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AEW COLLISION REPORT
NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. AT HAMMERSTEIN BALLROOM
AIRED LIVE ON TNT
REPORT BY BRIAN ZILEM PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness
Ring Announcers: Arkady Aura
[HOUR ONE]
-Ian Riccaboni welcomed everyone to the show with Big Boom AJ and Big Justice. They previewed the upcoming card for the show.
(1) RICOCHET vs. WILL OSPREAY – Continental Classic Gold League Match
Before the match started, Ospreay was greeted with a massive reaction from the crowd, and Ricochet was welcomed with boos and toilet paper thrown in the ring. When the bell rang, the crowd chanted, “Holly sh–!” and “F— up Ospreay!” and “We want Samantha.” Ricochet got the first pinfall attempt of the match early. Counter after counter until Ricochet threw Ospreay against the turnbuckle and landed a dive to the outside. [c]
After the break, Ricochet went for a suplex, but Ospreay countered and landed a kick. Ospreay set up Ricochet for a Styles Clash, but Ricochet countered and hit an Angel’s Wings for a near fall. Ricochet slipped going for a moonsault, but recovered nicely by giving the middle finger to the crowd. The misstep allowed enough time for Ospreay to finally get Ricochet into the Styles Clash for a near fall.
Both men brawled on the apron where Ricochet drilled Ospreay with a DVD. The crowd chanted, “You still suck!” Ricochet went for the Spirit Gun. Ospreay ducked and hit a stunner. Ricochet went for the Spirit Gun again, but Ospreay hit the Hidden Blade. Both men were laid out. Both men recovered and started talking trash to one another, exchanging forearms in the middle of the ring.
In the match’s closing moments, Ricochet grabbed the leg of the official and threw Ospreay into him. While the official was dazed, Ospreay got the visual pinfall after hitting the Stormbreaker. Ospreay climbed to the top rope while the official’s back was turned. Ricochet pushed him into Ospreay, and Ricochet hit the Spirit Gun to secure the three points and victory.
WINNER: Ricochet in 14:26
(Brian’s Thoughts: My cohost Amin Ajani and I on the PWTorch “Collision Cafe” podcast (VIP-exclusive) will discuss the Ricochet heel turn more in-depth in our upcoming episode. This entire character shift is fantastic. I understand this may seem silly to most, but this is the kind of humor for the AEW audience. In terms of having a big lead-in for this show, there’s no better showcase to display than having Will Ospreay wrestle.)
-A hype package was shown for Claudio Castagnoli vs. Darby Allin
-MJF and Adam Cole had a face-to-face. MJF said:
“If I wanted your help, I’d ask for it. Sit down and shut the hell up. You know, Cole, I’m a little bit frustrated because, for months, I’ve had to listen to you act like I’m your biggest enemy, when if my memory serves me correctly, it always does because, unlike all of you, I’m not a complete moron; you turned on me, didn’t you? But do you know what’s so interesting? You have so many other bigger enemies to worry about. I mean, spray tanner, a crack in the floor, a gust of wind, or a cavity. Because I heard that your dentist isn’t seeing you anymore. Now, now, now. I said to shut the hell up.
“Let me shoot straight with you, playboy. When I was the longest reigning and greatest AEW World Champion of all time, you were nothing more than my cute little sidekick. And that ate you up inside. You desperately wanted to be me. You wanted my Triple B. But the sad truth is, man, you had plenty of opportunities to win the title before I got anywhere near it. It’s almost like when it comes to Adam Cole being elite enough to become the world champion, much like that shitty little ankle of yours, you blew it.
“Classic. I’m talking, guys. It’s not that complicated. That’s why I don’t buy that hogwash. You keep spewing that you turn on me because you knew I was going to turn on you first. You turned on me because you’re like all these schmucks. You’re jealous of me. Who can blame you? I mean, look at me. I’m rich, I’m handsome, I’m funny, I’m entertaining. Then look at you. I ‘mean, for crying out loud, bud, you used to be Adam Cole, baby. But these days, you’re looking like a crack, baby.
