Ring Of Honor
Date: July 28, 2026
Location: WJCT Studios, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Just in case you hadn’t had enough Ring Of Honor lately, we have a bonus show before Friday’s regular show! Wait wait, don’t tell me. The Premiere Athletes will be in action here! Plus something about teams trying to get in position for a shot at the Tag Team Titles. That’s the kind of cutting edge stuff that has put Ring Of Honor in the place it is in today. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We look at Maya World winning the TBS Title at Redemption.

Maya World vs. Janai Kai

Non-title. There are no entrances for obvious reasons but commentary says that this was signed before World won the title. So they’re really still trying to avoid saying that it’s taped in advance? The show for the most hardcore fans of the promotion designed for the smart fans? Anyway, Kai grabs a waistlock to start but gets sunset flipped for two.

World sweeps the leg out and hits a slingshot hilo, earning herself some leg trips. Back up and the tabletop suplex gives World two (so Kai is tougher than Hikaru Shida) but Kai catches her going up top. That earns her a powerbomb out of the corner and a Shining Wizard finishes Kai at 6:00.

Rating: C. This wasn’t a squash but it was a basic, easy enough win for World. She’s certainly on the rise in both promotions and that’s great to see, as she has come a long way in pretty much every area. Nice opener here, with the star who got a big win on Sunday getting a showcase here.

We look at Mike Bailey winning the ladder match to become #1 contender to the International Title.

Alan Angels vs. Nick Wayne

Angels takes him down by the arm to start but Wayne is back up with a shove and some spitting. That earns Wayne a running chop in the corner so he knocks Angels right back down. Back up and Angels superkicks him out of the air, only to have him come back with an Alabama Slam. They trade rollups for two each until Wayne’s handspring elbow is countered into a dragon suplex. Angels’ springboard moonsault gets superkicked out of the air, followed by a kick to the head to pin Angels at 8:03.

Rating: B-. This was a back and forth match with the two of them getting to trade comebacks until Wayne knocked him silly. At the same time, this was a match that got some time despite neither of them having much of anything going on. It’s a good example of a match that feels like it’s there to have people in the ring without any particular reason.

Action Andretti/The Opps vs. Landon Hale/Robert Allen/Steve Allen

There’s your weird team of the week. Hook knocks Hale down to start and then pounds away in the corner, allowing Andretti to come in with a top rope clothesline. Steve comes in and gets beaten up by Bowens, including a pop up Fameasser. Andretti hits an Asai moonsault and Bowens armbars Robert for the tap at 2:50.

Isla Dawn vs. Erica Leigh

Dawn has won her one match here and Riccaboni says she is hoping to turn it into a winning streak. Why? One win can get you a title shot around here. Dawn kicks away at the leg to start and stomps Leigh down in the corner. Back up and Leigh hits some running clotheslines in the corner but Dawn is back with a suplex. The Meteora gets two and Dawn grabs a dragon sleeper in the ropes. Leigh’s comeback is countered with a Backstabber into the dragon sleeper to make Leigh tap at 3:43.

Rating: C. This was much more in the squash territory and it was nice to see Dawn getting in there and destroying someone. Dawn has something to her and I could go for having her become one of the regulars in the division. If Maya World is on her way to the main roster full time, there is a spot open for someone and Dawn is a good option.

Post match Dawn grabs the sleeper again and Leigh is left laying.

Adam Priest vs. Kiran Grey

Grey isn’t having anything involving running shoulders so Priest goes with the right hands in the corner. Grey fights back and strikes away but gets knocked down with an uppercut. A legsweep takes Priest down and Grey chokes in the corner. Priest is right back with a running neckbreaker before slamming Grey’s knee onto the mat. Another takedown by the leg sets up a half crab to make Grey tap at 6:02.

Rating: C+. Grey is an interesting situation as he has the creepy/brooding persona but he never wins and tapped out in about six minutes. That’s not exactly the best way to go for him and it didn’t do him much good here. Priest continues to be fine in this spot, though I’m not sure I can imagine him going much higher than this level.

Isla Dawn says she’s going to keep winning until she wins gold so she wants a shot at Red Velvet.

Griff Garrison vs. Aaron Solo

Garrison forearms away to start but Solo is up with a running hurricanrana. With Garrison trying to walk off, Solo runs up to cut that off but Garrison hot shots him back inside. Some right hands have Solo in more trouble until he fights up with some running forearms. A torture rack powerbomb gives Garrison two, as does Solo’s top rope double stomp. Back up and Garrison hits a running spinning….we’ll say headbutt for the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C+. Garrison is another person who has nothing going on at the moment and that has been the case for him for a long time now. At least he won a match here so maybe they’ve got something up for him. Solo is still the usual jobber to the stars and that’s about it, but there are far worse options for that spot.

Video on Lee Moriarty vs. Angelico.

Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Spanish Announce Project

Angelico and Moriarty trade wrist control to start so it’s off to Serpentico. The Promotions send him to the apron though and Taylor gets in the big legdrop. Taylor gets in his usual big shots on the floor but Serpentico kicks him in the head. Angelico comes back in to clean house and hands it right back to Serpentico for two off a Swanton. Moriarty is back up with the butterfly Side Effect to pin Serpentico at 6:39.

Rating: C+. Well, at least it helped boost things up a bit for Angelico vs. Moriarty. That’s better than saying “Angelico almost beat him about two years ago” so I’ll take something over having absolutely nothing to set up the match. It’s still only so interesting, but after years of “and then this person gets a title shot”, it’s an improvement.

Red Velvet is ready for Isla Dawn.

Premiere Athletes/Swirl vs. Outrunners/Dalton Castle/Orange Cassidy

I WAS KIDDING ABOUT THE ATHLETES! And of course they’re headlining the show! The villains jump Magnum to start, with Nese doing some pushups. Floyd comes in off a tag behind Nese’s back and the Outrunners take turns raining down right hands in the corner. Cassidy’s single right hand gets two but Magnum gets caught in the wrong corner for the triple teaming.

Moriarty hammers away but Magnum is right back up for the tag off to Castle. Everything breaks down and the Swirl takes over on Castle and Magnum, only for Castle to suplex them down at the same time. Cassidy’s double hurricanrana takes them out as well and it’s time for the parade of knockdowns. Floyd gets in his string of slams but Mark Sterling breaks up the Orange Punch. Everyone but the Athletes and Cassidy brawl to the back, with Daivari forearming Nese down by mistake. The Orange Punch finishes Nese off at 10:07.

