AEW Collision tonight comes to us from the Huntington Center in Toldeo, OH.  After last week drawing 353,000 & 0.09 in the 18-49 demo.

Speaking of ratings, there’s a minute-by-minute breakdown of Tuesday’s fun on the Torch.  Interesting reading.

*****

Schiavone introduced the show along with Nigel and Kevin Kelly.  Adam Copeland’s music hit to a huge pop.  Kelly mentioned that ‘new era’ thing they were pushing; apparently he’s the only one who remembers.

Big smile from the former Edge, crowd going crazy for him – loud ‘Adam’ chants.  He said he needed to address Christian Cage, Cage’s music immediately interrupted.  A big dude in a suit and some security guys came first, Cage followed with Saurus and Boy Wonder.  The whole crew hit the ring, Copeland surrounded, Cage perched on the top buckle with a mic, all his goons between he and the babyface.

The boos were immediate.  Cage said the goons were for Copeland’s protection, not his and offered Copeland a way out, he could just leave right now.  Cause if he hangs around in AEW, he’ll be known for nothing like the people in Ohio.  He’s also had the BCC banned from the arena since he wants to have ‘a straight up fight’ with Bryan Danielson.  Since he – Cage – is the best wrestler in the world.  More boos.

Danielson interrupted from the back – this crowd is fired up, loud ‘Yes!’ chants.  He’s glad Cage wants a fair fight, cause Saurus and Wayne are banned from ringside (crowd cheered, wouldn’t be so fast to, that stip’s been proven meaningless this year – any repercussions for Ruby from Tuesday?).  They’ll find out who deserves to be TNT champ.

Cue the new tag champs: Starks basically called them all old and said they’re in his way (have to be at least a few AEW fans nodding along at that, maybe they’ve already left?).  He has no respect for the babyfaces, but does for Cage since he’s also a champ.  Starks went and stood behind the security goons too.

He began ripping the faces for ‘staring’, Copeland said ‘It’s your silk slacks dumbass’, Starks said it’s too bad he didn’t take any style from ‘the other place’.  ‘And you took it from the Rock, good job’, Copeland’s reply.  (the Rock always dressed in slacks, silk shirt, sunglasses – Starks’ exact look here).  Then called him a ‘vanilla midget version’ (you can call Starks lots of things, vanilla’s not one of them, he’s anything but bland).

Starks said that remark ‘really sent me over the Edge’.  Then played on the lyrics to Big Poppa about getting with his friends and ‘doing the thing right now’.  FTR out (apparently that was all an angle last week), Cash spat at Starks, crowd hot for them too.  He took the mic to say they were offered the night off last week due to being banged up – but all of them are banged up all the time – so they took the match, and obviously that was a mistake.

But they don’t want a hand out, they’ll earn their way back to the titles (so poss #1 cont match w Bucks?).  Danielson said all this talk about fighting had fired him up, why don’t he and Cage do their match ‘right! now!’?  A brawl ensued, the faces cleared the ring, running through all the security goons, one tapped in the LeBell Lock as the heels fled up the ramp.

There’s an argument to be made that this was very WWE.  But it got the crowd hot, showed all the stars, setup a bunch of future matches and pushed the main event.  Big tick.

*****

Continuing the WWE theme, the next segment was Damage CTRL.  Except in the truest sense – MJF going to meet ‘Tony Khan’s friends Robert Kraft and Julian Edelmann’ (a Jewish NFL player known for his anti-discriminatory work).

Cue corny music and a wistful MJF talking about hoping to help kids watching at home standup to antisemitism.  Lots of footage of he and Kraft talking, the latter of whom was hard to hear, and MJF talking about how rampant antisemitism is.

I really didn’t like that angle the other day yet still don’t think I’m on the extreme end of the opposition, such was it’s vehemence.  Doubtful this will placate many people.  At no point was there an acknowledgment of making a mistake.

