Editor’s Note: We have a guest correspondent covering AEW Collision. Rob Thill has been involved in local wrestling scenes in Sacramento, CA, Oregon, and Salt Lake City, UT. We at Slam! Wrestling asked if he could cover a show, and he turned in this report.
By Rob Thill, for Slam! Wrestling
Welcome to AEW Collision from the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois. Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuinness are on the call as we get a recap of Wednesday’s events with Jon Moxley and the New AEW World Champion, Adam Page, while they run down the card for tonight. The Death Riders attack security, and Moxley has the mic. Moxley says he knows Darby is in the building and to show himself, and in typical little Stinger fashion, he does. Darby leaves from the balcony as the Death Riders give chase.
The Gates of Agony (Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun) vs. Brodido (Brody King and Bandido)
We get our first match, and it is the last quarterfinal match in the World Tag Team Eliminator Tournament as Brodido takes on The Gates of Agony. Bandido and Kaun give us all the athleticism before the meat is tagged in. Meat meets meat, as Nigel says as they trade chops. G.O.A. takes over on the outside before hitting a corner backstabber. Brody gets the hot tag and imposes his will by hitting the massive corner cannonball. Double tope from Brodido to the outside. Brodido hit two huge guard rail maneuvers that the cameras barely catch (how is this still happening 6 years in). Bandido with the frog splash for a near two. Kaun hits a Superbomb out of the corner for the 1,2…no. Brody hits an apron DVD, rolls in and hits a superplex, and then Brodido hits the monkey flip splash for the win.
Your Winners: Brodido
They advance to face The Young Bucks in the semi-finals.
Lexy Nair is backstage interviewing Don Callis with Lance Archer. Callus says the family is taking over as Shane Taylor interrupts, asking for the money he is owed. Callis says if he is interested, there is more money to be made if he can handle Skyflight tonight.
We get a recap of MJF and Mark Briscoe. Nice to see Mark get a chance to show another side and not be the brother Jannetty.
Back from commercials, Nair is interviewing Paragon. Kyle is trying to recruit Roddy to the Conglomerate, as they are all just a group of misfits. As the groups split up, Kyle is conflicted by who to walk off with. I will hold judgment on this to see how it develops. Always hard when an injury derails stories.
We see Moxley walking in the dark backstage and is attacked by Darby and wrapped in a towel, and he is dragged away.
Up next is Kris Statlander versus yet another amazing women’s wrestler from Australia, Lena Kross. Stat hits a stalling suplex early on, and Kross counters with a mean bicycle kick, followed by a German suplex for the near fall. Stat fires up, hits the Electric Chair faceplant, and a modified Rings of Saturn for the submission victory. Clean win, solid match. Moving on.
Your Winner: Kris Statlander
Willow Nightingale vs. Thekla
Willow is out next. She always feels the love from the crowd. Thekla is out next with The Triangle of Madness (was hoping this was a working title, but alas, it is not). This group has the hardest-hitting entrance music ever.
The match starts hot for both ladies. Willow hits a mean shoulder tackle followed by a running cross body for the kick out. Willow hits the pounce. Period. And Spider-Girl rolls out. Thekla gets a corner head scissors. Willow heats back up with a nice missile dropkick for the near fall. Thekla works Willow up to the corner and hits a Spider superplex. Willow gets spooked by the girls outside, and Thekla is able to hit a top rope cross body. Willow hits a rebound clothesline back on the inside as the triangle tries to distract. Thekla hits the spear, the curb stomp, and gets the victory.
Your Winner: Thekla
The triangle attacks Willow until Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford show up and join in the beatdown. Queen Aminata, Tay Melo, and Anna Jay come in to make the save.
Lexy is in the back interviewing “Daddy Ass” Billy Gunn when Anthony Bowens comes in. Bowens is irate that Billy hasn’t been showing up for him. Billy says he doesn’t even know who he is anymore, and if he needs him, he will be at home.
We cut to a video package of Swerve calling out The Young Bucks for attacking the Outrunners. Swerve also tells Okada that he is gunning for the Unified Championship, and they are going to need to talk.
Callis and Okada are in the back, and Don puts himself and Okada over. Callis said that Okada gets his advice from him while Swerve gets his from a glorified backup dancer. Okada tells Swerve that they don’t need to talk. At Forbidden Door, they can just fight, BITCH!
FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) vs. The Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson and Austin Gunn)
Our next match is a semifinal match in the Tag Tournament as FTR takes on one Gunn and the Juice. Bang Bang Gang out with Cardblade and Card Colt. I am so behind this. Daniel Garcia is out on commentary, and they put over the brief pairing of him and Nigel and his wanting to be on the card in England.