Rating: B-. Cassidy was just there to add in some star power and to avoid the Six Man Champions from having to face another three man team. In theory this was designed to get Castle and the Outrunners their win back after their completely necessary loss on Collision. That only works so well when none of them were around in the end, but this was just your usual eight man tag from ROH anyway.

Cassidy is left alone to end the show. As in the Ring Of Honor show.

Overall Rating: C+. I’m really not sure why this needed to be its own special, but at least it did set some things up, including Moriarty vs. Angelico and Dawn vs. Velvet. At the same time, there was a lot of stuff here that felt like content for the sake of content. As usual, it feels like ROH Dark, which is a fine enough idea, but it’s not something that really works when it’s also used to build things up. But if we try to figure out how things are working around here, we’ll be here far too long. Not a bad show, and it did push some stories forward, which is always appreciated.

Results
Maya World b. Janai Kai – Shining Wizard
Nick Wayne b. Alan Angels – Kick to the head
Action Andretti/The Opps b. Landon Hale/Robert Allen/Steve Allen – Armbar to Robert
Isla Dawn b. Erica Leigh – Dragon sleeper
Adam Priest b. Kiran Grey – Half crab
Griff Garrison b. Aaron Solo – Running spinning headbutt
Shane Taylor Promotions b. Spanish Announce Project – Butterfly Side Effect to Serpentico

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Ring Of Honor
Date: July 21, 2026
Location: MGM Music Hall, Boston, Massachusetts
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

Well, since the last two weeks of shows going over two hours each wasn’t enough, it’s time to have the special bonus show. We tend to get one of these on the weeks of AEW PPVs because…somehow this is supposed to get more people watching. Maybe do something other than having the same stuff Ring Of Honor always does? Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Matt Sydal is officially in Skyflight but Shane Taylor comes in to say the team’s potential has a shelf life. Maybe Top Flight could join Shane Taylor Promotions. The two of them laugh him off.

Opening sequence.

Death Riders vs. Dark Order

Yuta and Reynolds start things off with the latter taking him down. Uno comes in to help slug away and Reynolds sends Yuta outside. That lets Yuta get in a choke from the apron, which has commentary surprised and Reynolds in trouble. A bridging German suplex gets two, with Uno having to make the save.

Uno comes in to clean house but stops to pose, allowing Reynolds to come back in rather quickly (or as “rather quickly” as you can get about six minutes into a match). Reynolds is sent outside though and the Riders fire off corner clotheslines. An STO/running knee combination finishes Uno at 7:04.

Rating: C+. The Riders being on the show almost feels like a given these days but it is nice to have them as a regular team. It’s fine to have them beat up a team like the Dark Order won are hardly important and it does make the show feel a bit more important. This was perfectly fine as a way to get the show going.

Redemption rundown.

Alan Angels vs. Komander

Angels grabs a double underhook to start but Komander slips out of…whatever it was going to be. Komander sends him outside but the rope run misses as Angels runs back inside. Angels hammers away to take over, with a half nelson suplex getting two. Back up and Komander flips away to dropkick Angels to the floor, where a big flip dive connects. Angels slips away again though and powerbombs him out of the corner for two. That doesn’t last long as Komander gets in a dropkick on top, setting up a super hurricanrana. Cielito Lindo finishes Angels at 4:04.

Rating: C+. Well, Angels popped back up, picked on AR Fox and lost to him and now he’s lost to Komander. That feels pretty on par for a returning star, as you have to lose a bunch to do pretty much anything else. As usual, Komander is a nice choice if you can’t get the bigger lucha stars and he filled that role well here.

Nick Comoroto vs. Zachary Wentz

Wentz strikes away to start but flips into a jumping Death Valley Driver. A backbreaker has Wentz in more trouble but he comes back with a springboard Codebreaker. Wentz jumps up top for a spinning cutter for the pin at 3:04. Well that was quick.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what the point was in having this match on the card, but that’s the case with a few of them. Wentz is a good high flier, though he tends to do his best stuff as part of the team. On the other hand you have Comoroto, who looks great and has not done a single thing of note since he came to AEW/ROH. That’s not his fault, but you would think someone who looks like that would at least get a chance of some kind.

Swirl/Premiere Athletes vs. Outrunners/Bustah And The Brain

Magnum slugs away to start fast and gets in a headscissors to Johnson. Everything breaks down and the double Styles Clash is broken up though and Price is sent into the wrong corner. The villains get to take turns stomping away but Price avoids a 450. That and a shot to the face are enough for Floyd to come back in for the string of slams.

A belly to back drops Daivari but Christian is up with a 450. The Sky Splitter knocks Christian down though and it’s a double Mega Powers Elbow to Daivari. Everything breaks down and the Outrunners hit their big ax handles from the apron. The double Styles Clash finishes Daivari at 8:04.

Rating: C+. I’m really not sure I get the point in taking the tag team that is 2/3 of the Six Man Champions and putting them in eight man tags without their partner. In theory it’s to give Castle’s back as much rest as possible as he’s more brace than man at this point, but did we really need the Athletes here? Of course not, but THE PREMIERE ATHLETES MUST BE ON EVERY ROH SHOW EVER! WHY? BECAUSE!

Post match Jay Lethal runs in for the belt shot but Dalton Castle makes the save.

Maya World vs. Tiara James

James hits a running shoulder to start but gets headlock takeovered for her efforts. World loads up something out of the corner but James is back up with a neckbreaker. The chinlock doesn’t last long and World knocks her off the ropes. That means a middle rope moonsault can get two, only for James to come back with a sitout spinebuster for the same. World is right back up with the spinning faceplant for the win at 5:25.

Rating: C. World is on her way to a TBS Title shot on Sunday and I would love to see her win the thing. Otherwise, she is getting further and further cemented in that midcard quagmire that so many of the other women are stuck in and that’s not good. She’s talented, the fans are into her and she’s at the highest point of her career. Maybe let her win something?

The Kingdom praises….artificial intelligence? They’re now the computerized Kingdom. Ok then.

The Opps vs. LSG/GKM/Max St. Giovanni

Hook headlock and then spinning drop toeholds GKM to start. Bowens comes in for the forearms to the back of the head and it’s off to LSG. That means the comeback is on for what must have been a good three seconds before Bowens gives him the jumping Fameasser.

Bowens is actually sent into the corner for an enziguri but that’s shrugged off as well. Shibata comes in for a single underhook suplex but GKM gets two off a quick rollup. Bowens isn’t having that and gets a Kimura on GKM, with a triple submission giving the Opps the win at 5:52.

Rating: C. Hokey smoke I am sick of the Opps. The team feels so utterly lost at this point and there is nothing that makes me want to see them. Even with Samoa Joe, they were the lowest of the low stables around here and this new lineup isn’t making it any better. Just get rid of the team already and find something else to fail at making Hook a star.

