Collision – October 25, 2025: The Usual Set

Collision
Date: October 25, 2025
Location: Boeing Center At Tech Point, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re done with WrestleDream and it’s time to start getting ready for Full Gear. That could make for some interesting issues around here, though we already have something special this week. This time we’ll be seeing the Young Bucks teaming with FTR in an attempt to win $400,000, which is a thing again here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Hangman Page for a chat. Page talks about how you either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. That’s what the Opps did after spending a year fighting the Death Riders. After all of those battles, Page gave Samoa Joe a World Title match where he beat Joe, just as he promised. Then the Opps stabbed him in the back and now Page is ticked off. Page promises to ruin Joe’s life to wrap it up. This was pretty much a big recap.

Pac promises to hurt Tomohiro Ishii.

Pac vs. Tomohiro Ishii

Thank goodness they had a match scheduled. Otherwise Pac might have had trouble fulfilling his promise. The Death Riders are here with Pac, who trades forearms with Ishii to start. They both miss big shots and that’s good for an early staredown. Ishii’s suplex sends Pac out to the apron, where Daniel Garcia offers a distraction so Pac can take over. A missile dropkick drops Ishii again and we take a break.

We come back with Ishii chopping away and running him over, setting up a delayed vertical superplex for two. A powerbomb gives Ishii two but Ishii comes up favoring his arm. Pac snaps the arm across the top rope and they trade German suplexes. They knock each other down before Pac gives him a Tombstone into another German suplex. Pac’s brainbuster gets two more and he sends Ishii outside for the running knee from Wheeler Yuta. That’s enough for Pac to hit a running clothesline for the pin at 12:10.

Rating: C+. This was pretty much exactly what you would have expected it to be, with both of them hitting the other hard. Pac cheats with the Death Riders and the designated jobber of the Conglomeration loses again. It was entertaining, but absolutely nothing out of the norm from these guys.

Thekla vs. Mina Shirakawa

Shirakawa dances a lot to start but misses a charge into the corner. A running dropkick works better for Shirakawa and we hit the surfboard. Some dancing stomps onto the hands have Thekla in even more trouble but she cuts off another dance and throws Shirakawa down. That’s broken up and Shirakawa starts in on the leg as the Sisters Of Sin come out to watch.

Thekla uses the distraction to knock Shirakawa outside and we take a break. We come back with Shirakawa hitting a Sling Blade and running knee to take over. A slingshot corkscrew splash gives Shirakawa two but it’s too early for the Figure Four. Thekla catches her up top with the spider superplex but Shirakawa strikes her down again. The spinning backfist drops Thekla for two and the top rope Sling Blade gets the same. That’s enough for the Sisters to offer a distraction, allowing Thekla to hit a spear into the Death Trap for the tap at 13:55.

Rating: C+. The ball of charisma that is Shirakawa loses again, as tends to be her custom in recent weeks. That’s not exactly encouraging, though she should be fine when she teams with Toni Storm coming up. Thekla needs the win to build her up for the likely spot in Blood & Guts (lineups would be nice) so I guess there was no choice than to have Shirakawa lose again.

Anna Jay and Tay Melo have been getting ready for the Women’s Tag Team Titles for years. Cue Miranda Alize and Nixon Newell (Tegan Nox) to issue the challenge for a tag match. Game on.

Here is MxM TV for their Casting Call. First though, Mansoor mocks the ring announcers’ weight, because reasons. Anyway, the match.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Olympia

Valkyrie isn’t happy and gets stomped in the corner to make it worse. A running seated senton crushes Valkyrie again, leaving Olympia to dive onto the rest of the team. Back in and a sitout F5 (with squats) finishes Valkyrie at 2:35.

On Dynamite: Hook vs. Ricochet vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Samoa Joe for the World Title shot at Full Gear.

Ace Austin vs. Bryan Keith

Feeling out process to start with Austin kicking away. That’s broken up and Keith fires away before sending Austin out to the apron. Austin’s springboard high crossbody connects and they head outside with Austin winning a strike off. The handstand on the apron sets up a kick to Keith’s chest but Keith knocks him right back down. Keith boots him in the face on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Austin rolling through an exploder suplex and striking away again. A Russian legsweep gets two on Keith, who is right back up with a running headbutt. Austin is right back with a kick to the head though and the Fold (running Blockbuster) finishes Keith at 11:40.

Rating: B-. That’s what we needed to see here, as Austin needs to be established around here and winning matches is the way to make that happen. Austin might not be the biggest guy but he can hang with the more talented stars. If nothing else, the Fold continues to be a sweet finisher that he can hit on just about anyone, so there is some potential here.

Don Callis talks about how families have issues at times and that is the case with Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita. He’s in charge though and the Family is having a summit on Dynamite.

The Outrunners and Dalton Castle are interrupted by the still bickering Anthony Bowens and Max Caster. The Outrunners mumble a lot, which Castle says is the secret to their success.

Hook vs. Griff Garrison

Eddie Kingston and the Frat House are here too. Garrison works on the arm to start and gets taken down with a quick suplex. Hook takes him to the mat and hammers in some forearms to the face but Garrison is back with a running boot. That’s shrugged off and Hook grabs Redrum for the tap at 2:08.

Olympia wants the CMLL Women’s Title and challenges Mercedes Mone for Collision.

Jamie Hayter and Queen Aminata are ready to take out the Sisters Of Sin and win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

Here’s what’s coming on various shows.

Young Bucks/FTR vs. Jet Speed/Jurassic Express

Perry brings a beach ball with him, which Wheeler crushes with a chair (good man). Matt headlocks Knight to start and gets dropkicked for his efforts. Bailey comes in off a blind tag for a double hiptoss so it’s off to Wheeler. Some kicks take Wheeler down just as fast but he’s able to drop Perry with a clothesline. It’s off to Harwood, who gets backed off by Luchasaurus. Some slams drop FTR as everything breaks down, with Bailey missile dropkicking Matt. The non-dinosaur good guys hit dives to the floor, leaving Luchasaurus to grab a chokeslam back inside.

We take a break and come back with the villains cleaning house and Wheeler hitting a dive of his own. A standing Sliced Bread to Perry sets up Harwood’s Sharpshooter, which is broken up rather quickly. Knight comes back in to clean house and Jet Speed hit stereo slingshot dives to the floor. A super hurricanrana sends Matt into Bailey’s sitout powerbomb for two but Nick throws powder in Knight’s eyes. Matt superkicks Knight for two and we take another another break.

We come back with Knight fighting his way out of trouble and handing it back to Luchasaurus. Everything breaks down and Perry hurricanranas Matt off the apron onto Harwood. Back in and the PowerPlex drops Luchasaurus into a 450 for two. The Bucks and FTR hit a Shatter Machine apiece but the double EVP Trigger misses. The Countdown To Extinction hits Harwood and the tornado kick gives Bailey the pin at 20:33.

Rating: B. Hey look: the Bucks are still broke. I wonder if they’ll be given another chance to make a bunch of money in a match because they’re oh so wacky with their money. I have no idea why this is supposed to still be entertaining because the joke has been told multiple times now. I’m also pretty much over seeing the Bucks and FTR interact, as it’s been done enough already.

FTR and the Bucks argue.

One more thing: these four teams will be in a four way match on Dynamite for a Tag Team Title shot at Full Gear. Well of course they are.

Overall Rating: B-. This was certainly an episode of Collision, with the usual action and little being done other than having some matches announced for Dynamite. That’s often the featured attraction for this show, unless you want to see Olympia built up before she gets to lose to Mercedes Mone next week. Run of the mill show here, meaning it’s fun if you watch it but nothing you need to see.

Results
Pac b. Tomohiro Ishii – Running clothesline
Thekla b. Mina Shirakawa – Death Trap
Olympia b. Taya Valkyrie – Sitout F5
Ace Austin b. Bryan Keith – The Fold
Hook b. Griff Garrison – Redrum
Jet Speed/Jurassic Express b. FTR/Young Bucks – Tornado kick to Harwood

 

 

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Collision – October 15, 2025: I Remember These Guys

Collision
Date: October 15, 2025
Location: Cable Dahmer Arena, Independence, Missouri
Commentators: Bryan Danielson, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s the second half (or last third, depending on how technical you want to get) of the night as we have another hour of AEW to go. This is the last show before we get to WrestleDream on Saturday and we’ve got a good bit more build towards the show to go. Hopefully the show is on the better end of Collisions so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Death Riders vs. Kyle O’Reilly/Orange Cassidy

Yuta immediately tags out from Cassidy (just like Josh Alexander did with Kenny Omega on Dynamite) so Garcia wrestles Cassidy down to the mat. Back up and Cassidy mocks Garcia’s dance before a suplex lets O’Reilly come in. O’Reilly hammers away and it’s some kicks/lazy chops up against the ropes. Yuta gets chopped as well until Garcia pulls him outside and we take a break.

We come back with Yuta and Garcia taking turns elbowing at O’Reilly before doing it at the same time. O’Reilly kicks his way out of trouble and manages a double dragon screw legwhip. Cassidy comes in to send both of them into the buckle and a tornado DDT plants Yuta hard.

The Orange Punch is loaded up but Jon Moxley is in the crowd (Excalibur: “It’s the first time we’ve seen him since the first hour of our broadcast.” That long eh?) for a distraction. Garcia and O’Reilly strike it out as Cassidy dives onto Yuta. Marina Shafir distracts the referee, allowing Pac to jump Cassidy. O’Reilly goes after Pac but gets jumped by Claudio Castagnoli, leaving Garcia to get the pin at 12:23.

Rating: C+. Hey did you know there are a lot of Death Riders and they cheat to win? I wasn’t sure if you had gotten the point yet but here they are again. This was pretty much every Death Riders match you would see on this show, with not much of note until the ending with all of the cheating going on.

Post match the beatdown is on, with Tomohiro Ishii and Roderick Strong failing to make the save. Moxley grabs the microphone but Darby Allin limps out…and gets run over by Castagnoli. Allin keeps crawling to the ring, where Shafir gives him a running shot to the head. Allin climbs inside as everyone else but Moxley brawls to the back. That leaves Allin to pull out the AEW flag from Mt. Everest and say that Moxley can always quit. Moxley gives him a Death Rider onto the flag.

Megan Bayne comes out for her match but FTR and Stokely Hathaway join her with something to say. Actually Bayne gets the microphone to say that Willow Nightingale gave her everything she had but it wasn’t enough. Now Nightingale is coming at her with another partner and that just makes Nightingale stupid. No matter what, Nightingale will always bow down to her.

Hathaway praises Kevin Knight, but doesn’t understand why Knight hangs out with Mike Bailey, who looks like Billy Ray Cyrus with an autoimmune disorder. Harwood brags about FTR’s success but Jet Speed, Nightingale and Harley Cameron pop up on screen. They aren’t scared and are ready to fight so here they are (apparently with some tricky video work as they’re in the ring rather quickly) to take FTR out. And now for our scheduled match.

Megan Bayne vs. Harley Cameron

Bayne kicks her down to start fast but misses a charge into the corner. A running splash crushes Cameron and Bayne gives her an overhead belly to belly suplex. Back to back slams make Cameron fight back and she uses her legs to choke in the ropes. Bayne manages to pull her back in with a bottom rope superplex and we take a break.