Samoa Joe vs Willie Mack (ROH TV Title)

Backstory: NONE

Joe continued the big pops, Mack did not, yet the crowd did cheer at the announcement of his name.  Kelly started by calling him a ‘journeyman’ – he did have a wider point but it didn’t help the feel of this match.  McGuinness elaborated – Mack’s had a tough life.  He came off very sympathetically.  But doing it as the match begins… too late.

They ran through the card and I immediately wanted to skip to the main event – Juice ‘in action’, Keith Lee ‘in action’ and Statlander vs Blue, so basically the champ ‘in action’ too, for the title of course.  Heyyy, here’s a bunch of squash matches!

After butting shoulders a few times, Joe hit jabs in the corner, Mack came back with an enziguri and sloppy plancha after Joe spilled to ringside.

Ads.

Mack on top, Joe fired out of the corner, missed an elbow, Mack struck with a pump kick, Joe down in the corner, cannonball, pin, two.  Crowd getting into Mack here.  Both to their feet, exchange of shots, Mack sent to the corner, boot up, leaping off the buckle into a Manhattan Drop, big boot, senton splash, two.

Snap powerslam, same result.  Back to fighting, Joe had his boot caught, Stunner from Mack, scrambling to a cover, nother two.  To the top, looking for his Six Star Splash, Joe caught him up there, Muscle Buster, g’night.

Fun match, helped by a rabid crowd.  These wrestlers feel like stars tonight as a result.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Lexi backstage with CJ Perry.  Her pitch to potential clients was ‘Have you ever sat on the side and felt like everyone else was getting all the spotlight?’.  So she’ll have ¾ of the roster signed up by tomorrow.

‘And felt angry inside?’.  Cause she knows that feeling and she wants to help guide people to stardom.  Action Andretti just happened to be a step off camera and hit on Perry under the guise of her managing him.

*****

Danhausen’s coming back – so get ready for more of the same stuff every single week.  They pushed his mask.

Juice Robinson vs Christopher Daniels

Backstory: NONE

Robinson’s now going by ‘the Stray Bullet’ as well as ‘Rock Hard’.  AEW are doubling down by putting him straight back out there.  But shouldn’t MJF be rushing the ring right now since he was so pissed on Dynamite?  No mention of the angle so they could be pretending it never happened or it could just be AEW being AEW.

Juice baited Daniels then fled outside with the rest of BCG.  Back in, Daniels ducked under a lariat, pair of armdrags into an armlock, a third into the same hold.  Crowd quiet for the first time all night.  Robinson tripped the vet into the ropes.

Then dangled his car keys, the ref was distracted, BCG beatdown Daniels outside.

Ads.

Daniels countered Juice is Loose into a northern lights for two, the heel ran at him right into an very nice STO, Robinson down, Daniels lariat, axe handle, boot to the mush, second STO, crowd behind the vet, DVD for two.  Daniels looks really good here.  Looking for Angel’s Wings, Juice backed him to the corner, big left, cannonball, Juice is Loose, win.

Crowd didn’t really boo Robinson.

BCG hit the ring, White got down on one knee and presented Juice with a ring with which to punch Daniels.  So seems they have dropped the roll of quarters thing.  Some chants for MJF, Kelly said he wasn’t here. Convenient.  That’s becoming a booking crutch too.

Robinson took the mic to say he’s been knocking losers out for years even without a ring.  Because with him, it’s all about the Left Hand of God, what’s on it doesn’t matter.  He’s gonna win the battle royal, take the ring and pawn it to pay for a vacation.

White followed up.  If Max wonders why this is all happening to him, he has one man, or boy, to blame.  He brought it all on himself by jumping him in that mask.  Now his world’s gonna be taken apart, ending when White is crowned, officially, AEW champ.  Since ‘Jay White does it better than you and everybody knows it’.

Winner: Juice Robinson

Dustin Rhodes is in that battle royal.  He called himself the coming storm, the Natural is coming home.  To win the battle royal then the diamond ring and a chance at his dream to win the AEW Title.  His path starts in Houston.