AEW National Title: Mark Davis vs. Dezmond Xavier

Xavier is challenging and gets shouldered down to start fast. A headscissors sends Davis into the corner though and Xavier is right back with a headlock takeover. That’s broken up and Davis shoves him into the corner, setting up a half crab in the ropes of all things. An Oklahoma Stampede drops Xavier for two more and we’re off to the chinlock. Xavier gets up and strikes away in the corner but misses his 450. Davis’ big running clothesline gets two so he hits another, setting up the piledriver for the pin at 7:41.

Rating: C+. This was a tacked on title defense with Xavier being little more than a slight speed bump on the way to Davis facing Andrade El Idolo at Redemption. At least it felt somewhat more important than the rest of the show and it did get fairly decent during its time. Davis has come a long way and it’s great to see that kind of development.

Overall Rating: C-. This was your big commercial for Ring Of Honor? A collection of cold midcard matches which could have been deleted scenes from the latest “GEEZ WHY DID YOU BUY A RING OF HONOR DVD” DVD? It’s another case of way too much being filmed and this show not being necessary in the slightest, but I’m sure we’ll get a regular two hour show this week, because Ring Of Honor is pure content for the sake of content and nothing more. As usual, the wrestling is perfectly acceptable, but it was the usual no effort from a show structure standpoint, with an AEW title match headlining, because ROH titles mean nothing.

Results
Death Riders b. Dark Order – STO/running knee combination to Uno
Komander b. Alan Angels – Cielito Lindo
Zachary Wentz b. Nick Comoroto – Spinning middle rope cutter
Outrunners/Bustah And The Brain b. Swirl/Premiere Athletes – Double Styles Clash to Daivari
Maya World b. Tiara James – Spinning faceplant
Opps b. LSG/Max St. Giovanni/GKM – Triple submission
Mark Davis b. Dezmond Xavier – Piledriver

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Collision
Date: June 27, 2026
Location: Rio Rancho Events Center, Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, Excalibur

It’s the night before Forbidden Door and we have another two hours to go before we get to the pay per view. In this case that means the Trios Titles are on the line and I’m sure we’ll get some more previews for tomorrow night. That’s about all you can do here, as in theory the card is all set. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Trios Titles: Conglomeration vs. The Opps

The Opps are challenging. Shibata backs Strong into the corner without much trouble and it’s already off to Hook to headlock O’Reilly. That earns Hook a backbreaker from Strong and a rather lazy elbow from Cassidy for some delayed ones. Bowens comes in and gets a hands in the pockets dropkick and it’s already off to Shibata. A cheap shot from the apron cuts Cassidy off and a pair of suplexes (apron and floor variety) have him in trouble as we take a break.

We come back with Cassidy getting sleepered down but Shibata jumps Strong rather than hitting the PK. Cassidy is able to get in a shot of his own and O’Reilly comes back in for the ankle lock on Bowens. A double clothesline drops the Opps and Strong comes back in and it’s time for a chop off with Shibata.

With Shibata in trouble Strong starts throwing Cassidy around like a weapon, which works oddly well. Shibata and O’Reilly forearm it out with the latter getting the better of things. Bowens is back in to take over with a string of strikes and a DDT out of the corner gets two on Cassidy. Back up and Bowens accidentally superkicks Shibata and the Orange Punch into the Angle Slam retains the titles at 14:00.

Rating: B-. This was a perfectly acceptable way to open the show as the fans are always going to be into the wacky hijinks of the Conglomeration. They’re a fine choice for the Trios Titles and a good way to open the show. On the other hand you have the Opps, who feel like they deserve a charity telethon. If this is the best they can do, just disband the thing already.

The Demand is ready to get back into the title hunt but the Lethal Twists come in. They think they should talk, with Ricochet and Jay Lethal admiring the other’s haircuts.

The Death Riders are ready to send Will Ospreay to get revenge on Swerve Strickland. Works for Ospreay, who says his friendship with Swerve is over and it’s time to go to Wembley.

TNT Title: Dezmond Xavier vs. Kevin Knight

Knight is defending and grabs a headlock takeover to start fast. Xavier goes after the arm and grabs la majistral for two, leaving Knight a bit shaken. Knight gets caught holding the rope so Xavier gives him a slingshot hurricanrana to send Knight underneath those ropes. Xavier follows him but gets caught with a clothesline off the steps and we take a break.

We come back with Xavier winning a slugout to put them both down but Knight is up first. A middle rope DDT gives Xavier two but Knight snaps off a sweet hurricanrana. Knight goes up so Xavier gets smart by rolling to the corner. Another rollup gives Xavier two but Knight hits a heck of a dropkick. Xavier’s hurricanrana spikes Knight and they slug it out from their knees. A spinning faceplant drops Knight and a Meteora gives Xavier two, with Knight rolling outside. The big dive takes him out but Knight gets the knees up to block a sky twister press. The Crash Landing retains the title at 12:56.

Rating: B. This was the hard hitting, athletic style match that you would have expected these two to have. It’s the kind of match you often see on Collision, as there was absolutely no reason to believe that the title was going to change hands but it was fun while it lasted. Xavier is a blast to watch and Knight is getting better every single week. Rather good stuff here.

Video on the twelve man cage match at Forbidden Door. That’s a lot of people in any cage, even if there is no way they all stay inside.

Here is the Triangle Of Madness for a chat. Thekla has been told that she is the only one who is making Forbidden Door feel like Forbidden Door. If she wants to destroy the forbidden door, she’s burning it down. Sky Blue is ready to show you how violent she can be on the Kickoff Show. To the point here, and thankfully it seems like the Thekla vs. Stardom stuff should be done soon.

Chris Jericho vs. JD Drake

Drake talks trash to start and gets chopped for his efforts before missing a charge. A super hurricanrana and enziguri send Drake outside so Jericho gives him a big dive. Back in and Drake hits a swinging Boss Man Slam for two, setting up the cannonball. Drake’s moonsault misses and Jericho grabs the Codebreaker. The Tommaso Ciampa style running knee sets up the Walls to make Drake tap at 5:18.

Rating: C+. Now this was refreshing, as there is no reason for Drake to have a long match against Jericho. Even an older Jericho should not be having any real trouble with Drake and they did it as they should have. I’ll take that as a nice change of pace and hopefully these shorter matches are included more often, as they can be rather effective.

Post match Jericho puts the hold on again until Tony Schiavone insists that Jericho is better than Tommaso Ciampa. Jericho says he’s been looking for Ciampa but knows he isn’t here tonight. He wants to thank Ciampa for leaving him beaten and bloody but Ciampa won’t be thankful for what Jericho is going to do to him next.

