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AEW COLLISION REPORT
FEBRUARY 24, 2024
SPRINGFIELD, MO. AT GREAT SOUTHERN BANKS ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON TNT
REPORT BY AMIN AJANI, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Kevin Kelly, Nigel McGuinness
[HOUR ONE]
—AEW Collision opening played. There was a firework display. Tony Schiavone introduced the show. They showed a straight high shot of the arena. The camera showed the crowd seated in the first deck.
(1) POWERHOUSE HOBBS vs. SAMMY GUEVARA – No Disqualification Match
Sammy got a solid babyface reaction. Sammy rocked Hobbs with a pair of rising knee strikes as the match began. Sammy planted Hobbs with a springboard cutter. Sammy connected with a Cactus clothesline sending Hobbs to the floor. Hobbs caught Sammy charging, leaping over the ring steps. Hobbs took control planting Sammy with a World’s Strongest Slam onto the ring steps. The crowd chanted “Let’s Go Sammy” and “Let’s go Hobbs.” Hobbs swung Sammy into the barricade. Hobbs turned his attention to Kevin Kelly on commentary. He grabbed Kelly and told him to give him his belt. Hobbs whipped Sammy with Kelly’s belt. Sammy battled back swinging a chair into Hobbs face. Sammy planted Hobbs with a cutter onto the ring steps. Sammy whipped Hobbs with Kelly’s belt. The crowd cheered as Sammy grabbed a pair of tables. Hobbs caught Sammy coming off the ropes. Hobbs delivered a spinebuster sending Sammy crashing through a pair of tables. The crowd chanted “Holy S*it!” They went to a picture-in-picture break. [c]
Sammy caught Hobbs with a GTH for a two count as they returned from break. Sammy whacked Hobbs with a TV monitor. Sammy placed a table into the ring. Hobbs rocked Sammy with a running lariat. Sammy responded by nailing Hobbs with a superkick. Sammy went for a springboard cutter but Hobbs caught him with a World’s Strongest Slam for two. Hobbs placed a table on the floor. Sammy battled back, running Hobbs into the ring post.
Sammy smashed a pair of beer bottles over Hobbs face. Sammy placed a ladder in the ring. Sammy delivered a Swanton Bomb off the ladder, sending Hobbs crashing through a pair of tables. The crowd chanted “This Is Awesome!” Hobbs shoved the referee as Sammy got crotched on the ropes. Hobbs delivered a Super Worlds Strongest Slam sending Sammy crashing through the table for the win.
WINNER: Powerhouse Hobbs in 17:00
(Amin’s Thoughts: This was just a wild action packed match to start the show. Sammy delivering the Swanton from the top of the ladder was a great visual. Hobbs has a tremendous look and just looks like a star. Hobbs winning was the right call. I would’ve just liked if Hobbs won in more dominant fashion instead of using the referee before getting the win.) [c]
—Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli were backstage. Moxley said when Claudio came to America he trained with William Regal and Dave Taylor. He recalled Claudio walking from the airport for 20+ miles to train. He said Claudio is a freak and 20 minutes is nothing for him. He said a time limit draw is unsatisfactory. Moxley accepted FTR’s challenge for Revolution. He asked Claudio what he was thinking about? Claudio brought up legendary tag team wrestlers from the past. He said how FTR looks to the past. He pointed to Moxley saying we create the wrestling we want to see today. He told FTR if they want to stay in the past it’s fine. He told FTR they have to be better than BCC if they want to step into the future. Moxley said FTR couldn’t have given them everything in the 20 minute tag match. He said he and Claudio didn’t pull out everything. He told FTR they are going to have to swim in deep, deep water if they want to be big names in Revolution. Moxley left. Claudio told FTR to bring their whole bag of tricks.
(Amin’s Thoughts: A strong promo from both Claudio and Moxley to hype the tag team match with FTR at Revolution.)
