Collision – 09.05.26

SK covered All In and Dynamite, so if you need to catch up or relive anything, your links are there.

Collision was recorded after Dynamite ended on Wednesday and comes to the TNT airwaves from the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, TX. The announcing team for tonight’s show consists of Excalibur, Walker Stewart, and Tony Schiavone on match calls and analysis, Arkady Aura on ring introductions, and Lexy Nair on interviews and news. AEW is now on the Road to All Out and the card is starting to build. Let’s watch some wrestling!

For those who don’t know him, Walker Stewart is the lead English-speaking play-by-play announcer for New Japan Pro Wrestling.

The Don Callis Family (Brian Cage and Jake Doyle) vs The Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson)

Cage and Doyle attack prior to the bell, and truck Matt down after disposing of Nick. Cage and Doyle exchange tags while kicking the crap out of Matt in their corner. Matt manages to escape as Cage and Doyle crash into each other and Nick tags in with a cross-body on both guys. (For those keeping score at home, Cage and Doyle have been in the ring together for about a minute here with zero attempt from “Blind” Rick Knox to get either one of them to the apron.) Nick and Matt fire off ranas and go to ground and pound. The Bucks get caught with backdrops and fire up immediately after with dropkicks before sending Doyle to the floor with a combined lariat. Cage is sent to the floor with a dropkick with Matt following with a between-the-ropes dropkick. Nick hits a tope con hilo. Nick tosses Doyle back in but Cage prevents Nick from going back as a recovered Doyle wallops Nick with a lariat. Cage fires off a superplex and Doyle smashes Matt in the face on the apron. Cage curls Nick and then fires Nick over his head to the mat. Cage hits a GTS leaving Nick in a heap and we go to commercials.

Cage is smashing Nick around when the show returns, but Nick fires up and crushes Cage with a Destroyer. Matt gets a tag and goes to work with a sliced bread and basement DDT to change the momentum. The Bucks run wild on Cage and Doyle with the high five bulldogs. The Bucks hit stereo dives and Matt covers Cage for two. Matt and Nick hit the Superkick Party on Cage and Doyle charges in for some superkicks as well. Doyle fires up with a powerbomb and Matt barely kicks out at two. Doyle yanks Matt up but Nick intervenes with a superkick. Cage cuts that off briefly but the Bucks hit superkicks and the BTE Trigger on Doyle finishes things.

I suspect the Bucks will be wrestling a bit more often on the way to All Out’s big CLT match and Doyle and Cage are fine guys to work with because no one cares if they lose and the Bucks get to do all their underdog babyface stuff. This was a standard Bucks match in that no one sold for longer than a second or two and tags were at a premium. 2.75*

Winners – The Young Bucks (BTE Trigger on Doyle)

Here’s Willow Nightingale with some thoughts on her All In loss to Mercedes Mone. Nightingale says she doesn’t make excuses for her losses and will keep fighting. Nightingale mentions Mone’s comments from Dynamite and Thekla’s subsequent remarks, and wonders if either one of them would have the guts to say the same stuff to her face.

The Good, The Bad, and The Guapo (ROH Men’s Champion Bandido, Brody King, and Hangman Adam Page) vs Braddah Kaimi, LVJ, and Vin Parker

King finds it amusing that one of these goofs tries to chop him and destroys all the jobbers with a running splash. Bandido is launched into a jobber pile with King following for a cannonball. Bandido wins it with a frog splash.

Did you know that the frozen margarita machine was invented in the Dallas metroplex region in 1971? Well now you do. .25*

Winners – Bandido/Page/King (Bandido frog splash)

Here’s The Bang Bang Gang backstage and Jay White laments being empty-waisted coming out of London. White seems unimpressed by the New Level and Swerve, but tonight’s business concerns Kevin Knight and Kyle Fletcher. Ace Austin mocks Fletcher and Knight for losing their titles at All In, and if you’re not down with it, TOUGH SHIT KYLE, er Guns Up! It’s commercials time.

Here’s AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions The Brawling Birds and Alex Windsor has some post-match words from Wednesday night’s affair with Megan Bayne. Jamie Hayter makes a challenge for All Out and it will be a Chicago Street Fight!

