SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
AEW COLLISION REPORT
APRIL 13, 2024
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, KENTUCKY,
ARENA: TRUIST ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON TNT
REPORT BY BRIAN ZILEM PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
-Cold open Tony Schiavone welcomed everyone to the show.
-Commentary recapped how Jon Moxley won the IWPG championship at NJPW Windy City Riot.
-The show cut to the back with Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli. Danielson told the Don Callis that they would see violence tonight and this coming Wednesday on AEW dynamite
(1) HOUSE OF BLACK (Buddy Matthews & Malakai Black & Brody King) vs. ACTION ANDRETTI & DANTE MARTIN & MATT SYDAL
Matthews and Andretti started the match with back-and-forth arm drags. Both men displayed their athleticism early. Andretti went for a springboard and nailed Matthews with a dropkick. After tagging in, Sydal went for a quick cover on Matthews. Top Flight with Sydal made quick tags early and often to use their speed to their advantage. Brody King was tagged in and ran wild in the match. King got Andretti up. Black kneed Andretti, and then King wheelbarrow slammed Andretti for a fantastic double-team move. King tagged in Matthews and followed to dive outside the babyface team. Sydal got the hot tag and ran wild, but Black and Matthews set up Sydal for a powerbomb into a backstabber as the show went to its first commercial break of the night. [c]
After the break, Matthews worked over Sydal in the corner. Sydal railed and hit a Poison Rana out of nowhere and tagged in Martin. Black and Martin squared off. Martin nailed Black with a kick and followed up a swan dive to the outside onto King. All six men squared off and hit big moves. Martin broke up a pin attempt on King by hitting splash from the top. The fans cheered, “This is awesome.” In the closing moments, HOB set up Sydal in the corner where all three men hit moves in the corner onto Sydal, and King covered Sydal for a three count.
WINNERS: House of Black in 14:00
(Brian’s Thoughts: This was a fun opener to start the show. This was the most engaged the HOB has looked as a trio in a few weeks.)
-After the match, a recap video was shown from Dynamite with Toni Storm jumping Thunder Rosa.
-Afterwards, Lexy Nair was backstage with Toni Storm and Mariah May. Storm said she would give AZM a beating so bad it would be featured on a fetish peritoneal
-After a commercial break, a recap video was shown with LionHook and Shibata losing last Wednesday. Chris Jericho ran into Taz backstage and asked him to speak to Hook for him.
(2) KATSUYORI SHIBATA vs. LEE MORIARTY (w/Shane Taylor)
Anthony Ogogo joined the commentary desk for the match. Ogogo explained to Tony and Daddy Magic why he joined Shane Taylor promotions. Moriarty went for a sleeper, but Shibata turned it into a pin attempt. Shibata and Moriarty grappled and exchanged submission holds. Taylor distracted the official so Ogogo could land a gut punch on Shibata as the show went to a commercial. (C)
After the break, both men exchanged chest chops in the middle of the ring. Shibata ate the chops, and his chest turned purple. Shibata hit a running dropkick and a suplex onto Moriarty for a near fall. Both men had fought and went for abdominal stretch submissions. In the match’s closing moments, both men exchanged big boots in the middle of the ring until Shibata hit ripcord lariat and the PK to secure the pinfall.
WINNER: Katsuyori Shibata in 10:30
(Brian’s Thoughts: Lee Moriarty gained great experience going one-on-one with someone with Shibata’s experience.)
-After the match, Taylor jumped Shibata, but Hook came down for the save.
-A recap video was shown with Athena defeating
Hikaru Shida from ROH Supercard of Honor and Billie Starkz winning the ROH Women’s TV Title.
Lexy Nair was backstage with Athena and Starkz, and Athena said she would be defending her ROH World Title in the main event of Battle of Belt against Red Velvet. Athena said she would make an example of Red Velvet and show the world what she’s been missing.
-Lexy Nair was backstage with the United Kingdom after a commercial break. Roderick Strong said he was a fighting champion, and tonight, on Battle of the Belts, he would be putting on a beating of a lifetime.
(3) DANIEL GARCIA vs. ANGELICO (w/Serpentico)
WINNER: Daniel Garcia in 5:00
(Brian’s Thoughts: I would have loved for this match to go 10 minutes so both men could have displayed their talents. The match was a way to get Garica on TV.)
-Afterward, a recap video was shown of the Elite jumping Pac and FTR from last Wednesday.
-The show then went backstage to PAC backstage. Pac said Kazuchika Okada thinks he’s god’s gift to professional wrestling, but your crap and I’m better than you, and next Sunday, I’m going to prove it in front of the entire world.