We come back with Bayne going up top and getting pulled into the Tree Of Woe. Cameron hits a running dropkick into a spinning DDT for two as the fans approve. Bayne’s Falcon Arrow gets two but a sunset bomb out of the corner gives Cameron the same. Bayne has had it and this a running clothesline into Fate’s Descent…for two? A running Liger Bomb finishes for Bayne at 8:07.

Rating: B-. Cameron was trying hard here but she’s not going to be someone who beats Bayne at this point. Bayne is pretty clearly on her way into the title scene sooner rather than later (or at least she should be) so stacking up wins is the right way to go. I wouldn’t have had Cameron kick out of Fate’s Descent, but at least the powerbomb looked good.

Eddie Kingston and Hook want to move into the tag division so it’s an open challenge for Tailgate. It’s going to be the Swirl isn’t it?

Anthony Bowens and Max Caster bicker again and beg Tony Khan to not make them team again. AND IT’S NOT THE ACCLAIMED!

Don Callis Family vs. Mark Briscoe/Bandido/Brody King

Briscoe and Fletcher start things off and Fletcher immediately tags out (third time tonight) to Romero. Briscoe beats him up but gets distracted for a shot to the back of the head. Archer comes in and gets kicked in the head, meaning it’s off to Fletcher. That’s fine with Briscoe, who sends him into the corner so all three good guys can run him over.

We take a break and come back with Briscoe and Fletcher clotheslining each other, allowing King and Archer to come in for the slug out. Archer’s running crossbody hits King and he goes after the still banged up Bandido. Romero gets two off a double stomp but Bandido gives him the press slam. King’s backsplash gets two with Fletcher making the save. Briscoe’s running Blockbuster off the apron takes out Fletcher, leaving Romero to get caught with a sitout Tombstone for the pin at 10:57.

Rating: B. Usual nice, fast paced main event tag match here, even with Callis continuing to do the same stuff he always does to the detriment of anything he’s involved with on the show. I would have expected Briscoe to pin Fletcher here to give their match some more momentum, but this works as well with Bandido and King still establishing themselves as a top team. Good stuff here and easily the best match on the show.

Briscoe and Fletcher brawl to the back and here is El Clon for a distraction. Kazuchika Okada comes in to take out Bandido and Brody King on his own to pose with the titles to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Nice enough show here, though I’m only somewhat interested in WrestleDream. AEW just does not have much in the way of hot stories at the moment and it was showing here. Instead, it’s a lot more of the Death Riders and the Don Callis Family, which doesn’t offer much in the way of excitement. The action was good, but come up with something a bit more interesting to get that action going.

Results
Death Riders b. Kyle O’Reilly/Orange Cassidy – Clothesline to O’Reilly
Megan Bayne b. Harley Cameron – Running Liger Bomb
Mark Briscoe/Bandido/Brody King b. Don Callis Family – Sitout Tombstone to Romero

 

 

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Collision – October 11, 2025: That’s A Gamble

Collision
Date: October 11, 2025
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s Homecoming, meaning we’re back where the show has only been a few times over the years. It’s hard to say what we’re getting here, but with WrestleDream in a week, I would hope that some more of the pay per view card starts to come together. Hopefully the show is a bit more interesting this time around. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Triangle Of Madness, Harley Cameron, Kris Statlander, Toni Storm, Bryan Keith, Big Bill, Anthony Bowens, Max Caster (bickering with Bowens), FTR, Penelope Ford, Jet Speed and Willow Nightingale are ready to fight.

Opening sequence.

Kota Ibushi vs. Josh Alexander

Don Callis is here with Alexander. Feeling out process to start with Alexander taking him up against the ropes. They do the same thing with the roles reversed and Alexander bails out to the floor. Back in and Alexander shoulders him down but Ibushi slips out of a fireman’s carry to send Alexander outside. The slingshot dive drops Alexander again but he’s right back with a DDT on the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Ibushi grabbing a powerslam but getting caught on the top. Ibushi slips out of that and grabs a dragon suplex before kicking Alexander in the face. A standing moonsault gives Ibushi two but Alexander rolls through into an ankle lock. That doesn’t last long (it rarely does for Alexander) and he hits a torture rack bomb.

Ibushi shrugs that off and hits a running knee for two more. Alexander is right back with a World’s Strongest Slam onto the apron, followed by a running forearm for another near fall. They go up top and crash down to the floor…Ibushi has broken his leg. Alexander wins via a quick countout at 14:01.

Rating: B-. They were getting going near the end here before the injury and egads there is nothing good about that. I’m not sure how much of a future Ibushi is going to have given his injury issues, but odds are this is going to be another long time away from the ring. That’s going to be a big change of pace for everyone and hopefully AEW has a fresh idea in mind for where to go next.

Post match Callis grabs the mic and says this is what happens when you mess with the Family. Mark Davis returns to go after Ibushi but Kenny Omega runs in for the save. It was a messy angle, but given the circumstances, I’m thinking that can be excused.

Mark Briscoe knows Kyle Fletcher fears him and it’s time for Briscoe to finally win the TNT Title.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe.

Bryan Keith/Big Bill vs. Max Caster/Anthony Bowens

Caster and Keith start things off, mainly due to Caster tagging himself in. Keith takes him down to start but Bowens tags himself in, with Caster kicking some of Bowens’ magazine covers away. A facebuster takes Keith down and it’s off to Bill for a change. Caster and Bowens argue over who has to fight him until Caster gets his eyes raked and back forearmed.

A shot to the face staggers Bill though and Bowens comes in with a running Fameasser. Bowens and Caster stare at each other until Bill pulls Bowens outside. Caster gets double teamed and we take a break. We come back with Keith holding Bowens in a headlock, which is broken up so Caster can springboard in to start the comeback. A Death Valley Driver gets two on Keith but Bowens breaks up a top rope elbow. That’s enough for Bowens and Caster to argue, leaving Bowens to Mollywop Keith for the pin at 10:20.

Rating: C+. Well, it’s better than the five minute challenges and Bowens just floating around with nothing important to do. I’m not sure where this is going, but it seems something like a reunion where they get along in spite of their issues. The team was great in their day and it’s not like either of them was doing anything on their own anyway, so this is at least an upgrade.

The Bang Bang Gang is in the back when Bryan Keith and Big Bill run in for the argument.

Anna Jay/Tay Melo vs. Dream Girl Ellie/Carolina Cruz

Jay backs Cruz into the corner to start and a double hip attack crushes her head. A running faceplant drops Ellie and everything breaks down. Some running kicks in the corner set up a Gory Bomb into a knee from Melo for the pin at 2:11.

The Conglomeration is ok while Mark Briscoe is away. They don’t like that other Kyle and Willow Nightingale does Briscoe’s sendoff. And better than she should be doing.

Video on the Demand vs. Hurt Syndicate, who will fight again at WrestleDream.

We look back at Darby Allin almost lighting a Molotov Cocktail on Dynamite. Because that was a thing. Nigel McGuinness: “They have lost the plot.” Allin and Jon Moxley got in a fight at New York City Comic Con as well.

The Death Riders don’t think much of Allin, with Pac accusing him of using too many weapons and props.

Toni Storm/Kris Statlander/Harley Cameron vs. Triangle Of Madness

Storm jumps Thekla and knocks her into the corner to start, followed by a Thesz press. Cameron comes in and, after escaping Blue’s fireman’s carry, hits a basement dropkick. Statlander drops Cameron onto Blue for two but Blue pulls Statlander into the corner. Hart comes in and takes Cameron down with a DDT and we take a break.

We come back with Cameron fighting out of trouble but Blue knocks Storm off the apron. That doesn’t last long as Storm is back up and gets the tag to come in and clean house. Storm Zero is broken up and Blue’s superkick allows the tag back to Hart. The double suplex is broken up and Storm hands it back to Statlander, who drops Blue onto Hart for two. Everything breaks down and Statlander almost superkicks Storm by mistake so the villains throw them into each other. Thekla spears Cameron for the win at 11:27.

Rating: C+. The Triangle is a good enough team, though I’m almost worried about who is going to join them for Blood & Guts next month. The lineups are still moving around a bit, though Storm and Statlander would make perfect sense. This was a nice way to get the Triangle looking stronger, which has been done fairly well since their debut.

Kenny Omega is sick of Don Callis and is ready to deal with him. Jack Perry comes in and Omega isn’t happy, but Perry is sorry for what happened to Kota Ibushi. Perry has his back and goes to leave but Omega wants to know what is going on. Perry says they have the same enemies, though Omega isn’t convinced. He does not have Perry’s back, but if Perry wants to prove something, he can do it on Dynamite. This was a more serious than usual Omega.

Kris Statlander and Harley Cameron say things are not getting tense between Statlander and Toni Storm. Cameron says she can’t team with Statlander to win the Women’s Tag Team Titles but Statlander gets it, as she has to defend the Women’s Title. Cameron thinks that means she’s a tag team orphan (she manages to make that sound so sad) but Wheeler Yuta interrupts. Storm interrupts the interruption and yells at Statlander before pulling her shirt open.

Here is MxM TV for their casting call. They’re ready to fight, as last week the Don Callis Family failed to defeat them, just like the people here failed to make their parents proud.

MxM TV vs. La Faccion Ingobernable

Dralistico takes over on TV to start and drops him with a spinning kick to the head. Guevara comes in for a dropkick but gets to face Maddin, who chokebombs him down for two. Dralistico and Rush come in for a double basement dropkick to Maddin, only for Taya Valkyrie to hurricanrana Dralistico on the floor. Everything breaks down and Dralistico hits a top rope Codebreaker on Mansoor. The Bull’s Horns and an ugly Swanton finishes Mansoor at 3:47.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have much time here but they crammed in quite a bit with the amount they had. LFI is getting some more attention and television time in the last few weeks, which is only so much of a good idea in a company with multiple big heel stables. TV losing over and over isn’t a bad thing, though it feels a lot like what Max Caster was doing a few months ago.

Eddie Kingston vs. The Beast Mortos

They trade running shoulders to start with Kingston getting the better of things. The threat of the spinning backfist sends Mortos bailing to the floor, with Kingston grabbing a headlock back inside. Mortos knocks him down though and we take a break. We come back with Mortos getting two off a running clothesline but missing a running knee in the corner. A hangman’s neckbreaker gives Kingston two and they take turns biting each other’s hands. Mortos gets two off a spear but he misses a corkscrew moonsault. The spinning backfist finishes for Kingston at 8:00.

Rating: C+. This was the best Kingston has looked since he’s come back, which might be due to the match not running very long. At the same time, Kingston got to brawl a bit more here, which suits him that much better. He’s still finding his footing after such a long break, but there is only so much you can get out of matches like these.

The Triangle Of Madness is jumped by Jamie Hayter and Queen Aminata. Security breaks it up.

Katsuyori Shibata is back and issues a challenger to LFI for a Trios Titles match on Dynamite.

