AEW Collision Results: Winners, Live Grades, Highlights Before Forbidden Door
Doc-Chris Mueller@@BR_DoctorFeatured Columnist IVJune 22, 2024AEW Collision Results: Winners, Live Grades, Highlights Before Forbidden Door0 of 8
Collision.AEW
Welcome to Bleacher Report’s coverage of AEW Collision on June 22.
Here’s a look at the lineup from Saturday’s show:
Will Ospreay vs. Brian CageKazuchika Okada vs. Ultimo GuerreroBig Bill and Chris Jericho vs. Private PartySamoa Joe, Hook and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Premier AthletesToni Storm and Mariah May vs. Leyla Hirsch and Lady FrostThe Patriarchy vs. Iron SavagesHechicero vs. Daddy MagicHouse of Black in actionLet’s take a look at what went down on Saturday’s Collision.
Samoa Joe, Hook and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Premier Athletes1 of 8
Collision.AEW
Collision opened up with Samoa Joe, Hook and Shibata making their entrance for the first match against Tony Nese, Josh Woods and Ariya Daivari.
The Premier Athletes have been a regular presence on ROH and occasionally on AEW, but this was the first AEW match for Woods in quite some time due to an injury.
Nese tried his luck against Joe and quickly found himself being taken down by a shoulder block. No matter what Nese tried, Woods and Shibata had the most entertaining exchange, but we got to see a little bit of everyone interacting with each other.
This was a relatively standard six-man bout. They did a good job keeping the interference from illegal partners limited to the final couple of minutes so it was easy to follow. Everyone did their job well, but there were only a few moments worth singling out.
Shibata got the submission win by making Nese tap out.
Result: Joe, Shibata and Hook won
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
Woods should go off on his own. He should be a bigger star than what this group can make him. Nese’s counter to a German suplex was great, but the angle made it look like he landed on his head, not his feet. Joe popping for Shibata doing his walkway spot was great. The way Daivari sold Joe rolling into him to trip him was wild. He landed right on his face and kept going like a champ. Chris Jericho and Big Bill vs. Private Party2 of 8
Collision.AEW
Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy were looking to follow up on their Rampage victory by scoring a win over the two men they fought after the match, Jericho and Bill.
Quen squared off with the giant and was turned inside out by a shoulder block. The high-flyer was able to get in some offense by using his speed to stick and move, but one big jab from Bill leveled him.
The Learning Tree had some trouble with Kassidy and wound up taking a DDT shortly before a commercial break. As good as Private Party can be against the right team, this was not a good combination.
This bout could have been half as long and accomplished everything it did without feeling like it had overstayed its welcome. After Jericho and Bill got the win thanks to Bryan Keith’s brass knuckles, Joe, Hook and Shibata made the save for Private Party and challenged The Learning Tree crew to a match at Forbidden Door.
Result: Jericho and Bill defeated Private Party
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
Big Bill is kind of funny doing this gimmick. His dance during PP’s entrance was hilarious.The silly string move looked slow and clunky. It’s one of those moves that either looks great or awful depending on who Private Party is doing it to. Bill chokeslamming Quen onto Kassidy was a fun spot. Joe kicking Bill below the belt instead of brawling with him made so much sense. Kazuchika Okada vs. Ultimo Guerrero3 of 8
Collision.AEW
The continental champion was in action this week when Okada took on CMLL’s Guerrero in an eliminator match. This was Guerrero’s AEW debut but he has been a respected veteran for quite some time.
Okada begrudgingly showed him a little respect before they locked up and began trading takedowns.
This match included two guys who have already earned their Hall of Fame spots, but this bout probably won’t be included in their induction videos.
They worked at a surprisingly slow pace and had several moments when it became clear that they were either having chemistry or communication issues. Nothing looked awful, but they didn’t have the level of polish you would expect from two guys with their reputations.
Okada ended up pulling off Guerrero’s mask so he was too distracted to prevent the Rainmaker clothesline.
Result: Okada defeated Guerrero
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
Guerrero’s mask was simple but still looked cool. It’s always nice to see a stretch muffler submission. The Patriarchy vs. Iron Savages4 of 8
CollisionAEW
The Iron Savages took on Christian Cage, Killswitch and Nick Wayne in trios action, but Cage opted to join the commentary team for most of the match.
