Sambus’ AEW Collision Review 12.23.23

 

Hey folks! Happy Holidays! Christmas is juuuust around the corner so for those who celebrate, I hope you are starting to feel a little festive. AEW presents the third chapter of its Holiday Bash shows tonight with our latest instalment of Collision, and the card is looking STACKED. A gift from Santa Khan!

On tap for tonight, we have the in-ring return of Thunder Rosa, a Trios Championship defense, big meat men slapping meat as Brian Cage goes one on one with Keith Lee…and that’s before we even turn our attention to the Continental Classic! It’s the last leg of the Blue League side of things, with Danielson and Andrade looking to eke out a victory to score the elusive 12 points and rule at the top of the pack. Their opponents tonight (Eddie Kingston and Claudio Castagnoli, respectively) will be looking to play spoiler in multiple ways. Plus, if Brody King can beat Daniel Garcia, we could find ourselves in an incredulous five-way tie with everyone (minus Garcia) at 9 points. MADNESS WOULD ENSUE!

Here are the latest Blue Standings heading into the final portion of the Blue League:

Andrade El Idolo: 9 points

Bryan Danielson: 9 points

Brody King: 6 points

Claudio Castagnoli: 6 points

Eddie Kingston: 6 points

Daniel Garcia: 0 points

Looking at things on paper, you’d have to believe Bryan Danielson vs Swerve Strickland would be the money match for the finals at World’s End, but it’s really anyone’s guess and this could go in so many different directions. How about you guys, who ya got?! Drop a comment below, and let’s get to those cold-open promos, baby!

Location: San Antonio, TX

Venue: Frost Bank Center

Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Kevin Kelly & Tony Schiavone

NO COLD OPEN, WE COMING IN HOT! Bryan Danielson is making his way to the ring as we come on the air.

Match One: [Continental Classic: Blue League] Bryan Danielson vs Claudio Castagnoli

Handshake to begin in this match between BCC members. Shoulder block by Claudio gets a one count, arm drag by Danielson but Claudio floats over into a cover for one. Test of strength, and Claudio gets the upper hand. Leg pick by Dragon, tries an ankle lock, transitions into a surfboard. He rakes the nose of Claudio, traps the arms, and…stomps the legs! Kick to the back, cover 1, 2, no. Clothesline by Claudio in retaliation and Danielson looks shocked!

Shoulders to the midsection in the corner on Dragon by Claudio, scoop slam and an elbow drop to follow up for 2. Danielson grabs the legs, rolls him into a bow and arrow potentially? No, he traps the arms and twists him into a cover but the shoulders aren’t fully down. Monkey flip exchange, they use their neck strength to bridge up but Danielson kicks the arm away. Tying up in the corner, Claudio hits the eye!! European uppercut gets a 2. Rollup attempt by Danielson, reversed into a Big Swing but Danielson rolls him up again for 2. Big clothesline by Claudio gets 2.

LeBell Lock by Danielson to escape a suplex attempt, but Claudio gets under the ropes to break it and heads outside. Dropkick through the ropes by Danielson and a high knee off the apron to keep Claudio down. Back in the ring, Danielson goes for a top rope dropkick but Claudio catches him with a big uppercut for 2.

More uppercuts in the corner now, sending him into the opposite buckle and going for more, but Danielson trips the legs, sending Claudio face first into the buckles. Danielson with a running big boot, and another, goes for another but Claudio catches him in midair into the Big Swing! He plants Danielson for 1, 2, no. Clothesline over the top rope, sending Danielson to the outside as we go to PIP.

