wrestling / TV Reports
Sambus’ AEW Collision Review 06.29.24
Image Credit: AEW
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Good evening, friends! Theo Sambus checking in for the final stop before the Forbidden Door formally opens tomorrow, with another tape delayed edition of AEW Collision. As expected, we’ve got some decent previews of tomorrow night’s action, with the TNT title Ladder match participants squaring off in a trios match, Stephanie Vaquer getting a warm-up match against Lady Frost, HECHICERO in action, and a weigh-in between Ospreay and Swerve Strickland for some final hype for the World title match on Sunday.
We also have an Owen Hart Cup Tournament match with Shida facing Deonna Purrazzo tonight, plus the one and only Tomohiro Ishii is here to team up with Chaos compatriot Orange Cassidy against Shane Haste & Robbie Eagles. So with that in mind, let’s head down to ringside for our Forbidden Door go-home show. Have fun, everyone!
Location: Buffalo, NY
Venue: KeyBank Center
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness & Excalibur
As we go on the air, Orange Cassidy makes his way out, followed by the ‘Stone Pitbull’ Tomohiro Ishii, ready for tag team action.
Match One: Tomohiro Ishii & Orange Cassidy vs Shane Haste & Robbie Eagles
OC and Haste begin, and Haste shrugs off a shoulder barge from Cassidy. OC rolls through and tags in Ishii, who goes faces to face with Haste. OC and Ishii double team Haste a little, Eagles comes in and gets unceremoniously dumped to the outside, before the Chaos members hit a double shoulder tackle to knock Haste to the mat. OC tags back in, climbs the ropes, but Haste backs away and tags in Eagles. Eagles and OC avoid each other’s offense until a hurracanrana catches OC. But he avoids an armdrag, goes to put his hands in the pockets but Eagles catches them.
OC to the apron, thrust kick to Haste, and Eagles is bounced face-first off the top turnbuckle repeatedly. Haste comes from behind and hits a back suplex on the apron, and Eagles follows up with a tope con hilo to take out OC on the outside! TMDK celebrate in the ring, having cleared house, as we head to PIP.
Eagles brings OC back in the ring, drops a knee into the inside leg. Tag to Haste, running clothesline in the corner gets a 2 count. Single leg crab locked in but OC grabs the bottom rope. Haste kicks the arm of Cassidy, follows up with a body slam. Eagles in, drags Orange back to the TMDK corner and climbs the buckles…but Cassidy rolls towards his own corner. TMDK both in, stomping OC down. Cassidy escapes though, claws his way over to Ishii, makes the tag.
In comes Ishii, shoulder block to Haste, another to Eagles, Saito-suplex to Haste gets a 2 count. Cassidy back in, sloth-style chops in the corner, while Ishii lays it in properly. Double clothesline to Haste, suplex by Ishii, followed in quick succession by an elbow drop by OC, 1, 2, no. Orange Punch countered, Haste hits a Falcon Arrow! Tag to Eagles, roundhouse kick to OC, sweeps the legs of Ishii on the apron, but OC counters with a stundog millionaire. Eagles gets him on his shoulders, hits a driver but Ishii breaks up the pinfall. Haste eats a lariat from Ishii.
Eagles looks for sliced bread, can’t get it, but continues to focus on the leg of Cassidy. No, Beach Break by Orange Cassidy! 1, 2, 3.
Winners: Tomohiro Ishii & Orange Cassidy
Time: 10:42
Rating: *** – Perfectly adequate opener, and while it serves as a warm-up for Orange’s match with ZSJ at Forbidden Door, this felt like it had no real consequence which prevented it from getting all that heated.
We go to a video package for Hangman Adam Page! We get snippets of his feud with Swerve, as well as the Young Bucks, all of whom could be potential first targets upon his return.
Backstage, Chris Jericho and the Learning Tree stalk the corridors, offering unsolicited advice. Jericho tells the medical staff how to properly tape up wrestlers’ wrists. Jericho advises that every time you go to a trainer’s office, take a roll of tape so you don’t have to pay for it later. Bryan Keith takes a roll of tape, as instructed.
Match Two: Stephanie Vaquer vs Lady Frost
As the match is about to begin, the music of the CEO hits, and the TBS champion Mercedes Mone heads to ringside. Vaquer gets a nice STF locked in during the early goings, but Frost grabs the ropes. Frost with a boot to the face in the corner and they spill to the floor. Frost jumps to the steel steps and rebounds with a Mexican arm drag in front of Mone. Vaquer drops Frost on the apron, interrupting Frost’s offense with a kick to the face and then gets in the face of Mone. Back in the ring, Vaquer with the face wash in the corner. Sunset flip attempt by Frost is blocked, and Vaquer hits a short running leg drop as we head to commercial.
