Collision – April 26, 2025: They’re Still Fighting

Collision
Date: April 26, 2025
Location: Lakefront Arena, New Orleans, Louisiana
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We are about a month away from Double Or Nothing and in this case it means we have a lot of things to set up for the show. There is a chance some of those will come together here, but odds are this is going to be more of a wrestling based show. That’s what Collision tends to do better so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Swerve Strickland, with Prince Nana, to get things going. Hold on though as here are the Young Bucks, who say Swerve’s match is….now, despite him being in street clothes.

Swerve Strickland vs. Blake Christian

The Bucks are watching from the aisle as Christian stomps away to start. A springboard kick puts Strickland down again and a dropkick sends him to the floor. There’s a running flip dive and a ram into the steps to keep Strickland in trouble. Back in and Christian neckbreakers him down but gets caught with the House Call. The JML Driver finishes for Strickland at 4:24.

Rating: C. So the Bucks can control the show and the best they have for Swerve is mildly inconveniencing him against a jobber? That’s not the best punishment, but then again they’re not exactly the best bosses. I’m sure this feud will keep going for weeks with a likely tag match of some sort at Double Or Nothing, because the Bucks have to be a thing in this company.

Post match Lee Johnson runs in to go after Swerve and gets cleared out. That brings in the Young Bucks to beat Swerve down. Kenny Omega runs in for the save.

Samoa Joe thinks Jon Moxley has simple motivations because he benefits from the chaos he causes. Joe is not a problem who is disturbed by chaos and he is coming for the title.

Toni Storm vs. Queen Aminata

Non-title. Storm takes her down a few times to start and pulls her into a headlock off a handshake. Aminata drops her with a shoulder as we talk about Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada being in a tag match on Dynamite. A snap suplex drops Storm against the ropes but she avoids the running hip attack. They go to the apron where Aminata gets in a running boot and we take a break.

Back with a double headbutt putting both of them down before Storm pulls her into an STF. The rope is grabbed so Aminata is back up with a running boot to the face. They go to the floor with Aminata avoiding the running hip attack against the barricade. Instead Aminata hits a Beach Break of all things for two back inside. A pop up powerbomb gives Storm two more and she snaps off a German suplex. The running hip attack sets up the Storm Zero to pin Aminata at 11:38.

Rating: C+. Aminata is firmly in the area of “she has nothing to do but she’s good enough in the ring to keep her around”. That doesn’t make for bad matches, but it does make matches like this, where she has next to no chance of winning, feel pretty long. Storm is just killing time until she gets to the winner of the Owen Hart Cup, but that’s going to take a good while.

Respect is shown post match.

Jeff Jarrett and company yell at Sonjay Dutt for being late so Jay Lethal is ready to be the new idea man.

Here is Max Caster for his chant and open challenge.

Max Caster vs. Hologram

Hologram runs the ropes to start and snaps off a running hurricanrana. Caster’s chop in the corner only hits buckle and a Spanish Fly cuts him off. They go outside with Hologram hitting a running headbutt, setting up the Portal Bomb for the pin at 1:54. As usual, commentary hypes up Hologram’s undefeated streak and I continue to wonder when he’s going to do anything important.

We look at the opening of Dynamite, with Master P coming out, triggering a brawl between the Opps and the Death Riders.

Cru vs. Top Flight

Texas Tornado tag and Leila Grey is here with Top Flight. It’s a brawl to start and Cru whip out some kendo sticks as commentary recaps the feud. Rather than use the sticks, Cru goes back inside and gets beaten down, with a double belly to back suplex getting two on Andretti. Cru goes after Grey though and the distraction lets them take over with a pair of dives. Darius gets cracked with a trashcan and we take a break.

Back with Dante fighting back with a trashcan lid before a bag of Mardi Grab beads is poured out. The spinning half nelson slam onto the beats has Rush in trouble but a dropkick slows Darius down. A double suplex through the chair gets two on Darius but Grey grabs a chain shot. Grey gets knocked off the apron and it’s a springboard 450 to finish Darius at 11:05.

Rating: C+. If you can find a reason for this feud to need to keep going this long, you’re smarter than I am. I’m not sure why this is supposed to be interesting but it feels like they have been feuding for months now. Cru seems to only exist to annoy Top Flight and since Top Flight hasn’t mattered in forever, it’s hard to get that into the feud.

Anna Jay vs. Taylor Gainey

This is Jay’s first match in about four months and she wins with the Gory Bomb in 55 seconds.

Post match Penelope Ford comes in for the brawl with Jay and Megan Bayne comes in to lay Jay out.

Mercedes Mone is ready for Jamie Hayter.