And Claudio comes out of nowhere with a huge running European uppercut on the outside! One more, against the barricade. Danielson is out of it but manages to get back in the ring at the last second. Stomp by Claudio! He locks in a rear naked choke, backs Danielson into the corner, and follows up with a series of uppercuts. Claudio sits Danielson on the top rope, climbs up with him, looking for a superplex. Danielson fights out of it, crotching Claudio on the buckles. He pulls Claudio into a tree of woe and delivers the Yes kicks to the sternum. Danielson pushes him back up to the top rope, biiiiig back drop off the top. 1, 2, no. Spinning headscissors by Danielson into the LeBell Lock!! NICE! Claudio uses his legs to break the hold but Danielson doesn’t break it! Referee didn’t see the leg at first, but then counts to the 5, Danielson breaks it at the last second. Back up top, Danielson goes for a hurracanrana off the top…Claudio catches him, stalling avalance superplex off the top!! 1, 2, no!! We’ve crossed the 16 minute mark, could we be looking at a draw? Ricola Bomb attempt, no, Danielson gets a triangle choke!! He hammers away with some elbows to Claudio…but Claudio fights through it, into a one-arm Neutralizer! 1, 2, NO!

Danielson avoids a clothesline and gets a Busaiku Knee out of nowhere! 1, 2, no! He grabs the arms and attempts to stomp the head in of Claudio. NO Claudio transitions and does the same, stomping on Danielson! They have their arms tied and they are stomping away on each other, this is crazy. More kicks traded, Claudio targets the eye with his kicks. He locks in the Sharpshooter on Danielson! ONE MINUTE REMAINS! Danielson claws to the ropes…but Claudio drags him back to the center. Danielson won’t tap! 30 seconds remain, the crowd is going wild. Claudio abadons it, big uppercut, goes for the pin but the bell rings, time limit draw!!

Your winner: TIME LIMIT DRAW

Rating: **** – It’s Claudio vs Danielson, you already knew this would be good. It didn’t disappoint. These guys know each other so well, and yet they still pull out aspects that surprise us. What an opener for tonight’s show, and the closing minutes as we approached the time limit was HOT.

We recap the Gold League proceedings and the impending 3-way match between Jay White, Jon Moxley & Swerve Strickland this coming Wednesday.

Back from break, it’s time for some Trios action.

 

Match Two: [AEW Trios Championships] The Acclaimed & Daddy Ass (c) vs Top Flight & Action Andretti

Caster and Darius begin this one, trading side headlock takeovers. Blind tag to Bowens who comes in with a neckbreaker and gets a 2 count. Darius tags in Action, who gets a running dropkick for a 2. Bowens with a big thrust kick gets a 2. Darius in to take out Caster, Darius in to be met by Billy Gunn, and they head outside. The Martin boys go face to face with Caster & Bowens, until Billy Gunn is tagged in against Andretti. Action is forced to the mat and Gunn does the ‘suck it’ gesture, and then hits a sidewalk slam. We go to PIP as Caster and Bowens attack Andretti in the corner while Gunn poses. Heelish?!

Caster in, back elbow to Andretti for a 1 count. Andretti behind with a rollup for 2, and Bowens is tagged in. Blows to the back of the head, goes for a back drop but Andretti flips out, tries for a tag but Bowens catches him. Gunn tagged in, they scissor and drop the double elbow on Andretti. Gunn goes for a dive in the corner but Andretti avoids it, hits an enziguri and makes the tag to Dante Martin. Martin and Caster now, kick from the apron and a springboard crossbody. Double team by the Martins on Bowens, assisted DDT on Caster. Andretti with a standing shooting star for 1, broken up by Daddy Ass. Top Flight and Andretti beat down Billy Gunn but he shrugs them off. The One and Only by Gunn on Dante. Tilt a whirl slam on Darius. Body slam, and the Acclaimed prepare for Scissor Me Timbers…but Dante & Action come in with stereo dropkicks! Dante springboards off the back of Darius to knock Gunn off the apron to the outside. Andretti with a springboard 450 splash on Caster in the ring for 2. Another SSP misses, rollup by Caster though and I think he has the tights! 1, 2, 3! The Acclaimed retain the titles at 9:18.

Your winners and STILL AEW Trios Champions: The Acclaimed & Daddy Ass

Rating: **3/4 – A little bit ‘by-the-numbers’ but the finishing stretch picked things up. Slightly heelish behavior from the Trios champions, are we headed for a turn?