As usual, just stellar mic work from the vet, who’s still really good between the ropes.  But we’ve seen this a million times now, they throw him out there for things like this and expect us to take him seriously.  If he’s Robinson’s only competition to win, that battle royal’s going to be flat.

*****

Lexi with Nick Wayne – ‘the talk of the wrestling world lately’…

Wayne’s going to sitdown with JR and his mom on Dynamite.  Wayne asked why, why does he have to explain himself once again?  If the whole world wants to know so bad, they can find out on Dynamite.

For someone who’s never played heel, his facials and promo were pretty good here.  Hope his mum’s a good actress.

Kyle Fletcher vs Boulder

Backstory: NONE (noticing a pattern?)

Boulder was already in the ring.

Fletcher grabbed a headlock, was elevated over, tried a shoulder barge, no effect.  So fired rights but ran into a military press slam.  Boulder ended up on the apron, Fletcher knocked him off via leg lariat.

Boulder had evidently strayed too far – since Fletcher looked at him for a while then shrugged then barely connected on a tope as Kelly emphasized ‘what a long dive’.  They showed a replay.  WHY!?

Boulder slammed him in the middle, motorboated… – ‘What does that mean Kevin?’ asked Nigel.  ‘Tony, help me’.  Love Nigel.

…But was caught up top and powerbombed down, dragon sleeper for the immediate tap.  Got Fletcher a win on tv.  If it were the only squash, no probs.

Winner: Kyle Fletcher

Renee congratulated the Acclaimed and Billy on defending the titles three times in a week.  The other two celebrated how long they’d been champs; Caster hoped MJF was noticing.  Billy cut him off to say Caster’s relationship efforts were not good.  So they’re going to help him.  Since Billy’s good with the girls and Bowens is good with the guys.

They sent Renee away, told Caster to say something nice, like a gentleman, then called her back.  Caster said – ‘So Renee, how about those Oral Sessions’.  Renee was fuming and left.  Jericho’s ex’s walked in and slammed the Acclaimed.  They called their act boring and stale.  Then challenged them to a match.  Speaking of boring and stale, we’ve seen this before.  And it wasn’t good the first time.

Garcia was going to dance, Hager pulled him away.

Kris Statlander vs Skye Blue (TBS Title)

Backstory: NONE

So I hadn’t noticed this but Blue has more ‘black stuff’ around her eyes and is getting less enthusiastic by the week.  They showed the angle where Julia Hart mist-ed her.

Lockup, collar and elbow, break.  They wrestled back and forth: headlock in the middle, arm wringer, series of switches, back to the headlock, takeover, back to their feet, shoulders collided, stalemate.  Statlander blocked a cazadora but took a back elbow.

Back to the headlock, Blue whipped the champ in, she came back off the ropes to run through Blue, body slam; Blue came back via headscissors, tried another headlock takeover, Statlander muscled her up into a belly to back.

‘Title is on the line from what I understand…’, fished McGuinness.  Even the announcers can’t keep up with the lack of promotion.

Running elbow in the coner, Blue blocked a second with a kick from the apron then snapped her across the tope rope.

Ads.

Back to Statlander being slammed off the champ’s back, Blue hit her low, very slow, enziguri, running lariat, Stat tripped her, spinning senton, lariat in the corner, knee too, fisherman buster, two.

Saturday Night Fever coming, Blue slipped free, hit a tornado ddt for two slaps.  Then headed slowly upstairs and was predictably caught but countered to powerbomb Stat off the buckle.  Though was caught out of a cross body into a powerslam, both down, crowd cheering, into this.

Fighting from their knees to their feet, Blue landed a thrust kick, knee lift, step-up in the ropes blocked, Blue slipped behind to roll her up for two, then hit the step-up knee, low dropkick, looked for another headscissors but was snatched into Saturday Night Fever for the win.

Easily the best Skye Blue match I’ve seen.  Liked the wrestling to a stalemate at the start and some cool moves and counters toward the finish.

