wrestling / TV Reports
Sambus’ AEW Collision Review 09.16.23
Image Credit: AEW
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Welcome one and all the latest instalment of 411’s live coverage for AEW Collision!
I’ve just got back from the GCW show here in England, which was a bucket full of dumb fun. Arez vs Latigo vs Gringo Loco smashed it out of the park, having a tremendous triple threat spotfest. As such, I’m fully in the mood for some more wrasslin’ tonight. Bring it on!
Tonight, the road to WrestleDream on October 1st continues to heat up, and Kris Statlander makes her second defence this week of the TBS championship against Britt Baker, having defeated the returning Jade Cargill last night on Rampage. I was hyped for Cargill’s return last week, so it’s a bummer if the contract rumors turn out to be true and she is indeed headed to WWE. Regardless, Statlander vs Baker could be a cracking match tonight – I seem to recall their All Out 2021 match being a ton of fun.
Plus, dig out those bingo cards as we have a SCORPIO SKY SIGHTING as he is set to go one on one with Andrade El Idolo tonight. Elsewhere, FTR defend the tag team championships against the Iron Savages, Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli face Starks & Big Bill, and more. LET’S GO!
Location: State College, PA
Venue: Bryce Jordan Center
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness & Kevin Kelly
Big Bill promises to spill more BCC blood. Statlander is a fighting champion and tonight belongs to her. Baker says her and Statlander are the first women’s main event for Collision. John Silver says Bowens didn’t read the contract properly – it’s him vs Bowens, not Evil Uno. And everyone loves the Acclaimed, according to Bowens. Saturday night’s alright for fighting! OPENING CREDITS.
Match One: Ricky Starks & Big Bill vs Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli
Danielson and Starks start things off…but no, Ricky tags in Bill. Dragon gets some kicks in but Bill takes him to the corner and beats him down. Bryan with a dropkick to the knee but he’s thrown back into the corner, tagging in Claudio. Test of strength between the two big guys, but Bill takes the advantage. They trade blows, Bill goes for a suplex but receives an uppercut. Tag to Danielson, Bill takes both men down. tag to Ricky. Ricky chops Dragon in the corner, but Dragon reverses with some hard kicks in the corner. Hurracanrana off the top from Danielson!
Starks tags in Bill, big splash in the corner to take control. Dragon on the ropes, Bill boots him to the outside, and Starks joins him out there to take advantage as we go to PIP.
Starks with the rope walk to take down Danielson, doing the Yes taunt to rub it in. Both men take each other down with a double clothesline. Danielson takes in Claudio, Starks tags in Bill. Claudio with some big clotheslines in the corner…18 clotheslines and an uppercut! TKO from Claudio for 2! Chokeslam from Bill gets 2. Tag to Starks, but he receives the Big Swing! 1, 2, no. Into the scorpion death lock, Bill boots him out of it, but Dragon flies in to take out Bill. Starks gets a DDT on Claudio for 2, Claudio retaliates with a European uppercut. Tag to Bryan, Yes kicks to Stark. Rollup from Starks…into the Lebell Lock! Starks fights out. SPEAR from Starks, 1, 2, NO! Dragon up top…Bill pulls the legs. Bill and Claudio battle outside. Dragon and Starks up top…Starks reverses the back body drop. Low blow with the ref’s back turned! Ro Sham Bo, 1, 2, 3! Bill and Starks pick up the win at 16:02.
Your winners by pinfall: Ricky Starks & Big Bill
Rating: *** – Fun little tag match to kick us off tonight, and Starks gets a win back over Danielson after their PPV encounter. Rematch impending!
Young Bucks and Hangman appear backstage, and they’re up for the trios match…they want the Trios championships from the Mogul Embassy next week.
Hobbs’ next chapter is entitled Destruction. He will inflict physical, mental pain. No one is safe.
Miro calls Hobbs a son of a bitch. He didn’t make him humble…so they have to meet up somewhere down the line. This is the promise of the redeemer.
Match Two: [AEW Tag Team Championships] FTR (c) vs Iron Savages
Shatter Machine to Jacked Jameson as we begin this one. Bronson tags in and gets a diving splash for 2 on Dax. Backbreaker on Wheeler and a Sky High from Bronson for 2. Misses a shoulder block in the corner. Wheeler tags in Dax, who meets a clothesline. Dropkick to Boulder, but a slam takes Dax down. Springboard moonsault misses. FTR get Boulder on the ropes. Shatter Machine to Bronson! Power & the Glory to Boulder…1, 2, 3! The champs retain at 3:21.