We hear from Hook in a video package, responding to Wheeler Yuta. His rules? For his title? That’s fine by him. His turf, New York, World’s End. The challenge has been laid down.

 

Match Three: Brian Cage vs ‘Limitless’ Keith Lee

Tie up to begin, but neither man can get the advantage. Shoulder blocks exchanged, Cage goes for a headscissors but caught and tossed to the side. But he comes back and manages the headscissors. Lee with a headscissors of his own in return! Lee misses an attack in the corner, Cage goes for a German but batted away. Dropkick to the knee by Cage, kick to the face, springboard tornado DDT from Cage. Mr GMSI is here!

Chops in the corner by Cage, moving to the next turnbuckle and kicking the legs out of Lee. Running pump kick to the face and Cage poses. Lee fights back with body shots, charges to the corner and Cage with a roll through and a dropkick. Chinlock from Brian Cage now, Lee back to his feet but Cage picks him up and dumps him in a body slam. BIG forearm from Lee though and a splash in the corner, following up with more bodyshots. Lee goes for a German and throws Cage overhead. 1, 2, no. Cage into the ropes, pop up powerbomb attempt but Cage escapes and gets the 619. Lee and Cage up on the buckles now, I’m getting nervous! Superplex by Cage on Lee, DUMPED HIM! 1, 2, no.

Thrust kick from Cage, F5 on Lee! Prince Nana throws in a cinder block…and the referee doesn’t seem to care that much? Double chops by Lee though, big powerslam by Lee gets the 3 count at 9:55.

Your winner by pinfall: Keith Lee

Rating: ***1/4 – Fun stuff from the big men as they both attempted to GTSI.

Lee takes the microphone. Almost exactly a year ago, someone took him out for almost 2 months with a cinder block. Lee’s been trying to send a message to him, but he’s not listening. So at Dynamite, Lee will make his message clear. He’s got a house to tear down, and he will do it brick by brick.

Renee Paquette is backstage with Toni Storm, looking for her reaction about Mariah May getting involved last week. Storm thinks she’s meeting Mariah May for the first time. May has had her wrestling license approved, and she will be debuting soon. She asks for advice from Storm. Storm didn’t hear her. Storm addresses Riho, and she will gobble her up.

And now, making his way to the ring…the TNT champion, Christian Cage! He’s backed up by The Prodigy, Nick Wayne.

Cage takes the mic and is here to conduct business. Why did Nick’s mom smash Adam Copeland in the head with the TNT championship? Why should Christian Cage explain, when Nick’s mom can do it herself. Shayna Wayne makes her way out and Cage gives her the mic.

Shayna can’t believe Texas is booing a mother like her, how dare they. Why did she do what she did in Montreal? Nick Wayne is her son! He’s her baby boy. She had to watch Copeland smash a steel chair into his head, and you wonder why she made that choice? She protected her son. Something has been made clear to her – the one person that cares for her son as much as she does, is the Patriarch, Christian Cage.

Cage takes the mic back, and says the world is realising that Copeland is a terrible human and a piece of crap. Cage says Shayna worked low end jobs to put food on the table for Nick Wayne so he could live his dream, and Adam tried to take that away. Cage thought Copeland would have sympathy as he grew up with a single mother. Cage wishes she was still alive so he could watch her disown him. But no, it’s about Copeland’s anger issues, they cost him greatly in Montreal. Cage scored the biggest victory of his own…and he scored another victory that night. He walked out of Montreal with the Matriarch, Mother Wayne. So as for the World’s End No DQ match, he accepts… although Cage will not accept him as a legit challenger, because Copeland is no challenge. At World’s End, he will put Copeland down for the last time.

We head backstage to Lexy Nair, who is standing by Ricky Starks & Big Bill. Kenny Omega is indefinitely out, so that leaves a question mark over their challengers. Starks says Omega didn’t have the guts to face them. As such, Jericho forfeits his opportunity at the titles.