Nick Wayne vs Komander

Excalibur has some fun at Justin Roberts expense during Komander’s entrance. Wayne bullies Komander to a corner and flexes at him off the break. Komander fires off an armdrag and we end with a stalemate after some acrobatics. Wayne stays on the floor for a bit before re-entering and taking over with some clubbering. Komander snaps off a rana and a La Magistral that gets two. Komander wallops Wayne with a chop but Wayne uses Komander’s mask to yank him down. We go to commercials.

Wayne has a rear chinlock on when the show returns. Wayne pounds Komander with a running forearm before smashing him in the back. Wayne eats a back elbow and Komander fires up with some chops. Wayne cuts that off with a German but Komander fires up with some low kicks before dropping Wayne with a DDT. Komander hits a 619 and then sends Wayne to the floor with a Mexican Destroyer. Komander blasts Wayne with a springboard 450 to the floor and then runs Wayne back in. Komander walks the ropes but his splash meets Wayne’s knees. Wayne’s cover gets two. Wayne gets rolled up for two, and then Komander gets caught in a Wayne dragonfly suplex. Komander gets caught coming off the top rope in a Wayne bulldog and Wayne ends things with the Prodigy Plex.

Schiavone calling this a “major” win for Nick Wayne is really stretching the meaning of the word “major”. Wayne needs seasoning against better and more high-profile opponents but since there aren’t house shows, all of this has to happen on television because he’s not getting those matches on the indies or in ROH. Komander is what he is, a lucha guy who can be whatever you need him to and if he wins, cool, and if not, also cool. 2.5*

Winner – Nick Wayne (Prodigy Plex)

Here’s Jericho in to raise Wayne’s hand before destroying him with the Judas Effect. You know, I think it’s an awesome choice to let a 55 year old get the high ground over a 21 year old prospect.

Here’s Lexy Nair with Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle O’Reilly, Orange Cassidy, and Roderick Strong. Nair wants to know where they all go after having no success at Wembley. Strong powders out while O’Reilly says no one is done until everyone has a backpack full of gold. Takeshita promises to not give up on becoming a champion while wondering if he’s a member of the Conglomeration. Cassidy: “No one will ever know!”

AEW TBS Championship: Persephone (C) vs VertVixen

Britt Baker accompanies Persephone and joins commentary. Persephone bullies Vert to a corner and Vert responds in kind. Persephone fires off some headbutts but Vert fires up with a shoulder tackle. Vert trips Persephone up and an elbow drop gets a quick two. Persephone catches a Vert dive and drops her with a fall-away slam. Persephone hits a basement dropkick and gets two. We go to commercials.

Persephone has Vert in a bodyscissors/chinlock thing before firing off a bunch of headbutts that get two. Vert turns Persephone over and covers for two. They slug it out and Persephone wins the skirmish with a lariat. Vert fires off a roundhouse kick and follows with a running pump kick. Vert drops Persephone with a short powerbomb that gets two. Persephone nails Vert with a shotgun dropkick and the Razor’s Edge finishes things.

This was fine for what it was but move-trading isn’t exactly telling a story. I think VertVixen is one of those folks, much like Maya World, that you could do something with if anyone wanted to really try with her. She’s got the basics down, she could use some work on her strength conditioning, but there’s something there if anyone cared to make her more than a jobber to the stars. Persephone does nothing for me, really, but we’ll see what this partnership with DMD blooms into, I guess. 2.5*

Winner AND STILL AEW TBS Champion – Persephone (Razor’s Edge)

Post-match sees Baker and Persephone hug before deciding to attack a downed Vert. Baker wants the Lockjaw and here’s Maya World out with Thunder Rosa because you can’t have Britt Baker around for too long before Rosa turns up. Baker and Persephone bail and everyone barks at each other.

Here’s a look at Gabe Kidd and Andrade with Walker Stewart providing some background on the Japan portion of their feud.