Back from break, Vaquer drives the head of Frost into the mat. She looks for a package piledriver but Frost slips out of it and nails a huge lariat. Roundhouse kick follows and a step up gamengiri in the corner. Handspring canonball connects! Frost heads to the top rope, corkscrew crossbody gets a 2 count. DDT from Vaquer and a tight cover gets a 2. Clothesline in the corner, Frost chases her to the opposite buckles for a shoulder thrust. Dropkick to the back by Frost as the CEO looks on at ringside. Headbutts by Vaquer, vicious! Frost looks for a dropkick but Vaquer grabs the legs, dragon screws her legs into the ropes. Package Piledriver across the knee gets the 1, 2, 3 for Vaquer!
Winner: Stephanie Vaquer
Time: 8:11
Rating: ***1/4 – Good in-ring ‘introduction’ for Vaquer ahead of tomorrow’s high profile match against Mone. Usual impressive performance from Lady Frost too, at some point she really needs to get some featured wins.
Vaquer’s tag partner Zeuxis attacks Mone from behind! But no, Mone gets a backstabber on her! Vaquer heads back into the ring to take out Mone with a biiig thrust kick and holds both titles aloft.
Backstage, Penta, Fenix are interrupted by CMLL’s Titan and Hiromu Takahashi, challenging them for the Forbidden Door zero hour. Penta says for the first time ever, they will team with Mistico to take on Titan, Takahashi and Yota Tsuji. Takahashi is stoked to be facing Mistico.
Match Three: Serena Deeb vs Kelly Madan
Deeb takes it to Madan in the corner, kick to the chest, and follows up with a neckbreaker across the ropes. Pepsi Twist connects! Detox, 1, 2, 3.
Winner: Serena Deeb
Time: 1:15
Rating: N/R – SQUAAAASH.
Deeb takes the mic and says yes, she fell short in her quest to become champion. But she refuses to be put in wrestling purgatory. This is AEW, where the best wrestle. She is the freakin’ best, bell to bell, and she proves that every time she’s in the ring. She wants someone on the professor’s level. And that brings out the first ever AEW Women’s champion, Riho! Riho and Deeb face off momentarily before Deeb exits the ring.
Backstage, Chris Jericho waits by the bathroom and tells a random to wash his hands, as germs spread easily. Thanks guys!
Jericho continues to offer unsolicited advice, and he wants to check with the backstage crew that they know how to safely ride a Zamboni. Jericho enters an office, but Joe, Hook & Shibata are inside! They all battle their way out into the arena as Joe brings Jericho inside the ring. All six men in the ring now…but here comes Jeff Cobb! Cobb tosses Hook, hits a spinning side slam on Shibata, and goes toe to toe with Samoa Joe! They come to blows! SPINEBUSTER on Joe like he’s a cruiserweight! Cobb is a beast. The Learning Tree pose with Cobb as the landscape of tomorrow’s trios match has changed.
Next, we get an in-depth look at tomorrow’s Orange Cassidy vs Zack Sabre Jr match. ZSJ says he’s got unfinished business with Cassidy from last year, and when he wins people will have to call him the best wrestler in the world.
Backstage, Lexy Nair speaks with Orange Cassidy. Cassidy says he’s not having the best time. ZSJ clearly doesn’t respect him…and here comes Zack. Zack says of course he respects him, that’s why he challenged him. But ZSJ thinks OC is out of ideas. OC says he’ll pin him with his hands in his pockets. But ZSJ thinks he’s already won.
Match Four: Hechicero vs Kevin Blackwood
Short suplex for a 1 count from Hechicero, as they roll around on the mat. Kneebar applied, spinning toe hold, and then Hechicero gets wrist control. Blackwood kicks his way out, but Hechicero with a rising knee strike in the corner. Flapjack in the center of the ring. Hechicero gets the Mad Scientist Bomb across the knee! He ties him up and locks in the crucifix submission as Blackwood submits.
Winner: Hechicero
Time: 2:22
Rating: N/R – Hechicero is so creative in the ring, this was a fun squash. His match with MJF tomorrow could low-key be a banger.
Lexy Nair is backstage with Christian Cage and the Patriarchy. Yes, they have their eyes on the Trios championships. Cage says he has carried this company on his shoulders for the past year, and he deserves to be celebrated as such. Those Trios titles will look great on their shoulders. In come Jay White and the Bang Bang Gang. White asks if Cage has apologised for setting such a bad example. He gets that Cage wants to make up for it. White makes some digs at Shayna, Killswitch and Nick Wayne (“It’s a real shame your mother had to drink so heavily through her pregnancy”). And if they try it on, well at least Cage can finally breathe with the Switchblade.
