Collision Review – 07.02.26

Dynamite was last night and SK covered it. Rebel has a t-shirt on shopaew.com and 100% of the proceeds are going to ALS research.

Collision was recorded after Dynamite went off the air last night and comes to us from the Viejas Arena in San Diego, CA. Nope, not making the Anchoman joke, sorry. The announcing team for tonight’s show consists of Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Nigel McGuinness on match calls and analysis, Arkady Aura on ring intros, and Lexy Nair and Renee Paquette on interviews and breaking news segments. There are nine (?!) matches on the card, so let’s apparently watch a LOT of wrestling!

They had him at one point.

PAC and Claudio Castignoli vs Shingo Takagi and Drilla Moloney

It’s PAC and Shingo to begin and they grapple and switch over a wristlock. There’s some mat grappling to a standoff and PAC gets some advice from Castignoli for what’s next. PAC grabs a side headlock for one and then Shingo trucks PAC after escaping. PAC snaps off a rana but gets trucked again in response. Castignoli and Moloney tag in. Castignoli escapes a side headlock and blasts Moloney with a shoulder twice. Moloney fires a shoulder back. There’s a chop exchange and Castignoli bullies Moloney to his corner and tags in PAC. Castignoli hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Moloney and PAC follows with a running stomp that gets one. Castignoli tags in and Moloney fires up with chops before tagging Shingo back in. Shingo pounds away with some rights and an uppercut battle breaks out. Shingo snaps off a gnarly looking implant neckbreaker and Moloney tags in. Shingo and Moloney drive PAC off the apron after Moloney trucks Castignoli down. We go to commercials.

PAC yanks Moloney to the Death Rider corner to tag Castignoli in when the show returns. Castignoli hits a double axe-handle and then womps Moloney’s arm over his shoulder. Moloney fires up and a chop battle breaks out. Castignoli ends it with a huge uppercut that gets two. Castignoli ties up Moloney and breaks off a neckbreaker with Shingo breaking up the cover at two. PAC tags in and blasts Moloney with a second-rope missile dropkick. PAC covers and gets two. Moloney fires up with a dropkick and crawls to tag in Shingo. Shingo misses a standing senton attempt and Castignoli charges in. Shingo suckers PAC and Castignoli in for a double DDT. Shingo snaps off a back suplex and covers PAC for two. Castignoli charges in to boot Shingo in the head before Moloney flies in to take Castignoli to the floor. Moloney punches Castignoli down while Shingo eats a step-up enziguri from PAC. Castignoli and Moloney get tags and an uppercut battle ensues. Moloney gets a backslide for two and then plants Castignoli with a spinebuster. Castignoli slips a charge and eats a big boot from Moloney when he charges. Moloney and Shingo hit bodyslams before ascending for elbow drops. Moloney covers Castignoli for two. Shingo tags in and nails Castignoli with a dragon screw before eating a high boot from PAC. PAC fires off a bunch of kicks on Moloney before nailing him with a release German. PAC runs into a Moloney powerbomb, and Moloney turns right into a Castignoli lariat. Shingo and Castignoli slug it out before Shingo ends up in the GIANT SWING. PAC blasts Shingo with a dropkick and Moloney breaks up Castignoli’s cover at two. PAC bullies Moloney towards the timekeepers area where he’s jumped from behind by Daniel Garcia. Castignoli and PAC start a conveyor belt on Shingo before PAC runs over Shingo with a lariat. Castignoli covers and gets two. Moloney starts kicking Garcia’s ass but PAC cuts that off. Shingo fights off Castignoli and PAC before murdering Castignoli with a lariat. Garcia sneaks in to save Castignoli as the ref is with PAC, but Shingo sends him to the floor with a lariat. Castignoli mashes Shingo with a uppercut and grabs a side headlock takeover for three.

