AEW Collision 4/12/2025

AEW Collision 4/12/2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/04/aew-collision-452025.html

Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness talk to start the show. Tony says Pac got injured and says Mox will step in for him defending the title.

FTR come out to talk. Cash says their decision wasn't easy to make and said it wasn't pre-meditated. He says Cope was his mentor and friend for 15 years. He says the more Dax talked, the more sense it made. He said he needed Dax to be wrong but said he wasn't. Cash says Cope only cares about Cope and held them down.

He said he knew what had to happen and what he had to do. He said he's not the helpless kid anymore and says Cope doesn't respect him as a man. Cash says they are living legends and will be treated as such.

Dax says he knows it cool for the fans to boo them. Dax says Cope was begging for relevancy at their expense and they gave it to him. Cash says what they did was right. Cash said they waited for 4 months with nothing to do and the only thing that was planned was them to be Cope's Edgeheads. They said they put everything on hold for him so he could win his title. Dax says Cope is too selfish to see why this is a problem.

Dax calls Tony Schiavone to come in. Tony tells Dax that he was wrong after Dax dares him to. Dax asks Tony what he said about his family. Tony said he wondered how his daughter would feel after her classmates would say her dad turned his back on his best friend. FTR then grab Tony. Nigel stands up and gets in the ring.

Daniel Garcia then comes out and FTR push him. FTR says they didn't mean it. They pick him up and hug him before leaving. Tony tells DG he's never been so disappointed before in his life. Nigel says he will kill him if he does it again.

Thoughts: Eh, this didn't really do it for me. I don't really buy the FTR turn and think all of this is too soon.

Toni Storm talks in the back. She says Megan Bayne is a monster. She says the Owen Hart Tournament has begun and says good luck. She goes down each of the girls in the tournament. She says she will be watching the tournament and sweating. She says she will always be timeless.

Women's Owen Hart Tournament 1st Round - Jamie Hayter vs Billie Starkz

They miss shots to start and BS backs off with a shot. BS spin kicks her in the face. BS mule kicks her on the apron, goes for a tope and runs into a forearm. BS is sent into the rail. BS lays on top of the rail and Jamie throws her over. BS swantons her back off the rail outside.

BS hits a knee to the face then takes a spinebuster for 2. Jamie release suplexes her for 2. Jamie throws her back. We go to PiP break and return.

Jamie half crabs her. BS kicks her off the ropes. She legsweeps her then germans her for 2. BS hits another german then does some type of chinlock. Jamie low flying knees her for 2. Jamie ushigoroshi's her then hits a sliding lariat for 2.

Jamie hits forearms on BS. BS backslides her then hits a twisting oblivion for 2. BS hits a top rope swanton for 2. Jamie headbutts her on the apron then suplexes her from the apron to the floor.

They trade forearms. Jamie superkicks her and step up enzugiri's her. Jamie uranage backbreakers her then hits a big lariat for the win.

Thoughts: I would have liked the suplex to the floor to mean more since it should be a big spot. I didn't like Jamie needing so much time to take Billie, who is basically a nobody in AEW at this point and should be easy to beat.

The Death Riders do a promo. They said they expected casualties but say only in death does duty end. Claudio says they accept Joe's challenge and say he's on next week. They say they do not concede territory. Mox says it'll be a learning experience for punk wrestlers who don't want to show up to work. He says you have to step up and put yourself in harm's way if you want the glory. He says Joe and Shibata know that and asks what they are teaching Hook. Mox tells Hook not to worry and says chicks dig scars.

The Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona) vs Smash & Burn

Well this is random. Kaun uranage backbreakers a jobber then running suplexes him. Toa hits corner lariats on one of them then throws the other in from the apron. Toa pounces a jobber.

The other jobber takes the t-gimmick onto his partner. Kaun sits on them to pin them.

Thoughts: I like the GoA so it's good to see them back. Hopefully this leads to something. 

Lexy tries to interview FTR. Angelo Parker and Matt Menard interrupt. They say FTR think they are slick. They say they see through what they are doing with Garcia and say they won't let them put Garcia in the same position as they did with Copeland. Menard says hes been waiting a year and a half for them to show their true colors. Menard says they won't sit by and let them do it to Garcia. Dax asks if they wanna fight and Dax says they will fight tonight. Dax says Garcia can make his own decision out there.

Anthony Bowens vs Blake Christian

Billy Gunn is with Bowens. Bowens throws Blake down. Blake wristlocks him. Bowens snapmares him then rolls him up for 2. Blake springboard dropkicks Bowens in the back. Blake hits a stroke variation on Bowens and slaps him in the back of the neck. Bowens chops him.

Bowens does a weird flying wraparound ddt that doesn't hit clean. We go to PiP break, full break and return. Bowens hits kicks then an over the back fameasser. Bowens hits his grand slam finisher which is a reverse samoan drop and Blake kicks out of it.

Blake eye rakes him and throws him out. Blake topes him through the ropes. Bowens twisting bridging ddt's him for 2 when Lee Johnson puts Blake's foot on the ropes. Blake hits a standing spanish fly for 2. Blake handspring corkscrew kicks Bowens.

Blake hits a 450 double stomp for 2. Blake piefaces him and is chopped. They botch a Blake stunner on Bowens. Blake handsprings into a superkick. Lee Johnson gets on the apron and is hit. Bowens spinning forearms him and pins him.

Thoughts: I would have just had Bowens win a short squash to put him over. I'm not a fan of him going even with Blake, who has only really lost on TV.