FTR/Megan Bayne vs. Jet Speed/Willow Nightingale

Stokely Hathaway and Penelope Ford are here too. The women start things off and shove each other away a few times, with an exchange of shoulders goes nowhere. Bayne knocks her down but Nightingale is back up with some clotheslines in the corner. Knight and Harwood come in, with Harwood taking over, only for Knight to fire off some dropkicks. Wheeler gets dropkicked off the apron and Knight hits a springboard clothesline on Harwood. Nightingale Cannonballs Harwood to give Knight two but Bayne shoves Harwood out of the way of a dive.

We take a break and come back with Bailey getting the tag to clean house, including Knight dropkicking Harwood into a rollup for two. Everything breaks down and Bayne hits a dive to the floor. Harwood brainbusters Bailey for two but Bailey is back with his bouncing kicks. A tornado DDT drops Wheeler but Bayne comes in to forearm Bailey. He takes her down for a change and hands it off to Nightingale, who beats up FTR (to the fans’ delight).

Knight dives onto Wheeler as Nightingale spinebusters Harwood for two. Ford’s distraction breaks up the Babe With The Powerbomb but the villains get caught in stereo half crabs. Those are broken up so Jet Speed dives onto FTR on the floor. That leaves Bayne to powerbomb Nightingale out of the corner for the pin at 14:41.

Rating: B. This was a fun brawl with Nightingale being strong enough to hang with FTR. That made for some good moments, though Bayne continues to smash through most of the competition. There is a good chance that she’ll wind up in Blood & Guts, though after that she needs to win some singles gold in a hurry.

Post match Bayne and Ford go after Nightingale again but Harley Cameron makes the save with a guitar handle.

Overall Rating: B-. Nice show here, though they are banking a lot on that women’s Blood & Guts match. It’s the dominant story around here and that’s kind of an issue, as we don’t even know a lot of the lineup yet. You can piece enough of it together from here, but dang that’s a bit of a gamble. Other than that, it was the usual midcard content around here, which went well enough, though it was a pretty run of the mill week.

Results
Josh Alexander b. Kota Ibushi via countout
Max Caster/Anthony Bowens b. Bryan Keith/Big Bill – Mollywop to Keith
Anna Jay/Tay Melo b. Dream Girl Ellie/Carolina Cruz – Gory Bomb/knee lift combination to Ellie
Triangle Of Madness b. Toni Storm/Kris Statlander/Harley Cameron – Spear to Cameron
La Faccion Ingobernable b. MxM TV – Swanton Bomb to Mansoor
Eddie Kingston b. The Beast Mortos – Spinning backfist
FTR/Megan Bayne b. Jet Speed/Willow Nightingale – Powerbomb to Nightingale

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Collision – October 4, 2025: AEW Is Better Than This

Collision
Date: October 4, 2025
Location: RP Funding Center, Lakeland, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re two weeks away from WrestleDream and some of the matches have been put together in recent days. This includes Hangman Page defending the World Title against Samoa Joe, which could make for quite the brawl. Other than that, it’s time to build up some other matches, which might start here. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Stokely Hathaway, Kevin Knight, LFI, Eddie Kingston, Anna Jay, Orange Cassidy and the Paragon are ready to fight. Pac comes up to Cassidy and says he has six months of pent up frustrations to get out. The challenge is issued for Dynamite and Cassidy is on, after guaranteeing it’s one on one.

We run down the card.

Death Riders vs. Jay Lethal/Adam Priest/Tommy Billington

Lethal cartwheels into the basement dropkick to Garcia to start but Billington gets backdropped out to the floor. Back in and the Riders take over on Billington in the corner but he dives over to Garcia, who comes in and hammers on Moxley. Castagnoli cuts off the suicide dive though and gorilla presses Priest into the barricade. We take a break and come back with Lethal trying to make a save but getting stomped down for his efforts. Garcia rains down the right hands to Priest in the corner and Castagnoli unloads with uppercuts.

Castagnoli’s charge hits the post though and it’s off to Billington to start the comeback. A missile dropkick hits Garcia and the diving headbutt gives Billington two. Stereo crossbodies leave both of them down and Lethal gets to come in to face Moxley. The Lethal Combination looks to set up Hail To The King, which is countered into a rear naked choke. That’s escaped so Garcia tags himself in, with Moxley hitting a quick cutter. The Dragontamer, with a Stomp from Moxley, finishes Lethal at 11:08.

Rating: C+. The Riders winning is fine, though it’s kind of odd to see Priest and Billington continue to get what amounts to a push for them. They’re good enough at what they do, but they’re a fairly small team and are just getting a lot of TV time out of nowhere. With as many people as there already are on the roster with nothing to do, it’s quite the odd choice.

Post match Matt Menard yells at Daniel Garcia, who asks if Menard can take a hint. Garcia says Menard was like a brother to him but Garcia lost when they were friends, because Menard is a loser too. If he stayed around Menard, he would wind up a parasite like Nigel McGuinness (who doesn’t like those words, though we do cut to a closeup of Moxley who says “d***” in a funny reaction). My goodness can we please just stop with these two? With all the people sitting on the sidelines, we have time for this?

Video on Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley.

Nick Wayne is going to be out another 6-8 weeks. He doesn’t accept this diagnosis and says he’ll go find a real doctor.

Anna Jay vs. Jamie Hayter

Hayter headlock takeovers her down but gets shouldered over without much trouble. Back up and Hayter rams her into the buckle a few times but charges into a Downward Spiral. We take a break and come back with Jay fighting out of a chinlock, followed by some running forearms. The Queenslayer is broken up and Hayter hits a middle rope dropkick. A backdrop driver gives Hayter two but Jay is back with a DDT for the same. Jay’s middle rope Blockbuster gets another near fall but another Queenslayer is countered into Hayterade for the pin at 10:07.

Rating: C+. As usual, Jay can hang with the bigger names before losing in the end. I’m not sure what is going to happen with her in the future, but you can almost guarantee Jay and Tay Conti getting a run in whatever competition we have for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. One might wonder why she’s losing here if that’s the case, but one issue at a time.

Max Caster is happy with having won a match but Bryan Keith and Big Bill come in to mock him. Cue Anthony Bowens, who has a bunch of his own covers and awards. A match is set up, but they are NOT the Acclaimed.

Video on Sareee defending the IWGP Women’s Title against Alex Windsor next week on Ring Of Honor. Hokey smoke they actually acknowledged it.

La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Shayne Stetson/Cha Cha Charlie

The ROH Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line and LFI is Sammy Guevara/Rush with Dralistico. Charlie dances to start so Rush comes in and hits him in the face. Rush beats up Stetson on the floor, followed by the Bull’s Horns to Charlie. Guevara adds a Swanton for the pin at 1:48.

Eddie Kingston vs. Dralistico

Sammy Guevara is on commentary and Hook is here with Kingston. Dralistico grabs a headlock but it gets broken up as Kingston takes the leg out to send Dralistico outside. A running knee has Kingston down and we take a break. We come back with Dralistico working on the knee but Kingston is back with an STO. Dralistico’s springboard Codebreaker sends Kingston outside…and he comes back in with the spinning backfist for the pin at 8:17.

Rating: C-. I’m not sure if he’s just shaking off the rust or what, but Kingston’s return has been rather dull to put it mildly. Granted he hasn’t exactly had much to do thus far, but this was another match where he didn’t do much until the finish. Hopefully he shakes it off, because this is going to get rough if he keeps it up.

We look back at the return of Andrade El Idolo on Dynamite, where he laid out Kenny Omega and joined Don Callis. Hologram’s clone joined the team later in the night.

Here is MxM TV to issue an open challenge.

MxM TV vs. Don Callis Family

Takeshita and TV start things off and everything breaks down in a hurry, with the Family cleaning house. Back in and MxM TV manages a double clothesline but stops to pose, allowing the Family to drop them again. Fletcher hits a big dive onto Madden but TV hits Alexander with the Flying Chuck. Mansoor avoids a Helluva Kick from Fletcher, who pops up to belly to back superplex him down. A C4 Spike into the brainbuster finishes Mansoor at 3:13.

Rating: C+. It was certainly not dull, though the comedy team got in a bit more offense than they should have against one of the big heel teams. At least the right team won, as the Family gets to run through some people. I’m not sure why that needed to be a comedy heel team, but the match could have been much worse.

Dalton Castle and the Outrunners want the Trios Titles. Castle isn’t so sure though, because they have to top their amazing performance from last week. The pressure is crashing down on him, so the Outrunners pick him up and carry him off. Castle thinks he’s in good hands.

The Triangle Of Madness jump Jamie Hayter and Queen Aminata.

Dax Harwood vs. Kevin Knight

Cash Wheeler, Stokely Hathaway, Mike Bailey and Willow Nightingale are here too. Harwood hammers away to start but gets knocked outside, only to come back in and get chopped rather hard. A knee that looked a bit low cuts Knight off but he’s able to send Harwood outside for a slingshot dive. Knight backdrops out of a piledriver on the apron and dives onto Harwood to send him over the barricade.

We take a break and come back with Knight grabbing a rolling DDT for two but his reverse frog splash hits raised knees. Back up and Knight manages a Sky High before they trade headbutts on the mat. Harwood’s slingshot powerbomb is countered into a sunset flip for two. Another attempt connects for two on Knight, who is right back with a springboard clothesline. Wheeler offers a distraction but gets taken out by Nightingale and Bailey, leaving Knight to hit his spinning frog splash for the pin at 13:50.

Rating: B-. Two weeks ago, FTR did what was supposed to be something totally heinous to Beth Copeland. Then her husband just walked out and now they’re losing a singles match to half of Jet Speed. I’m really not sure I get that, but FTR has been booked in some rather bizarre fashions for a long time now.

Post match FTR has to save Hathaway from Nightingale so here is Megan Bayne to take Nightingale out.

Skyflight wants the ROH Six Man Tag Team Titles. Shane Taylor Promotions are in.

Here is Kris Statlander to call out Toni Storm for a chat. Naturally they lay on the mat with their heads next to each other, with Statlander talking about how they have never faced each other. They’re having the match because they’re both fighting champions, but Statlander is going to fight even harder.

Statlander is going to knock her back into black and white. Storm has always been impressed by Statlander and now she gets to see what kind of a woman Statlander is. There is no one she would rather lose to, but there is no one she would rather beat. They can do this right now and the fight is on, with the Triangle Of Madness running in to jump them both. Harley Cameron runs in for the save and the Triangle is cleared out. And yes, the six woman tag is set before the segment even ends.

Video on Hangman Page vs. Samoa Joe.

Don Callis Family vs. Paragon/Orange Cassidy

O’Reilly and Hechicero go to the mat for some grappling, with O’Reilly working on the leg. The grappling continues and Hechicero actually has go to over to the rope. Romero comes in so Strong powers him into the corner, meaning chopping can ensue. That’s broken up by Archer, who clears the ring and we take a break.

We come back with Cassidy coming in for a staredown with Archer, who gets low bridged out to the floor. Romero comes in and gets hit with the lazy forearms but Cassidy starts firing off some more serious shots. The Stundog Millionaire hits Romero and it’s back to O’Reilly to strike away on Hechicero. Archer comes back in and gets triple teamed down, leaving Romero to get caught with a tornado DDT. The cross armbreaker makes Romero tap at 10:54.

