Welcome to the first Game Over Gimmicks Collision review! AEW expanded its content a few weeks ago, so we must start reviewing it! First impressions of the new show have been very good, from the talent to the overall presentation. It’s nice to have two AEW shows that feel completely different. Dynamite is the fast-paced blur that has you wondering where two hours went, but Collision slows the pace down and focuses on a core group of people. Collision has the old-school feel.
Let’s talk about this week’s episode!
- First things first…these intro promos are incredible. It’s a little bit like how Rampage used to have dueling promos before the main event but for every marquee match of the show. Fantastic idea right there.
- Also, shout out to Ian Riccaboni, who seems to be covering for Kevin Kelly during the G1 Climax. Ian did a phenomenal job, as one would expect from such a pro.
2 Out of 3 Falls: FTR (c) vs. Bullet Club Gold
Another year, another Two out of Three Falls match involving FTR. Last year was The Briscoes (RIP) and this year was Bullet Club Gold. Having matches become associated with wrestlers is always a good idea; a great way to tell stories. It can’t be a coincidence that they chose this match type. It was a phenomenal 58-minute match, all on free television.
Trying to write out everything that happened would literally take all day. This match had its ebbs and flows as any hour-long match would. The story was all about how evenly matched these teams were and who could withstand who in a wrestling marathon. Bullet Club Gold grabbed the early upper hand by reversing the Shatter Machine into the Blade Runner. It was a clean sequence too. 1-0 Bullet Club Gold
Clean sequences were the name of the game here. Nobody ever felt out of place or in an awkward position. All four guys had impeccable timing. Especially when FTR hit their superplex/frog splash combo, and then Juice hit his own frog splash. Five hundred things could have gone wrong there. After that FTR hit the Shatter Machine out of nowhere to tie it up! Tied 1-1
Things got really intense after a reset and the announcement that there were five minutes left in the match. Pacing in this type of match is very difficult, but making 55 minutes feel like 15 is a testament to how good they did. This match did not feel like 58 minutes at all.
Jay White popped the crowd with a Shawn Michaels tease, then a bunch of Sharpshooter teases. Dax Harwood finished the match with one more Sharpshooter with extra leverage because he removed his knee brace. That was a creative way to end this marathon. Phenomenal match.
4.75/5
Match of the Night
Owen Hart Women’s Final: Ruby Soho vs. Willow Nightingale
Up next was the first Owen Hart Tournament Final of the evening, with Ruby Soho in her second final in a row facing Willow Nightingale. These ladies had a tough draw following the previous match but stepped up to the challenge to have a good match.
One major story in this match: where were the Outcasts? Ruby Soho came out alone, which allowed Willow to use strength to overwhelm her. Ruby tried her best to steal the match by using the spray paint behind referee Aubrey Edwards’s back, which led to a No Future kick, but Willow kicked out. It would have been fitting for Ruby to win there! But nonetheless, Willow surprised everyone by winning after the Powerbomb to become Owen Hart champion.
3/5
Ruby Soho is now 0-2 in Owen Hart Finals. Still wondering where the other Outcasts were.
- Tony Schiavone was backstage with QT Marshall, who was trying to apologize to Powerhouse Hobbs for last week’s loss. QT claimed that he was going to prove himself to Hobbs. and Hobbs accepted it? Maybe?
- The Kings of the Black Throne made sacrificial lambs of a young team up next. Andrade el Idolo confronted Malakai after the match. The mask feud continues!
Owen Hart Men’s Final: CM Punk vs. Ricky Starks
And finally, we reached the main event of this fiery episode of Collision with the Owen Hart Men’s final between Ricky Starks and CM Punk. This slow and methodical match between Punk and Starks had a lot of intriguing parts to it. It wasn’t the best match of the night, but it was still good and breadcrumbs were laid for possible character shifts.
The most interesting part of this match was the interplay between Punk and Starks. They’ve been friendly allies since Collision started, except Starks seemingly did not care about that during this match. Starks taunted Punk numerous times throughout, maybe only to play mind games, but the finish said otherwise.
The match itself was fine. It was definitely a CM Punk match; slow, plodding, methodical, and very thought-provoking. Love him or hate him, his matches always tell some sort of story and have good psychology. This one was all about Starks. And Starks took advantage. The Absolute One stole the pinfall by grabbing the ropes on a rollup. It was very nice, but not one becoming of a babyface!
Fun match!
3.5/5
Overall
And that was Collision for the week! How did you feel about this week’s episode!? Let me know on Twitter @Game_Gimmicks
Obviously, this episode was dominated by the Two Out of Three Falls match, but everything else was good too. There’s honestly not much to complain about when there are only three matches on the card, and one went 58 minutes. This might be controversial, but Collision has been my favorite All Elite Wrestling show in the past five weeks. Dynamite will always be my number one watch, but Collision is on the perfect trajectory.
Verdict: 4.5/5