(4) TONI STORM (w/Luther, Mariah May) vs. AZM (w/Anna Jay) – AEW Women’s Title Eliminator Match
Early on, Storm displayed her size and strength over AZM. After hitting a dropkick on Storm, the fans started to get behind AZM and this match. AZM climbed to the top rope, but Storm knocked her off and followed up with a check on AZM’s face. During the chaos, Jay and May brawled backstage, and AZM nailed Storm with PK as the show took a commercial break. (C)
After the break, both women exchanged forearms. AZM charged Storm, but Azm countered with a kick-off of her own. The fans started to cheer for both women. AZM hit Storm with fishermen into a back suplex, followed by a shotgun dropkick from the top rope, and got a close near fall. After recovering, Storm hit Azm with the powerbomb and got a near fall. After the kick-out, Storm was in shock. Storm picked up Azm, but Azm hit an arm drag and pin attempt for another near fall. In the match’s closing moments, Storm would rally, hit a release German suplex, a hip attack, and follow up with Storm Zero to secure the pinfall.
WINNER: Toni Storm in 9:30
(Brian’s Thoughts: I wish this match had gone another ten minutes; this was great. The chemistry between both women was off the charts. This was Storm’s best-in-ring match by miles since her change to the 1920s starlet. Perhaps the trick is having Storm work her matches like a Stardom style. It can’t go unsaid how a homerun debut this was for AZM. I wasn’t familiar with this 21-year-old upstart, but I certainly want to go out of my way to find more of her matches.)
-Backstage, Mark Briscoe said the House of Black should be afraid of what’s coming next Sunday at AEW Dynasty.
-Tony Schiavone interviewed Thunder Rosa from the stage. Schiavone reminded everyone that Rosa never lost the AEW Women’s World Title, noting that she had to surrender it due to injury. Rosa was very thankful to the fans, and everyone was watching. Rosa wanted to remind everyone that she could win her title back and that AEW is where the best wrestling is. Rosa said she was going to win her title back at AEW Dynasty. Rosa got very emotional and said she would carry more than the weight of the title and break every bone in her body to prove herself to every woman in the locker room. Rosa said Storm can’t kill what is already dead, and next Sunday, she’s coming from Storm’s soul.
(Brian’s Thoughts: I liked the words Thunder Rosa had to say, but her body language and cadence were all over the place.)
-Afterward, Deonna Purrazzo challenged Mariah May to match this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite.
-Schiavone then broke the news that the AEW Tag Team Title match at AEW Dynasty will now be a ladder match.
-After a commercial break, Kyle Fletcher and PowerHouse Hobbs promised Danielson wouldn’t be able to walk out on his own.
(5) BLACKPOOL COMBAT CLUB (Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli) vs. THE DON CALLIS FAMILY (Kyle Fletcher & Powerhouse Hobbs)
The match started fast, with Hobbs and Fletcher jumping Danielson and Castagnoli. All four men brawled on the outside. Danielson nailed Fletcher with a dropkick against the guardrail. Castagnoli held down Fletcher, and Danielson followed up with another dropkick. Castagnoli and Hobbs exchanged blows, and Castagnoli got Hobbs up for a power slam. Castagnoli tagged in Danielson, and both men double-teamed Hobbs to keep him isolated from Fletcher. Danielson tried to power Hobbs up into a surfboard and opted instead of doing dragon screw leg whips on the bigger opponent. Hobbs used his power to get his to his corner and tag in Fletcher. Castagnoli welcomed Fletcher to the match with punches in the corner. Fletcher dropped Castagnoli to the outside. Castagnoli and Hobbs’s jaw was jacked on the outside, which gave Fletcher an opening to nail Castagnoli with a knee as the show went on a commercial break. [c]
After the break, Fletcher had a sleeper hold onto Castagnoli in the middle of the ring. Castagnoli rallied and hit a gut wrench slam onto Fletcher. He got the hot tag into Danielson, who ran wild. Danielson hit the Yes Kicks onto Fletcher and went for a dive but was caught by Hobbs who slammed him on the apron. The match began to break down and all four men brawled on the outside. The fans cheered, “This is Awesome.” All four men brawled in the crowd as the show went to its final commercial break of the night. [c]
Back from the break, Fletcher exposed the cement floor. The padding not cooperating caused enough of a delay for Daneilson to back-body-drop Fletcher. Danielson and Fletcher battled on the top rope, where Danielson landed an avalanche belly-to-back suplex for a near fall. Danielson pushed Fletcher and Hobbs to each other and got the hot tag to Castagnoli. After running wild, Castagnoli locked in the giant swing onto Hobbs. Castagnoli locked in the sharpshooter, but Fletcher broke up the submission. Hobbs dumped Castagnoli for a slam and got a near fall. The match broke down again, and all four men brawled at their knees. Castagnoli hit Hobbs with a DVD and got a near fall. Fletcher swept Castagnoli’s leg, which caused a distraction, and Hobbs was able to hit the World’s Strongest Slam for a near fall that Danielson broke up at the last second. In the closing moments, after another brawl on the outside, Castagnoli hit Fletcher with the Neutralizer to secure the pinfall victory.
WINNERS: Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli in 25:00
(Brian’s Thoughts: The classic Saturday Night Collinson main event returned in whole form for this show. Everyone looked like a million bucks. The potential between Castagnoli and Osprey this Wednesday should be off the charts)
-After the match, the Don Callis Family jumped Castagnoli and Danielson after the match but included Konosuke Takeshita hitting Danielson with a brainbuster on the ramp as the show went off the air.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Much improved episode from the previous week. An excellent way to open and close the show.
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