Rating: B-. Even with Romero out there, I’m surprised to see Paragon actually win what passes for a big match for them. The team is not likely going to be anything important, but if they’re going to put so many other teams over, they need to win now and then. Not a bad main event at all here, with the ending being a surprise.

The rest of the Don Callis Family comes out for the staredown to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The wrestling was fine and there aren’t any real complaints about it, save for maybe Kingston. The problem here was how dull the whole thing felt. This was like the show you get when everyone that matters is either gone or not doing anything important. There was pretty much nothing important here (even the storyline developments that took place didn’t feel like they mattered) and it was a heck of a chore to get through this thing. It just felt like a show that didn’t matter in the slightest and that made for a very tedious two hours.

Results
Death Riders b. Jay Lethal/Adam Priest/Tommy Billington – Dragontamer to Lethal
Jamie Hayter b. Anna Jay – Hayterade
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Shayne Stetson/Cha Cha Charlie – Swanton to Charlie
Eddie Kingston b. Dralistico – Spinning backfist
Don Callis Family b. MxM TV – Brainbuster to Mansoor
Kevin Knight b. Dax Harwood – Spinning frog splash
Paragon/Orange Cassidy b. Don Callis Family – Cross armbreaker to Romero

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Collision – September 27, 2025: He Has The Star Power

Collision
Date: September 27, 2025
Location: Marshall Health Network Arena, Huntington, West Virginia
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

We’re back to the regular Collision and that means we’re going to be seeing something interesting this week. In this case, we’re done with All Out and less than a month away from WrestleDream. That means we should be in for some nice action, as well as the build towards the next pay per view. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

The Death Riders, Paragon/Matt Menard, Jamie Hayter, the Triangle Of Madness, Kommander and Hologram…well normally they’re ready to fight but Kyle Fletcher runs in and jumps Hologram (who was interrupted by the CLON deal anyway).

Death Riders vs. Paragon/Matt Menard

Garcia and O’Reilly get things going, with Garcia having to use the ropes to escape a headscissors. Castagnoli comes in to beat up Menard before it’s off to Moxley for a knee to the head. It’s back to Garcia, who gets taken into the corner for the alternating strikes, including O’Reilly firing off the knees. Menard hammers down the right hands in the corner and O’Reilly adds a running dropkick against the barricade. We take a break and come back with O’Reilly in trouble.

O’Reilly fights back but Castagnoli is right there to pull Menard down before the tag. Instead O’Reilly gets over for the tag off to Strong who strikes away at everyone. The Sick Kick hits Moxley for two but Castagnoli is back to swing Strong into Moxley’s dropkick for another near fall. Menard comes in for the big showdown with Garcia and hammers him down but it’s quickly off to Moxley to take Menard down. Garcia’s stomp finishes Menard at 14:23.

Rating: C+. The problem here is very simple: the big climax of the match is the goofy commentator getting his hands on one of the least interesting heels in the company. Simply put, it’s just not something that I cared to see and the live audience didn’t seem thrilled either. It doesn’t feel important and they are going to need something more interesting than that if they want Garcia to feel like a big deal. Oh and look: Paragon losing. What a novel concept.

Video on Bandido/Brody King.

King wants to get his hands on the Don Callis Family and wants to settle the score with Josh Alexander and the Young Bucks. On Dynamite. When he teams with Bandido. And Kenny Omega.

We recap the Opps/Hangman Page/Death Riders brawl from Dynamite but in a bit of a production gaffe, Nigel tries to throw it to a post show interview but we go to the ring instead.

Death Riders vs. Rachael Ellering/Rosario Grillo

Yuta jumps Grillo to start fast and stomps away in the corner. The elbows to the head have Grillo in more trouble and Yuta drags him over for the tag to Ellering. Shafir quickly kicks her down and Mother’s Milk gets the tap at 2:11.

Post match Yuta is not happy with Kris Statlander, who betrayed the people who cared about her the most. He’s the reason she’s the champion today and on Dynamite, she will pay for making the wrong choice. Speaking of people making the wrong choice, Darby Allin will not give up and go away. Allin saw a lot of dead bodies on Mount Everest, so the Death Riders will put him right next to them. Jon Moxley yells about the Opps a bit more.

We look back at Darby Allin challenging Jon Moxley for WrestleDream and the I Quit match is official.

Now we get the video from after Dynamite, with Hangman Page and the Opps being ready to destroy the Death Riders next week. Samoa Joe promises a lot more lessons in violence.

Anthony Bowens/Max Caster vs. Swirl

Bowens and Caster argue over who gets to start and keep changing places until Caster drops to the floor. Then Caster pulls Bowens out with him so they can argue some more, with Christian diving onto Caster to take over. Back in and Swirl rolls into a right hand to Bowens, who comes back with a snap suplex. What used to be Scissor Me Timbers is broken up and Caster gets chopped in the corner as we take an early break.

We come back with the fans getting behind Caster but Christian kicks him in the face to cut if off. Bowens goes to leave but Jerry Lynn comes out to yell at him, forcing Bowens back. The tag brings Bowens in to clean house, including something like a reverse Angle Slam to Johnson. Christian is back up with a running flip dive to Caster, followed by a handspring kick/brainbuster combination for two on Bowens. Caster tags himself in but Johnson shoves Bowens into him for the crash out to the floor. Bowens is back up with a heck of a right hand, allowing Caster to get the rollup pin at 11:15.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure if the former Acclaimed are going to get back together but I’ll take this over another loss. If nothing else, the division could certainly use the help, though I’m not sold on another old 90s veteran being what it takes to get them back together. If that’s what they’re doing, why not just have Billy Gunn in the role again?

Post match Lynn wants some scissoring but Bowens walks away despite a tease.

The Matriarchy isn’t happy with Luchasaurus being gone but Nick Wayne is ready to go after Christian Cage.

Women’s Tag Team Titles are coming.

Anna Jay and Tay Conti are very excited about the titles being introduced and this is what they have been wanting for years now.

Outrunners/Dalton Castle vs. Corey Sparks/Cowpoke Paul/KM

KM is a good eight inches taller than his partners. Paul (as in COWPOKE Paul) gets taken down by the Outrunners to start and it’s off to KM, who gets suplexed by Castle. The Mega Powers Elbow into the Bang A Rang finishes KM at 1:30. Eh I like it.

Video on Mark Briscoe beating MJF in a table n tacks match at All Out. Now Briscoe is back with the Conglomeration and they’re funny, but they’re no joke.

TNT Title: Kyle Fletcher vs. Kommander

Fletcher is defending and gets rolled up for a fast two. A sunset flip gets the same on Fletcher, who is right back with a slam to cut Kommander off. Some stomping and another slam give Fletcher two but Kommander kicks right back. The very bouncy springboard takes Fletcher outside and Kommander sends him into the barricade. Fletcher cuts off the charge though and powerbombs him onto the apron twice in a row as we take a break.

We come back with an announcement that Hologram is going to be out of action for “quite a while” so his TNT Title shot is off. Kommander gets two off a tornado DDT but Fletcher knocks him down again. They head to the apron, where Kommander has to escape a brainbuster and Tombstone.

Instead it’s a running headscissors to the floor but Fletcher is right back with a Michinoku Driver for two. Fletcher gets kicked outside for a step up twisting moonsault. Back in and a springboard Canadian Destroyer sets up a 450 for two Cielito Lindo hits raised boots though and Fletcher lawn darts him into the buckle. The brainbuster retains the title at 13:30.

Rating: B. I wasn’t expecting much here and they wound up having a heck of a match, with Kommander doing some amazing high spots but Fletcher kept reeling him in and eventually caught him. Above all else, you can see the star power in Fletcher growing every week and this felt like an important person getting a win. Kommander did his part too and I liked this a good bit.

We look at Hologram being attacked earlier, plus Kyle Fletcher’s win.

Fletcher says this was about reestablishing dominance and he’s just so upset about not facing Hologram. Now he has no one to face but he wants someone to step up to give him a challenge on Dynamite.

And it’s going to be Orange Cassidy.

Big Bill/Bryan Keith vs. Hook/Eddie Kingston

Hold on as Hook has talked to Tony Khan and this is now a Texas Tornado match. Sure why not. Hook throws Keith down to start as the other two fight on the floor. Kingston comes back in and gets side slammed by Bill but Hook and Kingston clothesline him out to the floor. Keith gets double shouldered as well but Bill pulls Kingston outside for a ram into the steps as we take a break.

We come back with Hook still in trouble, with Bill hammering away. Schiavone gives us some breaking news: Dynamite will be TWO AND A HALF HOURS this week. Well to be fair, it has been a full week since they’ve gone longer than two hours. Kingston crotches Bill, who pops back up to try a double chokeslam. That’s broken up and a double suplex puts him down for two. Back up and Bill boots Kingston and hits a clothesline for two, only for Kingston to dragon screw leg whip him down. Keith is knocked down as well and the spinning backfist sends him into Redrum for the pin at 10:18.

Rating: C. This was pretty much exactly what you would have expected, as it was a rather unnecessary stipulation with Bill getting to be a wrecking ball until his partner lost. Kingston’s return felt important enough but his stuff in the ring is only so good. At the same time, I guess Kingston is the latest person Hook will be attached to in a desperate attempt to get him over.

The Bang Bang Gang agrees that they need new numbers and Ace Austin comes up. He seems to be the newest member. I still want to know why they aren’t selling Ace Austin playing cards.

Here’s what’s coming on Dynamite.

Jamie Hayter vs. Julia Hart

Skye Blue is here with Hart. Hayter powers her down to start fast and a big boot drops Hart again. Hart gets thrown into the corner again but bails to the floor, allowing Blue to get in a cheap shot. We take a break and come back with Blue pulling Hayter outside again, only to get suplexed down this time. Hayter sends Hart into the buckle over and over and a dropkick sends her into the corner.

The Saito suplex gives Hayter two and she gives Hart a Samoan drop, which is countered into a crucifix for two. Hayter is right back with a fireman’s carry onto the knee but Hart manages a neckbreaker. Hart kicks her down and this the moonsault for two as Hayter’s foot is on the rope. An Octopus has Hayter in more trouble, which is reversed into a Tombstone for two. Hayterade gives Hayter the pin at 10:47 (because in AEW, you have to kick out of one big move before the pin).

Rating: B-. Nice main event here, with Hayter trying to get back the star power that was absolutely there before she got hurt. At the same time, the Triangle Of Madness is only looking so strong, though you know they’re going to be a factor in the Tag Team Title tournament. Hart’s moonsault still looks awesome though and it’s good to see her use it occasionally.

Post match Blue comes in to jump Hayter, who gets double superkicked. Queen Aminata runs in with a belt for the save. Thekla is here as well and Hayter says she had an idea. There is one simple way to solve this: Blood & Guts! You knew the women would get their own version at some point, which is fine, but PLEASE don’t let it be another 45 minute match which should be half of that at most. Schiavone says it might be on Wednesday, only to say actually it won’t be to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The Fletcher vs. Kommander match was rather good and the main event was fine enough, but dang that stuff with the Death Riders at the start was more than a bit tedious. Collision still feels like it would be a lot better as just an hour long show but that doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon. Either way, not a bad show here, but it felt rather long multiple times, save for the TNT Title match.