Jericho appears, and he says he’s not forfeiting anything. He has a signed contract for a tag team title shot, and he will find a partner, some time, some day.

 

Match Four: [Continental Classic: Blue League] Brody King vs Daniel Garcia

Daniel slaps Brody square in the face! Kick by Brody, and Brody splashes him in the corner. Canonball! 1, 2, Garcia gets the ropes. Chop to the chest by King, and again. King rakes the cast against the face of Garcia. Garcia on the apron, hammered down though, but keeps getting back up…and he locks a brief headlock on King around the ropes! King and Garcia on the apron together…King hangs him in a chokehold in midair! Garcia drops to the floor as we head to PIP.

Garcia manages to get back in the ring at 9. Stomp to the back by King, and King throws him outside again. Garcia whipped into the barricades around the ringside area. Garcia and Brody trade some chops, before King tosses him back inside the ring. Forearm shots in the corner by King, whips Garcia into the opposite buckles. Garcia kicks his way out of the corner, tries for a backdrop but King pushes him off and hits a senton for 2.

Chops by Brody but Garcia is fighting through the pain. He starts to shrug them off! Garcia with chops of his own, and a running forearm. Another! Tries for the gutwrench suplex by King hits his way out of it. Garcia dodges a clothesline and finally hits the big suplex! 1, 2, no! King with a DVD out of nowhere. Running clothesline, 1, 2, NO!! Garcia is still alive! GONZO BOMB, 1, 2, NOOO!!! GARCIA KICKED OUT. Garcia won’t stay down! Garcia is a deadweight as King tries to pull him up, and he slaps him in the face, but Garcia with a jackknife all of a sudden, 1, 2, 3!!! He caught him off guard at 10:20 and Garcia finally gets his 3 points!

Your winner by pinfall: Daniel Garcia

Rating: ***1/4 – Borderline extended squash, but this was all about giving Daniel Garcia that feel good moment, and it served its purpose fantastically well. King takes a loss but doesn’t look any worse for it.

The lights go out post-match, and the House of Black are here when the lights come back on. They have Garcia tied up, Daddy Magic tries to interfere but Buddy Matthews takes him out. The music of FTR hits! FTR run down to the ring to make the save. House of Black exit the ring as Dax takes the mic.

Dax says he wants it, first time ever, FTR vs House of Black. Top Guys, out. That will be a fantastic addition to World’s End.

 

Match Five: Abadon & Thunder Rosa vs Skye Blue & Julia Hart

Rosa comes out in a low rider! Abadon begins with Skye as this one starts out. Blue attacks from behind, drives the boot into the throat of Abadon before tagging in Hart, and now we get a preview of the PPV next week. Hart grounds Abadon and drives their head into the canvas. They both trade forearm shots, crossbody attempt by Hart but Abadon catches her and plants her with a swinging slam. Abadon goes for a tag but Skye Blue takes out Rosa on the apron. Blue and Hart double team Abadon in the middle of the ring.

Spin kick to Abadon’s face by Hart in the ropes. Hart with repeated shots to the head of Abadon, stundog by Abadon to counter though. They go for a tag but again Skye Blue pulls Rosa off the apron. Abadon is draped over the middle rope and Skye runs across the apron with a big knee, knocking them back into a dragon choke by Hart. Skye tagged in, forearms to the back of the neck of Abadon, and a quick tag back to Julia. Hart drives the knee into the back of Abadon, Abadon fights back and kicks Hart away, Hart and Blue in to hold Abadon back, but Abadon kicks them both away and hits a double DDT. They claw their way over to Thunder Rosa and make the tag! Rosa is a house of fire, draping clothesline in the corner and the double knees to Hart, same to Skye Blue in the opposite corner. Dropkick on Blue, Northern Lights suplex for 2 until Julia Hart breaks it up. Hart and Rosa go face to face but Hart sends Rosa to the floor. Blue and Rosa in now, Cheeky Nandos by Skye and a powerbomb attempt but Rosa slips out of it, only to be met by a thrust kick.

