SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
AEW COLLISION REPORT
NOVEMBER 4th, 2023
INTRUST BANK ARENA WICHITA, KS.
AIRED LIVE ON TNT
BY BRIAN ZILEM, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone
[HOUR ONE]
-Soundbites aired with Dax Harwood Cash Wheeler, Ricky Starks, Big Bill, Lance Archer, Darby Allin, and Swerve Strickland. Wheeler said tonight is about revenge. Archer told Darby everybody dies. Darby asked where has Archer been? Swerve was about to speak WHEN A.R. Fox jumped him.
-The Collision opening theme by Elton John aired. Tony Schiavone then introduced the show.
-Before Tony can welcome everyone to the show, Strickland and Fox continued to brawl during and after the show’s intro.
(1) A.R. FOX vs. SWERVE” STRICKLAND (w/Prince Nana, Gates of Agony)
After brawling around the arena, both men entered the ring three minutes after the show started. Fox started the match with two quick dives on the outside onto Strickland. Fox landed a rolling cutter for a near fall. Both men have a fantastic exchange on the ring apron, then Strickland through Fox on the apron for a nasty-looking landing. Strickland landed a superlex onto Fox as the show went to its first commercial break of the night. The Gates of Agony did walk down to the ring to support Strickland before the commercial break.
After the break, Strickland was taunting Fox in the middle of the ring. Fox landed a flurry of offensive combinations onto Strickland to get a very close near fall. Strickland hit a cutter and house call kick onto Fox, only for a near fall. Strickland went to the top rope and finished off Fox with the Swerve stomp to secure the pinfall victory.
WINNER: Swerve Strickland at 10:09
(Brian’s Analysis: Creative way to kick off the show. Fox and Strickland have history and chemistry together, but a ten-minute high-paced match was the correct decision for the match layout. It was another clean win for a top heel in the company. I hope AEW continues on this path with its top heels moving up the card.)
-After the match, FTR came down for the save of A.R Fox. Ricky Starks and Big Bill then came down to help the heels beat down the baby faces. LFI then came down for the save of the babyface teams. After the brawl, the House of Black sat in the stands to observe the chaos in the ring.
-A video package was shown hyping up Daniel Garcia vs MJF for the AEW World Title for AEW Dynamite this coming Wednesday.
-A recap video was shown recapping the main event of this past week’s AEW Dynamite.
-MJF cut a promo on Jay White. MJF said White is an actor while he is a star.
-Bullet Club got a promo on MJF. Jay White said he is truly elite. Jay White also said he would have a title eliminator match this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite.
-Lexi Nair interviewed Kip Sabian backstage. Lexy asked Kip about Mark Briscoe attacking him on AEW Rampage. Kip challenged Briscoe to a six-man tag team match. The match would be with Kip & The Work Horsemen vs. Briscoe and any partners of his choosing.
(2) MATT TAVEN & MIKE BENNETT vs. JAMES MCGREGOR & BRICKSTON
Before the match started, Roderick Strong said people don’t take neck health or the Kingdom seriously.
WINNERS: The Kingdom at 1:21.
-After the match, Strong jumped up to throw in a cheapshot onto one of the jobbers.
-A video package was shown of Christian Cage highlighting the past few months of his success in AEW.
-Lexi Nair was backstage with Mark Briscoe. Before Lexi could ask about Kip Sabian’s challenge, FTR came backstage to let Briscoe know they were there for him if he needed help. Briscoe appreciated FTR’s support but said he had someone else in mind for his partners. Lexi asked who Briscoe would partner with, but said he couldn’t divulge that information right now.
(3) LANCE ARCHER (w/Jake “The Snake” Roberts) vs. DARBY ALLIN
The match started with Archer forcing Darby to the top rope. Archer landed a pounce and sent Darby flying outside of the ring. The fans were very into Darby. Archer went for the Undertaker-style top rope walk, but Darby crotched Archer and Darby followed up with a dive to the outside. Archer recovered quickly and started throwing Darby around the ring outside like a ragdoll, and the show went to a commercial break.
