AEW Collision 9/2/2023

AEW Collision 9/2/2023

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2023/08/aew-collision-8262023.html 

Tony Khan does an announcement and said he has fired Phil Brooks (CM Punk) for cause. He said it happened due to an incident last weekend and it endangered staff. He said he has never felt his security and life was in danger until that. He said it was a hard choice but came by legal council and a discipline committee. Tony says they will have a great show and a great PPV tomorrow. He says this is the greatest week in AEW history and last week was the greatest weekend in AEW history.

I'll never take AEW's word for anything like this after the MJF worked shoot incident during Double or Nothing. Tomorrow's PPV has zero interest going into it and I think something like this could be used to jump start interest.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring and talks about Ricky Starks challenging Ricky Steamboat to a strap match. Starks comes out with Big Bill. He said he constantly has to start over in AEW and always has to overcome obstacles. He tells Big Bill he believes in him and himself. He talks about not being at All In and says he is challenging Steamboat so he doesn't get left out. He said he wants an answer from Steamboat right now.

Ricky Steamboat comes out. He says Starks took cheap shots onhim but he never complained about it on social media. He said he had a contract written up and shows it to Starks. He tells him to sign it and he does. It says "The Dragon" on it. Steamboat says everyone knows him as The Dragon, but they also know this guy and American Dragon Bryan Danielson comes out. Bryan then signs the contract. Starks says if this is the bed he's laying in, he will make himself real comfortable. Steamboat said he just wanted to make sure he got what he wanted and Starks leaves.

As of like 2 months ago, Danielson was a heel. Now he's a face I guess without explanation. How is that going to work with the BCC? I'm not really surprised by this angle as we all knew Steamboat probably wasn't wrestling.

Jon Moxley does a promo. He talks about Orange Cassidy and calls him a cosplay wrestler, though he doesn't know who he is cosplaying. Mox says at his level, you always have a big match coming up and says there's always tomorrow. Mox says the chance to fight him only comes once in a lifetime because OC is on the run of a lifetime. He says OC looks like the real thing and says we will find out. He said he will test him and says when it gets hard, it will get real hard. He said he hopes he will not be looking for a way out. He says lots of believe in OC and says not to disappoint us.

AEW Trios Titles - The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn vs 2.0 and Daniel Garcia

Bowens hits punches on Parker then drops him with a shot. Garcia drops Gunn then does his dance. He dances more and tells him to suck it. Gunn pops him in the face then grinds his crotch in his face. Garcia takes a double back elbow and a double elbow drop. Bowens takes a double stun gun then a piledriver and a double lifting ddt. Garcia then sharpshooters Bowens.

We go to break and return. Bowens fights his way out of the corner then is tripped. Bowens enzugiri's Garcia and hot tags in Max. Max beats up the heels then lariats Garcia over the top. He plancha's Garcia then hits a top rope crossbody for 2. Garcia hits a uranage then Max flying lariats Menard. Gunn gets in adn throws Parker and Garcia out. Gunn nails Jake Hager on the apron then hits a fameassers on Menard. Bowens hits the arrival on Menard then Max top rope elbow drops Menard for the win.

It was an okay trios match and there wasn't anything wrong with it. I don't think anyone really thought the ex-JAS guys were winning here.

Lexi Nair interviews The Dark Order. Silver asks Cole, "what you want, son?". Silver said Cole threw their friendship away to team with MJF. Alex Reynolds said he helped train MJF. He said he is proud of him but said he didn't take his own advice and didn't do what it took to win. Alex says they need the tag titles more than Cole and MJF do so they can shut people up. They said they will do whatever it takes to beat them because they have to.

Ricky Starks is interviewed by Tony Schiavone in the back. Starks says once again, he will knock every obstacle they throw at him out of the park. He says he will show he is who he says he is tomorrow.

Aussie Open vs Komander and Nick Wayne

Kom = Komander

Mark shoulders over Nick. Mark is thrown over the top then Nick headscissors Kyle. Nick euros him in the air then Kyle takes a double dropkick. Kyle hits a spinning slam on Kom then Mark misses a senton. Kom does a handspring then various backflis. Komander then does an octopus on him in the air.

Kom springboards and takes a powerbomb from Kyle. Nick is then thrown into a Kyle kick and Kom is thrown into a 2nd rope Kyle cutter for 2. Nick flying euros Kyle and shotgun dropkicks Mark out. Kyle hits a standing shiranui on Kyle then tope con hilo's Mark. Nick top rope frogsplashes Kyle for 2.