(2) DAX HARWOOD & CASH WHEELER (FTR) vs. SHANE TAYLOR & LEE MORIARTY (Shane Taylor Promotions)
FTR received a strong babyface reaction. Harwood connected with a series of shoulder tackles but couldn’t get Taylor off his feet. Taylor took rocking Harwood with a lariat. Taylor ran Harwood into their corner. Moriarty tagged into the match. Harwood caught Moriarty with an atomic drop. Taylor tagged back into the match. Taylor rocked Harwood with a running splash for a near fall. [c]
Taylor placed Harwood in a bear hug as they returned from break. Harwood went for a backdrop suplex. Taylor rolled through landing onto Harwood for a two count. Moriarty placed Harwood in an octopus hold. Taylor rocked Harwood with a knee strike. Taylor went for a flying head butt but Harwood moved out of the way. Wheeler ran wild, rocking Moriarty and Taylor with lariats. Wheeler planted Moriarty with a neck breaker for a two count. Taylor rocked Wheeler with a forearm smash with the referee distracted. Moriarty caught Wheeler with a rollup for a two count. Taylor went for another cheap shot. Wheeler decked Taylor with a right hand. Harwood and Wheeler had Moriarty in-position to deliver a Doomsday Device for the win.
WINNERS: Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler in 10:00
—The crowd chanted “FTR! FTR! FTR!” Wheeler brought up how Moxley said for everyone to step up or get stepped on. He said they were like a couple of cockroaches. He said it will take more than getting stepped on to stop them. He said Claudio and Moxley know where to find them if they have anything else they want to say. Harwood spoke about BCC speaking about the different styles of wrestling. He said Moxley has been here from the beginning. He said people backstage drop their eyes because they are afraid of the BCC. He said FTR aren’t afraid of BCC. He said you want to be a king, you got to kill a king. He said they are coming for BCC’s head at Revolution. Top Guys Out!
(Amin’s Thoughts: This was a solid tag team match as both teams worked well together. FTR winning with a Doomsday Device was a nice finish showing BCC they can win with moves from the past. Solid post-match promo from Harwood and Wheeler building up the tag match with BCC for Revolution.)
—They aired a highlight package hyping the Bryan Danielson vs. Jun Akiyama main event. They showed clips of Akiyama from DDT-Pro Wrestling.
(3) THUNDER ROSA vs. LADY BIRD MONROE
Thunder Rosa got a solid reaction. Rosa took control rocking Monroe with strikes. Monroe battled back, rocking Rose with strikes of her own. Rosa avoided a running boot rocking Monroe with a rolling knee strike. Rosa rocked Monroe with a running dropkick. Rosa planted Monroe with a Fisherman’s driver. Rosa delivered the Tijuana Bomb for the win.
WINNER: Thunder Rose in 2:10
(Amin’s Thoughts: This was a good showcase for Thunder Rosa to rack up more wins before she challenges for a title.) [c]
—Renee Paquette was backstage with Kris Statlander, Willow Nightingale and Stokely Hathaway. Renee spoke about how Julia Hart and Skye Blue had some choice words for Statlander and Willow. Statlander was about to speak but Hathaway cut her off. He didn’t appreciate the choice words from Blue and Hart. He said he apologized for what happened last week. He said he posted a statement at 3:00am and then deleted it five minutes later. He was about to call Hart and Blue out. Willow cut Hathaway off. She told Hathaway to think before he speaks. Statlander said Blue is looking for a fight. She said she and Blue are 1-1. She walked up to the camera with Renee. She looked into the camera and said she should beat Blue’s ass.
—Jay White came out with Austin and Colten Gunn. They were carrying a cutout of Juice Robinson. The Acclaimed came out next. Max Caster did his pre-match rap. Caster said they were the real savages. He said not to bring the fight like me against management. Caster flubbed over his rap midway through. Anthony Bowens took over saying the Bang Bang Scissor Gang had arrived. Bowens and Billy Gunn did some scissoring.
(Amin’s Thoughts: This pairing between The Acclaimed and Bullet Club Gold is not good at all. Jay White needs to get out of this act ASAP because right now he just feels like just another wrestler on the show.)
(4) JAY WHITE & COLTEN GUNN & BILLY GUNN vs. THE IRON SAVAGES (Boulder & Bronson & Jacked Jameson)
Boulder rocked Billy with a shoulder tackle. Boulder separated his straps as the camera focused on his nipples. The crowd booed. Billy shoved Bronson into Boulder. Colten nailed Bronson with a standing dropkick. Boulder moved as Colten crashed into the ring post. Jameson delivered a corner splash to Colten. Colten used Boulder’s momentum, sending him to the floor. White ran wild planting Jameson with a uranage slam. White moved as Boulder crushed Jameson with a slash. Billy planted Boulder with a Fameasser. White delivered the Blade Runner to Jameson for the win.
