CALGARY – Traditionally wrestling cards build up, with a big match at the start and a build up of matches to the main event. Whether a house show, a stadium event, a indy show, or a TV taping. After an excellent Dynamite taping in Calgary on Wednesday, July 10, AEW taped additional matches to air on Collision… and it was the polar opposite of the Dynamite taping.
When Collision debuted in 2023 with CM Punk at the helm, it was a sister program to Dynamite, featuring stars and stories that were of the same quality as the Wednesday night flagship show. Some names, like Punk and The House of Black, were exclusive to Saturdays. That is frequently no longer the case, and the Calgary taping was a glaring example of that. Unlike 2023 when the start of ROH tapings lead to a flood of people for the exits, most of the crowd at the Saddledome stayed in place, almost in the hopes of seeing bigger stars.
Tony Khan came out between the tapings to hype the crowd and promised, “We have some great Canadian talent in the back for you.” He didn’t mention that they would primarily be local talents. Now Ava Lawless, who was destroyed by Nyla Rose, and Michael Allen Richard Clark, who took the pin in a trios match against The Bang Bang Gang, are great talents but they didn’t show that during the taping. Christian appeared, but only for an interview segment. Adam Copeland is out injured.
Tommy Billington, who lives in Calgary but hails from England, was pitted against Konosuke Takeshita in the opening bout. Much like his match with Dax Harwood earlier this year in Vancouver, Billington got a lot of time to shine against his larger foe. As of this writing he is not officially “All Elite” but with FTR running in to save him from a beatdown by Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher, it looks like plans are forming for the nephew of the original Dynamite Kid to be at Wembley Stadium at All In.
The crowd energy and enthusiasm died during the aforementioned squash matches and bouts that pitted Roderick Strong against Dalton Castle and Skye Blue versus Harley Cameron. I have been a fan of Strong for decades, I love the guy and was thrilled to see him live again but both matches were pointless and the fans weren’t feeling it. If it was possible to hear apathy, it would have been apparent when Top Flight took on Shane Taylor Promotions. It’s not a knock on the wrestlers, it’s that the matches were just okay and had no purpose. It was time filler, and everyone from the talents to the paying audience to the TV audience deserves better.
Things picked up when Orange Cassidy’s music hit, and he was joined by Kyle O’Reilly who received the “you’re Canadian, so we love you” response. Their opponents were Matt Taven and Mike Bennett, who haven’t wrestled outside of ROH on TV recently. At least this match had some backstory, with Roderick Strong and company trying to convince O’Reilly to reunite with Strong and Adam Cole in the Undisputed Era. The match itself was very good, and had more story with Trent Berreta attacking former friend Cassidy on the outside. But it lacked the main event vibe.
The list of wrestlers that did not appear on either show includes Jon Moxley, Lucha Bros, Rush, MJF (in person), The Elite, The Acclaimed, The House of Black, Darby Allin, Brian Cage, Mark Briscoe, and others that would have made Collision something enjoyable instead of just … there. It was a low ending to an evening that started off so great in Bryan Danielson beating Hangman Page in Owen Hart Cup final. If AEW wants to sell more tickets for future shows, this was not the way to do it.
TOP PHOTO: Nyla Rose chokes Ava Lawless at AEW Collision at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, taped on July 10, 2024, and airing on July 13, 2024. Photo by Jason Clevett
RELATED LINK
https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2024/07/11/second-dynamite-in-calgary-sees-a-drop-in-attendance-not-action/
