AEW Collision: A Holiday Bash in Manchester

Continental Classics and championship matches highlight the Holiday Bash of AEW Collision.

Tommy "Milagro" Martinez

AEW Collision: A Holiday Bash in Manchester
Kevin Knight (right) gets ready to eat a Rainmaker by Kazuchika Okada in the Continental Classic.

It’s Saturday…Morning-ish, and you know what that means?

Yep, we are giving you this early Holiday Bash due to a small thing called “College Football Playoffs.” We’ll see two Continental Classic matches in the Gold League, Eddie Kingston getting mad at somebody, and Mercedes Moné putting up one of her many titles.

Before we dive into that, I should point out the following in an…

(Editor’s Note: Because TSN is probably run by Monkeys in the Truck™, the last third of Collision was missed. As a result, our recap from the Dynamite/Collision show was two-thirds complete. To make up for it, here is what took place for the Collision portion. And to cover all that here is a…

All Elite Limerick Recap in Review

*ahem*

Moxley addresses he came close in the Classic to being S.O.L.

And Orange Cassidy beat Mascara Dorada with an Orange Punch (swell).

Isla Dawn lost via a Hayter-ade,

and the Triangle of Madness created chaos that made the grade.

And the main event had FTR defeat the Bang Bang Gang to keep the tag belts (aw, hell).

Now that we’re caught up…

We come to you from The Co-Op Live in Manchester, England. Excalibur, Nigel McGuinness, and Tony Schiavone have the call, and your First Match is a…

Continental Classic Gold League match: “Speedball” Mike Bailey vs. “Jungle” Jack Perry

Perry is looking for his first victory since subbing for Darby Allin.

There is a handshake of respect, and there is a nice back-and-forth action early in the match. Perry comes up hobbling due to an earlier ankle injury sustained early in the Classic. Both men are evenly matched, until rapid Fire kicks by Bailey catch the former Jungle Boy. He sends him out of the ring and follows with an Asai moonsault. Perry comes back and backdrops him on the steps, which leads to…

Ads (huh. No Picture in Picture, eh?)

We come back, and Bailey is in control with a missile dropkick, and he follows with his educated feet and tops it with a running shooting star press for a two count. A falcon arrow, and then he heads up the top turnbuckle for a 450 that misses. He rolls through and Perry fights back. Bailey sweeps the leg, and attempts the spinning double knees and bangs them on the apron edge. Perry returns fire with a Canadian Destroyer, and he tosses him back in the ring.

He goes up top for a double stomp that misses the mark, but Perry further aggravates his ankle. Bailey is on the attack with a spinning kick, but Perry reverses to a suplex to the turnbuckles and covers for a count of two. He rushes and eats a Savate kick by Bailey, and he sets up for the Flamingo Driver. Perry escapes and rolls for a near fall, and cinches the Snare Trap. Bailey fights through and gets the bottom rope to make him release the submission. Each goes for the heavy artillery until spinning double knees are blocked by Perry’s shins, and both men feel the brunt of their actions. Another kick is blocked, and Perry bites his toes, and he delivers a backdrop suplex to earn the points.

Your Winner via Pinfall: “Jungle” Jack Perry

After the match, Luchasaurus appeared wearing a Santa hat and carrying a bag of toys, which the babyfaces threw into the crowd. While “Lucha Claus” and that merry band of elves had their heart in the right place, I gotta say…Manchester got a little feisty with the toys.

Now for something for the wankers, it’s…

Eddie Kingston vs. Nathan Cruz (with Zack Gibson and James Drake)

Folks, I don’t know what the equivalent of a “squash match” is across the pond, but I do know this coulda been an email…or an AEW DARK match. That said, here’s is your Squared Circle Clerihew© for the Season:

*ahem*

Kingston gets jumped by Gibson and Drake,
Just to even things up out of the gate.
Although Cruz thinks he’s mighty flash,
The Mad King does what he does best and takes out this Euro Trash.

Your Winner via Pinfall: Eddie Kingston

Thank ya for coming, Cruz. Murder a pint on the way out.

There is a vignette recap of what took place in the Continental Classic for the Blue League, and right now, it’s anybody’s game over there.