After the break, Archer was slapping Darby in his chest. Archer landed a jumping knee on Darby and then went for the blackout, but Darby recovered and countered with a DDT. Archer drilled Darby with a chokeslam in the middle of the ring and followed up with another chokeslam onto the ring apron. The official ejected Jake Roberts from the match once the official saw Roberts had Darby’s skateboard. Archer and Darby brawled onto the top rope. Darby bit and stretched Archer as if he was fighting for his life. Darby somehow landed an avalanche code red onto Archer to secure the pinfall victory.
WINNER: Darby Allin at 10:03
(Brian’s Analysis: Darby has mastered undersized wrestler vs. bigger opponents. I love how, somehow, no matter the opponent’s size, Darby masters the work underneath every time. Lance Archer was going to upset Darby, but Darby, as always, finds a way to win.)
-After the match, Jake Roberts said this isn’t over. Roberts said he and Archer didn’t come along. The Righteous walked down the ramp, and Archer attacked Darby from behind by laying Darby out with the blackout.
(Brian’s Analysis: An interesting trio to pair on AEW. I’m a huge fan of Lance Archer and will never complain when I see him on T.V. Pairing The Righteous with Jake Roberts is promising. Jake is known for his unique promos, so perhaps under his guidance, he can mentor The Righteous to the potential Tony Khan views this group.)
-Lexi Nair was backstage with Kris Statlander, Skye Blue, and Willow Nightingale. Blue told Willow that she had her back tonight. Statlander also told Williow she has her back tonight.
-After a commercial break, the show returned with Lexy Nair backstage with Alex Abrahantes. Swerve Strickland interrupted the interview. Alex then would challenge Strickland to match this coming Wednesday on Dynamite against Penta.
THE ACCLAIMED’S 69 DAY CHAMPIONSHIP CELEBRATION
Max Caster rapped down to the ring. The scissored the fans close to ringside. Pink streamers popped up and showered the ring. Anthony Bowens said they were fired up and that he had a surprise for Caster. A video was shown with MJF saying he’s starting to like the Acclaimed. Caster then put over the fans and said they wouldn’t be there without them. Dalton Castle interrupted the Acclaimed and broke the 69 trophy the Acclaimed had awarded to the runs earlier.
(4) MAX CASTER & ANTHONY BOWENS & BILLY GUINN vs. DALTON CASTLE & THE BOYS – Trios Title match
The match started with Castle jumping Caster. The Boys doubled-teamed Billy Gunn to the outside to take him out of the match. The boys brought in a pinata head, which Caster broke open, and it had the Acclaimed’s merchandise inside, and the Acclaimed throughout the tee shirts as the show went to a commercial break.
[HOUR TWO]
After the break, the commentary team mentioned the Acclaimed had signed an open contract before Tony Khan officially booked this match. Caster hit the mic drop elbow from the top rope onto one of the Boys to secure the pinfall victory for his team. The commentary team put over the Acclaimed as fighting Trio’s champions.
WINNERS: The Acclaimed at 6:15 to retain the AEW Trio’s Titles.
(Brian’s Analysis: The Acclaimed are still a very over-fun group. I wish AEW would book them with more substance during this Trio’s Title run.)
-The show went backstage with Lexi Nair, and she was with Andrade. Lexi wanted to know what is Andrade’s relationship with C.J. Perry. Andrade said he would answer C.J. face-to-face this week.
(5) KIP SABIAN & THE WORK HORSEMEN vs. MARK BRISCOE & DUSTIN RHODES & KEITH LEE
Sabian hit a kick and cannonball onto Briscoe. The Work Horsemen would double-team Briscoe and follow up a dive from Sabian for a near fall. Briscoe recovered and went for an inside cradle for a near-fall finish. Briscoe tagged in Rhodes and Lee, and both men ran wild. Briscoe would climb to the top rope and land the froggy bow to secure the pinfall victory for his team.
