AEW Collision 7-29-22 - FTR vs. MJF and Adam Cole for Tag Team Gold

 

This isn't the most loaded show, but it's got a hell of a main event that should shape up either ALL IN or ALL OUT fairly well. Better Than You BAYBAY hypes up the DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE and oh yeah, Andrade vs. Buddy is a ladder match. Boy those ladder bumps better be worth it. Buddy is ungodly huge and Andrade has picked now to not wear the Black Mask cosplay and instead dressed like Mini-Diesel if he was in the United Empire. Moonsault OFF THE LADDER by Andrade before they just chuck ladders at each other. 

Apron warfare teases a big fall before they just hit on the ladder with an Andrade suicide spear on the ladder bridge! Okay, it looks like that was turned into a DDT by Buddy! Andrade hits the goofy Judas Effect and sends him on the ladder bridge on the other side. SUNSET BOMB ON THE LADDER BRIDGE! Julia looks on shocked and the heels handcuff him before a chair kick lets him get the key...well that did a lot of good. Andrade locks Buddy up and Julia GETS BOLT CUTTERS! She leaves them with Buddy, who frees himself while she's up with Andrade. She slaps him a few times and gets shoved off into Buddy through a corner table. Andrade wins and it's TOTHEBACK! Miro brawls with Aaron Solow before Darby's out.

Darby's out to face MINORU SUZUKI IN AN UNHYPED MATCH!? Why is Suzuki coming out and flying across the globe for matches to not at least be advertised? Darby shotgun dropkicks him and dives quickly. Darby slaps him and gets a YOU FUCKED UP chant before eating an overhand Wahoo chop. Chop combo from Darby before a Code Red gets 2. Springboard coffin drop hits, the full-on leads to an RNC, but he Bret counters him and wins it!

Christian calls him out and says he has too much going on. Toni says that Shida was the pandemic champ and like that, we're all glad it's over and they're going to beat the piss out of each other. Joe's busting out black and orange and it isn't even Legally Not Halloween Havoc yet! Why not just have a show called Fright Fest? Joe vs. Gravity is up and Joe just demolishes him quickly and dances while doing so. Muscle buster ends it and wow was that a weird one since Gravity could get a shot via the tourney.

Tony Schiavone brings out CM Punk, who has a new shirt and his red bag. I would laugh if he pulls the WWE Title replica from his fridge out of the bag here. It won't happen - but it would be hilarious. Punk brings up Wembley Stadium and he wants to go there and the bag involves Wembley. Starks beat him in a singles and beat Darby in a tag. He says he's the responsible adult and he pulls out the belt and says that no one has pinned him or submitted him for this title. It's still covered in his blood from All Out. He spraypaints a black X on the main plate and it means HE'S STRAIGHT EDGE AND HE'S BETTER THAN YOU!

Starks comes out and tells them to forget they saw him, so Nigel does just that and feigns shock. Starks does a long intro and Punk looks at his wrist and they bicker and Starks wants a shot. Punk says he doesn't blame the ref - which is logic right out of Mid-South and Punk wants a special ref. Punk says he doesn't blame the ref - which is logic right out of Mid-South with Bill Watts saying that if he blamed the ref for his losses, he might as well credit him with his wins. Punk says he'll give him a shot next week. RICKY STEAMBOAT WILL BE THE REF IN JIM CROCKETT TERRITORY! Ian went overboard talking about Steamboat was always so straight-laced, so he seems pegged for a turn with Punk.

Juice and the Gunns are out to face Vikingo, Andretti, and Darius Martin. Vikingo hits a superkick during a break. Vikingo climbs on his partners' hands for a standing swanton to the floor...as ya do. 3:10 to Yuma ends it for the Gunns! Fun, short match. I love them celebrating with a cutout of Jay White! Keira Hogan's out in super-colorful gear that makes her stand out a lot more to face Mercedes Martinez. Mercedes is a great bitter heel bully. Nice sliding dropkick by Hogan in the corner gets 2. Running...shuffling forearm to the neck sets up the dragon sleeper Romero special for the win. Stat runs down for the save. She leaves the belt laying to attend to Hogan and Martinez takes her out with it. THE HAPPIEST HUMAN ON EARTH WILLOW saves! 