Thunder Rosa isn’t scared of Lena Kross/Megan Bayne, who don’t care about her. She insults their hats and takes her shirt off for some violence but nothing happens. The fact that Rosa’s partner, Olympia, isn’t here tonight makes it even sadder.

CMLL Women’s Title: Persephone vs. Billie Starkz

Persephone is defending and gets taken down early so Starkz can do some jumping jacks. That earns her a running hurricanrana but Starkz is back with a DDT onto the apron. It’s already time to load up the announcers’ table and Starkz adds a flip dive off of the table as we take a break.

We come back with Starkz cranking on both arms but making the mistake of throwing in a slap. Persephone knocks her down for two, followed by a superplex. Starkz blocks another suplex though and grabs the Last Shot to leave them both down. Persephone cuts off a running knee and gets two off a bridging northern lights suplex. A spear and Razor’s Edge retain the title at 9:20.

Rating: B-. If you ignore that the was no reason to believe that Starkz was going to win the title, this was a perfectly fine match. Persephone has been presented as a big deal in her limited appearances around here and it’s nice to have her thrown into the title match next week. Hopefully we have moved on from the idea of Starkz being the one to dethrone Athena, as I really do not see the point.

Post match Hikaru Shida runs in to go after Persephone but a bunch of the other women in the TBS Title match chase her off.

Premiere Athletes vs. Mike Bailey/Mistico

Bailey kicks Nese down to start but gets double teamed into the corner. The villains are quickly sent outside but cut off the dives to send Mistico and Bailey into the steps. Back in and Daivari takes over on Bailey but Mistico is up with a double springboard elbow. Stereo superkicks put the Athletes on the floor and now the dives connect. Back in and Bailey gets caught with a hammerlock lariat but moonsaults outside onto Daivari. That leaves Mistico to grab La Mistica to make Nese tap at 4:07.

Rating: C+. See what I mean about the shorter matches being nice? This was the regular “hey, Mistico is on this card” match and he did a few signature moves to get out of there. The Athletes are nothing more than low level villains and that’s all they needed to be here, as Mistico was the big focal point here.

Gabe Kidd is coming back and believe it or not, he’s angry. We’re just that lucky.

Jake Doyle vs. Adam Priest

Don Callis is here with Doyle (after not being here with Kevin Knight). Priest gets powered around and hit in the back to start. Doyle runs him over without much trouble and we take an early break. We come back with Priest grabbing a flying DDT and working on the arm. Doyle’s backdrop is countered into a cross armbreaker but he muscles Priest up into a powerbomb. A missed charge in the corner has Doyle in more trouble and Priest gets two off a DDT. Priest goes up and gets forearmed out of the air, setting up Into The Void to give Doyle the pin at 9:10.

Rating: C. This was another fine match with Doyle having to sweat a bit before picking up the win. Priest is turning into a rather useful jobber to the stars as he isn’t the biggest guy but can make his offense look good enough out there. Put him in a tag team and it could work out fine, if he’s actually given a chance.

Video on Maya World vs. Mercedes Mone in the finals of the Women’s Owen Hart Cup. Mone gets in a good line with “dreams don’t win championships, I do”.

Willow Nightingale is training to return to the ring and knows she made some mistakes before.

Maya World/Hyan vs. Athena/Mercedes Mone

It’s a brawl to start fast and Athena is dropped onto World’s raised knees. Hyan hits a double dive to the floor and World 619s Athena back inside. Mone fights back though and commentary responds by running down the Forbidden Door card. Athena hammers on World on the apron and gives her a hard knee before handing it back to Mone. World slips out of a double suplex though and rolls over for the tag off to Hyan. House is cleaned for a bit until Athena gets in a powerbomb onto the apron.

We take a break and come back with Mone’s backstabber dropping Hyan for two and Athena’s backsplash gets the same. The Third Amigo is blocked though and Mone misses a running knee in the corner. It’s back to World to pick up the pace, with a rollup and double stomp getting two on Athena.

That earns World a Codebreaker into a Backstabber with Hyan having to shove Athena into the cover for the save. Everything breaks down and Athena suplexes World but gets kneed down by Hyan to leave all four on the mat. Mone pulls World to the floor for the Statement Maker (for a tap), leaving Athena to middle rope O Face Hyan for the pin at 16:53.

Rating: B-. They are trying to make us believe that World has a chance tomorrow right? I’m not sure I’m seeing that happening here, as this story has been about as one sided as you can get. World is already a major underdog so unless the upset of all time in AEW is coming, I really don’t see this one going well for World, who has looked like a loser who got lucky to be here.

Post match Athena and Mone beat up Hyan until World comes in for the save. World moonsaults onto both of them on the floor to avoid looking like a total loser to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Most of the time, the main thing to remember about Collision is that it means almost nothing in the big picture of AEW. Everything that matters happens on Dynamite or the pay per views with only the occasional bone being thrown to Saturday night. If you can keep that in mind, Collision can be a rather enjoyable show as it feels like AEW but with no stakes. That’s a perfectly nice way to go, as there is no pressure and it doesn’t feel like everything is going a thousand miles per hour. I had a nice time with this, mainly because it didn’t feel like I was being bombarded with details and changes every two seconds.

Results
Conglomeration b. The Opps – Angle Slam to Bowens
Kevin Knight b. Dezmond Xavier – Crash Landing
Chris Jericho b. JD Drake – Walls Of Jericho
Persephone b. Billie Starkz – Razor’s Edge
Mistico/Mike Bailey b. Premiere Athletes – La Mistica to Nese
Jake Doyle b. Adam Priest – Into The Void
Athena/Mercedes Mone b. Maya World/Hyan – O Face to Hyan

AEW, 2026, Collision, Conglomeration, The Opps, Lethal Twists, The Demand, Death Riders, Dezmond Xavier, Kevin Knight, Chris Jericho, JD Drake, Thunder Rosa, Persephone, Billie Starkz, Lena Kross, Megan Bayne, Hikaru Shida, Jake Doyle, Adam Priest, Don Callis, Mercedes Mone, Maya World, Willow Nightingale, Athena, Hyan

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Global Wars: Cincinnati Week Two
Date: June 25, 2026
Location: Andrew J. Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

We’re back in Cincinnati for the second of what I’m assuming is two weeks of the show. It’s another case of the international stars showing up, along with AEW stars, who apparently count as guests. These things can be a lot of fun and hopefully it lives up to what we got last week. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

I was in attendance for some of this show, sitting in the ninth row on the floor with the entrance to my right.