Kyle dragon suplexes Nick. Kom springboards and is spinebustered by Mark. Mark then pulls him into a piledriver. Nick takes a sandwich forearm and gets some kicks in on the heels. Nick blind springboards and is caught and hit with the coriolis for the Aussie Open win.

It was a quick one that kind of bordered on being a longer squash due to being so one sided. This was pretty random.

Tony Schiavone interviews Nick. Nick says he is frustrated and frustrated more at Darby for forgiving AR Fox. Darby then comes down the ramp on a mic. Darby said he burnt a bridge with Nick's dad and never got to make things right. He said because of this, he had to let things go with AR Fox. He asks Nick to let the hate go. He asks Nick to be in his corner when he fights for the TNT title.

Christian and Luchasaurus comes out. Christian said he forgot to ask Nick what his mom's name is and said he should slide into her DM's and change it. He says Darby should stop pretending to be things he is not. He tells Nick to bring a towel with him to ringside tomorrow as he will need to use is to throw it in. Christian says tomorrow's match will be a massacre and says they will be standing on top of the mountain tomorrow night.

Claudio and Yuta do a promo from Dynamite last Wednesday. He congratulates Wddie for beating Yuta then says they beat Yuta every day of the week. Claudio hits euros on Yuta and says he doesn't stay down when he goes down, he gets up unlike Eddie.  Claudio said he thought Eddie would come back from Japan a better man but has not. He said he thought he couldn't lose any more respect for him when he was crying like a little girl and shaking, meeting Japanese wrestlers. Claudio leaves and Yuta falls over.

Eddie Kingston and Katsuyori Shibata then talk. Eddie isn't impressed and says they have to deal with him and Shibata at All Out. Eddie says Caludio won't fight him again. Shibata then uses a translator app on his phone and says they both suck.

Saraya and Ruby Soho are interviewed. Saraya tells Lexi not to be ugly when she asks about the issues between Saraya and Toni. Saraya says she's awesome and says she doesn't like smelling the breath of people in Chicago. Ruby says Kris Statlander never beat her in AEw and she's not worried about it. Ruby says they will bring two titles back to The Outcasts tomorrow. Lexi asks about Toni. Ruby says she will be fine, though she's half naked and throwing shoes at birds in the parking lot. Ruby said she will walk home the TBS champ tomorrow.

Toni Schiavone brings out Dennis Rodman. Rodman has tattoos on his face now and looks such a mess. Tony asks what he's doing here then Jeff Jarrett's music hits. Jeff and his crew come out. Jeff says it's great for all of the legends to be back tonight. He says we all have something in common with Singh being a great basketball player too and says Lethal and Rodman were champs since day one. He said Dutt strives for world peace and so does Rodman. He said his wife Karen looks great in a dress and so does Rodman.

He says they were members of one of the greatest factions of all time and says it was too sweet and for life. Jeff asks Rodman to join them. Rodman says he's glad the fans are loving AEW wrestling and Jeff says don't make Singh dunk on him like the Utah Jazz did in 1998. Rodman says Shaq was as big as Singh and he whooped his @ss. Dutt asks his crew to exit the ring and asks him to join. Dutt has a shirt with him on it. rodman grabs Dutt and throws him down with a nodowa-otoshi. The Acclaimed then come out. They challenge them to a 6-man tag. Billy grabs the mic and says there is no way he is wrestling twice in one night because it's beyond his old age spectrum. He says he has nothing to do tomorrow though anbd says they can fight for the trios titles tomorrow with Dennis Rodman in The Acclaimed's corner.

Rodman talked funny here. I don't like Rodman already attacking Dutt, as that's supposed to be the high point of this and would be something that should happen at the end of the PPV match.

We get a replay of the Shane Taylor video that we either saw on AEW or ROH.

Samoa Joe does a promo. He says in times of turmoil, the jackals come out to feast. Joe says he has a simple tale tomorrow. He says Shane hopes he will give the best performance of his life tomorrow but will wish he wasn't standing there against him. He says Shane will wish he will stop hitting him tomorrow. He says Shane hopes he will knock him out but we will wiush he never put his name in his mouth. He says he will make an example of him and make it clear who is the true king of TV. He says he will be the man who is standing over him, instead of the man who is standing ahead of him tomorrow. This was a really good promo by Joe.