Adam Cole:
“Was that your last line? Because I feel like you practiced this in front of the mirror for two weeks, but you killed it. You killed it. Now, I could come back with all these childish comments to try to hurt your feelings, but I won’t do that. I could talk about the fact that you’ve had two surgeries on that fake head of hair and you’re in your 20s, which is hilarious, but I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to do that. I could talk about the fact that you pulled some strings to get your girl hired, like the real politician that you are. But again, I’m not going to do that. I could say that every time you enter a room, everybody cannot wait for you to leave because you’re loud, obnoxious, and annoying as hell. But I’m not going to do that. Because I’m not like you, Max. We are nothing alike. That’s why the friendship was ruined. Because, Max, the truth is, you tell me I’m a failure, right? In virtually every wrestling company I’ve ever worked for, I am the longest-running world champion in so many companies.
“In this very building, I bled buckets. I fought for my life against Kyle O’Reilly, hoping one day to prove that I was one of the best damn pro wrestlers on the planet. And that is exactly what I did. Do I have any regrets? Sure. Do I have some things that I wish I could take back? Absolutely. But I do not regret turning my back on you because, Max, the only reason it drives you insane is because I beat you to it.
“This is MJF one-on-one. Get close to somebody and then turn your back on them immediately. It’s what you do. I just did it better than you, and you know it. But, Max, I’ve been thinking, trying to figure out what’s going on in that head of yours, and I figured it out. You are terrified of having anyone close to you because you feel like it’s a weakness. That hit a cord, didn’t it? Not only do you act like a child, but you also think like a child, and you know in your heart that you will be the one to turn on me first.”
MJF replied:
“You’re goddamn right for once. I think. You know what? Congrats, buddy. Hey, everybody, he solved the mystery. Look at him. He’s a regular Scooby-Doo. Great. Great job, Adam. Do you want the truth? Here’s the truth. Here’s the truth. The fact of the matter is, last year at World’s End, I had every intention of stabbing you in the back that night. You just got lucky. Do you understand? See, when ‘better than you’ first started, I didn’t care about you. You were nothing more than a pond to me. But I’ll admit it. Eventually, I did start to care a little bit. Eventually, I began to care about somebody else for the first time. However, that is exactly when you became a liability, Adam.
“And since you’re a fragile little freak, when you jumped off that ramp at Arthur Ashe and exploded your ankle, you became a distraction. Distractions, liabilities, emotions. There is no room for it when all you should be concerned with is maintaining your World Championship. You don’t get it, do you? You weren’t the devil last year at World’s End, boy. You just beat the devil to it. But this year at World’s End, December 28th, the same place where you tried to end my world, I end yours.”
Adam Cole replied:
“You’re going to end it? At World’s End, you’re going to end it?”
-Things broke down, and both men brawled. MJF kicked Adam Cole below the belt, then Mike Bennett and Matt Taven came down to make the save for Cole.
(Brian’s Thoughts: I would not have either man interact until World’s End for a feud that has been a year-long dud. This was, by far, the best interaction Cole and MJF have had against one another to build this match. Cole displayed great facial exressions throughout the exchange.)
-A recap was shown of the great week Mercedes Mone had with two title defenses
-Backstage, Lexy Nair interviewed Kris Stalander. Stalander challenged Mone to a match at World’s End.
-Lexy Nair interviewed Orange Cassidy backstage. At World’s End, there’s no way for Jon Moxley to hide.
(2) KRIS STATLANDER vs. PENELOPE FORD
Statlander lifted Ford for the standing vertical suplex, but Ford reversed it into a choke. Statlander fought out the submission, slammed Ford to the mat, went for a cover, and got a near fall. Both women fought on the top rope. Ford hit a blockbuster for a near fall. Ford dove her knees to the stomach of Statlander using the ropes. [c]
After the break, AEW did a great job with a broad view of the entire arena. Ford went to knee Statlander again in the stomach but missed, and Stalander hit a shotgun dropkick. Stalander hit a blue thunder bomb for a near fall. Ford nailed Statlander with a poison rana for a close near fall. The crowd chanted, “AEW! AEW!” Statlander hit a flurry of German suplexes in the match’s closing moments and hit Saturday night fever to secure the pinfall victory.
WINNER: Kris Statlander at 8:56
-After the match, Mercedes came down the ramp and accepted the challenge for World’s End.