Match Five: [Battle of Buffalo] Daniel Garcia vs The Butcher
Garcia and Butcher grapple before Butcher gets him in the corner. Garcia turns the tables, dropkick to the knee, shotgun dropkick follows, but Butcher regains control with a running crossbody. He tosses Garcia to the outside and follows him out there, driving him back first into the barricade. Garcia sits Butcher by the barricade and hits a running dropkick, but gets caught on a second attempt and is suplexed across the edge of the barricade.
Backbreaker connects for Butcher in the ring, and he locks in a rear chinlock. Knee to the spine, Butcher grabs the legs and applies a Texas Cloverleaf, but Garcia grabs the ropes to break the hold. Butcher does the Garcia dance! And that pisses Garcia off, until Butcher cuts him off with a scoop slam. Half Nelson backbreaker, 1, 2, no, Garcia kicks out. Splash in the corner, but Garcia has woken up now and shrugs it off. Garcia looks for a suplex, can’t get it, but eventually nails a snap suplex. Garcia tries to take him down with repeated clotheslines, but Butcher shrugs them off, until a big running clothesline finally gets the hob done. Piledriver! 1, 2, 3!
Winner: Daniel Garcia
Time: 8:58
Rating: *** – Good stuff, with Garcia once again showing intensity when called for. Butcher looked pretty good here too, I’m not normally that enamored with him but he played his part well.
Butcher shows respect to Garcia after the match, and they leave together.
Lexy Nair is with Will Ospreay backstage, and she wonders if things have become deeply personal. Ospreay says he can wait until tomorrow to cave his head in, but Don Callis interrupts. Ospreay chastises him, reminding him he said he could do it on his own. Callis says it’s cool, everyone’s happy. Rush appears from behind Callis, placing a hand on his shoulder. Callis turns to look at him, and they just…stare at each other.
Lexy Nair catches up with the Scapegoat, Jack Perry. Jack says he will only team up with the Elite, which is why he doesn’t want to compete in the TNT Ladder Trios preview match tonight. Christopher Daniels shows up and says that it’s Perry’s prerogative if he does or doesn’t want to compete tonight, but there will be repercussions if he doesn’t…and one of those repercussions will be forfeiting his spot in the Ladder match tomorrow. Jack is left to weigh up his options.
Match Six: [Owen Hart Foundation Cup Tournament Match] Deonna Purrazzo vs Hikaru Shida
The winner of this faces the winner of Mariah May/Saraya, taking place on tomorrow’s Zero Hour show. Deonna backs Shida into the ropes, clean break, shoulder block but Shida doesn’t go down. Enziguri to Purrazzo, Shida with some mounted punches in the corner before tossing Purrazzo to the floor. She climbs to the middle rope and dives with a crossbody to the floor! Shida rolls Purrazzo onto the apron, goes for a drive by kick but Purrazzo comes off the apron with a stomp to the arm.
Purrazzo sends Shida back into the ring and continues the assault on the arm. Snapmare and a leg drop across the arm, scissoring the arm with added torque. Armbreaker attempt, Shida links the hands and gets the ropes with her feet. Purrazzo wraps the arm around the ropes as we head to commercial.
Back to the action, Shida with a flurry of forearms as Purrazzo drops to her knees. Running knee to the back of the head, followed by a short-arm clothesline. Purrazzo kicks the arm but Shida comes back with a running knee, 1, 2, no. Purrazzo with a side Russian leg sweep, rolls into a Fujiwara armbar. Shida tries to crawl to the ropes, gets them with her feet again to force the break. Shida manages to get a Falcon Arrow but Purrazzo with a rollup for 2! Shida hits the Kitana out of nowhere for the 1, 2, 3.
Winner: Hikaru Shida
Time: 9:07
Rating: ***1/4 – Nice armwork from Purrazzo, which provided focus for most of the match. Finish was a little abrupt though.
Purrazzo is a sore loser though and immediately attacks the arm after the bell rings. But here comes Thunder Rosa to run Purrazzo out of the ring! Rosa and Shida stand tall.
Next, we get another video package for Jeff Jarrett and his upcoming chances in the Owen Hart cup. Lethal, Dutt and Singh say they won’t be out there with him as they know that Jeff has got this on his own. Smart, ensures Jarrett can have a proper go at this face run undeterred.
We see a pair of feet and the Women’s championship as the camera pans up to show Toni Storm. She is the champion of exiles. Storm reels off a poetic promo, promising to raise her title aloft inside the Forbidden Door.