Opening sequence.

AEW National Title: Ace Austin vs. Mark Davis

Davis is defending. Austin grabs the arm to start so Davis gives him a heck of a running shoulder. Back up and Austin low bridges him to the floor but Davis is right back in with a hard slam. A backsplash crushes Austin and he realizes he’s in trouble with this kind of power. Davis sends him hard out to the floor and Austin seems to come up favoring his hand, only to come back in with some chops anyway.

Davis’ charge only hits the corner though and Austin Russian legsweeps him into a legdrop. The Death Valley Driver with a squat gives Austin two and he kicks Davis in the head to cut off the running clothesline. They crash out to the floor and Davis hits the post but the Fold is blocked. A bridging cradle gives Austin two more but the big clothesline connects. Davis’ piledriver retains the title at 9:18.

Rating: B-. This was starting to roll at the end and it’s good to see Austin getting a chance. It would be better to see him win something, but at least he’s in a spot like this instead of sitting on the bench. What matters is that he’s getting in the ring and Davis gets to continue a rather nice roll.

Viva Van/Lacey Lane vs. Harley Cameron/Mina Shirakawa

Cameron is rather pleased with fans holding Mini Mones, which were somehow only made available after all these months. Lane and Shirakawa start things off with Lane taking her down into a front facelock. With that broken up, Van holds Shirakawa in the ropes for a running dropkick but Lane misses a charge in the corner. It’s off to Cameron with a high crossbody and a Shining Wizard gets two on Van.

Lane comes back in to catch Cameron in the corner with a running dropkick, setting up an armbar. That’s reversed into a belly to back suplex and it’s back to Shirakawa to clean house. A top rope double dropkick puts Lane and Van down and it’s off to the parade of knockdowns. Van kicks Shirakawa out of the corner and stereo running shots in the corner give Lane two. Shirakawa makes a quick running tag to Cameron though and That’s Her Finisher takes Lane out at 8:26.

Rating: C+. Cameron and Shirakawa are doing well enough as the team of two people whose partners left them and they happened together. It’s not like either of them have anything else going on so this is as good of an idea as they have. Give them a title shot and let them lose so we can move on to something else.

We recap the Women’s Owen Hart finals, with Athena helping Mercedes Mone attacking Maya World.

Billie Starkz vs. Syuri

They fight over a waistlock to start and Syuri hits a running knee in the corner. A running boot in the ropes knocks Starkz silly and her suicide dive is cut off with a forearm. Starkz is back up with a hanging Eye Of The Hurricane and a suplex gets two. A slap in the corner seems to wake Syuri up and it’s already time to trade the forearms. What was supposed to be a wheelbarrow bulldog doesn’t go very smoothly for Syuri but she’s able to grab a cross armbreaker.

With that broken up thanks to the ropes, Starkz plants her on the ramp but misses the Swanton. Back in and they trade rollups for two each but Syuri gets the cross armbreaker again. Starkz makes the ropes so Syuri kicks her in the head. The Electric Chair is broken up and a Last Shot gives Starkz two. The Swanton hits raised knees though and Syuri gets something like a reverse Octopus for the tap at 10:36.

Rating: B-. This was the match designed to give Syuri her win back after last week’s loss to Athena. The problem is it came against Starkz, which only means so much. At the end of the day, Starkz is little more than Athena’s lackey who loses just about every big match she has. Syuri is good, but she needs a bigger opponent.

Lio Rush is still creepy, but he’s now the TV Champion.

We look at the title match.

Action Andretti rants about how Rush shouldn’t have been in the match. Rush needs to enjoy his time with the title because Andretti is coming for it.

Premiere Athletes vs. The Opps

Nese poses at Bowens to start and Bowens is fine with posing right back. Bowens chops away in the corner and gets two off a quick suplex. Hook comes in and gets hit in the throat, allowing Beef to come in for a dropkick. A release northern lights suplex sends Beef flying before Shibata suplexes him on the apron and floor. Back in and Shibata grabs a Figure Four, with Beef grabbing the rope.

Nese comes back in and pulls Bowens outside for the group stomping. Back in and Daivari grabs a chinlock but Bowens is right back up with a running jumping Fameasser. Shibata gets to strike away as everything breaks down. Nese stomps Hook and Beef’s top rope splash gets two on Shibata. Some chops just wake Shibata up so he dropkicks Beef in the corner. The Athletes walk out and it’s the sleeper into the PK to finish Beef at 9:59.

Rating: C. Why was this on Global Wars? That’s been the question with three of the four matches on the show thus far, as Syuri has been the only star from outside AEW/ROH. Unless I’m supposed to believe that AEW is some big outside promotion, this has been quite the useless second week of a special in a long time. It doesn’t help that the Athletes feel like they’ve been in the same place since the start of ROH and the Opps are just sad without Joe.

Sammy Guevara brags about his success in Mexico with the Beast Mortos and he’s heading back to CMLL. Mistico can pick a partner and get a Tag Team Title shot. This will air next Friday on ROH, because apparently there’s an ROH show on Friday.

We look at Zack Sabre Jr.’s time in ROH.

Aaron Solo vs. Mike Nicholls

Like Sabre was going to be on this show. Nicholls starts fast and takes him outside for a drop onto the apron. A basement clothesline cuts off Solo’s comeback but he’s able to get in a suplex. Solo’s top rope double stomp gets two but Nicholls is back with a Deep Six for the pin at 4:25.

Rating: C-. This is a match that took place and I have no idea how this was the best use of someone like Nicholls. He won a squash match over someone who has never done anything important around here. It’s a case where the best thing that can be said is at least it was short, which isn’t a good sign in the slightest.

We recap Dalton Castle/The Outrunners vs. the Lethal Twists.

Dalton Castle and the Outrunners don’t think much of the Twists. Castle: “What the heck?”

Queen Aminata vs. Hanako

Aminata backs her up against the ropes to start and they trade shoulders to no avail. A shot to the leg takes Hanako down for the hips to the face and Hanako isn’t happy. They grasp hands and trade forearms until Hanako knocks her outside for the beating around ringside. Back in and Hanako Falcon Arrows her into the Boston crab, sending Aminata over to the rope. Aminata’s comeback is countered with a swinging suplex for two but Aminata kicks her in the face. The running kick in the ropes finishes for Aminata at 6:55.

Rating: C. Well, at least someone on her way to a title match in AEW didn’t lose this nothing match. I guess this counts as an international star having a big match against an AEW/ROH star as it’s not like there is much to compare it to. Aminata winning is a good thing, though it’s another ice cold match on a show full of them.

The Opps want a Trios Titles shot on Collision. These guys continue to feel pathetic.