I didn’t expect this to be this good but here we are. I think the Death Rider alignment switch was leaning down towards “heel” tonight with the Garcia interference, if you’re keeping score at home. This was a hell of an opener with actual tag rule enforcement and a pace that most people would call normal. No major complaints with this one. 3.75*

Winners – PAC/Castignoli (Castignoli uppercut/side headlock takeover)

Post-match sees a lot of verbals between the teams before Schiavone throws it to the back.

Lexy Nair is with AEW World Trios Champions Kyle O’Reilly, Roderick Strong and Orange Cassidy. Cassidy says the 12 man cage match at Forbidden Door was crazy and they were happy that Mark Briscoe got his title shot. O’Reilly says that he’s not sure when they’re going to see Briscoe again after his injuries during the title encounter with MJF. Tomohiro Ishii is also on the shelf, but they’re all excited for Willow Nightingale’s return. Nair asks about Lio Rush and Strong bellows her name. Strong says it’s fine and the Conglomeration stays in the present while defending their titles wherever and whenever. AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita slides into scene to say that he likes ELP but he wants Kyle Fletcher and hates [Kazuchika] Okada. We go to commercials.

Andrade El Idolo vs Brian Cage

Cage has Lance Archer and Don Callis with him. Andrade hits a tope con hilo on Archer and Cage prior to the bell before blasting Cage with right forearms. Callis joins the announcers while Andrade bashes Cage around. Cage finally fires off a clothesline before blasting Andrade in a corner. There’s a short chop battle that Cage wins before putting a boot on Andrade’s jaw. Cage slams Andrade and then drops a leg for one. Cage smashes Andrade but runs into a high boot when he charges. Andrade ranas Cage to the apron and then smashes him with a kaman giri that sends him to the floor. Andrade hits a springboard torneo and then finds the Only Fans Plant of the Week for a kiss and a selfie. Suddenly Callis hates this while on commentary. Andrade runs Cage back in but stops to bark at Archer. A recovered Cage blasts Andrade with a kick and then yanks him up and over with a second rope back suplex. Cage flexes as we go to commercials.

Andrade wins a mid-ring slugfest when the show returns before Cage blasts him with a lofted knee. Cage charges into a high boot but Cage no-sells it and dumps Andrade on a top turnbuckle. Andrade fires off three back elbows to send Cage to the mat before flipping off an irate Callis and Archer. Andrade hits a moonsault-into-a-standing-moonsault for two. Callis throws a tantrum at ringside as Cage and Andrade slug it out. Andrade hits a flying forearm and nips up before going into the Three Amigos. Andrade covers and gets two. Cage fires off some kicks to stop Andrade’s flurry and then hits a 619 (!) before yanking Andrade up for a sit-out powerbomb that gets two. Cage mounts Andrade in a corner and they slug it out. Andrade headbutts Cage to the mat and ascends for a frog splash that gets a LONG two. Andrade hits a Meteora and gets two. Cage fires up and yanks Andrade up for an F5 that gets two. Cage hits a release German and walks right into the Dia de los Muertos from Andrade. Andrade hits the DM double underhook neckbreaker and that finishes things.

The crowd was into this more than I was but I give Andrade credit. He has tapped into a babyface side that the fans are embracing fully and he’s rolling with it. Cage is still a lumbering oaf who sometimes thinks he’s Rey Mysterio for some reason. This was fine but when an outcome is pretty well known prior to the match starting it’s hard for me to get over-enthused. 3*

Winner – Andrade (DM)

Post-match sees Andrade grab a mic to threaten Don Callis and asks the crowd HOW YOU KNOW before firing the mic at Callis.

Here’s Gabe Kidd voicing over a promo about how the Dogs and the Death Riders have the same ideals and vision. Kidd claims membership in both groups before mentioning the return of Jay White to the Bang Bang Gang. Kidd mentions David Finlay turfing White out of leading the Bullet Club in New Japan and says the Dogs and the Death Riders will do the same thing to White now. We go to commercials.

