wrestling / TV Reports
Sambus’ AEW Collision: Fairway to Hell Review 05.10.26
Image Credit: AEW
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Good evening 411! Our live coverage begins now, and tonight we have would should be a pretty unique episode of Collision as AEW presents Fairway to Hell from the SoFi Center! We are scheduled for just an hour of action tonight after the three-hour bumper edition of Dynamite/Collision this past Wednesday, and the locale should provide a distinctive look for the show.
On tap for the next 60 mins, we have Jack Perry defending the National title against Mark Davis, Divine Dominion in tag team action, and another AEW World championship contest as Darby Allin defends against Pac. Alright gang, let’s settle in for a short and sweet dose of Collision!
Location: Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Venue: SoFi Center
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness & Tony Schiavone
*Fairway to Hell is LIVE and already this venue looks crazy. Jack Perry makes his way out for our opening contest.
[AEW National Championship] Jungle Jack Perry © vs Mark Davis (w/ Don Callis)
Davis gets chopped in the corner as we get underway, and receives a dropkick, with Perry following up with the corner punches and a hurracanrana. Enziguri from the apron, misses a moonsault, Davis misses a shoulder block in the corner and spills to the floor, with Perry moonsaulting to the outside to take Davis out. Tiger feint kick attempt around the ringpost, caught by Davis and he tosses Perry into the ringpost before levelling him with a lariat.
Back to the ring they go, Davis biels Perry out of the corner, firmly in control of the champion. Jawbreaker by Perry, goes for a dive but is caught with a right hand and knocked to the floor as we head to commercial. During the break, Dunkzilla hits a scoop slam and a senton back in the ring, before locking in a seated chinlock. Perry tries to fight back, Davis with a thumb to the eyes. Release vertical suplex!
Davis muscles him up, Perry slips behind, hits a flying forearm. Davis sits him on the buckles, heads up top, Perry bites the hand though. Sunset flipbomb from Perry, 1, 2, NO. Davis comes back with a lariat on the apron, Perry responds with a hurracanrana off the apron! Tiger feint kick around the ringpost connects this time, and as they head back into the ring, Perry connects with an elbow drop too. 1, 2, no. Clothesline, Davis has Perry down in the corner, sliding elbow shot. 1, 2, no. Hurracanrana by Perry, 1, 2, no. Superkick, another caught, roaring lariat and a piledriver from Davis, 1, 2, NOOO!
Davis positions Perry up on the ropes, looking for a top rope piledriver, but Perry reverses with another hurracanrana. Don Callis gets up on the apron, and here’s Ricochet from behind with a golf club! He smacks Perry with it! CLOSE YOUR EYES AND COUNT TO NOTHING FROM DAVIS! 1, 2, 3!!
Winner and NEW AEW National Champion: Mark Davis
Time: 14:19
Rating: ***1/4 – So happy for Mark Davis, being rewarded for putting an absolute shift in this year, turning out with every opportunity he’s given. Should be a fun title reign. Decent stuff here, crowd weren’t that hot but that may be down to the venue spacing, as everything is a little spread out.
*We get a preview of NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament, which begins next week, and again Nick Wayne takes part this year.
*Will Ospreay vs Ace Austin is signed for Dynamite this week. We’re also hearing audio from the producers in the background which is mildly off-putting, although interesting!
*We’re back, and Jack Perry is frustrated by the loss backstage. Winning the title in his hometown was one of the proudest moments of his career. Ricochet and Don Callis just ended that for him. But Chris Jericho and the Hurt Syndicate are looking for two more partners for Stadium Stampede. Well the show is Double or Nothing…so how about he brings four? Perry, the Young Bucks…and Kenny Omega!
*Renee Paquette is with Mark Davis, Ricochet and Don Callis, asking for their reaction. Callis says Perry gifted him his fantasy, and opportunity to beat up the Bucks and Omega in one night, for free? Ricochet is happy to have Mark Davis on his side at DoN, and Callis wants to talk to him about other partners over drinks.
*Divine Dominion in an inset promo say they will make it really easy. They’re initiating a 5-minute Divine Challenge. Their opponents don’t have to beat them, they just have to last 5 minutes. That begins now.
Divine Dominion vs Ruthie Slay & Rachel Ley
Kross takes down both opponents, spinning side slam on Ley, big boot, and Bayne is in for a German suplex. Another! Stalling German this time. Fallaway slam/Samoan Drop combo, and the Divine Intervention connects for the 1, 2, 3.
Winners: Divine Dominion
Time: 2:17
Rating: N/R – Divine Challenge is a fine concept to allow DD to steamroll through some light competition, and eventually give a young upstart team a decent Eliminator win. Smart plan.
*We recap the setup to Thekla vs Hikaru Shida vs Kris Statlander vs Jamie Hayter at Double or Nothing.
