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KELLER’S AEW COLLISION REPORT
JULY 27, 2024
LIVE FROM ARLINGTON, TEX. AT ESPORTS ARENA
AIRED ON TNT
BY WADE KELLER, EDITOR
-After the Collision opening theme aired, Tony Schiavone introduced the show alongside Nigel McGuinness.
(1) ORANGE CASSIDY vs. JOHNNY TV (w/Taya Valkyrie)
As Cassidy made his entrance, clips aired of Battle for the Booty last Thursday in San Diego, Calif. including Johnny TV fighting Cassidy. Johnny kissed Valkyrie before the match; Cassidy rolled his eyes at them. Schiavone touted “an overflow crowd.” The bell rang 3 minutes into the hour. Johnny threw a fit at ringside after Cassidy got the better of him after some early mindgames and showboating by both. After Johnny kicked Cassidy’s arm while it was wrapped around the ringside barricade, he celebrated with a smile on his face with Valkyrie at ringside. Corner graphics hyped upcoming matches on Collision and Battle of the Belts immediately afterward.
At 9:00 Cassidy scored a near fall after a tornado DDT. He played to the crowd and signaled for an Orange Punch. Johnny blocked it and went for Starship Pain, but Cassidy moved. Morrison blocked Cassidy’s next move and then landed a Starship Pain for a near fall. Valkyrie made a cartoon face at ringside. Fans chanted “Freshly squeezed.” Cassidy then hit a Beach Break and an Orange Punch for the win.
Valkyrie clipped Cassidy from behind afterward and stomped away at him. Willow Nightingale ran out for the save.
WINNER: Cassidy in 10:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Borderline listless action but just above that threshold. There just wasn’t any doubt who was going to win and the action never felt intense nor did the wrestlers have a sense of urgency, although that can be a feature, not a law, with Cassidy. The crowd seemed into Cassidy.)
-Schiavone and Nigel discussed last week’s main event for the Trios Titles.
-Juice Robinson, Colten Gunn, and Austin Gunn spoke about losing the Trios Titles match last week. Juice said he won’t let it go that Mother Wayne sprayed him. Austin said eventually they’re going to get revenge.
(2) CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI & WHEELER YUTA vs. BRIAN CAGE & LEE MORIARTY vs. TOP FLIGHT (Dante & Darius Martin w/Action Andretti)
A clip aired of Lee Moriarty beating Yuta for the ROH Pure Title on the ROH PPV the night before. The bell rang 23 minutes into the hour. After Cage hit a full nelson slam on Dante, he struck a pose and they cut to the first (double-box) break of the show. [c/db]
At 7:00 Cage and Claudio squared off mid-ring and milked the moment. Schiavone said they crossed paths in the Rampage Rumble the night before. Darius and Dante knocked them both out of the ring and then dove over the top rope onto them at ringside. Yuta went to work win Moriarty and then gave Darius a Samoan drop and leveraged his shoulders down for a three count.
WINNERS: Yuta & Claudio in 11:00. [c]
-Lexi Nair was about to interview Mark Briscoe, Kyle O’Reilly, and Tomohiro Ishii backstage when Willow and Cassidy interrupted. She hyped her defense of the CMLL Women’s Title against Deonna Purarazzo on Battle of the Belts. She then apologized for interrupting. Lexi asked Briscoe about the pace of his brutal matches so far. Briscoe said his exasperation level is not at zero, but he won’t let the fatigue in his body weigh down his spirits. He handed his ROH Title belt to O’Reilly and said, “Hold my baby.” O’Reilly tossed the belt in the air like it was a baby and fans laughed. Then Briscoe reached off camera and held a real baby and finished his promo. The baby looked a little freaked out as Briscoe gyrated and yelled. Cassidy leaned on Lexi’s shoulders and looked exhausted. She said something to him that conveyed understanding.