Results
Death Riders b. Matt Menard/Paragon – Stomp to Menard
Death Riders b. Rosario Grillo/Rachael Ellering – Mother’s Milk to Ellering
Anthony Bowens/Max Caster b. Swirl – Right hand to Johnson
Outrunners/Dalton Castle b. KM/Cowpoke Pete/Corey Sparks – Bang A Rang to KM
Kyle Fletcher b. Kommander – Brainbuster
Hook/Eddie Kingston b. Big Bill/Bryan Keith – Redrum to Keith
Jamie Hayter b. Julia Hart – Hayterade

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Collision – September 17, 2025 (September To Remember): Well, They Tried

Collision
Date: September 17, 2025
Location: Canada Life Place, London, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Bryan Danielson

It’s the second show of the night as Dynamite and Collision are separate shots, likely for the sake of contracts or something. It’s also the last show before All Out and the pay per view needs another push. There was only so much done on Dynamite so hopefully this show features more pay per view build than usual. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Collision officially opened with the end of the Thekla vs. Queen Aminata match from Dynamite, with Thekla winning off a Stomp onto some chairs. A big brawl with the women in the four way title match at All Out, plus the rest of the Triangle Of Madness, followed.

Christopher Daniels gives Top Flight a pep talk before their qualifying match later tonight.

Matriarchy vs. Jet Speed

Tag Team Title qualifying match. Sabian and Knight start things off with Knight hitting a quick dropkick and scaring Sabian into the corner. Bailey comes in for a kick to Killswitch’s leg and a dropkick before some kicks to the face drop the villains. More running kicks stagger Killswitch but Sabian pulls the rope to send Bailey outside. We take a break and come back with Sabian planting Bailey for two.

Bailey isn’t having that and is back up with the bouncing kicks, allowing the tag back to Knight. A double super hurricanrana (as it sounds) brings Killswitch down for two but Sabian is back up with a springboard tornado DDT. Back up and Killswitch chokeslams Bailey but Sabian slaps Killswitch for a tag. That makes Killswitch break up Sabian’s rollup with feet on the ropes and then drops away from a tag attempt. Knight kicks Sabian into the Tornado Kick to give Bailey the pin at 12:02.

Rating: B-. AEW is going to get Jet Speed over through either pure willpower or the fans just accepting them. The team isn’t bad by any means but Bailey continues to be so uninteresting and so non-threatening that it’s hard to take him seriously. Knight is at least better, but the team screams midcard flippy guys and that’s about it. On the other hand you have the Matriarchy and I have no idea what they’re doing or why I’m supposed to care about these losers.

Big Bill is still ready for Eddie Kingston but doesn’t believe it’s happening until Kingston shows up. If Kingston shows up, Bill will prove he’s a fraud.

Earlier today, Bryan Danielson sat down with Darby Allin, who climbed Mt. Everest because he was tired of living someone else’s life. He thought he was going to die up there a few times but he was going to plant the AEW flag on top of the world. Allin talks about his uncle dying in the car they were in when Allin was five and Sting, who he would never let down. Danielson has to promise to not interfere on Saturday. Danielson agrees, but whispers something he wants Allin to do, which Allin agrees to as well. Since when was there a worry that Danielson would get involved?

Riho vs. Robyn Renegade

Mercedes Mone is on commentary. Renegade grinds away on a headlock but Riho sends her outside and hits a big dive. We take a break and come back with Renegade knocking her down in the corner as Mone certainly approves. Riho fights back but misses a double stomp, allowing Riho to snap off a German suplex. The crucifix bomb finishes for Riho at 4:54.

Rating: C+. Riho is another name who pops in every so often, is shoved into a title match, and then vanishes again. I’m sure there are people in the back who are big fans and fair enough, but dang it’s hard to get myself to care about this match with her being out there again. They didn’t have much time here, but it was just a warmup for Riho anyway.

Post match Mone stares at Riho, with Renegade jumping Riho from behind. Mone hits a Backstabber to leave her laying.

Daniel Garcia wants to finish Katsuyori Shibata.

Samoa Joe accepts on Shibata’s behalf.

Don Callis Family vs. Top Flight

The final qualifying match for the All Out Tag Team Title match and Don Callis is on commentary. Hechicero takes Darius down to start but Darius is back up with a rollup for two and a standoff. Dante dives in to drop the Family as everything breaks down. The Family is sent out but Alexander is back with his crossbody to the back as we take a break.

We come back with Darius kicking his way out of trouble and bringing Dante in with the Nose Dive for two on Alexander. Hechicero is back in for an assisted DDT from Alexander and Darius is dropped with an elbow. Dante dives onto Alexander but gets caught with a running hurricanrana driver to give Hechicero the pin at 10:41.

Rating: B. Another fast paced and entertaining match, even as Top Flight continues to go around in circles as they have been for years now. I still see no reason for them to not get some kind of a chance (and no, the injuries don’t explain it away as AEW has pushed all kinds of injury prone stars). Either way, we already have a high flying team in the title match with Jet Speed so the Callis Family is a more unique option here.

Post match the rest of the teams involved in the ladder match run in for a brawl, with Bandido hitting a big dive to take out the pile. Hangman Page runs in to help take out the Don Callis Family but Rocky Romero grabs his leg, allowing Kyle Fletcher to run in and beat him down. Page fights back but gets belted in the face. A brainbuster off the apron and through a table leaves Page laying to end the show. So what was Fletcher’s plan to leave Page laying (as he promised on Dynamite) if Page didn’t run out there?

Overall Rating: B-. Well it did do something more for All Out, but focusing on the Tag Team Titles and TBS Title only offered so much interest. All Out just does not feel important and there isn’t much of a way around it at this point. Hopefully the pay per view winds up working, as this only offered so much extra interest in the show. They did something a bit different with this Collision and while it covered some ground for All Out, there was only so much they could do.

Results
Jet Speed b. Matriarchy – Tornado Kick to Sabian
Riho b. Robyn Renegade – Crucifix bomb
Don Callis Family b. Top Flight – Hurricanrana driver to Dante

 

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Collision – September 13, 2025: And So Much For That

Collision
Date: September 13, 2025
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s finally the last show in Philadelphia and we’re also just a week away from All Out. That means the show is pretty much officially coming together and now we get to see some of the last pieces of the buildup. In this case, we’re seeing FTR vs. Adam Priest/Tommy Billington II because…I’m really not sure. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Ian Riccaboni is in the ring to start and brings out MJF for a chat. MJF gets right to the point: Ian is to stand there while he does the talking. He talks about how stupid the fans are, which is somehow as stupid as Mark Briscoe. MJF brags about his recent and future successes, which make him ok with Briscoe picking their All Out stipulation.

Cue Briscoe on screen to say he hasn’t been this excited since he was a kid waiting on Santa Claus. That’s why he’s been thinking about things, like the fact that they’re in Philadelphia. This city is known for its love of tables, so we’ll make that the first piece of the puzzle. We’ll throw in thumbtacks as well, and he means tens of thousands of them. He’ll even throw in a wedding present, which involves Briscoe running in and jumping MJF, who escapes a Jay Driller onto the thumbtacks.

We look at Daniel Garcia joining the Death Riders.

Hologram and Paragon (complete with the corrupt file thing) yell about Garcia turning on his friends. Paragon is ready to give the Death Riders a beating.

Unified Title Tournament First Round: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Anthony Bowens

Takeshita strikes away to start and hits a running clothesline. Bowens is back with a running faceplant and a neckbreaker gets two. A dragon screw legwhip in the corner has Takeshita in trouble and Bowens sends him into the post. Bowens hits a big dive to the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Bowens striking away for two but Takeshita snaps off a poisonrana. Bowens pops up for a running Fameasser and a middle rope neckbreaker gets two. The Mollywop knocks Takeshita outside but he’s right back in with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Raging Fire finishes Bowens at 9:10.

Rating: B-. Well, the latest unnecessary tournament is on and I’m really not sure why. Was anyone buying Bowens, who is known for losing, having a chance here against one of the hottest stars in the company? That’s not a great sign, but at least the whole tournament, as much as it is one, is only going to be four matches.

Mascara Dorada is ready for The Beast Mortos on Dynamite.

Video on Riho vs. Mercedes Mone.

Triangle Of Madness/Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford vs. Harley Cameron/Kris Statlander/Tay Melo/Anna Jay/Jamie Hayter

For $500,000 and Toni Storm is on commentary. Earlier today, Cameron and company got in an argument, with Hayter and Statlander in particular not getting along, despite Cameron’s cheerleading. Cue Wheeler Yuta to cheer for Statlander, who wants to start with Bayne but Hayter comes in instead. They fight over the lockup to start and neither can get a hiptoss.

Instead Bayne powers her into the corner and it’s off to Cameron, whose shoulders don’t get very far. A headscissors works a bit better though and it’s off to Jay as everything breaks down. Cameron and company rain down right hands in the corner but get reversed for some quadruple stomping. Ford sends Melo into the ropes for a running shot to the back and we take a break (and yes Storm throws us to commercial).

We come back with Bayne hitting a Falcon Arrow for two on Hayter, with Statlander making the save. Everything breaks down again and the Triangle starts taking over. We hit the parade of knockdowns until it’s down to Bayne vs. Hayter for the slugout. The double tag brings in Thekla to spear Jay for the pin at 9:13.

Rating: C+. This was the latest All Star tag match and not much different than last week’s version. Storm was funny on commentary and it’s smart to give Thekla the pin as she’s still getting established around here. I still don’t buy Storm in much danger in the title match but at least they’re building up one of the challengers.

Post match the brawl stays on but Queen Aminata and Mina Shirakawa run in with…a spatula and a cooler for the save. Storm gets in a dive of her own and counters Thekla’s spear into Storm Zero to clear the ring.

Here’s Max Caster for another open challenge.

Max Caster vs. Big Bill

Even Caster seems to know this isn’t good. Bill knocks him into the corner to start and talks a lot of trash, including about Eddie Kingston. The beating is on in the corner and, after mocking Caster’s clap, Bill finishes with the swinging Boss Man Slam at 1:58.

Post match Bill calls Eddie Kingston out again, saying he’s tired of people yelling at him for not showing Kingston respect. Bill doesn’t care about Japanese wrestling and the challenge is on for All Out. He doesn’t think Kingston will show up.

Jerry Lynn talks to Anthony Bowens again but Bowens jumps Max Caster and they brawl into the arena. Caster fights back but gets choked down, drawing Lynn out to break it up. Lynn remembers how good of a team they were but then they wanted singles runs. Neither of them are doing anything but here is the Swirl to interrupt. Blake Christian is tired of Lynn trying to become Billy Gunn II and jump him but Caster helps Lynn fight back. Bowens runs in as well and the Swirl is cleared out. Neither caster nor Bowens seem to want any part of a reunion though.

Mistico is cut off by MJF, with a guy who looks like a short Abraham Lincoln. MJF is ready to take Mistico’s mask for the better of wrestling. The Lincoln guy runs his mouth and gets slapped.