Dax with the early advantage. Juice is in with an outfit that looks like it was sewn in the dark. FTR took it to Austin for the majority of the match. Gunn and Juice look clunky together, as to be expected. FTR with some classic Arn and Tully Abdominal stretch with the hand assist, and the seven-year-old in me pops. FTR hits a sloppy Hart Attack for a near fall. Juice gets the hot tag and takes over. FTR goes for the sneaky pin, but the ref catches it as Cardblade rejoices. Juice catapults Cash out of the ring. They go for Power and Glory for the 1,2…no. Juice hits a vicious Bladerunner, and somehow Dax kicks out. Juice is outside fighting with Stokely over the crutch, and as he throws it away eats a post for his troubles. FTR distracts and gets the tights, grabbing a roll up for the victory.
Your Winners: FTR
FTR truly is a modern-day love letter to ’80s tag team wrestling.
The Taz Technique is up next as Taz breaks down Athena’s O Face.
Did I just really say that?
Anyway, not a bad analysis. Athena is up next, and she says it will be easy to beat “Tonti,” and she is going to sign her contract for the AEW Women’s Championship match at Forbidden Door.
Next is the “Can you last Five with the Best Wrestler Alive, Max Caster. Max calls on all his Maximaniacs in Chi-raq. He continues to run down Bowen in their forever feud. We turn to the ramp to see that his challenge has been answered by Rush!
Max Caster vs. Rush
Rush rushes (rooshes?) Max, as he rolls out and starts running around the ring to eat up the clock. Rush catches up to him and introduces him to all the guardrails. Rush gets distracted by a fan, and Max hits the cross-body with two minutes left. Rush takes time kicking and posing, and before he can get his big corner move, the time runs out, and Max… wins?
Your Winner(?) via Countout: Max Caster
Rush assaults the ref, and LFI takes it to Max. Did Rush miss the point of this match? JetSpeed makes the save. They fight out to the ramp as Max lies in the ring and lifts his fist in victory.
Shane Taylor Promotions vs. SkyFlight
Trios match next as Shane Taylor Promotions take on SkyFlight, consisting of the Martin Brothers and Scorpio Sky. Great to see Scorp back. Not much to say. Pretty quick match with Sky hitting the DVD into a cutter for the victory. This looks like a feud that we are going to see develop on Ring of Honor for a while.
We cut to Darby dragging Mox up to the El and attempting to throw him over the rail until AEW security breaks it up. Good thing they were at the train station.
Chicago Street Fight for the AEW TNT Championship: Dustin Rhodes(c) vs. Kyle Fletcher
Main Event time for the TNT Championship as the “Protostar” Kyle Fletcher takes on “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes in a Chicago Street Fight. Kyle comes out in all pink. Dustin comes out to his original WCW music, and I squeal like a small child on Christmas. The fans don’t respond to it, but old heads like me are elated.
Dustin takes to plundering on the outside with kendo sticks until he gets cut off and takes a DDT on the steel steps. Dustin is bleeding already as tables come into play. Dustin knows what this match needs as he brings out the cowbell and goes to work clubberin’. Kyle is bleeding now as Dustin goes for a bulldog off the apron, but Kyle counters and Dustin takes the table. Kyle works on Dustin’s knee with the cowbell until Dustin cuts him off and hits a code red for the near fall. Dustin hits a Cross Rhodes ™ for a kick out.
Dustin wins a chair battle and attacks until Kyle superkicks a chair into his face. Kyle sets two chairs up facing each other and hits a jumping tombstone piledriver through the chair. Sweet Jesus. And Dustin kicks out, naturally. Kyle sets Dustin up in the corner. Dustin hits a Code Red from the top rope, through a table, and Kyle kicks out, naturally. Dustin pulls out a golden glove from under the ring that is adorned with thumbtacks. Dustin locks on the Iron Claw when Kyle counters with a low blow. Kyle grabs the sack-o-tacks and litters the canvas. Dustin hits a power slam into the tacks, and Kyle barely kicks out. Dustin sets him up for Shattered Dreams and grabs the rest of the tacks in the bag and stuffs them in Kyle’s trunks and hits the kick. Kyle rolls to the ropes as Callis hands him the screwdriver. Kyle hits him in the head and then starts attacking Dustin. Kyle rears back and stabs Dustin in his knee. Dustin pulls the screwdriver out of his leg and gives it his best effort, but it isn’t enough. Kyle picks him up and hits the brainbuster for the 1,2,3.
Your Winner and NEW AEW TNT Champion: Kyle Fletcher.
Dustin got his, most likely, last moment in the sun, and it was perfect. Kyle celebrates on the ramp as we end the show.
That’s all for Collision. Thanks for reading.
Top Photo: Dustin Rhodes gets bloody against Kyle Fletcher for the TNT Championship in a Chicago Street Fight. Courtesy of AEW