ROH Trios Champions The Swirl (Blake Christian and Lee Johnson) vs The Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley)

Jay Lethal, who is the other part of the trios team with Christian and Johnson in ROH, is out with them. Shelley starts with Johnson and there’s a wristlock exchange. Shelley trucks Johnson down and then slaps on an armbar. Johnson fires up and Christian tags into smash Shelley’s elbow. They scrap along the ropes and Christian eats a big Shelley chop. Shelley works Christian’s elbow and Sabin tags in. They drive Christian down and Sabin covers for one. Sabin fires off a Steamboat armdrag and turns Christian over for a backslide that gets one. Sabin eats a dropkick and Johnson tags in. Shelley gets a tag and he and Sabin smash Johnson down with elbows. Christian charges over for an elbow as well. Sabin tags in and Johnson fires up with some elbows. The Guns shake that off and dump a charging Christian. The Guns hit baseball slide dropkicks and Sabin nails the Swirl with a tope suicida. We take a break.

Shelley makes a leaping tag to Sabin when the show returns. Sabin ascends for a double cross-body and fights off both Johnson and Christian before dropping Johnson with a DDT. Sabin hits a leaping tornado DDT on Johnson and covers for two. Shelley tags in and he and Sabin drop Johnson with double-team stuff ending with a Shelley leg-sweep that gets two. Christian fires up to break up the Guns momentum and Johnson and Christian combine for a splash that gets two on Sabin. Shelley breaks up a cover and gets dumped by Johnson. Shelley and Sabin combine on a cutter that sends Christian to the floor. The Guns hit stereo enziguris on Johnson and then drop Johnson with Skull and Bones. Christian breaks up the cover at two. The Chancery destroys Christian and a pendulum slam on Johnson ends things for the Guns.

There was a lot happening here. There were tags, at least, so I’ll take that as a small victory. The Guns are still very good at this point and I continue to be amazed at their conditioning for guys that have been around as long as them. Neither one was even breathing hard after this, and the pace here was frenetic. For a debut, I suppose this was fine but I wish this match had been on Dynamite so more eyes were on it. 3.25*

Winners – MCMG (Pendulum Slam on Johnson)

Here’s Jack Perry lamenting his failure to win the Casino Gauntlet match at Wembley, but he vows to become the AEW world champion. Perry’s goal remains the same – face the best to become the best. We go to commercials.

Here’s The Demand to say that All In was a disaster for them because of these rookies The New Level. Threats are made and everyone yells before making their hand gesture.

AEW National Championship: Andrade (C) vs Gabe Kidd

Kidd predictably attacks prior to the bell and wallops Andrade with a brainbuster that gets two. Kidd runs Andrade out to the floor and tries to tear his face off from behind. Kidd screams at the fans before continuing to assault Andrade. Andrade fires up and smashes Kidd off the announce desk before firing off some chops. Andrade yanks Kidd back in and fires off the Three Amigos. Kidd bails to the floor and Andrade takes too long to follow up. Kidd gets run into the ring steps after a brief flurry and Andrade removes his pants to Walker Stewart’s delight. Kidd charges in to get hammered down for two, and Andrade ascends. Andrade’s dive meets Kidd’s knees and we go to commercials.

Kidd is on the floor with Andrade in the ring when the show returns. Andrade nails Kidd with a torneo and stops for a quick selfie with Arkady Aura. Andrade ascends and hits Kidd with a moonsault for two. Andrade misses a Meteora and Kidd drops him with a powerbomb for two. Kidd yanks Andrade up but Andrade flips him over when Kidd tries a piledriver. Andrade hits the Meteora and covers Kidd for two. Kidd nails Andrade with a backdrop suplex and drops the knee pad for a running strike. Kidd fires off some elbows and runs right into the Dia de los Muertos. Andrade hits the DM and that ends things.

Another “you do a move and then I’ll do a move” thing but at least these guys were throwing bombs at each other during the actual combat. Andrade’s act is starting to wear thin with me but it’s still over with the crowd, so what do I know. Kidd is kind of a goober disguised as this hard-ass bully, and he really never wins anything of consequence on his own at this point. This was okay for what it was but I suspect they’ve had better matches elsewhere. 2.75*

Winner AND STILL AEW National Champion – Andrade (DM)

Post-match sees Andrade grabs a mic and says now that he has the Casino contract it’s just a matter of time until he’s World Champion. Andrade wants to wait for the right time to cash it in while becoming the greatest National champion ever. Andrade says he’ll defend the title every week and asks the crowd if they think he can do it. HOW YOU KNOW, CROWD?

Here’s Tommaso Ciampa talking about his AEW debut when he won a title in his debut match in Texas. Ciampa talks about coming out at Wembley to the sickos, and he hears and sees them. Ciampa says the Psycho Killer will become the Psycho King when he collects a new title.