FTR vs. Tommy Billington/Adam Priest

Stokely Hathaway is here with FTR. Billington and Wheeler lock up to start before Billington runs him over a few times. Harwood comes in and gets taken down as well, only to come up with some right hands in the corner to Priest. Back up and Priest starts in on Harwood’s arm, with Billington coming off the middle rope with an elbow to said arm. Billington gets caught on top though and a belly to back superplex brings him down.

We take a break and come back with Priest cleaning house but Wheeler low bridges him to the floor. Priest gets dropped onto the apron and some double teaming knocks him back inside. A backbreaker lets Wheeler taunt Billington a bit and Priest’s slap just makes Wheeler angrier. Priest Saito suplexes his way out of trouble but Harwood is there to backdrop Billington on the apron. Priest makes the comeback on his own, including a kick to the leg to set up a half crab.

That’s broken up so Billington missile dropkicks Harwood into the post. The snap suplex drops Harwood again but he catches Billington up top. Priest is back up with a tornado DDT to plant Wheeler on the apron and there’s a suicide dive to drop him again. Stereo flying headbutts get two on Harwood before Priest and Wheeler crash out to the floor. Billington crossfaces Harwood but a foot on the ropes gets him out. Wheeler catapults Priest into a post and the spike piledriver finally finishes Billington at 17:11.

Rating: B. It was a good match and absolutely should not have been happening here. Just like last week, the idea is that FTR is going into a dream match and one of the biggest challenges of their career. This week though, rather than using their experience against this brand new team, it takes them even longer to win. These matches haven’t made FTR look like they’re ready for a huge match, but rather that they’re not as sharp as they used to be.

Post match FTR celebrates and we’re told about a four way ladder match for the Tag Team Titles at All Out.

Various teams are ready to qualify for the ladder match.

Unified Title: Michael Oku vs. Kazuchika Okada

Okada is defending and this is part of the tournament as well because…..oh let’s just move on. Okada strikes away to start but Oku knocks him to the floor for the Fosbury Flop. Back in and a frog splash misses for Oku and Okada knocks him to the floor as we take a break. We come back with Oku kicking him away and hitting a superkick. The top rope Lionsault gets two but the half crab is broken up. Okada’s Rainmaker is countered into a small package for two but Okada Tombstones him into the Rainmaker to retain at 9:16.

Rating: C+. Let me see if I can remember this. Okada just won this match to qualify to defend his title in a three way a few months before it is vacated for the Continental Classic, during which the Unified Title will be split, making it no longer unified. Did I get all of that right? Either way, there was no reason to believe Oku was going to win here, making it just another not exactly inspiring Okada match.

Post match Konosuke Takeshita comes in for a staredown.

Video on Kyle Fletcher vs. Hangman Page.

Death Riders vs. Paragon

Garcia, now in black shorts, takes O’Reilly down to start and it’s quickly off to Strong for a change. Strong wins a wrestle off and Paragon chases Garcia outside for a series of strikes against the barricade. Back in and Moxley has to break up a cross armbreaker so Strong goes after him, only for Garcia to take out the leg. A Figure Four around the post has Strong in more trouble and we take a break.

We come back with Moxley working on O’Reilly’s leg but O’Reilly fights out and brings Strong back in. Strong’s belly to back faceplant gets two on Moxley and the top rope superplex puts him down again. Naturally Moxley, who just got superplexed from the top, is able to grab a choke from his back, followed by the big clothesline.

The Riders get stereo holds but Paragon gets out and strikes away at Moxley for two. O’Reilly dives onto Moxley with a dropkick against the barricade, followed by the cross armbreaker to Garcia. That’s broken up and the Dragontamer on the bad leg makes O’Reilly tap at 12:48.

Rating: B-. The team that loses pretty much every important match they have loses an important match. Let me show you my big surprised face. Paragon matches can be entertaining as they work well together, but egads it would be nice to have had some double about the result. Garcia is now a villain and…yeah he’s the same not very interesting wrestler that he’s been for years, but now in different gear. What a thrilling adjustment.

Post match Matt Menard yells at Garcia, who just leaves to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. As much as I liked last week’s show, this was a show that you could easily skip and not lose much of anything. It was a bunch of matches that had no realistic question about the winners or no real consequences (I’m sure the winning women’s lives will be changed by the money), with the only important changes to All Out being….a thumbtack/tables match and of course, a ladder match. I was bored throughout a lot of this, as it was a show that made me realize just how long Collision can feel a lot of the time.

Results
Konosuke Takeshita b. Anthony Bowens – Raging Fire
Triangle Of Madness/Megan Bayne/Penelope Ford b. Kris Statlander/Anna Jay/Tay Melo/Jamie Hayter/Harley Cameron – Spear to Jay
Big Bill b. Max Caster – Swinging Boss Man Slam
FTR b. Adam Priest/Tommy Billington – Spike piledriver to Billington
Kazuchika Okada b. Michael Oku – Rainmaker
Death Riders b. Paragon – Dragontamer to O’Reilly

 

 

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AEW Collision – September 6, 2025: They’re Cloning Luchadors?

Collision
Date: September 6, 2025
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Matt Menard

We’re still in Philadelphia and still on the way towards All Out, which only has so much officially set. That’s going to need to be addressed, though I’m not sure how much is going to take place here. The big feature match this week is another All-Star tag match, this time including eight women. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Jon Moxley vs. Daniel Garcia

Marina Shafir is here with Moxley. Garcia takes him into the corner to start and Moxley ducks into the ropes, where he dares Garcia to hit him. Moxley kicks him in the back but Garcia is right back with the forearms in the corner. That’s broken up and Moxley goes after the fingers before going after the head with right hands. Moxley takes him to another corner and keeps up the beating but Garcia is out with a dragon screw legwhip.

Garcia sits down on the leg and the wraps it around the post. The Figure Four around the post keeps Moxley in trouble until Shafir sends Garcia into the announcers’ table. We take a break and come back with Moxley heading to the apron, where Garcia elbows his way out of a fireman’s carry. Garcia piledrives him onto the apron (Moxley is back on his feet in thirty seconds) and Slugs away back inside as the fans greatly approve.

Moxley’s quick Sharpshooter attempt is countered into a rollup for two and Garcia hits a top rope superplex for two more. Moxley is right back with a Death Rider for two of his own but the bulldog choke is countered into the Dragontamer. The rope is grabbed so they pull themselves up and yell at each other, which fires Garcia up. Moxley’s suplex over the top leaves them both crashing before they get back inside for a slugout. Garcia’s rollup is reversed into Moxley’s rollup for the pin at 16:41.

Rating: B. The fans helped carry this one as they wanted to see Garcia get the big win. That being said, Garcia losing makes for a more interesting situation as he’s going to need to go back to the drawing board again and perhaps actually change something for a change. Moxley is all but guaranteed for a big match against Darby Allin at All Out so the result makes perfect sense for him.

Post match Garcia looks crushed and takes the mic from Tony Schiavone. He’s tired of making the same mistakes but he keeps getting back up. It’s been a good five years but sometimes good isn’t enough.

We look at the Dynamite main event and post match beatdown, with Kenny Omega being laid out by the Don Callis Family.

We run down the rest of tonight’s card.

Big Bill talks about hitting rock bottom in this building and the fans here gave him nothing. That doesn’t surprise him because he comes from a real city in New York. Someone else around here does that too, so he’s officially calling out….Eddie Kingston.

FTR vs. Tommy Billington/Adam Priest

Stokely Hathaway is here with FTR. Priest and Wheeler go to the mat to start with neither being able to get the advantage. They try it again and that gets the same result so Wheeler chops him instead. Harwood comes in to headlock Billington but Priest comes back in for a double elbow. Some clubberin in the corner has Priest in trouble but Billington makes the save. Stereo snap suplexes have FTR in trouble so they slap Priest as we take a break.

We come back with Priest and Billington cleaning house, with Billington getting a crossface. That’s broken up and Priest is dropped across the barricade, leaving Billington to miss the Swan Dive. The PowerPlex is broken up so Billington and Priest hit stereo Swan Dives for two on Harwood. Back up and Harwood blasts Priest with a left hand and FTR grab stereo German suplexes for two each. Billington is sent outside and the PowerPlex finishes Priest at 14:04.

Rating: C+. The action was good, but this was the wrong way for the match to go. FTR is on the way to a huge grudge match in two weeks. Why are they needing almost fifteen minutes to beat a makeshift team against a jobber in Priest and someone coming off a big injury in Billington? There’s no need to have it go this long other than to fill in TV time and that’s not a good thing.

Post match the beating continues as Hathaway talks trash about Adam Copeland and Christian Cage.

The Outrunners are getting back to nature but run into….some Boys. They also find Dalton Castle, who is ready to break some hearts. Well that’s random. Awesome, but random.

Jon Moxley talks about how simple minded it is to think that belts matter and now he’s ready to get rid of Darby Allin for good. The match is on for All Out with Moxley promising to put him in the ground.

Triangle Of Madness/Megan Bayne vs. Toni Storm/Mina Shirakawa/Kris Statlander/Harley Cameron

Wheeler Yuta comes in to offer some advice to Statlander but realizes he’s not wanted here and leaves. Mina slides away from Thekla to start and does the dance but Thekla is waiting for her with the spider pose. Hart comes in and gets splashed by Cameron, followed by Mina’s sling blade for two. Everything breaks down and Bayne hits a middle rope clothesline as we take a break.

We come back with Hart tripping Mina down and hitting a standing moonsault for two. Mina fights out of trouble and ties up Blue’s leg while DDTing Hart at the same time. Storm comes in to clean house as the fans certainly approve. Statlander helps Mina hit a big dive to the floor and it’s time for the parade of knockdowns. Statlander clotheslines Bayne, who pops back up with a spear. We settle down to Blue and Cameron trading forearms until Hart gets an Octopus on Statlander. That’s reversed into an electric chair faceplant and a Wheeler Yuta seatbelt pins Hart at 12:03.

Rating: B. This got rather awesome by the end, with the tag structure being thrown out for the sake of everyone going nuts and hitting whatever they thought of as fast as they could. It continues to be the junk food style that AEW uses very often, but dang it is entertaining. I’ve long since stopped caring about the Statlander/Yuta deal but it’s still going anyway.

Post match the fight continues with the Triangle laying everyone out (again). Jamie Hayter runs in for the save so Storm asks if they want to get nuts. She’s ready for Hayter. Thekla and Statlander at All Out.

Video on Ace Austin.

The Bang Bang Gang is tired of all the bad luck so they’re done with the cardboard cutouts. Now it’s time to find out what is next. This should come together sooner than later.

Mercedes Mone isn’t happy with Riho, so how about Riho and Alex Windsor face Mone and Riho’s mentor Emi Sakura on Dynamite?

Here is the Don Callis Family (with Kyle Fletcher rocking a pink suit) to brag about what happened on Dynamite. Josh Alexander is ready to take out Hangman Page in their grudge match next week. Fletcher isn’t impressed with Mark Briscoe, who won’t win tonight anyway, so now he needs to find out what is next. Maybe he’ll just win the World Title instead. Say at All Out. It’s where Page got his first World Title shot so Fletcher sees it as poetic.

