Sambus’ AEW Collision Review 09.30.23

Good evening all! It’s time for AEW Collision, and it’s the last stop before AEW WrestleDream on PPV tomorrow, which to me looks utterly fantastic from top to bottom. Any bets on what will be the MOTN? Danielson & Zack Sabre Jr. would have to actively work hard to fall short of greatness, and it really is a dream match in the truest sense of the word, but the rest of the card is stacked with gems. FTR/Aussie Open won’t have the crowd they had in London last year but they could easily steal the show. Darby and Christian certainly WILL have the crowd, as Darby Allin holds the home-field advantage, and their 2/3 Falls match promises to be a fitting end to their rivalry. Then you have some of the left-field options like Swerve/Hangman, which would make a perfect opener and could set the bar for the rest of the show. My body is ready!

We’re in Seattle tonight, and hometown boy Bryan Danielson will be in action in an All-Star Eight Man Tag Team match, teaming with BCC cohort Wheeler Yuta and the AEW tag team champions FTR against Ricky Starks, Big Bill, and the number one contenders to the tag team titles, Aussie Open. Zack Sabre Jr will be on commentary, and I already can’t wait to hear the ZSJ and Nigel lovefest over ‘Brittle Danielson’.

Don’t sleep on tonight’s show as a ‘filler’ edition either – we’ve got Andrade El Idolo scheduled to face Juice Robinson in the continuation of Andrade’s beef with the Bang Bang Gang. After the excellence of his encounter with Jay White last week, can Andrade pull off another banger two weeks in a row?

Location: Seattle, WA.

Venue: Climate Pledge Arena

Commentators: Nigel McGuinness & Kevin Kelly

Big Bill says it’s time to go trick or treating as he’s handing out boots like it’s Halloween. Aussie Open are taking the tag titles tomorrow. Ricky Starks isn’t providing a preview, he’s providing spoilers. Danielson and his team are ready… LET’S GOOOOO!

 

Match One: Juice Robinson vs Andrade El Idolo

Andrade shoves Juice to start, and Juice shoves him right back. Leg takedown goes for the Figure Four but Juice hightails it to the floor. Andrade with a crossbody off the top rope once Juice is back in the ring, and he gets the Three Amigos for a nearfall. Juice again slides to the floor but Andrade is up on the top rope, moonsault to the floor to take down the Bang Bang Gang!

Juice back in, Andrade follows but the Gunns distract him while the ref has his back turned, allowing Juice to capitalize. Colten stomps on the outside, and Juice nails a snake eyes onto the apron. Neckbreaker on Andrade, Juice gets a 2 count. Pendulum backbreaker, Juice is in control. But Andrade fights back with chops…but gets cut off with a back elbow. Both guys in the corner, Andrade starts the 10-count punches, but Juice drops him face-first into the buckles on the tenth punch. Cannonball! Juice celebrates as we go to PIP.

Juice works over Andrade in the ropes. Snap suplex from Juice, and he heads up to the top. Frog splash! 1, 2, no. Snapmare and a rear chinlock from Juice. He riles up Andrade, shouting in his face until Andrade slaps the taste out of his mouth! Dragon screw, and again, followed by a flying forearm from Andrade. We see CJ Perry taking notes backstage and she seems impressed. Juice gets his knees up on a moonsault attempt from Andrade and a leg lariat follows. Andrade with the flatliner into the middle turnbuckle! He signals for the knees….but Juice pulls the ref in front of him! Left hand of God!! BIG time powerbomb gets a 2 count for Juice!! Crossbody off the top from Juice but Andrade rolls through into a pin. Hip toss into the corner! THE KNEES. Andrade goes for the Figure Four but the Gunns are up with the clipboard. The referee catches them and throws them both out.

Rollup by Juice gets a 2. Massive back elbow isn’t enough to get the job done! But the Underhook DDT from Andrade gets the 3 count at 13:25.

Your winner by pinfall: Andrade El Idolo

Rating: ***1/4 – Lovely match from these two, this TV feud is just so entertaining. The nearfalls didn’t quite have the drama of last week, but Andrade gets his win back after his loss to White.

 

Tony Schiavone is backstage with Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho. Jericho says AEW is built on the rivalry between both these men, but they have to coexist tomorrow. Omega admits he doesn’t like Jericho, and they’re not going to be friends…the Don Callis family is bigger than their issues. As such, Omega has Jericho’s back tomorrow. Jericho says he has Omega’s too. They’re gonna take out the Gates of Agony tonight.

Toni Storm is with RJ City. RJ asks what was the peak of her career? Storm says now, obviously. If the world has forgotten what being a star looks like, Storm says she’ll have to remind them.