Women’s Pure Rules Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Olympia

Purrazzo is defending under Pure Rules. They fight over wrist control to start until Olympia nips up and armdrags her down. Purrazzo realizes the power is an issue and goes with the wrestling, meaning it’s the Fujiwara armbar. Olympia makes the rope for the first break and knocks her into the corner for the slingshot Bronco Buster.

A basement dropkick gets two on Purrazzo and Olympia cranks on both arms. Purrazzo fights up and hits some running shoulders, setting up another Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up as well and Purrazzo catches her up top, only for Olympia to gorilla press her down. A Last Chancery sends Purrazzo to the rope for her first break and the Fujiwara armbar retains the title at 8:52.

Rating: C+. Well thank goodness Olympia got the win here. It’s a smart thing to do when she’s on the way to a big title shot on a much bigger stage in three days. She’s been around AEW and ROH with middling results at best so giving her a win over someone like Purrazzo and establishing her as someone who matters and can win in an upset over a dominant champion is a great idea. Imagine how dumb you would have to be to have her lose in a taped show after giving her a title shot on the upcoming AEW card. That would just be plain ridiculous, so it’s great that she absolutely won here.

Overall Rating: D+. This was one of the biggest wastes of time that I have seen in years in wrestling. The matches were mediocre for the most part, the guest stars were barely a factor, the matches were ice cold and the ending result was idiotic. There was zero need to have this be a two week event, as a bunch of the matches here were just regular ROH matches that could have been on any given week. This was absolutely nothing and a big waste of the Global Wars name.

Results
Mark Davis b. Ace Austin – Piledriver
Mina Shirakawa/Harley Cameron b. Lacey Lane/Viva Van – That’s Her Finisher to Lane
Syuri b. Billie Starkz – Reverse Octopus
Opps b. Premiere Athletes/Beef – PK to Beef
Mikey Nicholls b. Aaron Solo – Deep Six
Queen Aminata b. Hanako – Running kick to the face
Deonna Purrazzo b. Olympia – Fujiwara armbar

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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Global Wars: Cincinnati
Date: June 18, 2026
Location: Andrew J. Brady Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman

This is one of those big shows with a bunch of guest stars as Ring Of Honor basically does its own version of Forbidden Door. The big match is Athena defending the Women’s Title against Syuri and the rest…well it’s hard to say as a lot of these matches aren’t advertised. In other words, how Ring Of Honor of the show. Let’s get to it.

Here are Tuesday’s results if you need a recap.

I was in attendance for part of this show, sitting in the ninth row on the floor with the entrance on my right.

Opening sequence.

The opening video looks at Lio Rush and Action Andretti challenging AR Fox for the TV Title. Rush and Andretti were partners but then split up, with Rush being all insane.

TV Title: Action Andretti vs. Lio Rush vs. AR Fox

Fox is defending. Andretti is outside to start and Fox isn’t sure what to do with Rush. This means Rush whispering something into Fox’s ear and it’s time for both of them to go after Andretti. Rush starts running the ropes and Andretti gets kicked out to the floor as the fans seem to like Rush over the champion. Andretti is back up but Fox moonsaults onto both of them on the floor.

Fox goes after Andretti on the ramp and avoids a 450 but gets planted with a DDT. Andretti goes after Rush but winds up breaking an umbrella and sending Rush into the barricade instead. Fox is back up to dive onto both of them but gets small packaged to give Andretti two. Andretti’s springboard clothesline hits Rush and a springboard twisting splash gets the same on Fox.

Back up and Fox dropkicks Andretti in the corner, followed by a cutter to Rush. Fox’s tornado DDT and anarchist suplex drop Rush for two but Andretti sends Fox outside. A springboard Stunner gives Rush two on Andretti and Andretti’s falcon arrow gets the same. The pumphandle Side Effect gets two on Fox so Andretti goes up, with the two of them catching him at once.

With everyone back down, a triple knockdown leaves all of them needing a breather. Fox slugs away at both of them to take over but Andretti cuts him off with a low blow. Rush Stunners him though and grabs a choke, with Fox diving in for the save. Fox is sent outside though and Black Thunder gives Rush the pin and the title at 14:53.

Rating: B. I get it. I’m not wild on Rush’s whole deal, but he is clearly popular with the crowd and being presented as a big deal. Giving him something, even as low as the ROH TV Title, is a smart thing to do. My bigger issue is Fox losing the title so soon, as I became a much bigger fan after some of his recent promos. As for Andretti….well Fox is rather awesome.

Lacey Lane/Viva Van vs. Red Velvet/Thunder Rosa

Van runs Velvet over to start and they trade bridging escapes. Lane and Van hit stereo dropkicks but it’s quickly off to Rosa for some chops and armdrags. Back up and Lane takes over on Rosa, allowing Van to come back in for a rolling kick to the head. Rosa neckbreakers her way out of trouble though and Lane is sent into the corner so Velvet can hammer away. Rosa gets caught in a fireman’s carry but Velvet tags herself back in, with Lane taking over again. Everything breaks down and we hit the parade of knockdowns before Van and Velvet trade rollups for two each. Rosa’s package powerbomb finishes Van at 7:40.

Rating: C. This was a weird one as it’s a cold match between a pair of teams who don’t really work together all that often. Maybe this leads to Rosa showing up here to take a run at Velvet (it’s not like either of them have anything else to do). Other than that though, this felt like a match that was just thrown out there to burn up some time.

We look at Syuri beating Athena in February.

Diamante vs. Maika

Diamante wrestles her to the mat in a hurry and gets in the slaps to the back of Maika’s head. Back up and Diamante pulls her down by the hair, meaning it’s time to hammer away on the mat. Some Kawada kicks have Maika in more trouble and Diamante grabs a headlock. Maika fights up and hits a dropkick in the ropes, followed by a delayed suplex for two. A big clothesline connects but Diamante reverses into a German suplex. Diamante misses a clothesline though and the Michinoku driver finishes for Maika at 6:25.

Rating: C+. This is where Global Wars/Forbidden Door runs into a problem. Maika is a talented star from Stardom but she was debuting here. Odds are she’s not staying for any significant amount of time so this was little more than a pit stop. The match was fine and that’s about all, but it’s kind of hard to get interested in people who haven’t been around here before in a match with no story.

We look at LFI winning the Tag Team Titles in December.

And now, to Arena Mexico for LFI’s first title defense in three and a half months.