WINNERS: Jay White, Billy Gunn & Colten Gunn in 4:50
(Amin’s Thoughts: This was just a basic match to get both The Acclaimed and Bullet Club Gold onto the show. Jay White challenged for the AEW World Title just last November at the Full Gear PPV. White is now just having meaningless matches on shows.)
—Lexi Nair interviewed Bryan Danielson backstage. Nair asked Danielson about his match with Akiyama which she called a “Dream Match.” Danielson told Nair she should’ve introduced Jun Akiyama as a legend. He said Akiyama is someone who Eddie Kingston respects. He said Kingston will be on commentary watching him wrestle one of the greatest wrestlers in history. He said he will beat Akiyama who’s Kingston’s hero. He said he respects everything Akiyama has done. He said he doesn’t respect Kingston. He brought up how he would have to shake Kingston’s hand and show him respect if Kingston won at Revolution. He said it might kill him inside. He mocked Kingston’s backstage interviews. He said Kingston is not a professional. He said he’s known Kingston for over 20 years and he had the most potential out of everyone. He looked into the camera screaming Kingston wasted his potential until last year. He said Kingston’s wasted potential pisses him off. He said that’s why he’s going to beat Kingston for the AEW Continental Crown at Revolution.
(Amin’s Thoughts: The level of intensity Danielson showed in this promo was just tremendous. You really want to root for Kingston and see Danielson show Kingston respect at Revolution after this promo.)
(5) MALAKAI BLACK vs. BRYAN KEITH
Malakai’s Black entrance looked awesome. Keith shined early, rocking Black with a running boot. Kevin Kelly said October 23, 2021 was the last time Black lost a single’s match in AEW. Kelly didn’t mention this was the first one-on-one match Black has had since June 2022. Keith planted Black with a snap suplex. Keith connected with a jumping knee drop for a near fall. Black took back control delivering a big boot sending Keith to the floor. [c]
Keith rocked Black with a pair of lariats as they returned from break. Keith planted Black with an Ushigorishi for a two count. Keith went for a Tiger Driver but his knee gave out. Keith responded by catching Black with a Tornado DDT. Black and Keith both sat up at the same time in a cool spot. Black and Keith exchanged big strikes. Keith caught Black with a jumping head butt stopping him from climbing the ropes. The crowd chanted “Malakai.”
Black knocked Keith off the ropes. Black crushed Keith with a flying double stomp. Black rocked Keith with a rising knee strike. Black connected with a bridging German suplex for a two count. Black called for Black Mass but Keith ducked. Keith connected with a Tiger Driver but Keith kicked out at two. Black caught Keith charging with Black Mass for the win.
WINNER: Malakai Black in 11:00
—The lights went out after the match. Mark Briscoe entered the ring with Kendo Stick in hand. Brodie King and Buddy Mathews ran down. Briscoe whacked both Buddy and King with kendo sticks. Briscoe dropped his kendo stick and pulled out a spike. Black moved as Briscoe stabbed the turnbuckle with a spike. Black rocked Briscoe with Black Mass. Buddy and King planted Briscoe with Dante’s Inferno.
(Amin’s Thoughts: This was a solid match. A good showing from Keith getting a chance to work a competitive match with Black. You don’t want to see Keith keep losing matches because that would lead to him being just another guy on the roster. I mostly enjoyed this match because it was just nice to see Black finally wrestle a single’s match on TV in a really long time. The program between Bricose and House of Black hasn’t gotten my interest. I won’t mind if the post-match angle is leading to a Black having a single’s match with Briscoe on PPV. I just want to see Black have more single’s matches if he’s healthy and ready to go.)
(6) SERENA DEEB vs. LADY FROST
Deeb got a solid reaction from the crowd. They showed clips of Lady Frost wrestling in CMLL as she was making her entrance. Deeb and Frost began with some mat wrestling. Deeb caught Frost in a knee bar. Frost grabbed the ropes. [c]
Deeb caught Frost with a dragon screw as they returned from break. There were chants of Deeb and Frost from the crowd. Deeb draped Frost with a neck breaker against the ropes. Deeb followed with a swinging neck breaker for a two count. Frost responded by catching Deeb with a cartwheel Air Raid Crash for a two count. Frost went for a spin kick but Deeb ducked. Deeb rocked Frost with a hammerlock clothesline. Deeb applied a half crab for the submission win.