Ring Of Honor World Title: Bandido vs. Dralistico

Bandido is defending. We get a pose off to start and Dralistico bails to the floor before coming back in for a lockup. Bandido takes him down but misses a slingshot splash, allowing Dralistico to come back with a slingshot hurricanrana. They chop it out on the apron as commentary continues to hype up Omega and Okada in a tag match on Dynamite.

A hurricanrana sends Bandido crashing to the floor and we take a break with the medics checking on Dralistico. Back with Bandido dropkicking him to the floor for the running flip dive. Bandido’s frog splash gets two but so does Dralistico’s enziguri. A crucifix bomb drops Bandido but he pops back up with a PK for the double down. Dralistico stops to yell at the referee and gets caught with the 21 Plex to retain the title at 11:24.

Rating: B-. For those of you keeping track, Dralistico has not won a singles match in either AEW or ROH since 2023. Therefore it is a bit much to believe that he is worthy of a World Title shot, but that’s how Ring Of Honor and its titles work. It’s one of those things that keeps happening and it isn’t going to change, which is hardly a surprise at all.

Big Bill and Bryan Keith want to win matches and hurt people.. Therefore, they want the Gates Of Agony.

Rush vs. AR Fox

Rush starts fast by knocking him to the floor for some rams into the barricade. Back in and Rush kicks him in the face, setting up the tranquilo pose. Fox rolls him up for a fast two and an enziguri sends Rush outside. The big dive connects and a rather long Swanton gives Fox two more. That’s enough for Rush, who knocks him into the corner for the Bull’s Horns and the pin at 3:06.

Rating: C. This has been the latest “Rush beats someone up and then (probably) doesn’t do anything for months on end” match. Fox is firmly in the spot of being there to make someone else look good and he did so well enough here. As is the case with so many others around here though, it’s hard to buy that Rush is going anywhere given his track record.

Roppongi Vice is back together and beat up the Outrunners.

Video on Kyle Fletcher vs. Hangman Page.

FTR vs. Paragon

Stokely Hathaway is here with FTR. Strong and Harwood start things off with Harwood hitting a running shoulder. Everything breaks down and FTR bail to the floor, where it’s time to threaten Schiavone. Back in and Harwood is knocked outside so a backbreaker/middle rope knee combination can hit Wheeler.

We take a break and come back with O’Reilly coming back in, only to get dropped with a clothesline. Strong’s leg gets crushed in the steps and O’Reilly is whipped into them as well. In case you didn’t get it the first two times, we hear about Omega vs. Okada in the Dynamite tag match again. Back in and Wheeler’s clothesline sets up Harwood’s slingshot suplex for two. Strong gets knocked off the apron again to make his knee even worse, meaning there is no one for O’Reilly to tag.

O’Reilly kicks away at FTR and a collision with Harwood leaves both of them down. Strong tries to get up and gets dropped knee first onto the steps again. Back in and O’Reilly’s guillotine choke is cut off with a top rope ax handle and we take another breaker. We come back again with O’Reilly Angle Slamming Harwood but getting knocked outside. O’Reilly gets back in and finally brings Strong in to (gingerly) clean house.

The fireman’s carry gutbuster gets two on Harwood and a half nelson backbreaker hits Wheeler, banging up the knee all over again. Harwood puts on the Hartbreaker around the post and Wheeler grabs a Figure Four back inside. O’Reilly is back in to take Wheeler outside and Strong ankle locks Harwood. Wheeler makes the save though and the spike piledriver finishes Strong at 20:45.

Rating: B. This got time and had a story built in with the knee, along with FTR being a lot more aggressive after their recent turn. Hathaway alone makes them feel more evil as he’s quite the squirrely manager. I’m not sure where FTR is going as they aren’t likely to go after the Hurt Syndicate, but this is a breath of fresh air for a team that needed it.

Post match the beatdown stays on but Adam Cole and Daniel Garcia, the latter with a crowbar, make the save to end the show. Garcia says FTR didn’t stick the knife deep enough so revenge is coming.

Overall Rating: C+. This show had quite a bit of wrestling, which thankfully included some shorter matches to keep things moving. At the same time, it also had a bunch of stuff that really didn’t feel important but rather came from the lower levels of the card to fill in this show. As usual, it’s not a bad show at all, but not quite a show that feels like necessary viewing.

Results
Swerve Strickland b. Blake Christian – JML Driver
Toni Storm b. Queen Aminata – Storm Zero
Hologram b. Max Caster – Portal Bomb
Cru b. Top Flight – Springboard 450 to Darius
Anna Jay b. Taylor Gainey – Gory Bomb
Bandido b. Dralistico – 21 Plex
Rush b. AR Fox – Bull’s Horns
FTR b. Paragon – Spike piledriver to Strong

 

 

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