Mina Shirakawa and Thunder Rosa vs Zara Zakher and B3CCA

Rosa was born in Tijuana and spent a lot of time in San Diego, so this is a bit of a homecoming for her. Rosa runs Zakher over with a clothesline and gets two. Rosa smashes Zakher around and tags in Shirakawa. B3CCA tags in and eats a back kick before Shirakawa snaps her neck over the top rope. Shirakawa hits a torneo for two. A Pier Six erupts and Rosa and Shirakawa start a conveyor belt. Shirakawa snaps off a rana and Rosa ends things with a Tijuana bomb.

Did you know that fine flecks of dust on Mars make sunsets look blue instead of red? Well now you do. .5*

Winners – Mina/Rosa (Rosa Tijuana Bomb on B3CCA)

Here’s AEW Women’s World Champion Thekla out wearing a Starlight Kid mask. Thekla says she accomplished what she said she was going to do at Forbidden Door before getting margs at the strip club. Thekla says Starlight almost got her but came up short and Stardom is DEAD. Thekla mentions All In and tells all the bitches to load their guns.

Here’s Sky Flight with Matt Sydal who gets an invite to join them officially. Sydal makes a speech and says he’s looking for a fight.

Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor, Carlie Bravo, Shawn Dean and ROH Pure Champion Lee Moriarty) vs The Bang Bang Gang (Jay White, Austin Gunn, and Colten Gunn) and AEW Tag Team Champion Adam Copeland

Christiyan XO and Trish Adora are with STP, while Ace Austin and Juice Robinson are with the BBG. Colten starts with Moriarty. Moriarty drives Colten to the mat and works a wrist. Colten escapes, there’s some grappling, and Colten grabs a La Magistral for two. Colten snaps off a dropkick and tags in Copeland. Copeland and Colten hit a double body slam and Moriarty fires up with an elbow. Bravo tags in and pounds away at Copeland before mashing him along the ropes. Copeland slips a charge and yanks Bravo into an inverted neckbreaker. Austin tags in and he and Copeland hit a combined rolling slam. Dean tags in and blasts Austin with a double sledge. There’s some rope running and Austin trips up Dean before smashing him with some left jabs. Dean breaks off a jawbreaker and starts pulling on the referee while Austin gets yanked to the outside and worked over by Taylor, Bravo, and Moriarty. Austin gets dumped back in where Dean goes back to work on him as we go to commercials.

Dean hits the BBC on Austin when the show returns. Bravo flies in to prevent a tag but Austin fights off all the heels to finally tag in White. White chops Dean and hits a back body drop before snapping off a Dragon Screw on a charging Bravo. Moriarty charges in for a Dragon Screw of his own and White tries to blast Taylor with a forearm. Taylor shakes it off and tries to come in but a quickly-recovered White grabs Taylor’s leg and fires off another Dragon Screw. White yanks Dean into a DDT and covers for two. White gets caught in a Moriarty sling blade , but White escapes as the Gunns sneak in to catch Moriarty in the 3:10 to Yuma. Bravo fires up and he and Dean catch Colten with a double team neck breaker. Copeland and White dump Bravo and Dean to the floor and then get run over by clotheslines from Taylor. Taylor ascends but White recovers to smash Taylor around. White ascends and Copeland joins him for a double superplex on Taylor. (If AEW was ever going to do an exploding ring deal….) Bravo sneaks in to dump Copeland to the floor and he and Dean go to work on White. Copeland flies back in to spear Bravo while White yanks Dean into the Blade Runner. White’s cover is academic and it’s over.

Now this is the AEW chaos tags we’re used to, Collision-watching pals. I really missed Jay White and his particular brand of nonsense, and you can tell Copeland really likes him as a wrestler. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of these guys. STP probably deserve better than jobber status on the main shows while they’re actually competitive in ROH, but it is what it is. 3*

Winners – The Bang Bang Gang/Copeland (White Blade Runner on Dean)

Post-match sees David Finlay and Clark Connors emerge on the ramp while the Bang Bang Gang and Copeland are jumped from behind by the Death Riders. The numbers overwhelm the BBG pretty quickly and Copeland gets spiked by Castignoli and PAC. So the Death Riders are heels tonight. White takes a huge shillelagh blow from Finlay before getting yanked up for a GTS knee. The Death Riders celebrate on the floor while Finlay puts the stink-mouth on a fallen White.