The music hits, and the CEO graces Manchester with her presence. She is here to follow up on her open challenge. So this title match is for the…

RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Championship: Alex Windsor vs. Mercedes Moné

Manchester erupts for Windsor, and Moné is aghast. Windsor comes out swinging, and Ultima Moné is having trouble handling the Norwich native. She goes for a submission, and Moné gets to the ropes to break the hold. She pulls Windsor by the hair and lands double knees on her chest on the apron edge. Windsor rolls through for a Boston Crab, and she escapes yet again. Back in the ring, Windsor covers for a two count, and sends her to the corner, but Moné sidesteps and hits a backbreaker and then…

Ads (Really, AEW. You couldn’t spring for Picture in Picture for overseas?)

We come back, and Moné finishes up the Three Amigos to Windsor, and then climbs for a high-risk maneuver. On the way down, Moné gets a headbutt for her troubles. She finds her second wind and goes for a submission, but Moné rolls up for a count of two and transitions to a Statement Maker. Windsor gets out and hits a crucifix bomb, but Moné comes back with double knees for another near fall. Frustrated, the CEO pulls her to the corner for a tornado DDT, and Windosor blocks it. She then nails an avalanche Blue Thunder Bomb and covers, but can’t seal the deal. Moné with another Statement Maker, but Windsor rolls through. They both go through a series of reversals, and Windsor gets into position to have the CEO’s shoulders pinned.

Therefore, England…

Your Winner, And New RevPro Undisputed British Women’s Champion: Alex Windsor

Manchester is elated, and even Windsor’s son comes into the ring to embrace his mum after the title victory. Moné is beside herself after losing another title in her illustrious collection.

The Belt Collector is having a hard time hanging onto her belts.

There is a recap of the contract signing and the interruption by MJF, and you know at the World’s End PPV, it is gonna be lit.

With that, Don Callis joins at the commentary desk because…why not? So your Main Event is another…

Continental Classic Gold League match: “The RainMaker” Kazuchika Okada vs. Kevin “the Jet” Knight

The bell rings, and they lock up. Both men feel each other out, but it is Okada coming out on top. Knight decides to pull something out of the Rainmaker’s playbook and gestures that he’s “number one.”

Outside, they get aggressive with elbow strikes. Okada suggests they take it in the ring, and they go back in and pick up where they left off, but Knight drops to his knees after sustaining so many blows to the head and neck. Strikes lead to high flying, but Okada plays possum until he gets dropkicked to the desk, and Knight follows after him.

During Picture in Picture (finally!), Knight throws him back in the ring, but Okada rolls out. He chases after him, and Okada nails him with a DDT on the floor. He sends Knight back first to the barricades and rolls him back in to pick him apart.

He covers for a two count and Okada whips him to the corner and hits a running elbow strike, and then follows with a neckbreaker.
He whips to the corner, and Knight kicks him away and lands a crossbody. He follows with European uppercuts and a jumping clothesline. Then a ccoop and a slam, and The Jet covers for a count of two. He attempts a pendulum DDT, but Okada blocks it and Knight goes for a springboard, but Okada shoves the ref to the ropes to trip him up. He goes up top for a big elbow drop and tells fans they’re “number one.” Okada sets up for the Rainmaker, but Knight gets out and nails a Sky High for a near fall. He goes up the top turnbuckle for a UFO splash, but Okada gets his knees in his midsection on the way down.

The Rainmaker attempts the tombstone piledriver, but Knight rolls out and eats a flash Rainmaker clothesline by the AEW Unified champion. He goes for another, misses, but nails a dropkick, but Knight gets one of his own. Now the Pendulum DDT spikes Okada on the head, and Knight follows with a flying clothesline, but can’t seal the deal. Okada is in the corner, and Knight wants to go coast to coast. As he flies, Knight eats a dropkick in midair. Another Rainmaker and Knight rolls Okada up, and the ref counts the one, two, and three.

Your Winner via Pinfall: Kevin Knight

Okada is in disbelief, and Callis is speechless, for once. Bailey comes out to congratulate his JetSpeed partner. That win in the Gold League earns him six points, so all men besides Perry are in a five-way tie as the show comes to a close.

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