. We go to commercials.

World hits a reverse suplex from the second rope and then crushes Athena with a pair of uppercuts. World’s cover only gets one but she follows with a rana and a stomp. World ascends for a moonsault and covers for two. Athena grabs a roll up for one and then yanks World up for a powerbomb that gets two. Athena pulls World up but she slips off and nails Athena with a cutter that gets two. World wants a running knee but Athena catches her and curb stomps her from behind. Athena rolls up World for two. Athena ascends and World slips the attempt. World hits a bridging suplex and gets a LONG two. Athena bails to the floor and World catches her superkick attempt before driving Athena into the barricade. World ascends and drags Athena up to the barricade. Athena hits a uranage on World on the edge of the barricade. World manages to beat the count at nine as Athena stops it to drag World back in. Athena pie-faces World while berating her, and mentions her now-deceased brother. World of course starts pounding on Athena and walks into an Athena German suplex. Athena hits a springboard back elbow and follows with the O-Face. Athena is astounded when World kicks out at two. World grabs a quick roll up for two and immediately walks into a pair of Athena thrust kicks. Athena wanders into a World roll-up that gets three.

Athena almost never loses singles matches so this is a fairly huge upset, but World is getting a quick push right now so why not. This was a solid back and forth affair but it lagged at times. World fought well from underneath and Athena made sure to give her all the shine while getting her big spots in. No major issues here other than some pacing stuff, but that’s minor and didn’t really detract from anything too badly. 3.5*

Winner – Maya World (roll up)

Post-match sees a big hug between World and Athena before Mercedes Mone makes her way out to the ramp to stare down World. Mone heads to the ring to clap for World and give her a hug. Mone hypes up World and Athena attacks World from behind. Athena and Mone double team World before Mone slaps on the Statement Maker. Schiavone announces 85 matches in 30 seconds and we’re desperately out of time.

I wouldn’t say this was a memorable edition of Collision but it did have Zack Sabre Jr and Mistco wrestling on a Saturday night, so it can’t be all bad. I’m not sure what the Hurt Syndicate squash accomplished but it gave them something to do, I guess. The main event was fun and really sets up Maya World as the mega-underdog babyface for Forbidden Door, so we’ll see how all that goes with them trying to compete with Starlight-Thekla which will probably rule. This was definitely a mixed bag but I’ve seen worse, so we’ll all move on to Dynamite and Forbidden Door weekend.

Thanks for reading and commenting. Enjoy your Sunday.