The red Hologram is coming soon.

Paragon and the Conglomeration is in the back, with Kyle O’Reilly thinking it’s awesome that WE’RE CLONING LUCHADORS. Roderick Strong doesn’t want to hear it and is happy that Tomohiro Ishii is going back to Japan. O’Reilly says they’ll get back together and conglomerate later.

Anthony Bowens is bragging about what he’s been doing lately but Jerry Lynn comes in to say Bowens has been slipping. It’s time to find out what is missing.

Mark Briscoe vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Josh Alexander is here with Takeshita…who sends him to the back because he has this on his own. That’s another sign for Takeshita. They fight over arm control to start with Takeshita sending him into the corner and we take an early break. We come back with Takeshita hitting a hanging DDT to the floor and the chinlock goes on back inside. Briscoe fights up as one tends to do out of a chinlock, setting up a fisherman’s buster for two.

A Blue Thunder Bomb gives Takeshita two and we get a quick breaker. Takeshita sends him outside for one heck of a flip dive but Briscoe low bridges him to the floor. The apron Blockbuster connects for Briscoe and a sliding lariat gets two back inside. A double clothesline leaves them both down and we take another break. We come back with Briscoe winning an exchange of forearms and hitting a Death Valley Driver.

The Froggy Bow is broken up so Briscoe gives him a sunset bomb and now the Froggy Bow…hits raised knees. Takeshita hits a Helluva Kick but Briscoe drops him with a hard lariat for two more. The Jay Driller is blocked and Takeshita hits a kneeling tombstone for another near fall. Briscoe is taken up top but headbutts his way out of a superplex. Callis offers a distraction so here is MJF to shove Briscoe off the top. Raging Fire gives Takeshita the pin at 17:56.

Rating: B+. This got awesome rather quickly and that’s not a surprise at all. I’m a bit surprised that Briscoe lost as it seemed like they were setting up Briscoe vs. Fletcher at All Out. Now it seems to be Briscoe vs. MJF, which should work rather well too. Good stuff here, with Takeshita continuing to be outstanding.

Post match Takeshita is NOT pleased with the interference but Briscoe and MJF have to be held apart. MJF says pick the time and the place and even the stipulation. Briscoe picks All Out and he’ll get back to him on the stipulation.

Overall Rating: B+. Pretty awesome show here with the wrestling being a strong highlight. There was nothing close to bad on the whole show and I was rather wrong about nothing being set up for All Out. This was one of the better Collisions in a good while and I had a heck of a time with it, which is always a nice surprise.

Results
Jon Moxley b. Daniel Garcia – Rollup
FTR b. Adam Priest/Tommy Billington – PowerPlex to Priest
Kris Statlander/Harley Cameron/Toni Storm/Mina Shirakawa b. Triangle Of Madness/Megan Bayne – Seatbelt to Hart
Konosuke Takeshita b. Mark Briscoe – Raging Fire

 

 

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AEW Collision – August 30, 2025: The ECW Arena Likes It Slow

Collision
Date: August 30, 2025
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Tony Schiavone

We’re still in Philadelphia as the residency continues and this time around it’s the more wrestling based show. We’re rapidly approaching All Out and some of the matches have either been set or are coming together. This week will likely be more about getting us ready for those matches so let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Daniel Garcia vs. Blake Christian

Matt Menard is here with Garcia…and here are the Death Riders to give Garcia some pointers. Christian hits a quick dropkick and Garcia is already out on the floor. Garcia fights back but gets sent face first into the barricade. Back in and Christian grabs a chinlock but Garcia fights up and chops away. Christian knocks him down again and tries a 450, which is pulled into a guillotine choke, followed by the piledriver for the win at 6:05.

Rating: C. The match was fine, with Garcia getting a win to get some momentum back after losing to Jon Moxley. I’m not sure what Garcia is going to be doing with Moxley, but as long as it doesn’t involve Moxley getting the World Title back, we should be fine. Christian is someone who keeps feeling like he could become something in Ring Of Honor, though being a jobber in AEW isn’t helping that effort.

Post match Garcia won’t say what Moxley said to him, instead challenging Moxley for next week. Cue Wheeler Yuta to say the challenge is accepted.

The Conglomeration is ready for tonight but Roderick Strong isn’t happy with Kyle O’Reilly for teaming with Tomohiro Ishii.

Conglomeration vs. Don Callis Family

Alexander and O’Reilly start with O’Reilly taking him down into a quickly broken cross armbreaker. Fletcher and Ishii come in to slug it out before it’s back to O’Reilly, who gets elbowed down. O’Reilly comes right back and grabs a cross armbreaker, which he floats into an ankle lock. Fletcher comes up with a bloody eye as Ishii and O’Reilly kick away. O’Reilly is sent outside and kicked down though, allowing Fletcher to pose as we take a break.

We come back with O’Reilly fighting out of a super fireman’s carry and grabbing a Kimura on Alexander. That’s broken up as well so it’s a double clothesline to leave both of them down. Ishii is back in to take over on Fletcher, including the brainbuster for two. A German suplex rocks Fletcher but he comes back with a nasty Falcon Arrow.

O’Reilly and Alexander come back in to slug it out until O’Reilly gets a cross armbreaker. Ishii pounces Fletcher out of the way but Alexander makes the rope. O’Reilly’s flying knee to the floor only hits chair though, leaving Ishii to knock Alexander down. Fletcher is back in for the save though and Alexander grabs a straitjacket piledriver for the pin at 13:04.

Rating: B-. The Family’s dominance continues as they rack up another win, even if it’s over a team who are only kind of regular partners. That isn’t going to sit well with Roderick Strong, who wants revenge, and now we might be getting to see what he’ll be doing about it. I’m not sure if that’s going to be with or without the Conglomeration, though it’s not like the team has much in the way of a standard lineup.

Post match Strong comes out to check on O’Reilly but doesn’t seem to want to help Ishii.

Jamie Hayter and Thekla are brawling in the back, with Hayter getting the better of it until security breaks it up. Thekla dives off a balcony to take Hayter down though.

Mother Wayne wants Kip Sabian and Killswitch to calm things down but Sabian blames him for everything. Mother tells Sabian to take a walk.

Jay Lethal vs. Hologram

This is something of an upgrade for Hologram. They trade some early knockdowns to start with Hologram flipping over him out of the corner and it’s an early standoff. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker plants Hologram and a faceplant does it again as we take a break. We come back with Lethal hitting a running clothesline against the ropes, followed by the suicide dive.

Hologram comes right back with one of his own before grabbing a kneebar back inside. That’s reversed into a Figure Four from Lethal, with Hologram making the ropes. A Backstabber slows Lethal down though and it’s the spinning torture rack bomb for the pin at 9:51.

Rating: B-. It’s still taking its sweet time, but at least Hologram is getting wins over some bigger names. He’s been needing something to do for way too long now and this is about as good as anything he can get. As usual, Lethal is good at making someone else look better in the ring and that seems to be his role these days, which is a smart use for him.

Post match the Hologram code appears but stops working. Instead we see a black and red Hologram, with a graphic saying SOON. So we’re doing an evil twin. You have 184 titles in this promotion and that’s what you have for someone on a thirty one match winning streak?

Video on Ricochet/the Gates Of Agony vs. the Hurt Syndicate.

Alex Windsor vs. Ashley Vox

Windsor shoves her down to start but Vox is back up with a quick dropkick. A Blue Thunder Bomb and powerbomb get Windsor out of trouble and a Sharpshooter makes Vox give up at 1:11.

Post match Windsor calls Mercedes Mone “one pissed off little woman”. Windsor says Mone crossed the line by bringing up Will Ospreay and issues the challenge for the TBS Title.

Earlier today, Mark Briscoe and Don Callis met up in the back, with Callis avoiding Briscoe’s challenge for the TNT Title. Instead, Callis says he has to beat a member of the Family to get the shot, which works for Briscoe.

Adam Priest/JD Drake vs. FTR

Priest takes Harwood down by the leg to start but gets reversed into a headlock. Priest goes for the leg again and hands it off to Drake for more of the same. That’s broken up and Wheeler comes in to suplex Priest, who gives him a dropkick. Drake goes up but gets knocked down by Harwood as we take a break.

We come back with Drake hitting a moonsault for two but FTR is back up with a Shatter Machine. Priest comes back in to clean house until a shot to the face cuts that off. Harwood strikes him down in the corner but gets pulled out with a German suplex. Priest gets sent into the post a few times though and a Border City Stretch gives Harwood the win at 8:50.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure how much this made FTR feel like they’re ready for Copeland and Cage at All Out but at least they won in convincing enough fashion. FTR isn’t a team who needs to be built up and they would have been better off getting to talk a bit after a squash. The match is going to be something of a dream match in the first place so this only gave them so much.

Post match Wheeler says this is isn’t about Adam Copeland, but rather that FTR should have the Tag Team Titles back. They’re ending this in Toronto. Harwood says this will be a dream match but the fans almost yell him down. This is going to be a charity exhibition for two guys who made their names off the letters TLC 25 years ago. They’ll be facing two men who made their names off the letters FTR, so don’t make them wreck Copeland and Cage.

The Don Callis Family is ready for the eight man tag on Dynamite.

Big Bill vs. Juice Robinson

Bryan Keith and Austin Gunn are here too. Bill puts him on top to start so Robinson grabs a rather aggressive headlock. A belly to back suplex can’t get Bill out of trouble but a big boot to the face knocks Robinson silly as we take a break. We come back with Robinson being dropped onto the barricade but managing to send Bill into a lighting structure. That’s shrugged off and Bill grabs a bearhug, which is broken up rather quickly. Robinson starts in on the leg and his big left hand gets two. Keith offers a distraction though and the swinging Boss Man Slam finishes Robinson at 9:29.

Rating: C+. This is a feud that has been going on for a few weeks now and I’m not sure where it’s going to go. The problem is the Bang Bang Gang is barely a group anymore as you have the midcard wrestler teaming with one half of the tag team. That’s only so much to go on and it’s not like Bill and Keith have anything going on either. At least Bill got to look all dominant again though, as it suits him well.

SkyFlight wants to keep winning but Darius Martin wants gold. Like the ROH Six Man Tag Team Titles. If that’s your goal, you might want to look into another career.

Gabe Kidd is ready to hurt Darby Allin.

We look at Allin’s various extreme antics. Eh apparently it’s for a fundraiser so fair enough.

Toni Storm/Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata vs. Billie Starkz/Triangle Of Madness

No Thekla for the evil team here. Storm and Blue start things off with Storm headlocking her into an armbar. Starkz comes in with a facebuster but charges into a backbreaker, allowing Shirakawa to fire off a kick to the chest. It’s off to Hart to headscissor Aminata but some hip attacks send the villains outside. Mina adds a huge dive onto the pile and we take a break.

We come back with Aminata and Hart knocking each other down, allowing Storm to come in and dropkick Blue. Everything breaks down until Storm is left alone with Blue, who drops her for a double down. Mina and Hart get the tags, with Mina grabbing a quick backbreaker. Blue reverses the Figure Four before it’s back to Starkz, who gets hit in the head. The Glamorous Driver finishes for Mina at 12:00.