Your winners by pinfall and STILL AEW Tag Team Champions: FTR
Rating: N/R – Glorified squash for the tag champions.
Post-match, the WorkHorsemen go face to face with FTR.
Lexi Nair is standing by with Keith Lee…but here comes Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty. Shane Taylor doesn’t run. They come face to face, and a future match looks like it is on the cards.
John Silver has the mic…he googled scissoring, and you guys are doing it wrong. Acclaimed didn’t read the contract – Billy Gunn and Max Caster are banned from ringside.
Match Three: John Silver vs Anthony Bowens
Silver attacks from behind. Bowens turns the table with chops in the corner. Big right hand and a scoop slam, dropkick from Bowens, but Silver heads outside. Back inside, Silver blocks a DDT attempt, sending Bowens to the ouside. Big pump kick from Silver on the outside as we go to commercial.
Silver maintains control over Bowens, gets an enziguri to keep him on the canvas. Headlock from Silver, but Bowens battles back. big superkick. Leg lariat from behind gets 2 for Bowens…they trade blows on their feet, and Bowens gets a discus clothesline. Another clothesline takes Silver down. Silver with a German and a deadlift brainbuster gets 2. Neckbreaker from Bowens and big knee strike…but Silver rolls to the outside. Rolling forearm takes Silver down outside, rolled back in, but here comes Evil Uno out of nowhere! He smacks Bowens into the ringpost for the blindside shot, allowing Silver to capitalise at 9:17 to get the win.
Your winner by pinfall: John Silver
Rating: **3/4 – Perfunctory stuff, nothing offensive, but also nothing terribly exciting. Good to see some singles action for Silver though.
Eddie Kingston doesn’t know what to say about him and Claudio on Wednesday. They lived together, Claudio started judging him. Eddie is still standing tall. Claudio left potholes, everyone else had to fix it. He thought he could fix it at Wembley, but no. Win or lose, this is it, Eddie can fix it this coming week. Eddie has always had hope, wherever he goes. So wtahc out Claudio – all of New York has his back.
Orange Cassidy and Hook are with Renne Paquette backstage. Orange wants a tag match with Hook. Grandslam? Hook is up for it.
Here come Aussie Open for unscheduled tag team action.
Match Four: Aussie Open vs Urban Playboy & Wes
Double teaming from Aussie Open to begin, diving clothesline on the Playboy…and they get their Coriolis ouble team finisher to pick up the win within 43 seconds.
Your winners by pinfall: Aussie Open
Rating: N/R – BIIIIG SQUASH.
Aussie Open wonder if FTR are paying attention. They got the job done in under one minute. They’ve done almost everything FTR has accomplished. They are calling their shot. October 1st, one year since FTR vs Aussie Open in NJPW, they want the AEW tag team championships. Time for the rematch! I was there live for FTR/Aussie Open I, and it was far and way my MOTY so I’m SO on board this!
Toni Storm sits down with RJ City. She worries about the lighting, it’s too harsh. She’s about to face Saraya at Grandslam…RJ wonders if she’s changed…Toni says she’s still the same she’s always been. But she’s offended by the nearby lampshade. Ha.
Match Five: Scorpio Sky vs Andrade El Idolo
Andrade offers the hand…Scorpio shakes the referees hand but not Andrade’s. Scorpio off a leg trip, tries to take control but Andrade gets a headlock. Headscissor takedown from Sky now. Andrade with a dragon screw in the ropes to target the knee of Sky. Andrade climbs the ropes but Sky shoves him, sending Andrade careening over to the apron, landing backfirst and falling to the floor.
In the ring, Andrade gets the Three Amigos….but no, back suplex from Sky to interrupt the third suplex from Andrade. Sky goes for a back suplex again but Andrade transitions into a splash. Andrade wants more, taking some kicks to the face but he reels off some dragon screws to give it back to Sky. Sky with a sunset flip pinning combination, but Andrade kicks out. Andrade to the floor, big dive from Scorpio to the outside! Back in the ring, backhand from Andrade looks like he knocks him out. But a roll up from Scorpio though! Figure Four out of nowhere…into the Figure Eight…Scorpio has to tap at 9:16.
Your winner by submission: Andrade El Idolo
Rating: ***1/4 – Fundamentally sound, as you’d expect from these two. Good stuff – let’s have Scorpio Sky as a regular fixture on Collision please.