(3) HOLOGRAM vs. THE BEAST MORTOS
Hologram came out first. Fans chanted “Hologram” as he struck a pose after his music ended. The bell rang 40 minutes into the hour. Hologram frustrated Mortos with dazzling offense early. A “Lucha Libre” chant briefly broke out with some fans. Mortos knocked Hologram to the floor with a Pounce and struck a pose as they cut to a partial double-box break. [c/pdb]
Hologram energized the crowd with a dazzling comeback. He played to the cheering fans. Hologram set up a move off the ropes, but Mortos blocked it and then drove him to the mat for a one count. At 8:00 Hologram gave Mortos a Canadian Destroyer on the ring apron. It wasn’t entirely smooth, but fans chanted “Holy shit!” Hologram leaped off the top rope with a flip dive onto Mortos for another crowd pop. Fans chanted, “Hologram! Hologram!” Schiavone said he’s really won over the fans after just two matches. Nigel called him scintillating. Hologram dove through the ropes and flip dove at him, but Mortos caught him and then stumbled backwards and then both went down.
Mortos caught Hologram as he leaped off the top rope at him. Hologram countered with a reverse huracanrana for a near fall at 10:00. Morton powerbombed Hologram onto his knee and then landed a discus lariat for a near fall. A “This is awesome!” chant broke out. They met on the top rope and both stood. Hologram countered Mortos’s slam attempt with a head scissors. He followed with a leap off the top rope with a crucifix bomb for a three count. Schiavone said Hologram is “a sensation on the rise.” Nigel said he is a star.
WINNER: Hologram in 12:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: That was a really impressive performance from Hologram. Mortos played his part really well, too. Hopefully AEW can build on this and get Hologram on a meaningful journey with a more defined character and not just present him as a dazzling highspot guy like, say, Dante Martin where he’s just on a career treadmill.) [c]
(4) THUNDER ROSA vs. MAYA WORLD
This was World’s debut. Nigel said she is from Dallas and has been training under Athena. The bell rang 57 minutes into the hour. Schiavone said Pro Wrestling Illustrated nominated her for 2023 Rookie of the Year. He said she’s worked extensively on the Texas independent scene. Schiavone plugg3ed the Sept. 25 Grand Slam episode of Dynamite which includes a Collision taping too. He noted that Darby Allin will get an AEW World Title match at that event. Thunder took World down with a These press and then hit World with a barrage of blows in the corner.
[HOUR TWO]
Rosa put World in a camel clutch for a tapout. Rosa leaned to the ringside camera and called Purrazzo a bitch and said she put her in a dark place and told her to enjoy the punishment she’s going to dish out. (Reset the Bitch-o-Meter!)
WINNER: Rosa in 3:30.
(Keller’s Analysis: World looked fine for a small window she had to show what she could do. The finish came suddenly and felt anti-climactic, especially considering the announcers spent the first two minutes talking up World.)
-They showed highlights of Will Ospreay vs. Lance Archer on the June 3, 2023 Dominion event in Osaka, Japan. Schiavone plugged that they’d have a rematch on Wednesday on Dynamite.
-They went backstage where a camera walked past over 12 bodies that were scattered about in a back hallway. Archer threw another guy around and then said he beat Osprea before and he’ll beat his ass again. He said, “Everybody dies.”
(5) THE CONGLOMERATION (Mark Briscoe & Kyle O’Reilly & Tomohiro Ishii) vs. THE PREMIERE ATHLETES (Josh Woods & Ariya Daivari & Tony Nese w/”Smart” Mark Sterling)
The babyface trio came out first. As the heels walked out, Sterling said he instructed his men to apologize for their recent disparaging comments about their opponents. Daivari said they’re sorry that they make the fat Texas hillbillies feel bad about themselves, but they don’t feel bad about the beating they’re about to give to their opponents. Schiavone took issue with his insults aimed at the fans. The bell rang 6 minutes into the hour.
