AEW Collision 8/19/2023

AEW Collision 8/19/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/08/aew-collision-8122023.html

Christian says its Fight for the Fallen. He says he and Darby will fight and Darby will fall at the feet of the TNT champ. Darby says it's showtime and he will wrap his turtle neck around his throat. The Bullet Club said say tonight is alright for a fight and say Dalton's spotlight will be snuffed out. Dalton Castle says the AEW fans get what they deserve and that's Dalton in the ring, suplexing Jay White to hades. Samoa Joe says he seeks a real answer from CM Punk and says things will continue to get real violent around here until he does.

Samoa Joe vs The Golden Vampire

Vamp jumps Joe before he enters and bangs his head off the post. He pushes the ref down and does a step up knee in the corner. Vamp then hits a bad go to sleep and his mask falls off. It's CM Punk. Punk says, "I accept, b!tch".

Joe finds the mask after and is mad as he walks up the ramp. 

We get a promo for All In.

Jay White vs Dalton Castle

Bullet Club and cardboard Jay White are at ringside. Austin dances with cardboard Jay White in a funny moment.

Dalton takes down Jay then Jay knees him in the gut. Jay clubs him and throws him out. The Boys throw Dalton back in and Dalton slams down Jay. Jay hits corner spears then Dalton hits chops. Dalton goes for a knee and hits the buckles then takes a hard fall outside. Juice and Colten do poses over him then chase The Boys around the ring. Jay gordbusters Dalton on the apron then poses with his carboard cutout.

We go to PiP break and return. Dalton does a nice suplex then back elbows him. Dqalton saito suplexes him then hits another suplex. Dalton does a nice delayed german. Dalton goes over the top to the floor and Jay chops him at the announcer's desk. Jay goes to throw him in but Dalton 619's under the bottom rope then hurricanrana's him. The Bullet Club distract Dalton then The Boys dive on The Bullet Club. Jay avoids a bangarang and hits a uranage for 2.

Jay sleeper suplexes Dalton then hits a blade runner. Dalton had his shoulder up but the pin was counted anyway.

This didn't get over and had little chance to .Dalton hasn't been used much at all on AEW TV and was not treated as a big guy when he was. He also hasn't been on in so long that I don't even think most of the people in the crowd knew he was. It started off slow and never really picked up the pace with multiple moments stopping any momentum it had.

Bullet Club Gold are interviewed by Tony Schiavone. Jay says they talk about what they want to talk about. Jay says he got a message from Kenny Omega in the hospital bed and says he should stay in the bed and not get exposed at All In. Jay said him and Juice had to stand by for too long while Kenny and his friends decieve everyone that the Elite are the peak of Bullet Club. Jay said they have beaten Kenny and friends before and will do it again. Juice says it only took them 2 minutes to put Kenny Omega in the hospital and ask Adam Page what he thinks they will do to him. Colten said The Bucks had to cheat to beat them on Dynamite. He said they grabbed Kenny instead of doing a rematch with them. Colten says they may have started this company, but they are running the show. Austin tells Tony to send out 3 people right now so they can warm up.

The Iron Savages come out and say they will accept their challenge.

Bullet Club Gold (Juice Robinson and The Gunn's) vs The Iron Savages and Jacked Jameson

Bronson drinks some juice before the match starts. Austin pushes and slaps him then Bronson hits punches in the corner.  Bronson shoulders him over then Boulder spinning side slams Austin. Bronson gets hit by Juice while the ref is distracted. Colten stomps on Bronson in the corner.

Juice cannonballs Bronson in the corner then The Bullet Club do The Elite's pose. Juice knees Bronson then Colten throws Bronson out. We go to PiP break and return. Bron hot tags in Boulder who lariats the Gunn's and splashes Juice in the corner. Boulder then does a double pendulum flatliner. Juice is caught by Boulder off the top then slammed onto The Gunn's. Boulder then splashes Juice and Colten at the same time for 2.

Jacked is back body dropped over the top. Bronson stops a 310 to Yuma then Colten hits a nice dropkick on him. Austin hits a fameasser on Boulder. Bronson takes a 310 to Yuma then Juice leg lariats Jacked. Juice does a ddt on Jacked and wins it.

Like the last match, the crowd didn't know who The Iron Savages were and didn't react at all. What we got wasn't bad with Boulder getting some shine spots in before being put down. 

Malakai Black talks over a video. He talks about the afterlife and says Billy is a shadow of what he once was. He talks his usual mumbo jumbo and tells Billy to rest in pain.

Jose talks to Rush who is mad about his group losing. He said he needs a faction of killers and says he wants the whole group in Mexico. We then see LFI in Mexico driving around and drinking. Vance says he loves Mexico. Vance and Dralistico are then kidnapped by people in a van. It is unknown if these are the same people who kidnapped Samoa Joe many years ago.

Tony Schiavone is with Ricky Starks. They talk about Ricky's suspension and Ricky corrects him on how much longer his suspension is for. He says he will bring a war to AEW and said he is bringing chaos. We then see Big Bill with him.