Statlander was trying to help Blue up, Blue resisted, Willow Nightingale came out to pacify the situation, an angry Statlander stormed off.  Not sure who was supposed to be what or how we were supposed to feel here.  If anything the champ seemed the heel.

Poor Willow.

Winner: Kris Statlander

Kyle Fletcher demanded mic time.  He sent wishes to Davis.  But the injury gave him the chance to prove how good he is.  And there’s a man he considers the ‘measuring stick’.  So he’s calling out Kenny Omega for Dynamite.

So they learned nothing from Tuesday.

Good matches are just good matches.  And no doubt this’ll be very good.  But they happen every week.  If Fletcher had some momentum and the result was in doubt, it’d feel much bigger.  Losing to big stars is fine ‘on your way up’.  But you should also beat some people who actually get ring entrances to show you are indeed going upwards.

*****

Another of those Ingobernable videos they enjoy filming but not following up on: cinematic, flashy cars, camera cuts, lots of posing.  Apparently Rush is back with a group of ‘real killers’: Dralistico, Vance and Jose the Assistant.  They implied this was the final vid before their return but we’ll see.

Where the hell’s Andrade?  Both here and generally.

Keith Lee vs Turbo Floyd

Backstory: NONE

Shane Taylor was watching backstage with Lee Moriarty.  Floyd only got a graphic; Boulder at least got his name announced.

Floyd had to leap onto Lee’s shoulders for the match winning powerbomb and Lee still almost dropped him.

Winner: Keith Lee

Miro package.  These weeks have been testing now his wife’s back.  The pursuit of gold will make her more vicious and angry.  Every week, until there’s nothing left of her.  So he has to put a stop to it.

He then dragged a beaten Action Andretti in from off-screen – ‘I am willing to destroy every man to protect one woman, this is the promise of the Redeemer.’  Member when Andretti beat Jericho?

Interesting story, curious where it’s going.

*****

AEW have a new deal with CMLL so had a package pushing Mistico’s debut next Rampage.  They called him the greatest Luchador of all time.  Not an expert but that seems a lie.  He’ll face Rocky Romero.

Christian Cage vs Bryan Danielson (TNT Title)

Backstory: Danielson beat Swerve Tuesday to win a shot

Wow this one’s getting time.  Good half hour left.  JR joined on comms.

They gave it the big intro – lights down and all that.

Cage retreated to the corner, an agitated Bryan waiting in the middle: lockup, to their knees, Cage landed an armdrag leaving both in opposing corners.  Back to it, this time Danielson wrestled his way into a leg takedown but was quickly kicked away.  Again, both in opposing corners.

Back to it once more, Cage headlock takedown, Danielson got a pair of twos rolling his weight while still in the hold, to their feet, Cage knocked him down via shoulder block, back to the headlock takedown, Danielson transitioning into a headscissors, Cage got the ropes.

Headlock again, Cage whipped off, shoulder block again, Danielson leapfrog, armdrag, thinking LeBell, Cage panicked to the outside.

Ads.  Really nice start.

Returning to Cage in a waistlock, finally switching behind, Danielson immediately took him down by the legs, Romero Special coming, crowd loud for it.  The Dragon hooked the nose before lifting the champ up, Cage’s shoulders dropped to the mat, the ref got two, not sure who would’ve won there since both had shoulders to canvas.  Cool transition anyway.

Cage again slipped outside but suckering Danielson in.  Though the challenger countered a whip into the barricade, followed with another onto a sitting chair, leg lariat against the barricade, Cage flung back in, bow and arrow, Cage’s limbs in different counties, the Dragon again finding a way to pin Cage’s shoulders while still in the hold, again for two.

Cage poked the eyes, single-arm ddt on Danielson’s broken arm.  Now that’s a heel: I’m good but I tried wrestling, the babyface is better, so now I’m going to cheat.

He posed to boos.