This was a comedy bout that consisted of a series of moments instead of a cohesive flow. Some of it was probably fun for the live crowd, but it didn’t make for the best TV match.
Cage got a good pop when he finally went to the ring to help finish the match with his finisher.
Result: The Patriarchy defeated The Iron Savages
Grade: C-
Notable Moments and Observations
Jacked Jameson never makes much sense but it’s hard not to laugh when he speaks.What was supposed to be in that cup? Was it the secret stuff from Space Jam?Toni Storm and Mariah May vs. Lady Frost and Leyla Hirsch5 of 8
Collision.AEW
Storm and May took on Frost and Hirsch in a tag team match this week. While this was definitely a bit random, it gave two underused talents some valuable TV time.
Hirsch is a unique talent and Frost is one of the best high-flyers in the game. Storm and May are great all-around performers, so everyone meshed together to create some fun sequences.
Even though the result was obvious before it even started, this match was a great display of wrestling ability from all four performers.
Storm sacrificed herself and saved May from Frost’s corkscrew moonsault and gave them the time they needed to recover and win the match.
Result: Storm and May defeated Frost and Hirsch
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
Storm showed some nice technical ability during her exchange with Hirsch. May is deceptively tall and powerful. She is so proportional that you forget how strong she is until she starts tossing people around. Hirsch and May had a great exchange during the picture-in-picture portion of the match. House of Black Squash, Hechicero vs. Daddy Magic6 of 8
Collision.AEW
Brody King and Malakai Black were a man down this week with Buddy Matthews selling an injury at the hands of The Patriarchy, so they had a quick tag match against LSG and MSG, two local talents and real-life brothers.
This was a squash match and an excuse to show how dominant HOB can be when angered. They picked up an easy win
Result: House of Black won
Grade: Incomplete
The next match saw Gates of Agony accompany Hechicero to the ring to take on Daddy Magic, who had his ribs taped up.
The usually technical Hechicero was more aggressive than we’ve seen in an AEW ring. He was literally biting his opponent at one point.
This may not have been a squash, but it was close. Daniel Garcia’s best friend got in some offense here and there, but it wasn’t much. The masked superstar got the win via submission.
Result: Hechicero
Grade: C
Notable Moments and Observations
Nigel McGuinness made a joke about MSG that was outdated 20 years ago. LSG sold Black’s knee to the face perfectly.Daddy Magic saved himself from a nasty bump when he was almost dropped on his head. Will Ospreay vs. Brian Cage (International Title)7 of 8
Collision.AEW
This week’s main event was a showdown for the International Championship between Ospreay and Cage, a former associate of Ospreay’s Forbidden Door opponent, Swerve Strickland.
The Vanilla Gorilla rushed the champion after the bell and unloaded on him. The Aerial Assassin didn’t take long to recover and gain control as the show went to a break.
When you combine one of the most agile performers in all of pro wrestling with a guy whose athleticism and power borders on superhuman, you are almost guaranteed to end up with an entertaining match.
Cage has no right to be able to move the way he does with muscles that big, and Ospreay’s ability to defy gravity has been well-documented. Even if the result felt like a foregone conclusion, this is still worth taking the time to see.
After several close two-counts for both men, Ospreay scored the victory with the Hidden Blade.
Result: Ospreay defeated Cage
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
Ospreay got the biggest pop of the night for his entrance. Cage hit an impressive delayed jackhammer during the break. Ospreay’s diving forearm smash looked great. Cage’s spinning powerslam from the middle rope was awesome. The Final Word8 of 8
Collision.AEW
This week’s Collision had a few highlights, but this episode as a whole left a lot to be desired.
The opening trios bout and the women’s tag match were both enjoyable, but the best thing we saw all night was Ospreay vs. Cage in the main event.
Jericho’s tag bout went on way longer than necessary, The Patriarchy’s tag match was more about comedy than wrestling, and Okada and Guerrero seemed to have some issues.
If you only see one thing from this show, make it the main event. The predictability did nothing to take away from the entertainment.
It should also be noted that Jeff Jarrett’s video package for his participation in the Owen Hart tournament was fantastic and something everyone should watch.
Grade: B-