Match Seven: Mark Briscoe, Lio Rush, & Dante Martin vs Jack Perry, El Phantasmo, & Konosuke Takeshita
Don Callis joins the commentary desk. And Jack Perry does indeed show up, although he shoulder barges right past Takeshita and ELP, clearly doing his own thing. Lio Rush and Takeshita start this off, highlighting the considerable size difference. Rush with a crossbody, Takeshita catches him, wheelbarrow countered into a pin attempt, but Takeshita with a biiiig kick to lay him out.
Takeshita slaps ELP in the chest as a tag. Rush tags in Dante Martin, Briscoe in too for a chain of offense in the corner. Double dropkicks from Martin & Rush. Briscoe works over ELP in the corner, Rush back in for a vertical suplex and a 1 count. Rush grounds ELP and tags in Martin, but ELP gets an enziguri and tosses Rush into Martin. ELP goes to make a tag to Perry, but Perry drops off the apron. Oh but Briscoe dives to take him out! Takeshita wipes out Briscoe in return with a big forearm.
In the ring it’s ELP and Martin, with ELP delivering chops in the corner. ELP chops Takeshita to tag him in, similarly aggressive tag to bring ELP back in. Brainbuster by ELP, Takeshita back in, with a deadlift suplex, showing off his strength to ELP. Takeshita and ELP are both in the ring now as things break down, and they double team Martin, until he nails a double hurracanrana. Tag to Briscoe! Redneck Kung Fu ensues, enziguri to Takeshita. ELP gets clotheslined in the corner, followed by a Fisherman’s suplex, but Jack Perry breaks up the pinfall attempt. Jay Driller attempt by Mark, ELP with a thrust kick to escape. Rush tags in, thrust kick of his own, and a suicide dive to Takeshita on the outside. ELP with a dive too! And now here comes Martin with a massive dive, almost overshot it! Martin tags in, heads up top along with Rush. Lio with the frog splash, crossover frogsplash from Martin gets a 2 as Perry breaks it up again. Briscoe tosses him to the floor, but misses the canonball off the apron and Perry looks very pleased with himself haha.
Takeshita catches Rush trying to go through his legs, turns him inside out with a release German. Release German to Martin too but Martin lands on his feet. Super Hurracanrana, no, Takeshita holds on…but Martin reverses that into a hurracanrana anyway. Martin launches off the ropes into a Blue Thunder Bomb! Running knee by Takeshita connects on Dante Martin for the 1, 2, 3.
Winners: Konosuke Takeshita, ELP & Jack Perry
Time: 10:52
Rating: ***1/4 – I liked the dynamic of all the heels not wanting to team together, that was fun. This was the expected carnage and tags were pretty messy at times (with the referee being veeeery forgiving) but this did well to build on the dynamics between these guys before the Ladder match.
jack Perry wipes out Takeshita from behind with the TNT title. ELP with a thrust kick to Perry. Rush in with the rebound stunner! Rush and Martin both hold the title…but Mark Briscoe attacks them with the ladder! He sets it up near the edge of the ring, climbs it and holds the TNT title aloft… then tosses the belt to the guys below and hits a HUGE swanton off the ladder to the pile of competitors on the floor!
Excalibur runs us down the full Forbidden Door card.
Prince Nana welcomes us to the official weigh-in for tomorrow’s main event. Nana introduces the challenger first, as Will Ospreay makes his way to the stage.
Ospreay strips to his boxers and stands on the scale. Nana announces the official weight at 220 pounds. Nana then turns his attention to the World champion, and brings out Swerve Strickland.
Swerve takes his turn getting on the scales, and Swerve is looking ripped! Nana announces Swerve as 230 pounds. Ospreay and Swerve then go face to face to pose for official photographs. They talk trash to each other and grab their respective belts. Nana asks Ospreay for some final words.
Ospreay says Swerve has 24 hours until Ospreay knocks out those dirty ass grills. Swerve is about to find out why he’s on another level.
Swerve is asked for final words too. Strickland says the pressure is on Ospreay, not him. Swerve is on another level, he handles his business like a champion. How about he handles things like a businessman and offers Ospreay’s wife a contract? That’s enough to push Ospreay’s buttons, and they come to blows! They get broken up…but Ospreay charges and hits a HUGE Hidden Blade on the stage to knock Swerve out! Ospreay poses with both title belts before draping the World title over the waist of the passed out Strickland.
And with that, we’re out for the evening! Enjoy the PPV tomorrow, everyone, and I’ll see you back here for Collision coverage next week!
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