Ishii took it to Nese early with chops. Briscoe tagged in and got a nice crowd reaction as Schiavone said he successfully retained his title against Roderick Strong at ROH Death Before Dishonor on PPV. Briscoe leaped off a chair and flipped onto all three heel opponents at ringside. They cut to a double-box break. [c/db]
Briscoe got a string of offense in against Nese. When he set up a Jay Driller, Sterling stood on the ring apron. Briscoe dropped Nese and turned to hell at him. Nese gave Briscoe a jaw-breaker and tagged in Woods. Daivari landed a top rope splash. Ishii broke up the cover at 8:00. O’Reilly blind-tagged in. Chaos broke out at ringside. Woods and Ishii battled in the ring. Daivari held O’Reilly for Nese to dive onto, but O’Reilly moved and Nese hit Daivari instead.
More rapid-fire action took place. Woods let outa. Yell after a flurry. The three babyface took turns hitting moves on him. Ishii knocked Sterling off the ring apron, which got cheers. O’Reilly then put Woods in a cross armbreaker for a quick tapout.
WINNERS: O’Reilly & Briscoe & Ishii in 10:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Crowd-pleasing mix of personalities and athleticism.)
-Renee Paquette interviewed Chris Jericho about what Jericho’s match against Minoru Suzuki on Dynamite. He said he has a broken finger. He said even though he won, Suzuki chopped him over 100 times and made him bleed from his chest and dropped him on his head after the match. He said it’ll be very hard to wave at all his branches because of his wrapped pinky. He said there will be another match and he’ll chop him 200 or 300 times and break two of his fingers. He said Shibata has no friends left since he took out Hook and Samoa Joe. He told him to imagine what he and the Learning Tree are going to do to him. “Thanks, guys,” he said before crying out in pain.
NOTE: We are looking for new contributors to join our team with some weekly columns or TV reports among other possibilities. If you are interested in writing for us, send a note to me at kellerwade@gmail.com.
(6) LANCE ARCHER vs. UNNAMED OPPONENT
Archer’s opponent ran to the ring like he was running from something. Archer then came out. His opponent leaped at him from the ring, but Archer caught him and slammed him onto the ring apron. He struck a pose in the ring as his music kept playing. The ref called for the bell 19 minutes into the hour. Archer chokeslammed his opponent and let out a big yell. Then he gave his opponent a Blackout for the win.
WINNER: Archer in 1:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Never a fan of a wrestling company not naming a wrestler involved in a match just to apparently spare them the embarrassment of being squashed on national TV. Archer’s AEW push continues to feel like Groundhog Day where he’s built up for a week before losing clean to a bigger star the next week. He did a good job looking intense and ferocious, though.) [c]
(7) FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) vs. MxM COLLECTION (Mansoor & Mason Madden)
Nigel touted MxM as “stylish, flamboyant, and effective.” Schiavone said they won over the crowd at the ROH PPV. Schiavone said Mansoor is the first person to work for Tony Khan as both a Jacksonville Jaguar and AEW wrestler. The bell rang 27 minutes into the hour. After a barrage of offense by Cash, Mansoor leaped into Madden’s arms. Madden overpowered Cash and then smiled. He knocked Cash down with a hip check. Madden his some too-slow bodyblows. Mansoor tagged in and they double-leg dropped Cash for a one count. Cash made a comeback and tagged in Dax. Mansoor and Madden bailed out ringside to regroup. They cut to a partial double-box break at 4:00. [c/pdb]
Nigel said MxM said they were going to turn FTR into “Feel The Rim” and that they’d be “doing the j-o-b.” Dax had Mansoor pinned in a small package, but Madden distracted the ref. Madden got Dax into a bearhug. Dax escaped with a bite. Schiavone defended it. Nigel called out Schiavone for hypocrisy. MxM hit a double-team Hart Attack variation for a near fall.
Cash tagged in and went on a flurry of offense. He scored a near fall on Mansoor, broken up by Madden. Mansoor and Cash exchanged two counts. Cash catapulted Mansoor into the corner, then FTR set up their double-team finisher. Madden broke it up, kicking Dax off the top rope. Mansoor then scored a two count on Cash with Jackknife.
Cash and Mansoor battled next. After a stylish but lazy, half-hearted whip into the ropes by Mansoor, Cash leapfrogged him and then Dax got a blind-tag and they finished Mansoor with a Shatter Machine for the win.
