Welcome to another episode of AEW Collision, where, after our starting promos from the competitors tonight, we open with the Collision in-ring debut of the BCC. Bryan Danielson seems to be healed up, but will that be enough? The match would end up showing that it wasn’t, as it was a tale of two parts. When Claudio was in the ring, he could handle either opponent, but Danielson found himself on the back foot. Eventually, the opposing team picked up on this, and isolated Claudio on the outside. The ending came when the ref was checking on the outside competitors, and Ricky got a low blow in, before hitting Roshambo for the win. Another singles match between Ricky and Bryan could be in both their futures.
Now, we have a set of promos and vignettes. To start off, we see a response. Mogul Embassy laid down the challenge to the Hung Bucks (Trademark in dispute), and they responded by raising the stakes. They want a shot at their ROH six man championships, and they got it! Now cut the damn feed, Brandon Next up, a tale of two perspectives. Powerhouse Hobbs knows moving on can be necessary, but the next chapter in the Book of Hobbs is all about destruction. Miro, on the other hand, wants thanks for the great match with Hobbs, but has greater problems. Those problems are with God, as he tried once again to tempt him with his hot, flexible wife. People lost faith in God, and put that faith in him, and he doesn’t plan on letting them down.
Up next, its time for our first title match of the night, as the Iron Savages challenge FTR for the AEW tag titles. While they start out strong, nearly getting the win early on, FTR scratch and claw their way back in until they hit a major superplex and splash for the win. After, The Workhorsemen make their way to the ring and answer the challenge. I love this matchup, hope it happens next week! We also see Aussie Open watching from the back, likely plotting their way to FTR’s gold. We cut to the back, where Keith Lee is being interviewed, when Shane Taylor walks up with the newest member of STP, Lee Moriarty. Shane and Keith have a checkered past, and those issues may once again bubble up into a feud between the two.
The Acclaimed and John Silver are out for a clash, when Silver reveals one final element of the contract they clearly didn’t read: all other members of the group are banned from ringside. Silver takes advantage of the confusion to attack Bowens, and takes advantage early. Just as it seemed Anthony was mounting a comeback, Evil Uno would make himself known, blindsiding Bowens and setting him up for the Punt kick and the win for John Silver. I see a trios match in the future. We then hear from Eddie, and he makes very clear why he still hates Claudio, and why Claudio can’t beat him in New York. This is the match I am most invested in, going into Grand Slam. We also hear from Orange and Hook, who, in a lackadaisical manner, decide to have a tag match at Grand Slam. Aussie Open then come out to wrestle some local talent, beat them, and get down to business. They call out FTR, making clear they want them at Wrestledream, titles or not. We then get a visage into the starlet Toni Storm’s life, brought to us by RJ City. Too bad so much disturbed her, such as the lighting and décor, because we barely got a glimpse! I look forward to the next one.
Out next is Scorpio Sky and Andrade, both coming off Collision wins. Andrade offers a handshake, which Scorpio refuses by instead shaking the referee’s hand. The match starts out quite even, but Sky takes advantage after Andrade takes a huge bump. Scorpio keeps his control going throughout the entire commercial break, but Andrade has his fire return at the right time, and he launches an adrenaline powered assault. He almost hit Sky with the knees in the corner, but Scorpio fires back, and nearly gets the win with a sunset flip after a previous sunset flip. Sky’s banged up knee ends up as the biggest factor, and Andrade wins via the figure eight. Jay White comes out after, with Bang Bang Gang in tow. Andrade watched Jay’s boys in action last week, and he’s wondering why. Jay thinks its because Andrade wants his spotlight, and he’s willing to share… next week. Andrade tries to attack now, but is held back by security. We then got a Golden Lovers video package, detailing how important Ibushi is to Omega, their history as a tag team, and exactly why the dastardly Don Callis is targeting him. We then get an interview with Katsuyori Shibata, who makes clear he will be at Wrestledream.
Out come The Hardys, who are facing The Righteous tonight after tensions rose on Rampage between the two. Vincent and Matt start the match, and Vincent quickly takes control. Matt started to recover after some tag offense with Jeff, but a tag to Dutch once again put The Righteous in the driver’s seat. Trying to gain a psychological advantage, however, gives Matt the opportunity to tag in his brother, and Jeff goes on a tear. It looked like it was all over, when Dutch intervened, and, in a shock, Vincent and Dutch got the pin on Jeff, and the win. I far prefer The Righteous, but even I was shocked to get the win. Happy about it, and I hope it’s the start of something for them. Dutch and Vincent finally introduce themselves to the audience, as they get showered with boos. Vincent makes clear these people have been fooled by false idols, and he’s here to kill egos. One ego in question is that of MJF, and he wants to gain those ROH tag titles.
We then hear Claudio’s side of the story, saying Eddie isn’t man enough. Both men are ready to put an end to it, once and for all. We hear from FTR, who have accepted the challenge from the Workhorsemen. They also acknowledge Aussie Open’s challenge, and accept it for Wrestledream. Zack Sabre Jr has been waiting for this opportunity, to prove he’s the best technical wrestler once and for all, and honor Inoki in the process. Ricky Starks is pissed, and he wants to put an end to Bryan Danielson. Next week, he’s facing Bryan Danielson in a Texas death match. Now, will you please get that guy out of the shot?!
It is time for our main event, between the hometown challenger Britt Baker, and the fighting TBS champ, Kris Statlander. Kris makes her power clear from the beginning, while the crowd makes clear that they are supporting their hometown hero. That home crowd pop seems to be powering Baker ever onward in this match, as she manages to stay in it with the champ. A knee being a bit off besides, Statlander looks strong. An errant moonsault could change that, as her knees take damage and Britt capitalizes. After a near lockjaw, a strike exchange puts them both down. The match kicks into the next gear, and the Britt Baker of old returns. After Angels Wings and a Curb stomp, my heart sank, (sorry Britt) but too my surprise, Statlander kicked out. Britt goes up for the Panama Sunrise, but Statlander grabs her, which soon turns out to be a mistake. From an elevated position, Britt locks in the Lockjaw, but, just as we think there’s a new champ, Kris rolls her up and holds strong for the three. Britt looks crestfallen, and Statlander comforts her. This match was very, very good, and surprised me with its quality. The right person won, and all competitors looked great. Another good episode of Collision in the books, and next week looks killer, especially with what is likely to be the main event, Bryan Danielson vs Ricky Starks, Texas Death Match. Until Wednesday, signing off!