Here’s a look at Willow Nightingale and her continuing efforts to return.

The Demand (Ricochet, Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun) vs Sonico, Chris Nastyy, and Jordan Oasis

Those are some great jobber names, I have to say. Nastyy with TWO Y’s and he has a handlebar mustache. Incredible. Liona murders Nastyy with a lariat before tagging in Kaun. Kaun wipes out all the jobbers and clobbers Nastyy with a brainbuster. Ricochet hits a standing moonsault while Liona wipes out the jobbers on the floor with shoulder tackles. The Demand just destroy Nastyy and somehow Liona is busted open above his eye. Liona and Kaun hoist Nastyy up for a Doomsday Device from Ricochet that ends things.

Did you know that male platypuses have a hollow spur on each ankle that can secrete a toxic cocktail? Though not fatal to humans, it causes excruciating, long-lasting pain. Don’t mess with platypuses, is what I’m saying. .5*

Winners – The Demand (Doomsday Device on NASTYY)

Ricochet grabs a post-match microphone and tells Matt Sydal congratulations on joining Sky Flight. Ricochet says the Demand is an actual brotherhood and wants to remind everyone in Sky Flight that when you’re in Demand, you can make Demands. We go to commercials.

Women’s Casino Gauntlet #1 Spot Match: Rina vs ROH Women’s Champion Athena

Rina joined the Stardom dojo at 11 years old. NOW THAT’S GOOD PARENTING. Athena yanks Rina over and bullies her down. Rina grabs a side headlock and Athena fights out of it by driving Rina down by her hair. Rina trips Athena up and nails her with some dropkicks that get one. Athena fires off an uppercut but misses a gymnastic charge. Rina ascends for a missile dropkick for two. Rina fires off some rights and pulls Athena up for a body slam that gets one. Athena hits a double thrust but gets dumped to the apron. Athena clubbers away but Rina flies out and gets dropped face-first by Athena. Athena runs Rina into the ring post and we go to commercials.

Rina hits a jawbreaker when the show returns before dropping Athena with a high kick when she comes off the second rope. Rina dumps Athena over and nails her with a back heel trip. Rina beals Athena by her hair and then blasts her with a Meteora and a Fisherman’s suplex. Rina yanks Athena over for a front suplex and we reset with both women down. Rina is up first but Athena wades in for a Fujiwara armbar. Rina yanks Athena over for two before blasting Athena with a kick. There’s a kick battle and Athena gets rolled up for two. Athena yanks Rina up for a Tombstone that gets two. Athena rolls it over into another Fujiwara and Rina rolls to the ropes to break it. Athena barks at Aubrey Edwards before walking into a Rina German. Rina hits a Gory Special and ascends for a double knee strike that gets two. Rina hits a roundhouse kick and hits a pretzel driver for two. (I invented that name, by the way. I have no idea what that move was.) Athena fires up with a tope suicida and tosses Rina back in. Athena ascends but Rina flies up to fight it out. Athena drives Rina down and finishes her off with the O-Face.

Hey this was kind of fun. Rina was solid as hell here, no nerves, and really looked the part for a 19 year old (albeit a 19 year old with eight years of experience somehow). Athena actually looked second best here, to me, but you knew the outcome from the jump with this one. Still, when the matches are actually competitive tonight, they are delivering so far. 3.5*

Winner AND getting the number one spot in the Women’s Casino Gauntlet Match – Athena (O-Face)

Lexy Nair is with Don Callis and Kyle Fletcher. Fletcher will wrestle ELP in the main tonight and then will challenge for the International Title at Beach Break on Wednesday night. Fletcher knows that Takeshita is friends with Phantasmo and says it actually hurts to be friends with Takeshita. Fletcher tells Takeshita to enjoy his last weekend as champion.