Then went to work on the injured arm as the crowd chanted ‘FU Christian’ (little known fact, also a chant during the Crusades).  The challenger tried to fight back, Cage immediately went back to the arm, but was whipped hard to take a front buckle, crowd up as Danielson went upstairs.  But missed and hurt his arm further, Cage pouncing, driving his knee into the limb.  Fighting to his feet, Danielson landed headbutts, lowered his head and took a boot but elevated a rushing Cage outside, tope coming – Cage was waiting with a right, Danielson crumpled on the apron.

Where Cage joined him.  Danielson looked for a German off it, Cage fought free and went old school with his see-saw kick off the middle rope then shoved BD to the buckle before driving him down onto the apron via hammerlock slam.

More ads, Danielson screaming.

Back to the Dragon fighting but tripped outside where Cage walloped his arm repeatedly against the announce desk.  He yelled in Danielson’s face that he was the best in the world.  Then sat him atop the buckle, firing dismissive slaps then seeking a superplex.  Beckoning to the crowd – who booed – before cheering as Danielson fought back via headbutt, Cage plummeting to the mat, Danielson perched, diving headbutt, both down, Cage bleeding slightly from his head.

Back up, JR was in a town for a slugfest, Danielson mostly headbutting due to his injuries, Cage hit a chop in the corner, irish whip, Danielson kicked up and over, duck under, running lariat, crowd loud as the challenger fired up, kicks to the chest sending Cage stumbling outside to eat a tope.

Throwing Cage back in, Danielson landed a shotgun from the top for two, took a low kick, Cage attempted a sunset flip, BD rolled through, avoiding a charging Cage, leg lariat in the corner, kick to the chest before taking Christian up for a rana which the vet rolled through via sunset flip.  Another two slaps.

(BOTB is also next week – Acclaimed vs JAS Remnants)

From the apron, he again poked the challenger with a ‘beautiful Greco-Roman thumb to the eye’ (Nigel) then snapped his neck across the top rope before heading to the top: frogsplash hit, two only.  Cage thinking Killswitch, Danielson struggling to his feet, hold in place, Danielson stepped on the achilles, forced Cage to his knees then peppered him with Yes! kicks until Cage ducked the last – reverse ddt.

Retreating to the corner, preparing a spear, Danielson booted him as he arrived for two.  Time to kick his f’ing head in.  Cage down, Danielson preparing a busaiku knee or spear in the corner, Cage popped up to blast him with a spear, Killswitch, kickout.

Cage crouched, thinking spear again as the crowd chanted TiA.  Danielson avoided it, busaiku knee – crowd absolutely crazy here – Cage kicked out.  Right into the LeBell, Cage was too near the ropes.  But dragged back center, Danielson’s arm failed him, he couldn’t synch it.  The ref then roared to his feet with the champ in a submission hold center of the ring in a title match because Big Bill hit the apron.

Ricky Starks nailed Danielson with the belt, Cage won.  Lame.  New booking ideas please.  Like any.  Because they currently have only one.

The heels worked over Danielson, FTR hit the scene, finally Copeland too, he worked over Saurus in the corner, FTR fought Big Bill off, he dragged Starks out to safety and Copeland booted Saurus outside, faces ruling the ring.

Except for Nick Wayne, who stumbled to his feet with the faces all around him.  Copeland nailed him with a spear to close the show.

Winner: Christian Cage

_________________________________________________________________

Next Dynamite:

• Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal
• Jay White vs Penta
• Nick Wayne sitdown with JR and his mom
• Kenny Omega vs Kyle Fletcher
• Toni Storm’s latest film
• ‘Hear from’ Sting

Next Collision:

• Miro vs Action Andretti
• More on Dynamite

Full Gear:

• Jay White vs MJF (AEW Title)

Thumbs Up/Down

• Opening seg set the show up nicely; made the main event clear, gave the show some structure
• Miro/Perry storyline is intriguing
• Danielson vs Cage sans finish

 *****

• Enough, enough, enough with ROH & pointless ‘title’ matches – AEW either believe Willie Mack is a star or that we’re stupid; neither reflects well on them
• A show full of squashes with no story – they basically gave you a reason to tune out and come back for the final match

Appreciate you reading.  Enjoy the rest of the weekend.