We get a video of Starks. He talks about distractions. He says people took his kindness for weakness and says this is who he was all along. He then says he is absolute with the words on the screen.

Big Bill with Ricky Starks vs Derek Neal

Bill clubs on him. Neal slaps him and Bill hits slaps then a big boot. Bill then hits a chokeslam and wins this squash.

Starks whips Neal after with his belt then Neal is thrown out. They say Starks has acquired the services of Big Bill. There's basketballs that are passed around less than Bill is.

 We see clips of Sting and Darby Allin attacking AR Fox at his wrestling school. Darby hits a coffin drop and says he wants AR to make it to Wembley so he can throw him in a coffin. Darby said we will find out what Nick Wayne is capable of.

Willow Nightingale vs Diamante

Willow back elbows her and mudhole stomps her in the corner. Willow hits a suplex. Willow is tripped into the 2nd rope and pounded on. Willow side slams her then Mercedes Martinez comes down the ramp. Dia pounds on Willow then jumps on her back with a sleeper. Willow throws her down then slams her.

Dia clips her and kicks her in the back of the neck. Dia hits mounted forearms and we go to PiP break. We return and Willow short arm clotheslines her. Willow running facekicks her then spinebusters her for 2. Willow is whiplashed down from the 2nd rope then Dia meteoras her in the corner. Dia hits a standing shiranui for 2. Willow superkicks her then Dia rolls her up. Dia hits a lariat then Willow hits combination punches.

Willow 2nd rope dropkicks her. Mercedes pulls out Dia then Kris Statlander hits Mercedes from behind. She suplexes Mercedes on the ramp then Willow pounces Dia on the floor. Willow hits a doctor bomb and wins it.

Like the other matches so far tonight, nobody really knew who Dia was and didn't react. This went longer than it needed to and wasn't that interesting.

We get a package on The Young Bucks vs FTR. There were some questions as to whether that will happen due to Cash getting arrested recently. 

Toni Storm is interviewed and has a real goofy hairdo. She says she doesn't know who Lexi is and says the last girl who interviewed her was rude. She said Britt Baker and Shida won't make it to Wembley. Toni tells her to never question the friendship of The Outcasts when she is questioned about Saraya. Toni tells her to be more prepared next time and wipe the dreadful look off her face. Toni then throws something at her.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs Kevin Ku

Kevin Ku used to be in MLW and gets a chant going for himself. Hobbs pulls down face first and Ku goes for the crossbody but is just pushed down. Hobbs hits knees then corner splashes him. Hobbs 2nd rope backdrops Ku then hits lariats. Hobbs does a stiff short arm clothesline then does  one armed spinebuster for the quick squash win.

Hobbs does Miro's camel clutch after and Miro appears on the tron. Miro says he too used to rely on a book for guidance and surrounded himself with distractions. He says he walks alone and says he is here to replace his god. He says redemption is coming for Hobbs and will p!ss on his cold, dead body. Miro says Hobbs prays to him now. 

They do a long run down of the All In card then say Miro faces Hobbs and Luchasaurus faces Darby at All Out the week after.

Christian Cage vs Darby Allin

Darby side headlock takeovers him. Cage hits some shots to the body and Darby throws him out. They stare down after Cage avoids a tope. Darby is thrown into the buckles.

We go to break and return. Cage hits a single arm ddt during the break. Darby rolls up Cage then bottom rope twisting crossbodies him. Darby cradles him then Cage slaps him. Darby backslides him then Cage pulls Darby's neck back against the top rope. Cage chops him outside then stomps him in the ring.

Cage grabs the TNT title and tells him to come get it. Cage slams him then hits a hammerlock reverse ddt. Darby hits a code red for 2 then puts Cage's shirt over his head. They bump heads and both go down.

We go to PiP break and return. They trade shots and Darby springboard back elbows him. Darby running back elbows him then shotgun dropkicks him. Darby goes up top and tries to coffin drop Luchasaurus outside and is caught. Darby then runs at Cage outside and is lariated. Darby is then thrown into the rails. Cage is tripped into a chair.

Darby puts him in the chair and hits forearms then Darby dropkicks him off the top while he's on the chair outside. They get back in. Darby goes for the coffin drop on the apron but Lucha pulls Cage out of the way. Lucha distracts the ref and Cage hits Darby with the TNT title.

Darby shotgun dropkicks him into the buckles then bites him up top. Cage sunset bombs him from the top then flips him with a spear for 2. Cage lariats Darby then Darby jack knifes him and wins it.

I wasn't a fan of this one. It very long and slow with little happening until the 2nd half.

Tony Schiavone interviews Darby Allin after. He said Darby earned his TNT title shot. Christian then nails Darby from behind with the title while Darby is distracted by Lucha. Lucha then chokeslams him. Lucha makes Tony count the Christian pin on Darby. Christian makes Tony announce him as the winner.

Overall thoughts: The first half was filled with matches with obvious outcomes involving wrestlers who the crowd didn't know about or care about. Dalton/Jay and Christian/Darby were disappointments. FTR notably was not on this though their match with the Bucks seems to still be on.