Bowens gets on the mic after. He says he's AEW 5-tool player. He says he will prove he is the best every week and asks who will step up next week and get whooped. 

Handicap Match - Megan Bayne vs LMK and Kelly Madan

LMK is Little Mean Kathleen. Madan has been on Impact a few times. Meg rams Kelly into the corner and hits corner spears. Meg hits a single leg dropkick. LMK is caught off the top and takes a fallaway slam.

Meg this corner splashes on both. She slams LMK while lariating Kelly. Meg F-5's Kelly onto LMK and wins.

Thoughts: It was all squash here as expected. 

Meg grabs both by the hair after and throws them down face first.

Kevin Knight vs AR Fox

They each miss facekicks. AR rolls him up then KK rolls him up twice. KK low running shoulders him then standing twisting frogsplashes him for 2. They trade shots. AR hits him on the apron and enzugiri's him on his springboard attempt.

AR does his roll into the ropes into a double stomp on KK. AR then plants off the post into a moonsault on KK. We go to PiP break and return. KK jawbreakers AR.
KK hits euros. AR knees him in the gut then KK dropkicks him. KK foot chokes him in the corner. KK hits a sky high on him for 2. KK sits up top and AR does a seated spanish fly. AR top rope 450's him for 2.

KK hits a dropkick then AR facekicks him. AR ists up top and KK jumping hurricanrana's him. KK ddt's him. KK springboard lariats him and wins.

Thoughts: They did too much here as expected. It was all flying.

The Gates of Agony do a promo. Kaun says they are back and not hurt. Kaun says they love being hurt. Kaun says The Hurt Syndicate hurts people and they want to see them try. 

FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) vs 2.0 (Matt Menard and Angelo Parker)

Dax pounds on Matt and Cash roughs up Parker outside. Parker is sent into the rails. Matt is busted open and Dax punches him. Dax pounds on Matt as Cash has words for Daniel Garcia outside. Matt hits punches on Dax.

Dax running lariats Matt then Parker takes a shatter machine. Matt takes a spike piledriver then takes a 2nd. Garcia gets on the apron and yells at Dax. Cash then pins Menard.

Thoughts: It was all squash here with Menard surprisingly getting bloody.

Garcia checks on Matt after and yells at FTR. FTR leaves then comes back and beats up Garcia 2v1. Garcia then takes 2 spike piledrivers. Security comes out then The Paragon come out (Nigel calls them Undisputed Kingdom). FTR then back off.

Women's Owen Hart Tournament 1st Round - Athena vs Harley Cameron

Ath pushes her into the corner and taps her head. HC rolls over ther and trips her. HC then taps her on the head. Ath rolls her up for 2. They trade pin attempts and stand off.

HC side headlocks her. HC high kicks her from the apron and headscissors her over the 2nd rope. Ath drops HC onto the apron then wheelbarrow germans her onto the floor. 

We go to PiP break and return. Ath bow and arrows HC. HC russian legsweeps her. Ath pump kicks her for 2. HC is put in tree of woe and is kicked. HC kicks her while in tree of woe. HC neckbreakers her. HC enzugiri's her and clubs on her back.

HC axe kicks her over the 2nd rope. Ath rolls through a crossbody. HC hurricanrana's her. Ath superkicks her. Ath springboards and is caught with a punch. HC suplexes her for 2. Ath cartwheels out of a twisting neckbreaker. HC rolls her up for 2. HC hits a soul foot.

Ath does a bad powerbomb then hits a 2nd one. Ath flips her ataxia style into a knee to the head. Ath then hits an o-face to win.

Thoughts: It wasn't the cleanest match and a lot of stuff didn't hit that well. Ath won as expected. It was just so-so.

Mercedes Mone does a promo. She says the next stop is in Boston where she made her AEW debut. She says the money train is 2 stops away from All In. She says Athena is one of the best but a speed bump to her success. She says she will show why money changes everything. She says the best woman will win and it's her.

Men's Owen Hart Tournament 1st Round - Brody King vs Konosuke Takeshita

They lock up. BK backs him up in the corner and is put in a side headlock. BK runs through a chop then hits his own chop. BK backdrops him.

BK hits chops in the corner and misses a senton. KT 2nd rope sentons BK's back. KT facekicks him on the apron. BK death valley drivers him on the apron.

KT flying knees BK outside. KT then tope con hilos him. We go to PiP break and return. BK cannonballs him for 2. They trade forearms. BK chops him down. KT hits a blue thunder for 2. KT hits lariats. BK chops and forearms him. BK then hits a big lariat for 2. BK hits a fire thunder driver for 2.

They collide with lariats. KT package tombstones him then wheelbarrow germans him. KT hits a big lariat for 2. KT pumping knees him twice for 2. KT pumping knees him in the back and front and wins.

Thoughts: I didn't like the death valley driver on the apron not meaning anything. Other than that, it was a heavyweight style match with lots of strikes, lariats and suplexes. It needed more time to be great.

Overall thoughts: I didn't like the show that much. As usual with Collision, the stars were missing. The main was mostly good. I didn't like Hayter/Billie. Ath/Harley had a lot of sloppy moments. Blake/Bowens was the wrong kind of match for Bowens and Knight/AR was all flying as expected. I also don't know if I really buy into the FTR heel turn yet and do have some concerns about who will be facing them once they get the initial rush over with. I'd give it a 5 out of 10 as it had a bunch of random matches and there wasn't much focus on non-tournament storylines.