WINNERS: Mark Briscoe & Dustin Rhodes & Keith Lee at 4:25
(Brian’s Analysis: This was a fun house match, and I’m glad to see Mark Briscoe recovered from injury and back inside the ring.)
-After a commercial break, Lexy Nair was backstage with Mark Briscoe. Lexy congratulated Briscoe on his win tonight. Briscoe then challenged Jay White this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite.
(6) WILLOW NIGHTINGALE vs. EMI SAKURA
The match started as both women exchanged shoulder blocks. Sakura hit a crossbody that knocked Nightingale to the outside. Sakura followed up with another crossbody to the steel steps. The fans were very into Nightingale. Sakura went for a cocky pin attempt, and the show went to a commercial break. During the break, both women exchanged strikes in the middle of the ring.
After the break, Sakura swung Nightingale break and through to the apron and barricade. Nightingale recovered and hit a great-looking DVD to the outside and followed up with a missile drop kick. The fans were still very into Nightingale. Using her momentum against her, Nightingale hit a spine-buster on Sakura for a near fall. Nightingale finished Sakura by hitting the doctor bomb to secure the pinfall victory.
WINNER: Willow Nightingale at 10:04
(Brian’s Analysis: A nice tight match from both women. Sakura is a true professional in the ring, so it’s hard to expect anything but good from her matches. The fans were really into Willow, which is good, but I wish AEW put more thought and direction into someone like Willow. Showcases are fine if you are trying to get someone over, but Willow is over with the fanbase; it’s time to push her.)
-Lexi Nair was backstage with Samoa Joe. Lexy asked Joe if he’d heard back from MJF about his offer to help him. Keith Lee then interpreted the interview to challenge Joe to a match this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite
(7) FTR & RUSH & PRESTON VANCE (w/Alex Abrahantes, Dralistico) vs. RICKY STARKS & BIG BILL & GATES OF AGONY (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
Jim Ross joined the commentary team for the main event. Schiavone ran down the card for Dynamite this coming Wednesday. Big Bill and Vance started off the match. Bill hit a closeline before tagging in Kaun. Liona was tagged in, and he and Harwood had nice exchanges. Rush and Starks were tagged in, and Rush beat Starks from pillar to post on the outside. Once Rush and Starks were back in the ring, the show went to a commercial break. During the break, all eight men brawled inside the ring.
After the break, Liona and Harwood exchanged blows in the middle of the ring. Starks and Bill would be tagged in to work over Harwood. Starks then grabbed a headset to join the commentary team. Rush was tagged in and ran wild in the match. Rush hit a great-looking power slam onto Starks for a near-fall pin attempt. Every wrestler got in the ring and ran wild. After everything broke down, Starks did a jumping spear onto Rush. Fans were cheering, “This is awesome!” Hardwood and Rush would hit the Shatter Machine onto Kaun, and Rush followed up with the horns to secure the pinfall victory for his team.
WINNERS: WINNERS: FTR & Rush & Vance in 15:00.
(Brian’s Analysis: Good and explosive main event. Everyone in the match looked great. The goal was to showcase Rush, which was accomplished, along with everyone else looking great.)
-After the match, House of Black appeared on the big screen. It was said that FTR’s legacy was more valuable than their gold weight. Buddy Matthews stated that they will beat it into them if you don’t trust them. The House of Black was standing behind FTR in the ring. They were assaulted. Running out, Wheeler Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli attacked the House of Black. Yuta was holding a chair. As the show finished, Claudo set up a Big Swing, but Black sneaked to ringside.
FINAL THOUGHTS: This show had a lot going on. AEW attempted to balance maintaining a strong Saturday program with building a more robust card. Overall, this episode succeeded in achieving these objectives.
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Erick Rowan on how he’s coping with the deaths of Bray Wyatt and Brodie Lee, working with The Rock at WrestleMania, why he won’t join the Dark Order in AEW
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