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This week’s episode of AEW Collision took place in Cleveland, Ohio. Lots of new faces featured this week, possibly signalling the end of the soft brand split that was instated when Chicago Daddy aka CM Punk, was still around. The in-ring action was overall strong, as AEW begins to build up to WrestleDream in October.
A 1 to 10 point scale will be used each week to score wrestlers who appear in matches on AEW Collision, and occasionally in notable segments. Wrestlers will be scored as follows:
Note: Not all personalities who appear will be scored i.e. wrestlers in backstage promos or interviews, jobbers. Wrestlers who feature in matches but are not part of AEW’s roster will be scored but will not feature in the Form Table.
Let’s take a look at this week’s ratings:
Jon Moxley (9) vs Action Andretti (7)
Collision opened with a banger of a match. Jon Moxley took on the role of the old, grumpy wrestler who is a little sick of young, athletic high-flyers. It was a surprise to see Andretti have so much control time in the match - he used it effectively and paced his offence well. It was quick high flying at the start, which changed into a more methodical attempt by Andretti to control the match once Mox’s knee ‘injury’ came into play. There was a couple of smooth spots, notably a springboard twist by Action and a cutter by Mox later on. Andretti did almost miss a top rope landing if it wasn’t for Mox putting his arms out.
Mox is one of the modern greats. His matches provide a great sample of study tapes for wrestlers on match mannerisms in particular. He consistently sold the knee injury and told a story with it. Double dutied with an appearance later in the show to make the save for Danielson, and seemingly the loss/loosening of a tooth.
Kris Statlander (6) vs Robyn Renegade (6)… & Jade Cargill (5)
Statlander’s ring presence stands out due to her height, but it didn’t feel as notable here because Robyn is just as imposing. The commentary team did well to put over how dangerous Robyn Renegade can be, helpful to viewers unfamiliar with her game. It was short-lived but both women made the best out of limited time in order to create time for the post-match return of Jade Cargill.
The crowd pop for Jade was good, a babyface run down the line is a possibility. It’s impressive when she can leverage a high boot with those shoes on. Jade’s return is a welcome spark to Collision’s women division, which should keep viewer’s interest in this title.
The Gunns (5), Juice Robinson (5) vs Gravity (5), Aerostar (5) & Dios Del Inframundo (5)
For anyone who followed Lucha Underground a few years ago, this week’s episode was a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Every time there’s a trios match with Luchador’s, it’s always fun-packed. It’s a shame that Metallik had to step out due to Switchblade’s absence. The only critique for this match was that there wasn’t more time to make it a memorable match.
Juice Robinson’s unhinged charisma is really shining through these days, and he doesn’t even need Jay White next to him to propel him. Bullet Club Gold being so vocal in matches really adds to the debauchery they cause. It’s really important that their momentum isn’t slowed down anytime soon off the back of consecutive PPV wins at All In and All Out.
Angélico (6) vs Rey Fenix (6)
This match was another nod to Lucha Underground, however I can’t recall a time where both these wrestlers had a singles match there. It ruled on Collision.
It’s not very often we see Rey Fenix as a singles wrestler who gets the majority of match control time. He did well with it, as did Angélico - especially with his ring awareness and selling. Often did not need to re-adjust himself for a Fenix setup because of that. Angélico should be on TV more often than he is, least of all as a very smooth asset to help put the main TV stars over.
Roderick Strong (8) vs Darby Allin (6)
On your average week of Collision, this is a match that could’ve main evented but it was probably the 3rd best match on the card - despite being an excellent matchup. Strong’s arsenal of backbreakers made this match a great story to tell.
After being blindly attacked by Luchasaurus, it could have easily been structured as a shorter match to get Strong over. Instead, both men went out of their way to make it a memorable fight. Darby executed 3 high risk spots - and with the way his back was taking the hit, there’s a justifiable intervention to try and get him to slow things down sometimes so he can keep wrestling healthily for another 20 years. The backbreaker on the top rope would’ve sufficed as a notable spot in the match without having to take on the suicide dive and coffin drop to the outside earlier.
It was quite refreshing to see the old side of Roddy. His USP in the ring is his quick step savagery, and it has been missing in the middle of the Cole/MJF storyline.
Bryan Danielson (7) & Ricky Starks w/ Big Bill (7)
In February of last year, the idea of a Blackpool Combat Club was proposed by Danielson to Jon Moxley and mainly aimed at propelling young stars under the tutelage of the aforementioned wrestlers. Ricky would have been an ideal candidate last year, so it was a great nod to offer him a BCC shirt. Starks of 2023 is ready to lead a faction of his own.
It was a flawless promo by both men. I predict that Danielson sets the precedence of Collision for the next 12 months ahead of his impending retirement/lighter schedule. Whoever is left on his bucket list is getting the ultimate nod - starting with Zack Sabre Jr at WrestleDream.
Samoa Joe (8) vs Penta El Zero Miedo (8)
Penta’s debut on Collision couldn’t have gone any better. Much like at the start of the show with Mox and Andretti, the style of both wrestlers complimented each other really well. Penta is jacked, but you wouldn’t know from how the commentators constantly put over Joe’s size and strength - a nice touch.
The Death Triangle member’s signature struts against Joe’s walkaway provided a different variation of your typical taunts. What really worked well was being able to add it as a setup for Penta landing into a table, and perplexed enough to fall prey to the Coquina Clutch for a Joe win.
Match of the night by a small margin.
Form Table
Click the below images to see this week's updated form tables:
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