Rating: B-. Kind of a weird choice for a main event here as you had two members of a trio in there against a fairly makeshift hero team. It wasn’t bad at all and Storm certainly brings star power to anything she does. She’s going to need a new challenger soon and while this didn’t feel like it was about setting that up, it did feel like a good way to get Storm and Mina on the show.

Post match Thekla runs in to jump Mina and the big beatdown is on, with Storm being left laying. Mina and Aminata gets the same treatment and the Triangle poses. Jamie Hayter doesn’t appear for the save.

Overall Rating: B-. This was very much a run of the mill Collision, with the focus being on the stories you rarely get on Dynamite and a more relaxed pace. It’s rarely a show you need to see, but it’s a different kind of show from Dynamite in a good way. Sometimes you need to mix it up a bit and while the show still feels like it has a lot of filler, it’s nice to do something differently from the Dynamite model of everything going as fast as it can.

Results
Daniel Garcia b. Blake Christian – Piledriver
Don Callis Family b. Conglomeration – Straitjacket piledriver to Ishii
Hologram b. Jay Lethal – Torture rack bomb
Alex Windsor b. Ashley Vox – Sharpshooter
FTR b. Adam Priest/JD Drake – Border City Stretch to Priest
Big Bill b. Bryan Keith – Swinging Boss Man Slam
Toni Storm/Mina Shirakawa/Queen Aminata b. Billie Starkz/Triangle Of Madness – Glamorous Driver to Starkz

 

 

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AEW Collision – August 23, 2025: The Rod And Todd Show

Collision
Date: August 23, 2025
Location: OVO Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the night before Forbidden Door and the card is pretty much all set. That means this show is going to be centered around getting everything set up. There is also the chance of adding in some more matches, as that whole Zero Hour has the space for at least three or four matches. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Don Callis Family vs. SkyFlight/Hiromu Takahashi

Don Callis handles his team’s introduction and screws up the Spanish for Hechicero. Takahashi runs the ropes to start and hits a quick dropkick to Alexander. Darius comes in for an assisted DDT to Alexander but Archer cuts off a dive and chokeslams him onto the apron. Back in and Hechicero takes Dante down and Archer fires off a kick to the chest. Romero gets to dance a bit before Hechiero gets to work on the leg. Alexander adds a gutbuster into a gutwrench suplex and we take a break.

We come back with Archer missing a charge into the corner, allowing the tag off to Sky so everything can break down. Everything breaks down and Archer gives Sky a swinging Boss Man Slam. Hechicero kicks Sky into a DDT from Alexander and everything breaks down with Archer getting double suplexed. Romero’s Sliced Bread is countered into a TKO from Sky before Skyflight hits a triple dive. Back in and the Time Bomb finishes Romero at 12:31.

Rating: B-. This was a fun opener and it’s nice to see SkyFlight actually win a match (even if they didn’t get the pin) before they are likely put into the jobbing vortex. If nothing else, it’s nice to see Romero losing the fall for a change instead of Alexander. It’s not like Romero has much else in the way of value in the ring so let him lose the fall here for the good of the team.

Post match Kyle Fletcher comes out for a staredown with Takahashi.

Video on the Forbidden Door four way for the TBS Title, with a look at all four participants.

Hook is coming back.

Megan Bayne vs. Isla Dawn

Penelope Ford is here with Bayne, who runs Dawn over without much trouble to start. Dawn’s waistlock attempt goes nowhere and Bayne snaps off a few slams. A hard clothesline sets up a running boot in the corner but Dawn fires off some kicks to the leg. Dawn’s running knee connects in the corner but Bayne shrugs it off and hits a running powerbomb for the win at 4:44.

Rating: C. Pretty much a squash here with Dawn getting to make a nice appearance. I’m not sure if she’s going to get a run around here, but putting a former WWE star with connections to the live crowd is a smart idea. The same can be said of having Bayne destroy her, as Bayne is on the way to getting somewhere around here, if she can get out of the midcard quagmire.

Post match Willow Nightingale comes out for her match and passes Bayne/Ford on their way to the back.

Willow Nightingale/Queen Aminata vs. Triangle Of Madness

Blue chokes Nightingale on the ropes to start but gets run over with a shoulder. Some corner clotheslines have Hart in trouble but it’s off to Aminata, who gets caught with Old School. Aminata gets in her hips to the face thing and is taken down by the hair as we take a break.

We come back with Nightingale spinebustering Hart for two but a double DDT gives Hart the same. Aminata gives Blue a reverse DDT but misses a top rope double stomp. Everything breaks down and the Triangle get stereo holds, which are broken up rather quickly. Aminata headbutts Blue into the ropes and the running knee gives Aminata the pin at 9:30.

Rating: C+. This was another example of taking a bunch of women with little going on and putting them in a tag match. It’s nice to see Nightingale on the winning side more often than not for a change, though I’m not sure if this is going to lead anywhere. At the same time, the Triangle continues to be off to a hit and miss start, though at least it wasn’t the full version here.

Post match Thekla comes in for the beatdown, with Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford joining the villains. Harley Cameron makes a failed save attempt but Kris Statlander is back for the real thing.

Daniel Garcia is disappointed about not getting the IWGP World Title shot but he’ll be there for his friend, Nigel McGuinness.

Here is Max Caster for another open challenge and the fans are starting to get into him. So get him an opponent out here.

Max Caster vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Non-title and oh dear. Caster is a bit frustrated and Sabre starts working on his arm. A headlock takeover doesn’t work for Caster so he ax handles Sabre in the neck instead. That’s cut off as well and a cobra twist gives Sabre the win at 2:20.

Post match Sabre comes out for a staredown with McGuinness and they shake hands, though McGuinness doesn’t let go immediately. With Sabre gone, Anthony Bowens runs in to beat Caster down, with Billy Gunn having to come out and yell at Bowens.

Harley Cameron is thankful to Kris Statlander for her help but Statlander hasn’t gotten her $100,000. Apparently it was supposed to come out of the Young Bucks’ salary but there are insufficient funds. Cameron is off to get it, but is told next week. The Death Riders come in to glare a lot, with Jon Moxley producing Statlander’s money.

Tomohiro Ishii vs. Konosuke Takeshita

Believe it or not, they trade forearms to start until Takeshita takes him down with a flying clothesline. Back up and Ishii knocks him to the floor but Takeshita gets a hanging DDT from the apron as we take a break. We come back with Ishii hitting a delayed superplex, meaning it’s time to trade more forearms.

Takeshita gives him a knee but gets dropped for the sliding lariat. A Blue Thunder Bomb cuts Ishii off for two but Raging Fire is blocked. Takeshita reverses the brainbuster into the poisonrana, only for Ishii to enziguri him for a double down. An exchange of clotheslines gives Takeshita two and the Raging Fire finishes at 10:33.

Rating: B. Ishii is nowhere near what he used to be but dang this was working. They were beating the fire out of each other here, which is where Takeshita tends to shine. There wasn’t going to be much drama about the winner here before Takeshita won the G1 and now that he’s gotten the biggest win of his career, it was even less likely for Ishii. Heck of a hard hitting match here.

Big Bill vs. Mark Andrews

Bryan Keith is here with Bill, who jumps Andrews in the corner. A big boot sends Andrews to the floor, followed by a swinging Boss Man Slam for the pin at 1:46.

Post match Bill chokeslams him through two open chairs. Bill and Keith go into the crowd but stop to watch the next entrance.

Gates Of Agony vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Ricochet is here with the Gates (whose entrance Bill and Keith were watching) for commentary as Liona sends Drake flying to start. Kaun comes in for a bow but can’t get a suplex, allowing the Veterans to double team him down. A running boot in the corner knocks Liona to the floor but Ricochet offers a distraction so the Gates can take over again.

Drake gets whipped into the barricade and apron over and over and we take a break. We come back with Kaun missing a charge into the post, allowing Gibson to come back in and clean house. A Saito suplex gets two on Kaun and a Michinoku Driver/dropkick combination gets the same. Liona is back in to clear the ring and Open The Gates finishes Gibson at 9:07.

Rating: C+. The Gates continue to be fine in matches like this with no pressure on them, but there is no reason to believe that they’re going to be a big deal anytime soon. They’re good enough as Ricochet’s lackeys, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up for them going after any gold. Well maybe the Trios Titles with Ricochet, though that’s a stretch as well.

Gabe Kidd brings in the Bullet Club Wardogs, who are coming for the Trios Titles at Zero Hour.

Young Bucks vs. Paragon

The Bucks (Rod and Todd) are already in the ring and don’t like their name changes. O’Reilly works on Matt’s arm to start and snaps on the cross armbreaker. That’s blocked so O’Reilly tries an ankle lock, which doesn’t work either. Nick comes in and gets kicked down, with Matt tripping on the way in for the save and hurting his foot by kicking the announcers’ table.

Back up and Matt takes over on O’Reilly, who hands it off to Strong without much trouble. The belly to back faceplant drops Nick, followed by the Bucks colliding for another mistake. Matt kicks O’Reilly down though and the draping 450 hits Strong. The spike Tombstone plants O’Reilly on the floor and we take a break.

We come back with Matt giving O’Reilly a flipping cutter on the floor while Nick superkicks Strong for two. More Bang For Your Buck is broken up and O’Reilly is back up on the apron so Strong can get the needed tag. That means O’Reilly gets to clean house, including a cross armbreaker to Nick.

The Bucks manage to superkick their way out of trouble but O’Reilly catches them with a rebound double clothesline to leave everyone down. Matt suplexes his way out of a guillotine and Strong is sent outside for Nick’s running twist drive. An assisted Sliced Bread gets two on O’Reilly but the TK Driver is broken up. End Of Heartache hits Nick but here is Don Callis for a distraction. Cue Kazuchika Okada to give Strong the Rainmaker and the TK Driver finishes O’Reilly at 15:46.

Rating: B. I’m not sure about the Bucks winning again after their fortunes started to turn bad, though at least they had some help. Paragon continues to look good in defeat, but unfortunately they’re getting rather experienced in that area. They’re basically the upper midcard jobbers of the tag division and that’s only going to have an impact for so long. Good match though, and a solid main event.

Post match the beatdown is on until Swerve Strickland makes the save. The numbers game gets to Strickland though, with Okada taking out his knee. A Rainmaker takes Strickland out to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This show was about getting things ready for Forbidden Door and the matches that got some time here did the job well. At the same time, we had some nice action, which is a good way to fill out what is basically a big commercial for the pay per view. Collision continues to be unnecessary in its current form, but it can work well at times, which was the case here.

Results
Skylight/Hiromu Takahashi b. Don Callis Family – Time Bomb to Romero
Megan Bayne b. Isla Dawn – Running powerbomb
Willow Nightingale/Queen Aminata b. Triangle Of Madness – Running knee to Blue
Zack Sabre Jr. b. Max Caster – Cobra Twist
Konosuke Takeshita b. Tomohiro Ishii – Raging Fire
Big Bill b. Mark Andrews – Swinging Boss Man Slam
Gates Of Agony b. Grizzled Young Veterans – Open The Gates to Gibson
Young Bucks b. Paragon – TK Driver to O’Reilly

 

 

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