ROH Men’s World Champion Bandido, Mistico, and Speedball Mike Bailey vs The Rascalz (Zach Wentz, Myron Reed, and Dezmond Xavier)

Mistico’s entrance theme remains undefeated, friends. Mistico starts with Xavier and Mistico hits some low kicks before walloping Xavier with a rope-walk armdrag. Bandido tags in and drops a charging Xavier with a boot. Reed charges in and mashes Bandido with an enziguri. Bailey comes in with a high boot to Reed and Wentz tags in. Bailey hits some rapid-fire kicks on Wentz who shakes that off to pull Bailey into a German. The Rascalz get a conveyor belt going (That’s three tonight on the same show, for the record. AEW loves a good conveyor belt of destruction look, don’t they?) and Wentz gets a two count on Bailey. Wentz misses a charge and there’s a line of topes that ends with Bailey eating a Wentz uppercut. Bailey gets caught in a flying cutter by Reed and we go to commercials.

Bailey and Wentz are both down when the show returns. They both make tags and Reed and Bandido come in. They slug it out and Redd runs into a Bandido press slam. Bandido ascends but Wentz cuts it off with a leaping cutter. Reed hits a 450 and Xavier follows with a torneo that gets two. Mistico flies in and hits a 619 on Reed before nailing Reed and Wentz with a springboard dropkick. Mistico turns into a Xavier superkick, but Bandido cuts Xavier off with the GTS. Bandido gathers Mistico and Bailey for topes on Wentz and Reed while he waffles Xavier with the 21 Plex. Bandido covers and gets three.

Listen, if they’re going to run chaos tags, at least make them fun like this one was. Mike Bailey will never be my cup of tea but he works well in lucha style tag matches. This was mostly an athletic exhibition with very little selling but the luchadores were over like Rover in San Diego and the crowd, now on hour four of this show, are still into things (I know we keep talking about AEW crowds but it’s a discussion point and this has been their best one in a while, quite frankly – AND it helps the show feel not so Collision-y, if you get my drift.) 3.25*

Winners – Bailey/Bandido/Mistico (Bandido 21 Plex on Xavier)

AEW Women’s Tag Team Champions Divine Dominion are in hockey sweaters and their headgear for some reason while wondering where all their competition has gone. They challenge everyone and says they should wrestle them while on their knees to make it easier to BOW DOWN.

RUSH vs Jordan Cruz

Cruz offers a handshake and RUSH says nope. Rush kicks the shit out of this poor goober, drives him down in a corner, and ends things with The Horns.

Did you know that wheat flour was once used as a beauty product back in the 17th and 18th century? Well now you do. .5*

Winner – RUSH (The Horns)

Here’s The Opps backstage as HOOK informs everyone that Katsuyori Shibata is coming for Bandido’s ROH World Title. Anthony Bowens chimes in and HOOK seems to shut that down to Bowens chagrin. The Shibata-Bandido match will be on next week’s Collision.

Women’s Casino Gauntlet #2 Spot Match: Julia Hart vs Maya World

Hart drags World down by her hair but World grabs a roll up for one in response. World snaps Hart down and hits a standing senton for two. World tosses Hart into a corner. Hart slips a charge but ends up on the floor where she eats a World forearm. Hart reverses and sends World into the barricade before blasting her with chops. Hart runs World back in and eats a World running uppercut. World’s cover gets one. World gets caught by Hart for a tarantula along the ropes as we go to commercials.