Switchblade Jay White comes out as Andrade celebrates. Gunns up! Jay bigs up Bullet Club Gold. He thinks what Andrade really wants is the Switchblade spotlight. Next week…step into the spotlight with the Switchblade. Try to breathe with the Switchblade. This is the Switchblade era. If that doesn’t work for you, we can do it right now. Andrade comes up the aisle but referees restrain him.
Video package looking at the history of Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi.
Tony Schiavone is with Shibata backstage! Shibata is coming for WrestleDream…via a text-to-speech Google translate promo haha. How very Mike-Bailey-in-DDT!
Match Six: The Hardys vs The Righteous
Matt Hardy and Vincent start things off, Side Effect attempt but denied. Delete headbutts in the corner, before Jeff is tagged in. Splash to Vincent gets 2. Snapmare, dropkick, tag to Matt, Poetry in Motion! Vincent gets a tag to Dutch, sidewalk slam to Matt but it only gets 2.
Dutch in now, leg drop to Matt, 1, 2, no. Dutch with blows in the corner, and a tag to Vincent. Double team from the Righteous, dive from Vincent for 1, 2, no. Side Effect from Matt! Matt gets the tag, Jeff is in now. Dropkcik, and the double leg dropkick to the midsection on Dutch. Twist of Fate from Jeff on Vincent but Dutch breaks it up. Hardys take Vincent over the top the outside. Twist of Fate attempt misses but Matt gets another Side Effect. Jeff goes for the Swanton but Dutch holds on to his feet. Vincent capitalises…Vincent pins Jeff Hardy at 7:31.
Your winners by pinfall: The Righteous
Rating: ** – This was honestly nothing special. Enough to get a good victory over an established tag team at least.
Dutch has the mic post-match. They are the Righteous. Two believers who see truth in the liar’s eyes. Vincent says they defeated one of the greatest tag teams in the world. People in the world are prisoners to false icons, listening to the devil on their shoulder. Vincent targets the ROH tag team champions and the falsehood of the tag champs’ friendship.
Claudo Castagnoli knows Eddie Kingston better than he knows himself. Eddie isn’t man enough. This will be the last time because Claudio is sick of it. Final chapter, next week. Claudio will burn Eddie’s dreams down to ashes.
Jay White vs Andrade El Idolo is signed for next week. Plus RVD will be in action! And FTR will face the WorkHorsemen.
Schiavone is with Ricky Starks and Big Bill. Starks doesn’t have a match for WrestleDream yet, and he’s over it. Starks beat Danielson, but that’s not enough. Next week on Collision, Danielson vs Starks in a Texas Deathmatch! Damn, yes please!
Match Seven: [TBS Championship] Kris Statlander (c) vs Dr Britt Baker DMD
Crowd firmly behind Baker as we begin. Scoop slam to Baker, and the challenger rolls out to recoup. Back inside, the trade forearms with the boo-yay deal from the crowd. Neckbreaker from Baker, but a powerslam in retaliation from Statlander. Stalling suplex from the champion in the centre of the ring, 1, 2, no, Baker gets the shoulder up.
Pendulum backbreaker out of the corner keeps Statlander in control, as Statlander applies the Money Clip. Slam in the corner, Statlander up top but Baker cuts her off. Statlander pushes her off, but misses a big time moonsault. Baker gets the knee and wraps it around the ringpost repeatedly. Slingblade! But a Blue Thunder bomb from the champion gets 2.
Spinning michinoku driver from Statlander gets 2 as well. Baker with a stomp! 1, 2, no. Britt puts on the glove, ready for the mandible claw. Statlander gets a rollup for 2 though. Oh Baker spins into the Lockjaw…but no, the champ escapes. They trade blows on their feet in the center of the ring…big kick to the back of the head from Statlander, Baker retaliates. Superkick from Baker, spear from Statlander, both women down.
Statlandertweaks the knee…Baker goes for a Panama Sunrise! Reversed into a pin for 2. Canadian Destroyer from Baker! Angel Wings and a stomp! 1, 2, NO!!! Baker up top but Statlander catches her…Baker gets the Lockjaw!! Statlander is in trouble, but rears back into a pinning combination with the lockjaw still applied. 1, 2, 3! Kris Statlander retains at 11:59.
Your winner by pinfall and STILL TBS Champion: Kris Statlander
Rating: ***1/2 – Very enjoyable main event, providing another great defence for Kris Statlander, who is chalking up quite the resume. I like that they played off their past encounters, and this felt like a match between two women who knew each other well and could anticipate moves, making all the counters and reversals that fraction more exciting.
Statlander celebrates and we have a brief mutual show of respect while Julia Hart is shown watching from the crowd as we end tonight’s broadcast.