Match Two: Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta) vs. The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett)

Hot start, Best Friends still have their ring jackets on as the Kingdom attack, but the Friends fight them off. Ref Stephan Smith gets control and Trent starts off against Bennett, before tagging in Chuck, and they get the double shoulder block. Back suplex from Taylor and a Y2J foot on the chest cover for 2.

Baretta back in, Bennett tags in Taven, who hits a dropkick off the middle rope. Chuckie T is in, but Bennett drags him outside. Taven hits a sliding dropkick through the ropes, but Baretta dives over the top rope to take him out! Superkick from Taylor to both members of the Kingdom…but Bennett sends Taylor face-first into the barricade. Chuck and Taven are back in the ring, 2 count for Taven. Bennett speaks to the camera and says they miss and love Roddy, this one’s for you. Elbow drop from the top from Taven after a double team, Bennett in with chops in the corner. Quick tag to Taven, gourdbuster gets a 2 count. Spinning neckbreaker, and Taven flexes to show he is ‘Neck Strong’. Bennett delivers a poke to the eyes of Chuckie T, and tags in Taven, but Chuck gets a step-up kick to Bennett and tags in Trent!

German to Bennett! Half and half to Taven! Trent gets a double dropkick off the top to take the Kingdom down. Step up enziguri from Taven but Chuck scissors the head between the ropes, and Trent gets a spinning DDT out of the corner. Chop to the back of the neck from Taven. DVD from Bennett and a PK from Taven gets a 2 count, interrupted at the last second by Chuck. Taylor sends Taven into the steel steps. Rebound elbow by Bennett. He places Baretta over the steel steps, he’s looking for a piledriver. Trent reverses – DVD on the steel steps!! Chuck lifts Bennett on the shoulders, diving knee off the top from Trent. GOT TO GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT! Stereo piledrivers from the Best Friends!! 1, 2, thr—NO. Bennett gets a foot on the ropes. The ref is momentarily distracted…

Low blow by Bennett, he punched him in the weiner! AND AGAIN. Double team spike piledriver. 1, 2, 3! The Kingdom pick up the win at 9:56.

Your winners by pinfall: The Kingdom

Rating: *** – This built up to be a fun little tag. I like that the Kingdom are embracing this whole ‘neck strong’ stuff and incorporating a load of neck-based offense. Plus they did what they promised to do – punch them in the weiner and deliver piledrivers.

The Kingdom are headed to Roddy’s house. They implore Adam Cole to meet them there. They tell Roddy they are only 6 hours away, and he has to stay NECK STRONG.

Alex Marvez catches up with Prince Nana…who is chatting to Don Callis. Callis walks off, Nana says if you dig deep into the universe, you will find something unique. Nana knows that the Embassy will be in the money tonight!

Video package for Julia Hart vs. Kris Statlander tomorrow. And here comes Julia Hart for in-ring action now, hoping to continue her winning streak.

 

Match Three: Julia Hart (w/ Brody King) vs. Vertvixen

Hart hits a clubbing blow to the back of the neck and pounds the head of Vertvixen into the canvas. She wraps her leg around the throat through the ropes for a choke until the ref breaks it up. Vertvixen battles back but Julia sends her into the buckles and hits a handspring clothesline. Kick to the back of Vertvixen. Kick to the midsection, but a big forearm from Vertvixen stops the attack. Misses another attack, Julia with a double stomp to cut her off. Hart up top, moonsault! 1, 2, 3, this one ends at 2:44.

Your winner by pinfall: Julia Hart

Rating: N/R. The winning streak continues with another definitive squash. Tomorrow is sure to be a different story!

Julia Hart doesn’t want to wait until tomorrow and asks for Statlander to come out right now. Kris appears! The Best Friends come out behind her too. The Best Friends go face to face with Brody King, and the men back away, leaving Julia and Kris alone in the ring. Hart looks like she’s about to slap Kris…but she smiles and walks away. Statlander on the mic, there will be no running tomorrow. Kris is the defeater of the undefeated! The clock is ticking, and Hart’s time is up at WrestleDream.

In a backstage vignette, Claudio Castagnoli says you have to act like a champion, not just ‘be’ a champion. He is laying out a challenge to anyone who thinks they are tough enough. Josh Barnett is intrigued by this challenge. The ring is a field of combat…tomorrow night, Claudio will learn what a real challenge is. Josh Barnett vs. Claudio Castagnoli is official for the Zero Hour tomorrow!