WINNER: Serena Deeb in 8:20
—Deeb said the AEW women’s division is heating up. She said she put the division on notice. She said the professor will be waiting for anyone who wants to join the division. She said she’s here to elevate the division. This got really light chants. She said the lights don’t turn out when she wrestles. She said the picture doesn’t go black and white when she wrestles. She said she wrestles when she’s inside the ring. She said she’s here to put the wrestling in All Elite Wrestling.
(Amin’s Thoughts: This match didn’t get much time and was also spliced in with a commercial break. The wrestling itself was solid as both Deeb and Frost worked well together. A good showing from Deeb as she looked strong in the win. I liked the passion Deeb showed in her promo. There were parts of the crowd who reacted to the promo. There just aren’t many meaningful feuds or more importantly real effort put into making the division feel important.)
—Eddie Kingston came out to a big reaction. Kingston joined commentary for the main event.
(7) BRYAN DANIELSON vs. JUN AKIYAMA
Bryan Danielson got a great reaction. Danielson didn’t look over at Kingston on commentary. The crowd gave Akiyama a solid reaction. Akiyama and Danielson began with some nice mat wrestling. Danielson took control stomping away on Akiyama’s legs. Nigel McGuinness on commentary asked Kingston about winning the Bryan Danielson best technical wrestling award. This was a reference to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards that came out this week. Kingston said let’s not get to awards that don’t matter. I’m wondering if that was thrown in there because Tony Khan was upset that Paul “Triple H” Levesque won the Booker of the Year award? Danielson applied the Muta Lock. Akiyama broke free, poking Danielson in the eyes. Akiyama yanked Danielson down to the mat. Danielson responded using Akiyama’s momentum, sending him to the floor. Danielson went for a dive but Akiyama caught him with a forearm smash. [c]
Akiyama rocked Danielson with a jumping knee drop as they returned from break. Danielson responded by planting Akiyama with a suplex on the floor. Danielson took back control, rocking Akiyama with a flying knee strike to the floor. The crowd chanted “YES!” Danielson followed by hitting a missile dropkick. Akiyama responded by intercepting Danielson with a running clothesline. The crowd chanted “This Is Awesome!” Danielson stopped Akiyama’s momentum catching him in the LeBell Lock. Akiyama placed his foot on the ropes to force a break. Akiyama caught Danielson coming off the ropes with a mid kick. Akiyama delivered a piledriver for a two count.
Danielson caught Akiyama in a half crab coming off the ropes. Danielson planted Akiyama with a release German suplex. Danielson connected with mid kicks. Akiyama responded by catching Danielson with an exploder suplex for a two count. Akiyama went for a triangle choke but Danielson placed his foot on the ropes. Danielson caught Akiyama with a release German suplex. Akiyama no-sold it, sending Danielson flying with an exploder suplex. Akiyama nailed Danielson with a knee strike for a double down. Akiyama and Danielson collided with stereo Busaiku Knee strikes. Akiyama and Danielson exchanged big strikes. Akiyama called for an exploder suplex but Danielson countered with a knee strike. Danielson led the crowd in “YES” chants. Danielson connected with a Busaiku Knee strike for the win.
WINNER: Bryan Danielson in 16:00
—Danielson smiled looking over at Kingston on commentary. The crowd cheered as Danielson led Akiyama into shaking his hand. Danielson flipped off Kingston on commentary. Akiyama was upset as he slapped Danielson across the face. Danielson apologized to Akiyama. The crowd chanted “Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!” Danielson shook Akiyama’s hand. Danielson gave Akiyama a low blow. Kingston entered the ring tackling Danielson to the mat. Claudio Castagnoli ran down, attacking Kingston. FTR ran down making the save for Akiyama and Kingston. Schiavone said he got word from Tony Khan. They showed a graphic for a six-man tag between Danielson, Moxley & Claudio vs. Kingston & FTR for Dynamite. Both teams stared at each other. The show ended.
(Amin’s Thoughts: This was a good main event match. A good showing from Akiyama as his strikes looked effective. A great showing from Danielson showcasing both his striking and submissions. The post-match angle was great with Danielson continuing to play an unlikable heel attacking Akiyama after wanting to show respect. This was good adding more heat for the Danielson/Kingston match for Revolution. They’ve also set up a six-man tag match for Dynamite coming off the angle.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: The opening and main event were both good matches. It was nice to see Malakai Black having a single’s match. The rest of the matches were just there. The promo segment was the strong point to help build interest in both the Danielson/Kingston and BCC/FTR matches for Revolution. Overall, this was a fine episode of Collision.
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