*Brackets will be announced on Wednesday for the Men and Women’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament. Excellent!
*Don Callis says the DCF will be waiting for the winner of tonight’s main event, and they will take the world title away from whoever may hold it after tonight. Okada has had to go to Japan to take care of family business, but Callis has someone else in mind to take his place in the World title match this coming Wednesday…Konosuke Takeshita! Callis tells Takeshita he’s the best in the world when he has Callis’ gameplan in his head. Takeshita promises to bring the title back to the Family, unlike Okada.
*We take a look at footage of Kyle O’Reilly forcing Moxley to tap at Full Gear last year, and then his return to win the Trios titles. This Wednesday, 10-man tag, Cage & Cope, Young Bucks & OC vs FTR, The Dogs & Tommaso Ciampa.
*We’ve got a standby match! Speedball Mike Bailey heads to the ring, accompanied by Kevin Knight.
Speedball Mike Bailey vs Kiran Grey
Kiran attacks Bailey from behind, but Speedball takes control again and hits the moonsault double knees. Triangle moonsault to the floor! Back on the ropes, Speedball pushes Grey down, Grey crotches him and climbs the ropes, stomping Bailey into a tree of woe hanging onto the apron. Speedball gets back up, headbutt, Ultima Weapon, kinda whiffed him but it’s enough for the 1, 2, 3.
Winner: Speedball Mike Bailey
Time: 1:49
Rating: N/R – Filler, but I’m always happy to get an extra dose of Mike Bailey.
*Post-match, Kevin Knight loves what he sees. The Jet says he’s the face of TNT, but he wants to make it to the top together with Bailey.
[AEW World Championship – No Count Outs] Darby Allin © vs Pac
Darby leaps out to the floor as the bell rings and heads out onto the golf course! It’s No Count Out, so he’s calling Pac out there! Pac follows, and they come to blows. Back body drop on the grass by Pac, and now he tries to suplex Darby into the bunker…reversed. Code Red into the bunker! They make their way over to a different bunker, running John Woo dropkick, and Pac takes a flip bump backwards into the bunker! But Pac is up, belly-to-belly suplex into the bunker, sand flying everywhere. Brutalizer locked in!! Darby is fading, but he can’t win the match out there. Pac hoists Darby above his head, and gorilla press slams him into the bunker as we head to a 90-second commercial.
Pac brings Darby back into the ring, covers for a 2 count. We see Pac tying the tag rope to the chain around Darby’s neck, allowing Pac to deliver repeated big boots. Biel back drop connects, Pac takes a run up for the lariat but Darby trips him. Scorpion Death Drop! 1, 2, NO. Allin up top, Pac crotches him though and heads up for a Super Falcon Arrow! 1, 2, kickout. Pac pulls out a table and sets it up on the outside as we head into overrun time. Pac lays him out on top of the table and climbs the buckles…SHOOTING STAR but Darby moves and Pac crashes through the table! Darby gets him back in the ring and he locks in the Scorpion Death Lock! Pac tries to fight it, reaches for the ropes and makes it. Allin has to break the hold, and now Pac waves for the Death Riders to come out. Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta run out and that allows Pac to nail Darby from behind. Pac sends them back to grab another table. Pac has Darby on his shoulders and walks up the steel steps….TOMBSTONE ON THE STEPS! We see that Yuta and Garcia have stacked up tables on top of each other near the entrance way, 4 tables oh boy. Pac grabs Allin on his shoulders and walks backstage with him, presumably taking him to an elevated area as we head to our final commercial break.
Pac carries Darby up a flight of stairs and runs him into a wall. They position themselves near the railings, tables stacked up below. Pac brings Darby to his feet…Darby fights back though! He rakes the back of Pac. Marina distracts the ref, and Pac low blows Darby. PAC TOSSES DARBY OFF THE BALCONY!! And Darby crashes through all four tables. HOLY SHIT! He basically landed on his hip there. Pac rushes down to grab his limp body, shoves him in the ring and covers. 1, 2….NOOOO! Darby somehow kicks out. Garcia and Yuta slide a chair in, the ref sees it, but Pac grabs the World title instead, Darby is up though, low blow and a belt shot from Darby. Coffin Drop! 1, 2, 3!
Winner and STILL AEW World Champion: Darby Allin
Time: 20:20
Rating: ***3/4 – And the story of Darby’s title reign scraping by continues, this time with him momentarily outsmarting Pac and playing him at his own game with dirty tactics out of desperation. Golf course spots were fun (and I’d imagine they’ve got some great footage to go viral there) and of course the huge balcony/table spot was insane, but they also peppered in some really solid wrestling in between.
*Darby Allin vs Konosuke Takeshita is therefore official for Dynamite this Wednesday. Sleep well, Darby, couple of days to recover before the Alpha gets his hands on you. And with that, we’re out! Good night everybody, see you next week.