-Big Boom A.J., and Big Justice came down to the ring and they were interrupted by The Learning Tree. Big Justice called Chris Jericho a jackass. Chris Jericho ran down Big Boom, A,J,, and Big Justice. Anthony Bowens came down to tell Chris Jericho to shut up. The Learning Tree left, and Bowens and A.J. scissored.
-Lexy Nair was backstage with the Vendetta. Toni Storm interrupted the interview. Taya Valkyrie challenged Storm to a match on Dynamite
[HOUR TWO]
(3) DANIEL GARCIA vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN – Non Title Continental Classic Blue League Match
Garcia charged Benjamin, and the bell rang. Benjamin slammed and threw Garcia from pillar to post. Garcia tried to chop Benjamin, but to no avail. [C]
After the break, Garcia hit a shotgun dropkick, but Benjamin recovered and dropped Garcia on his head with a flurry of release suplexes. Benjamin dropped Garcia on the outside with another suplex. Both men continued to brawl outside, and Garcia hit a shotgun dropkick off a chair. Young fans sitting in the front row helped Garcia to his feet.
Garcia locked Benjamin deep into the Dragon Tamer submission, but somehow, Benjamin rolled through and reversed Garcia into an STF submission. Garcia broke the submission, and Benjamin drilled him with a superkick. Benjamin went for a cover and got a near fall. The crowd chanted, “This is awesome!” While Garcia was dead weight, he fooled Benjamin and got him with a jackknife cover to secure the three points and pinfall victory.
WINNER: Daniel Garcia 12:15
(Brian’s Thoughts: The match started slowly but finished with a heated post-match brawl.)
-Post match, the Hurt Syndicate jumped Garcia. Briscoe made the save, and during the melee Swerve, Strickland landed the Swerve stomp onto the Hurt Syndicate.
(4) MARK BRISCOE vs. THE BEAST MORTOS – Continental Classic Blue League Match
Both men started the match with quick pin attempts and squared off in the middle of the ring. Briscoe sent Mortos outside, but Mortos rushed back to the ring to hit a massive spear at Briscoe. [c]
After the break, Mortos went for a knee and missed. Briscoe followed up with a dropkick and a dive to the outside. Briscoe picked up Mortos and delivered a German suplex on the apron. Briscoe’s relentless offense continued with a sky twister and another dive outside. The crowd chanted, “This is awesome!” Briscoe climbed to the top rope for the Froggy bow, but was blocked by Mortos. Once Mortos got to his feet, he hit Briscoe with backbreakers and a Samoan drop for a near fall. In the match’s closing moments, Briscoe hit a Foggy bow and Jay Driller to secure the three points and pinfall victory.
WINNER: Mark Briscoe in 11:38
(Brian’s Thoughts: The crowd was significantly behind Briscoe from start to finish. Briscoe put on an athletic clinic throughout.)
-Julia Hart cut a prerecorded promo
-Alex Marvez interviewed Mariah May backstage. Thunder Rosa jumped May, then both women brawled to the ring.
(5) CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI vs. DARBY ALLIN – Continental Classic Gold League Match
Claudio scored the first near fall after a lift-and-drop European uppercut. He followed with two Claudio Swings. Darby rolled to ringside to recover as they cut to an early break. [c]
Darby eventually rallied including a Coffin Drop onto a standing Claudio at ringside. Darby then applied a sleeper at ringside; Claudio leaped backwards and drove Darby through a ringside table to break the sleeper.
Claudio beat up Darby for several minutes in and out of the ring. Darby eventually hit a Code Red for a near fall.
[OVERRUN]
They showed Ricochet watching on a monitor backstage, scouting Darby who is his next opponent. Claudio grabbed a chair; the ref took it away. Claudio then pulled out brass knuckles and punched Darby with them. The ref turned back around and counted a pin.
WINNER: Claudio Castagnoli in 11:14
-Afterward, Claudio picked up a chair at ringside. Ospreay entered the ring and grabbed the knuckles. Claudio hopped over the barricade and fled.
FINAL THOUGHTS: What an excellent atmosphere to cap off the Collision go-home show. I saw a great tweet from Suit Williams and thought the same thing while watching the show. Hammerstein should be Daily’s North for AEW. Make this location another home base for AEW.
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