Tag Team Titles: La Faccion Ingobernable vs. Los Villanos

Los Villains (El Hijo de Villano Tres (“Tres”) and Villano Tres Jr. (“Jr.”) are challenging. Guevara flips over Tres to start and sticks the landing on a hurricanrana. They trade nipups so Mortos comes in to run Tres over. Jr. comes in with a springboard knockdown but the champs are right back up for some posing. Guevara teases something off the top but drops down for a stomp instead.

The champs go after Jr.’s mask to no avail and it’s Tres back up to start the comeback. A spinning springboard dive hits Mortos and it’s a Codebreaker into a double stomp back inside. Guevara gets thrown from the ramp onto Mortos but Mortos clotheslines both of them down without much trouble. Guevara adds a dive of his own, followed by a corkscrew version from Mortos.

Back in and a rolling cutter drops Tres before Mortos wrecks Jr with a backbreaker and discus lariat. Tres is back in with a tornado DDT to Mortos, who is back up with a super gorilla press for two on Jr. A Doomsday Device doesn’t work though and it’s a poisonrana to Mortos. Guevara takes out Jr. on the floor though and a moonsault gives Mortos the pin on Tres at 14:39.

Rating: B-. Remember what I said about how it’s hard to care about people who aren’t around here and don’t do much in a promotion? That’s the case for both of the teams, as LFI haven’t been in a match in three and a half months but their title reign has to continue for whatever reason. It’s an entertaining match, but this might as well have been a bunch of guest stars doing high spots for about fifteen minutes.

We look at Athena beating Hyan.

AEW TV Title: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Lee Johnson

Takeshita is defending and Blake Christian/Jay Lethal are here with Johnson. I can’t even bother getting annoyed at commentary saying that Johnson is on a roll when his last singles win around here was in December. Johnson’s headlock doesn’t last long so he goes with a dropkick out to the floor. The suicide dive connects and Johnson hammers away back inside.

A hard whip into the corner has Takeshita in more trouble and Johnson grabs the chinlock. Takeshita fights up but his ankle is banged up, meaning he can’t get up top. Instead they knock each other down again, with Takeshita getting up to take over again. A big clothesline gives Takeshita two but the running knee is blocked. Johnson superkicks him down and ducks a clothesline, setting up a cradle for two. Takeshita is right back with the Blue Thunder Bomb into the running knee to retain at 9:30.

Rating: B-. Well at least we know these people. Takeshita is a great star and doesn’t have much to do with Ring Of Honor but I’ll take someone who is around on these shows one way or another. I have no idea why Johnson was the one getting a title shot here, but logic in title shots is not exactly Tony Khan’s strong suit.

The Opps want to fight Beef and the Premiere Athletes. Anthony Bowens wants violence and Hook thinks he’s starting to get it.

Takumi Iroha vs. Hyan

Iroha is Syuri’s partner. We get a hug to start but Iroha wants to get going so they fight over a lockup. Iroha’s big kick to the head misses though and Hyan realizes this isn’t going to be easy. Hyan misses a dropkick and she gets caught with a quick DDT for two. A sliding knee drops Hyan again but she slips out of a Razor’s Edge. That earns her a kick to the chest and Iroha grabs a quickly broken Scorpion Deathlock.

Hyan muscles her up with a suplex and a belly to back version gets two. Iroha is right back with a running knee to the face and they strike it out. Hyan is knocked down but avoids a Swanton, allowing them to go out to the apron. Iroha gets planted down and a spear gives Hyan two back inside. A big kick knocks Iroha silly but Hyan picks her up instead of covering, allowing Iroha to kick right back. The running Razor’s Edge out of the corner finishes Hyan at 9:49.

Rating: B-. Well, for someone who has never been around here before and likely won’t be again, Iroha looked good enough in beating a midcarder. That’s about all there is to this one, as it’s not like either of them are a big deal around here. The match was fine, but much like a lot of this show, it’s just there.

Lethal Twists/RPG Vice vs. Outrunners/Mike Bailey/Mistico

Mistico gets the big singalong entrance and while the fans wave their hands, I’m not sure if they knew the words (Bailey on the other hand sang every word to the thing multiple times, looking like he was having a great time). Vice teases walking off but comes back for the opening bell as Mistico and Romero start things off. A flying mare takes Romero down and a running hurricanrana does it again.

Everything breaks down though and Mistico gets beaten down, followed by the running clotheslines in the corner. The Outrunners and Bailey are back in for the save though and hammer away with ten right hands each in various corners. We settle down to the Outrunners taking over on Romero but Christian spears Magnum on the apron to cut him off. Lethal stomps him down in the corner and the Figure Four goes on. Christian adds a slingshot hilo but Magnum slams his way out of trouble.

Floyd comes in to clean house, including a swinging suplex to Lethal. The Mega Powers Elbow is broken up though and it’s Bailey coming in to clean house. The running shooting star press gets two on Beretta but Romero is back in with a Shining Wizard for two of his own. Mistico dives onto Romero, leaving Bailey to get cuttered. The Outrunners break up the Lethal Twist’s Mega Powers Elbow and the four of them brawl off to the back. That leaves Mistico to La Mistica Romero for the tap at 11:46.

Rating: B-. This was a wild match and that’s what it should have been, with the fans clearly understanding that it’s a big deal to have Mistico around. At the same time, RPG Vice are a good choice for foils as it’s not like they mean anything in AEW/ROH anyway. Throw in the Outrunners (though oddly not Dalton Castle) and this was fun. Granted so was getting a photo with Mistico to end the night but maybe that’s just me.

Ring Of Honor Women’s Title: Athena vs. Syuri

Only Athena is defending. They go with the grappling to start and it’s an early standoff. An exchange of wristlocks gives us an exchange of flipping escapes so Syuri knees her in the ropes. Somehow Athena manages to go from leaning on the ropes to powerslam her onto the apron.

Back in and Athena knees her down so a backsplash can connect for two. Syuri rolls her up for two more and a facebuster sends Athena out to the ramp. The slugout goes to Athena and she hits a Wasteland to drop Syuri again. Back in and Syuri gets sent hard into the corner for two but she grabs a sitout bulldog. A running knee and right hand give Athena two more but Syuri pulls her off the top into a hammerlock.

The double arm crank sends Athena over to the rope and she’s back up with a superkick. The Black Widow has Athena in more trouble so she faceplants her way to freedom. Syuri gets her cross armbreaker and even crashing over the top doesn’t break it up. A tornado DDT off the barricade plants Athena again and they both have to beat the count back in at nine.

Back in and they slug it out until Syuri grabs a German suplex. Athena snaps off one of her own but Syuri is back with a powerslam. A big knee and kick to the head put Athena down again but she pulls Syuri into a pumphandle Tombstone. The O Face retains the title at 16:18.