Hart is hitting running forearms on World when the show returns. Hart pulls World into a submission but World rolls her over for two. World kicks Hart down and then mashes her with a running splash and some kicks. World dropkicks Hart and rolls her up for two. World yanks Hart up but Hart slips off. World hits a double stomp and covers Hart for two. World gets dumped and eats Eat Defeat from Hart. Hart hits a reverse thrust and covers for two. Hart pulls World into place and ascends but World springs up for a fight. World and Hart go to the mat and World grabs a bridging crucifix for two. World tries the same move again and again gets two. World puts Hart on a top turnbuckle and ascends but Hart fights her way out and headbutts World down. Hart ascends and her moonsault meets World’s boots. World hits a Shining Wizard and that ends things.

Well, TK is really trying to build World up into a thing right now and given that locker room’s behavior in the past, I wonder how it’s going over with some of the long-timers who have seen these pushes before. This was heatless as I think the crowd needed a break in general, but Hart remains just an average talent who really could use more reps than the few television shots she gets. 2*

Winner AND getting the number two spot in the Women’s Casino Gauntlet Match – Maya World (Shining Wizard)

Schiavone hypes up the main event as we go to commercials.

Here’s a hype video for Beach Break. It feels like a big show for television with International and World title defenses happening.

Kyle Fletcher vs El Phantasmo (ELP)

Don Callis is out with Fletcher and joins commentary. ELP ducks out at the bell to give his sunglasses to a young lady at ringside much like another Canadian hero who had a birthday yesterday. Fletcher bullies ELP to the ropes and some grappling breaks out. There’s a series of roll ups for two and ELP mashes Fletcher with a chop. ELP hits a rope walk rana and turns into a high boot from Fletcher. Fletcher stalks ELP on the floor as we go to commercials.

Fletcher eats a cross body and a springboard moonsault as ELP grabs a cover for two. Fletcher misses a charge and ELP hits a roundhouse before snapping off a springboard DDT. ELP is up first and tunes up the band, but Fletcher catches the superkick attempt. They slug it out and ELP wanders into a Michinoku Driver that gets two. Fletcher misses a charge and goes to the floor. ELP ascends for an Orihara moonsault and chases Callis off the desk by leaping on it. Fletcher uses all this time to recover and nail ELP with a half-and-half suplex. Fletcher snatches ELP up and lawn-darts him into the barricade. ELP barely beats the count and runs right into a Liger Bomb from Fletcher that gets two. Fletcher kicks at ELP before blasting him with a right. ELP seems to have a shoulder issue but he manages to waffle Fletcher with a lariat after some rope running. ELP hits a front facebreaker and shoots the half for two. ELP ascends but his dive meets Fletcher’s knee. ELP slips a brainbuster attempt and rolls up Fletcher for two. ELP grabs a backslide for two. Fletcher has had enough and mashes ELP with a running knee and a buckle bomb. Fletcher hits a running boot and the sheer drop brainbuster ends things.

The crowd was INTO ELP, which really helped this match along. ELP definitely seemed to tweak his shoulder on the barricade spot which made the finish a little wonky but overall this was solid. Fletcher didn’t overwhelm things and let the thing breathe, which always helps. No major issues here and hopefully ELP’s shoulder will be okay. 3.5*

Winner – Kyle Fletcher (Sheer drop brainbuster)

Post-match sees Callis grab a mic to talk about betrayal. Callis addresses Takeshita and says the lowest form of life is someone who betrays their family. Callis says Takeshita was a nobody when he recruited him and made him on the ashes of Kenny Omega’s career. Callis says he’s going to teach Takeshita a terrible lesson and it starts this Wednesday with Fletcher taking the title from him. Shockingly, this draws Takeshita out as Callis runs for the hills. Takeshita barks at a retreating Callis as Schiavone closes out the show.

The only competitive match that was kind of a dud for me was the Maya World-Julia Hart match but I think both of them need more reps and maybe a different earlier spot on the card. Other than that, I thought tonight was much better in quality than the last few shows have been and the squashes were what they were. For a 2.5 hour show with nine matches, I’ll take this and we’ll just all move on to Beach Break.

Thanks for reading and commenting. Enjoy your holiday weekend and be safe if you’re in this heat dome. Also, please consider helping out with Rebel’s t-shirt sales as linked above.