Match Four: Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega vs. Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona (Gates of Agony) (w/ Prince Nana)

We have Liona and Jericho beginning this one. Jericho riles up the crowd before a lock-up in the center. Chops, but no effect on Liona. Big chop of his own sends Jericho down, tag to Kaun. Splash in the corner, just a 1 count comes from that. Tag to Liona, Jericho fights back against both of them. But they beat him down in the corner. He makes the tag to Kenny, who gets a crossbody off the top on Liona. Goes for a suplex but can’t lift him. Jericho helps out, double team suplex to Liona. CO-EXISTING! Double shoulder block takedown follows up, Nana catches Kenny’s boots on a run. Kenny gets shoved into the ropes but inadvertently takes out Jericho! German suplex from Kaun and a back body drop, pinfall attempt on Omega gets a 2.

Lungblower off the middle rope and a senton combination from the Gates of Agony gets another 2 count. Uranagi from Liona, tag to Kaun, who rakes the wrist across the forehead of Omega. With the referee distracted, Prince Nana gets some shots in! Liona throws Omega around like a ragdoll on the outside, tossing him into the announcer’s table and the ring apron. Liona props Omega against the ropes and delivers some knees, then tags in Kaun.

Omega gets a hurracanrana out of desperation on Kaun, and makes the tag to Jericho! He clears the ring, gets shoulder blocks on Kaun, and a double axe handle off the top. Lionsault! He goes for the Walls of Jericho but Kaun kicks out of it. Judas Effect misses and Liona clotheslines him down. Omega breaks up a pin attempt. Springboard dropkick from Jericho to Liona takes him down on the outside. Omega nails Kaun with the V trigger. MASSIVE dive over the top rope to take out Liona, and damn Omega was NOT caught there, he landed hard. Back in the ring, Kaun is in the Walls! He has to tap at 11:52.

Your winners by submission: Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega

Rating: **3/4 – Too long to be seen as a glorified squash, but did anyone ever really buy the Gates winning here? The Gates looked good, for sure – they made the most of the opportunity. It just seemed too much against opponents the caliber of Jericho and Omega.

Jericho takes a mic and plays to the crowd. Kenny Omega and Jericho proved they can co-exist together. Omega says he was brainwashed by Callis, but now he sees the light. Tomorrow will spell the beginning of the end of Don Callis. Jericho will take all his frustrations from the past 4 years of teaming with Guevara out tomorrow on all 3 of them.

Vignette for The Righteous, and they say it’s time for the final step towards the terrifying truth. Karma’s deadline is coming to an end. They will rip apart the bond that keeps Cole and MJF together – the ROH tag team championships.

Darby Allin has waited to be the main event for so long. He only ever felt validated when he was TNT champion. And now Christian Cage holds it. Cage says he will expose Darby Allin in his home town. Darby says mark my words, he will not lose tomorrow. Cage knows Darby embraces death…but will he embrace it when it’s his career that’s dead? Damn, Cage is so good.

 

Match Five: The Righteous (Vincent & Dutch) vs. Travis Williams & Judas Icarus

The jobbers start off strong, working over Vincent, until he comes back with a huge back elbow. Tag to Dutch, clubbing blow on Icarus. Dutch shrugs off a chop and delivers a massive one of his own. Another to Williams. Vincent in, knee to the face, and a sliding DDT. Dutch with a Black Hole Slam, and a step-up sliced bread from Vincent picks up the win at 1:51.

Your winners by pinfall: The Righteous

Rating: N/R – SQUASH.

Vincent on the mic, acknowledges that MJF is the devil…the devil that pulls the strings that make us dance. The same strings that are tied to Adam Cole. The Righteous will become the ROH Tag Team Champions, and they will make sure the devil leaves on one foot. Dutch hands Vincent a block, who places it on the feet of Judas Icarus. Chairshot to the ankle on the wooden block! FORESHADOWING.

Shibata and Kingston video package for tomorrow’s title match. Kingston promises a battle, a fight. Yep, that’s gonna be a tasty one.

Back from break, we rundown the stupendous card for WrestleDream tomorrow. Tony Schiavone is standing backstage with TMDK, who come face to face with The Acclaimed, who remind the challengers that everyone loves the Acclaimed. Shane Haste cuts a hilariously terrible rap/rhyme and gets pushed off-screen by Nicholls.

Zack Sabre Jr. makes his way to the ring for commentary, and Jim Ross has joined the desk too.

Match Six: [All-Star Eight Man Tag Team Contest] Bryan Danielson, Wheeler Yuta, Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler vs. Ricky Starks, Big Bill, Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis

Side note, Nigel and Zack are already TREMENDOUS on commentary. Cash Wheeler and Ricky Starks start off, but he tags in Fletcher. Yuta tagged in too. Fletcher wrings the arm but Yuta flips out of it and gets a mahistral cradle for 2. Dropkick from Yuta, tag to Dax. Fletcher manages a tag to Davis, and the big boys go at it. German from Davis! On the outside, we get a huge standoff as both teams come face to face.