Hart ascends to the top, looking for the moonsault but Abadon drops her into a tree of woe. Rosa sends Blue into the knees of Hart. Rosa gets the Tijuana Bomb on Skye Blue while Hart is tied up in the corner. 1, 2, 3! Rosa gets the win for her team at 9:00.

Your winners by pinfall: Thunder Rosa & Abadon

Rating: **1/2 – Not bad, although the commercial break seemingly hurt this one as they ground things down to a halt for a fair portion of its runtime. Good to have Rosa back in the ring, although she didn’t get to do too much. Presumably she’ll be thrust into a greater spotlight once World’s End has been and gone.

 

Match Six: [Continental Classic: Blue League] Eddie Kingston vs Andrade El Idolo

Andrade goes for a handshake, Eddie accepts. Shove by Andrade, Eddie shoves back, Andrade goes for the back elbow but Kingston dodges. Wristlock by Andrade, Eddie switches into one of his own. Andrade climbs the ropes, crossbody off the top gets a 2. Arm wringer by Andrade now, Eddie with a knee to the midsection and a double stomp to the gut. Jawbreaker by Andrade but Eddie straight back with a big clothesline.

Eddie grounds Andrade with a front facelock as we head to PIP. Andrade gets back to his feet, forearm in the corner, but Eddie starts unloading the chops. Chop battle ensues, Eddie brings Andrade to the top rope and chops him backwards over the top rope to the floor below.

Back in, Andrade charges but Eddie catches the leg and chops him. Eddie fights out of a German suplex attempt, but Andrade takes the knees out. Dragon screw from Andrade, and another. Flying forearm takes Kingston down. Eddie is down in the corner now, Andrade signals for the double knees and gets them! 1, 2, no.

Three Amigos by Andrade, nails them, 1, 2, no. Andrade dives off the top rope, but Eddie meets him with a dropkick/enziguri on the way down! That hurt Eddie’s leg. Eddie has Andrade in the corner and gets the Kobashi chops going. EXPLODER out of the corner. 1, 2, Andrade gets the shoulder up. Eddie struggles to his feet, looking for a Half and Half but Andrade with back elbows to get out of it, and sends Eddie to the outside. Andrade up top, moonsault off the middle turnbuckle to the outside! He slides Kingston back in, heads back to the top, Ibushi moonsault combo gets a 2!

Andrade is looking for the hammerlock DDT but Kingston drives him into the corner. Exploder again! 1, 2, no! Eddie is limping as he gets to his feet. He pulls Andrade up looking for a Half and Half again but Andrade with back elbows to escape. BIG SPINNING BACK ELBOW knocks out Eddie, 1, 2, NO! Andrade locks in the Figure Four…no, Eddie blocks him from locking it in. Andrade manages to briefly lock it in but Kingston is right by the ropes as we get the 5 minutes remaining call.

Backfist to the Future by Kingston…and again! Kingston with an Emerald Flowsion-like move gets the 1, 2, 3 at 15:32.

Your winner by pinfall: Eddie Kingston

Rating: ***1/2 – Another cracker here as the Blue League just doesn’t miss! Eddie makes it to the finals by the skin of his teeth

The Blue League final is set, Bryan Danielson vs Eddie Kingston this Wednesday. Danielson makes his way down to the ring, all smiles, as we head off the air.

Good night everybody! No Collision next week, but I’ll still be joining you next Saturday to host 411’s live coverage of World’s End. Let’s send out 2023 in style! See you then.

8.0

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

As a holiday show one week before a big PPV, we could forgive AEW for taking it easy tonight. But nope, we were once again treated to another banger of a show. Claudio and Danielson set the bar in the opening match, and the Continental Classic continues to deliver belters. While I'm not so high on Shayna Wayne's on-screen involvement, Cage got a great reaction for his promo, relishing every moment of this career high. Nice to have that segment thrown in, especially as this still felt like a very in-ring focused show. Plus we had ZERO squash matches - it's a Christmas miracle!