The Outcasts vs Britt Baker, Kris Statlander and Hikaru Shida

Kris pushes over Toni. Toni tries to crossbody her but is caught and slammed. Toni stomps on her in the corner and is shotgun dropkicked into the buckles. Britt slingblades Toni then Ruby and Shida go at it. Shida forearms her then Ruby pulls her down by the hair.

We go to break and return. Shida and Toni trade shots then Shida step up enzugiri's her. Kris lariats Saraya then forearms Ruby off the apron. Kri knees Saraya in the side of the head then hits a blue thunder bomb for 2. Saraya rolls up Kris then Kris high kicks her. Everyone gets in and gets a move in then Kris powerslams Saraya. Toni accidentally elbow drops Saraya. Ruby and Britt trade shots. Britt swinging neckbreakers her then is spray painted in the face. Ruby hits her kick on Britt and gets the win.

It had the usual lame cheating ending that The Outcasts have done a million times now. The match wasn't that bad though otherwise with them not blowing much and keeping the pace up.

Adam Cole does a promo. He said he knows Silver and Reynolds well but they aren't better than him and MJF. Cole then says he has something to say in behalf on MJF. MJF says Silver is the size of a dollar store garden gnome and Cole won't read the rest. Cole says he will see them on Sunday.

Kris Statlander is interviewed by Lexi. she says she's not feeling too great and says Ruby couldn't get the win without help. She says she won't fall for it tomorrow. Ruby and Saraya then come in. Saraya calls her a stupid b!tch and says she will see her tomorrow. Kris then says the same thing.

Powerhouse Hobbs vs GPA

Yes, that's really his name. Wrestling in 2023 sucks. Hobbs splashes him in the corner then spinebusters him for the win.

Miro's music hits then he heads into the ring. They trade punches and Hobbs is lariated over the top. Hobbs pulls him out and throws him into the steps. Hobbs is thrown over the rail and walks away.

We get a video on Don Callis and Kenny Omega.

Orange Cassidy does a promo and says he doesn't like this. He says the match on Sunday is everything he has been working for. He said he proved himself against Pac and Osperay in Chicago and says this Sunday, it's Jon Moxley. He says he will take the weight off of Mox and put it on his shoulder. He then says he does not have a catch phrase in what seems to be a new stupid catchphrase.

Jay White vs Dax Harwood

Dax backs him up in the corner. Jay chops him and then goes outside. Jay side headlocks him then Dax chops him over. Jay rolls out again. We go to break and return. They fight up top and Jay drops him from the suplex position. Jay underhook suplexes him into the buckles. Bullet Club goes for a cheapshot and Cash backs them off with a chair.

They each hit chops inside and Dax is ddt'd. Dax back rolls him then 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him for 2. Jay hits chops on Dax then Dax lariats him. Dax top rope superplexes Jay then misses a top rope headbutt. We go to another break.

We return from break and Jay hits chops. Dax germans Jay twice then brainbusters him for 2. Jay rolls out and goes over the rail. Dax grabs him and chops him. Dax chops him on the apron then chops him outside. Jay dragon screws him over the middle rope and backdrops him. Jay death valley drivers him for 2.

Jay lariats Dax then Dax knocks him over with one. Dax piledrivers Jay for 2. Dax goes for a 2nd rope crossbody but Jay rolls over on him. Dax is thrown shoulder first into the post then uranage'd. Jay hits a suplex on Dax then Dax slingshot sitout powerbombs him for 2. Dax sharpshooters him and Jay ropebreaks. Jay is pulled out of the ring by his friends. Jay then hits a blade runner on Dax on the floor. Dax is thrown in then cradles Jay. Jay hits another blade runner and wins it.

The match was okay but nothing that special. The finishing sequence wasn't very good and I didn't really understand what they were going for.

Unfortunately my feed cut out as The Bullet Club had Cadh surrounded. the Young Bukcks apparently made the save. The Bucks tried to shake hands with FTR but they wouldn't do it.

Overall thoughts: I said last week that it seemed like Collision was on the path to becoming Rampage and this just furthered that thought here. The strongest match on the show was Jay vs Dax and that's hardly a main event. I'm sure whatever the Punk stuff is about messed this up some but it wouldn't have been a much better card even if he was on it. It was not a strong show and didn't do that much to make you excited for the less than stellar PPV tomorrow night.