Senton from Davis to Dax. Big Bill in now with a chop to Dax and a choke in the corner. Stark is in, drives the shoulder into the midsection, and gets a dropkick to the back. Fletcher tags in, Dax is in trouble. Body slam to Dax and a rear chinlock. Dax tries to battle out but Fletcher gets a sleeper hold to ground him again. Back body drop from Dax to help him escape the hold! Tag to Cash Wheeler who is a house of fire and takes out both Aussie Open members. Cash and Fletcher jostle for a suplex, rollup, pushed off but a dropkick from Cash sends Big Bill off the apron. Clothesline to Kyle and Yuta tagged in, diving clothesline.

Atomic drop and an enziguri gets Yuta in control, rebounds off the ropes, and gets a German suplex for 2. Ricky Starks in but Yuta immediately into the seated elbows. Big Bill gets a huge boot on Yuta, allowing Kyle to make the cover for 2. Starks back in, running elbow drop. Starks and Bill double team Yuta, Bill nails Cash off the apron. Fletcher back in, assisted running powerbomb on Yuta via help from Davis, damn! Starks does the rope walk, clothesline to Yuta off the ropes, and does a quick Yes chant to rub it in the face of Danielson.

Body slam from Davis to Yuta. Big Bill boots Yuta down in the corner until Kyle Fletcher tags back in. Aussie Open both in and they take their opponents off the apron. Starks and Yuta are the legal men now, and they both have the same idea, hitting a double crossbody. Danielson is the sole man up on his side of the ring. Starks crawls to his corner…Yuta crawls to his and makes the tag. Busaiki Knee to Aussie Open in the corner! Danielson chops Starks and gets a mix of chops and kicks in the corner. Danielson with a huge suicide dive to Starks on the outside! Top rope dropkick, and a knee in the corner, another! But Starks comes barrelling out of the corner with a clothesline. Tornado DDT from Starks, tag to Bill. Bill goes for a chokeslam but Danielson transitions into the LeBell Lock! Fletcher breaks it up. Brainbuster from Dax on Fletcher. Cash with a DDT. Everyone in now, this is breaking down. The faces are standing tall with the heels on their knees, and they all get stereo roundhouse kicks to their opponents.

Springboard dropkick from Yuta, diving headbutt on Bill by Dax. Danielson thrown into the steps by Starks! Bill and Dax in the ring alone. Bill misses a dive and hits his head on the buckles. Dax goes for a sharpshooter but can’t lock it in. Bill with a chokeslam and Starks with the running and diving spear. 1, 2, 3! Cash Wheeler tried to break up the pin but didn’t quite make it in time. This one is over at 19:40.

Your winners by pinfall: Ricky Starks, Big Bill, & Aussie Open

Rating: ***1/2 – Suitably chaotic, and it provided a good preview of Aussie Open/FTR as they had some lengthy exchanges here. JR was having a fit by the end in terms of who was the legal man, and that’s often valid in a match like this. I like this kind of finish too, FTR have done that a couple of times now, where it almost looks like it was a mistake and should have been broken up. That really sells the desperation to win and just how closely fought it was, which again gives us a good indicator for tomorrow’s tag title match, which will undoubtedly be hotly contested. On another note, who do I need to pay to get more Nigel and Zack together?! They riffed off each other SO well.

Post-match, it all breaks down again and everyone continues fighting. Busaiku Knee to Big Bill, Yuta with a crossbody over the top rope to Starks. Danielson is alone in the ring, and Zack Sabre Jr leaves commentary to come face-to-face with the American Dragon. They stare each other down but no words are exchanged…until ZSJ shoves Danielson. Slap to Dragon! Big slap back. Danielson tries to go for the LeBell Lock but Zack escapes straight away and gets out of the ring. Danielson stands tall as our broadcast fades to black.

7.2

The final score: review Good

The 411

As a go-home show, this definitely worked, as they did a great job of hyping some of the big matches for tomorrow's PPV, including getting that all-important visual of ZSJ and Danielson going face to face before their dream match. It's also great that the sole focus wasn't on WrestleDream, as we continued the tremendous Collision feud between Andrade and Bullet Club Gold. In-ring action didn't hit the highs of last week's PPV-worthy efforts, but that's understandable when we are 24 hours removed from a big show. I'm not sure if anything tonight would 'seal the deal' if you were on the fence about ordering tomorrow's event, but for those who are already on-board, this provided a final boost of anticipation to send us eagerly into WrestleDream.