ROH Proving Ground Match: ROH Women’s World Champion Athena vs Isla Dawn

There’s a ten minute time limit here, and Athena gets a huge hometown pop when she’s announced. Athena bullies Dawn down and Dawn responds with some low kicks. Dawn fires off a dropkick but runs right into a pump kick from Athena. Athena nails Dawn with a running boot and Dawn fires up with some rights. They slug it out on the floor and Athena rams Dawn into the barricade a few times. They go back in and Athena waffles Dawn with a kick to the back. Dawn eats another kick off a roll up attempt and Athena goes to ground and pound. Dawn grabs a roll up for one and Athena fires up with a reverse thrust kick. Dawn grabs another roll up for two. Dawn grazes Athena with a kick and then waffles her with a knee strike that gets two. Dawn hoists Athena up but she slips off and rams Dawn into a turnbuckle. Dawn lifts a boot when Athena charges and ascends for a dive that misses. Athena yanks Dawn into some Germans but Dawn escapes and we reset. Athena nails Dawn with a handstand elbow and ascends for the O-Face to finish things.

This was awkward as hell at times as they didn’t particularly seem to be on the same page out here, but they got there in the end. Dawn is kind of drifting through this stint with no major direction in place and Athena dominates a show no one watches. In a nutshell, this is a perfect Collision match. 2*

Winner – Athena (O-Face)

We go to commercials after Schiavone and Excal run down some upcoming matches.

The Don Callis Family (Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight) vs The Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson and Ace Austin)

Don Callis comes out for commentary because god forbid we have one Collision without him. Fletcher and Knight have a bit of a tiff over who’s starting which Fletcher seems to win. Austin starts for his team and goes behind Fletcher to start. There’s a wristlock exchange and Austin fires off an armdrag. Austin nails Fletcher with a dropkick and Knight grabs a blind tag. Austin mashes Knight with a lariat and chops away in a corner. Austin trips Knight up and smashes him with a backhand. Austin fires off a dropkick and covers Knight for two. Robinson tags in and drops a sledge blow on Knight’s elbow. Robinson hits an inverted atomic drop and a Side Russian. Robinson’s splash gets two. Robinson taunts Fletcher before tagging in Austin. Austin crushes Knight with a legdrop for one. Austin slaps on a headscissors and then blasts Knight with a double boot to the back. Fletcher has had enough and charges in to slam Austin. Knight nails Robinson with a dropkick that sends him off the apron before continuing to beef with Fletcher. We go to commercials.

Austin makes a hot tag to Robinson when the show returns, and he runs wild on Knight briefly. Robinson smashes a charging Fletcher with a bunch of jabs before dropping Fletcher with a DDT. Robinson powerbombs Knight for two. Austin tags in and he ascends. The Callis guys attack and Knight drops Austin with a leaping rana. Fletcher demands a tag and he and Knight try to double-team Austin. Robinson prevents that and crushes Knight with a tope con hilo while Austin blasts Fletcher with a facebuster for two. Austin rolls up Fletcher for two, and Fletcher misses a charge when he rises. Austin runs into a Michinoku driver from Fletcher that gets two. Fletcher wants the brainbuster after consulting with Callis, but Austin prevents it and rolls up Fletcher for two. Austin drives a knee into Fletcher’s temple and Knight mashes Robinson with a Crash Landing on the apron. Austin nails Knight with a kick but runs right into a Fletcher superkick. Fletcher nails Austin with the brainbuster but Knight had made a blind tag during the exchange. Knight ascends for the UFO Splash to finish things as Fletcher barely gets out of the way.

The story that Fletcher and Knight have huge egos and can’t get along is fairly predictable, but I won’t care until something substantial happens. This was fine for what it was but there’s just a vague hint at storyline with this and then Fletcher and Knight are moving immediately on to face the Young Bucks on Wednesday night. It’s just content and that’s the essence of Collision. 3*

Winners – Fletcher/Knight (UFO Splash on Austin)

Schiavone screams out a million upcoming matches and we’re out.

I don’t have a lot to say here. I may be getting close to the end with recapping this show.

Thanks for reading. Sorry if my attitude is rubbing anyone poorly but this show is just a SLOG to get through at this point.