FTR gave MxM a sign of respect afterward. They touched index finger tips. “Just the tips,” said Schiavone. “How about that?”
WINNERS: FTR in 12:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Madden and Mansoor got in a lot of offense in this competitive match. It’s strange seeing MxM doing a gimmick, presumably by choice now, that fans likely thought they were doing against their wills as punishment in WWE, playing up effeminate mannerisms and looks. I’m not sure it makes sense to have them lose this match rather than build them up first with some quick wins to establish some credibility.)
-They cut to a backstage promo after Dynamite last week with Max Caster yelling to Anthony Bowens that they got the win. Caster said he was the MVP of the match. Bowens said he doesn’t want to hear anyone say they don’t belong. He said every day the show up and do their jobs and deliver. “We bleed and give of ourselves every damn week for the last four years,” he yelled. He said they protected the company from the EVPs. He said they will prove anyone who doubts them wrong. Caster said they got a title shot coming up and they’ll take the belts back. Bowens told the Bucks to heal up quickly because it’s time to nut up or shut up. [c]
(8) PAC vs. LIO RUSH
The ring announcer billed this as the main event. They did nothing to build it up during the show, likely because of the focus on pushing the bigger matches on Battle of the Belts that immediately followed. It still felt weird to refer to this as the main event. Pac entered first. The bell rang 48 minutes into the match. Nigel said Pac made his intentions clear that he wants a “Wembley Moment” and wants “what MJF now calls the American Title.” Schiavone said Pac won a four-way match which gave him a future shot at the American Championship. Schiavone referred to it as if that’s the new official name, whereas Nigel just said it’s what MJF now calls it.
The bell rang 48 minute into the hour. Schiavone plugged the Battle of the Belts line-up. “If Lio is sudden, Pac is abrupt,” said Nigel. Schiavone said that was well-said. Pac was in control and they cut to a double-box break at 3:00. [c/db]
Pac scored a near fall after a leaping sit-out powerbomb. Rush cut off Pac’s offense and landed a spinning roundkick to the side of Pac’s head. Both were down and slow to get up. Schiavone noted Collison will air at 5 ET next week (to avoid going head-to-head with Summerslam, which is a smart concession to make). Rush leaped through the ropes and powered Pac into the ringside barricade. He did it a second time and played to the crowd. He climbed to the top rope, but Pac stood and ducked him. Rush landed a sudden Falcon Arrow for a two count.
Pac rammed a charging Rush into the middle turnbuckle. The ref checked on him and cleared the match to continue. Pac set up a top rope fisherman’s suplex, bur Rush head-butted out of it. Pac caught Rush going for a back elbow and German suplexed him into a bridge for a near fall. A “This is awesome!” chant broke out. The fans also did dueling chants of “Pac is Awesome / Lio Rush” at various times.
Rush played possum and surprised Pac with a spin hook kick. He took Pac down with a poison rana and then a cutter for a near fall at 12:00. Rush went for a top rope frog splash, but Pac lifted his knees. Rush countered Pac with a roll-up for near fall. Pac got up and clotheslined Rush and then applied his Brutalizer for the tapout win.
WINNER: Pac in 13:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Good, intense, well-executed match. It deserved some build up and context.)
FINAL THOUGHTS: An enjoyable series of matches, but the show just felt thrown together without any effort to elevate the meaning of the matches beyond whatever Schiavone and Nigel could do on commentary during ring entrances and early in the match to set the stage. This was perhaps worse than usual for Collision since they had another hour after this of title matches on Battle of the Belts, so they were saving the bigger matches for a “third hour.” The setting this time at ESports Arena was much better than last week in terms of the sound quality. It still has a high school gym echo, but it was mic’d up better. I wonder if they’re going to skip in-ring promos in this venue because of the acoustical issues, though. The crowd was a big plus and elevated the show with their steady enthusiasm. It wasn’t off the charts or anything, but they were into it and reacted to everything.
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