Rating: B+. This lived up to the hype of a main event and it felt like Athena’s title was in jeopardy more than once. That’s a good sign that the match is going well, as there was no reason to believe that Syuri was going to win here. This felt like a big time match and I got into what I was watching so rather well done.

Athena shows respect to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This is one of the weirder shows that Ring Of Honor has, as there are parts of it that were good to even better than that (the opener, the eight man, and especially the main event), but there is a big chunk in the middle that is just there to stretch out the run time. I’m not at all saying these wrestlers are bad or untalented or anything close, but they’re just names on a list of people wrestling on this show and that is only so interesting. I’m not a fan of this concept but we’re nowhere near done, with seven more matches to go from the tapings.

Results
Lio Rush b. Action Andretti and AR Fox – Black Thunder to Andretti
Red Velvet/Thunder Rosa b. Lacey Lane/Viva Van – Package powerbomb to Van
Maika b. Diamante – Michinoku driver
La Faccion Ingobernable b. Los Villanos – Moonsault to Tres
Takumi Iroha b. Hyan – Running Razor’s Edge
Mike Bailey/Mistico/Outrunners b. Lethal Twist/RPG Vice – La Mistica to Romero
Athena b. Syuri – O Face

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
Date: May 27, 2026
Location: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Taz

It’s the third of three hours this week as we’re still coming off of Double Or Nothing. This time around we have a pretty big main event in the form of a street fight between Kris Statlander and Hikaru Shida. Other than that, it’s likely your usual Collision, but at half the size. Let’s get to it.

Here is Dynamite if you need a recap.

We open with Mark Davis throwing Jack Perry (who Davis just beat in the Dynamite main event) out of the ring. Don Callis threatens Will Ospreay, who is Davis’ second round opponent. With that out of the way, Callis insults Konosuke Takeshita, who was never anything compared to Kyle Fletcher.

Cue Fletcher, who gets a big hug from Fletcher and brags about being back from a serious injury so soon. He’s a genetic freak and officially medically cleared to return to the ring. He wanted to get back to cut away the dead weight of the Don Callis Family, which means Takeshita himself. Cue Takeshita…and the Conglomeration, to quickly clear the ring. Takeshita is glad to have his title back and wants Fletcher, who seems interested.

Will Ospreay is fired up for a six man. Marina Shafir and Jon Moxley are cool with Ospreay, but Pac isn’t so thrilled.

Death Riders/Will Ospreay vs. Rascalz

Xavier snaps off some headscissors to take Ospreay down to start but gets kicked in the chest. The annoyed Pac comes in to cravate Xavier but it’s off to Wentz, who is chopped back into the corner. The Rascalz fight back and hit the dives to the floor as we take a break.

We come back with Ospreay hitting a double handspring Pele kick, allowing the tag back to Pac. House is quickly cleaned and Reed is suplexed into the corner for two. The Riders hit the running clotheslines in the corner and Pac and Ospreay hit stereo running clip dives. Back in and Reed ducks Moxley’s clothesline and hits a jumping cutter. Ospreay and Pac are back in to beat on the Rascalz, setting up a triple submission for the tap (Ospreay making Reed tap to the cross armbreaker is what seems to count) at 10:22.

Rating: B-. The ending was never really in doubt but at least it wasn’t a straight up squash. Instead this was more the Death Riders reining the Rascalz in like fish and eventually catching them in some holds. That’s a fine way to go, even if it continues to make the Rascalz look that much less important week after week.

The Opps say that even though things haven’t been going well, the mission doesn’t change. That being said, Samoa Joe is stepping away for a few months for another movie/TV role. Sweet goodness just disband the team already if the lineup keeps changing this often.

Video on Kris Statlander vs. Hikaru Shida, with both of them talking about how sick they are of each other.

Lena Kross and Megan Bayne have laid out Tay Melo and Anna Jay.

Andrade El Idolo vs. Ace Austin

Andrade’s headlock is broken up to start so he snaps off a hurricanrana. Austin sends him into the ropes for the pose and we take a break. We come back with Andrade knocking Austin down and Andrade poses with a woman on the floor. Said woman is pulled over the barricade for a better picture, allowing Austin to get in a shot of his own.

A standing legdrop hits Andrade, who is sat on top for a running anklescissors. The Death Valley Driver gives Austin two but Andrade knocks him into the corner. The running knees miss for Andrade though and Austin is back with a springboard kick to the face. Andrade isn’t having that and hits the spinning elbow, followed by the DM for the pin at 8:09.

Rating: B-. It’s another good performance from Austin, who loses while looking impressive in the process. I know that’s AEW’s standard practice but it would be nice to see him win something over a more impressive name for once. Or just not lose for a change, though I can’t really imagine either happening anytime soon.

Kris Statlander vs. Hikaru Shida

Anything goes street fight. They slug it out to start and Statlander kicks her out to the floor. Statlander grabs a chair but takes too long, allowing Shida to sit it on the top rope. They go outside together with Statlander being sent into the barricade for a hard beating. That just earns Shida a hard powerbomb onto the floor and they go up towards the entrance. Make that into the back, with the fans not approving. Shida suplexes her onto a piece of barricade and we take a break.

We come back with Statlander superplexing her onto a pile of chairs and a chair/kendo stick duel breaking out. Statlander’s moonsault hits chairs and Shida nails a top rope Meteora for two. Shida hits a Falcon Arrow, with Statlander nipping up to escape in a cool moment. Statlander fires a chair at her head and it’s time to set up a table on one side of the floor and chairs on the other.

Shida is Death Valley Drivered onto the open chairs but Statlander can’t bring herself to swinging some light tubes. Instead Shida kicks her down and breaks the tubes over her back, cutting Statlander open. They fight to the apron, where Statlander hits a Tombstone to put Shida through the table. Cue Harley Cameron to cheer Statlander on, with Staturday Night Fever finishing Shida at 15:56.

Rating: C+. Well they did indeed have a street fight because they were in Philadelphia, making it a requirement. Ignore that it was their first singles match against each other but you have to keep the ECW fans happy. This was more violence for the sake of violence, with the light tubes doing their usual job of dimming any interest I had in the thing.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a totally fine Collision, even if it came a good bit later than the usual show. The main event felt enough like a main event to warrant that spot, even if we have another hour for the “real” main event on Saturday. It’s not the best feeling to have a three hour block so soon after a five hour pay per view, but it’s both not AEW’s fault and the action was good enough.

Results
Death Riders b. Rascalz – Cross armbreaker to Reed
Andrade El Idolo b. Ace Austin – DM
Kris Statlander b. Hikaru Shida – Staturday Night Fever

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

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6