If this was Mid-South, Bill Watts would have got a sentence in about MJF passing word that he'll talk about CM Punk next week - tonight's focus is on the tag titles. FTR gets booed and MJF gets a BASH HIS NUTS chant going. MJF goes for a hot tag and gets grabbed and gets a DOUBLE DDT before tagging in. This is the simplest 1986 Memphis tag formula match ever and it's fantastic! Pump Kick and the ushigoroshi gets 2! Dax dives into a superkick for 2.5. Wheeler wants a tombstone, but Cole superkicks him and MJF gets a victory roll for 2! 

DOUBLE CLOTHESLINE prevented by Dax and Dash hits a big discus lariat. Panama Sunrise avoided for the Powerplex. Slingshot ligerbomb by Dax on MJF gets 2! Cole puts Dax in a shattered dreams position and MJF kicks him but only gets 2 when Cash saves. Back and forth and MJF LOSES TO AN O'CONNOR ROLL BY DAX! Dax pins the world champ - which should make for a good TV match.

Max grabs the belt. Cole, not an idiot, WATCHES THE TRON TO SEE MJF tease an attack. MJF hugs him! 

AEW Collision 7-22-23 - Acclaimed Vie for Trios Titles

The show starts off with Billy and the Acclaimed doing their SNME-style promo before the BBG says that the Gunns have new shirts. Starks says it's time to celebrate and starts things off with his belt. Starks gets a minute-long pyro display to set up the heel act being so full of himself. He says using the ropes doesn't matter - he wins how he can like always and Punk asks him if he can live with the win. Starks says his Louis' as empty as the bag Punk's had. Punk asks him if he wants a shot at what's in the bag because HE'S THE REAL WORLD'S CHAMPION!

Christian comes out and says that is taking too long and he wants to get out of Jersey as quickly as possible because they're all a bunch of sweathogs. Darby talks shit and says that Christian doesn't even wrestle anymore and Christian mocks Punk for holding a belt without being the champ! Punk and Darby face Cage and Starks. Andrade is escorted out by security...and Rhett Titus, who is just security now. White and Juice face Andretti and Darius Martin. Jay dominates before the heels eat some dropkicks and armdrags. Martin gets 2 off a froggy crossbody. Left Hand of God from Juice, the half and half, the pendulum DDT and Blade Runner end it. 

Willow vs. Athena gets a recap from the ROH PPV before MIRO IS OUT TO DESTROY SOMEONE! ONLY NOT SINCE IT'S NICK COMORATO AND HE JUMPS MIRO! Comorato destroys him for a long time, but misses a corner charge and the Machka kick/Game Over combo end it. THIS RULED! House of Black are out and they have Andrade's mask. Buddy busts up the rap and BRODY KING AND DADDY ASS GET TO CLUBBERIN! Babyface in peril before DADDY ASS RUNS DOWN DUDES! The End hits and HOB WINS!? Wow didn't see that happening. He takes the boots off. Shocking result - but DAMN WAS BILLY GUNN THE STAR HERE. Wow. Sad he didn't win a title and that's saying something since I've watched him for 30 years and he got himself over huge again.

FTR promo about him knowing how fake MJF is due to the Pinnacle and when he was a kid, he had to get a job and the punk kids who mocked him remind me a lot of MJF. Then he rambled on for seemingly 757 years before things just ended. WOW that was something. Skye Blue's out to face Taya, who dominates her before the break. The deathlock curb stomp ends it and she calls out Britt for Dynamite. AR Fox highlight reel from the Zero Hour of DBD ahead of his International Title match on Dynamite. 

Punk and Christian go at it with Punk in his red and black gear and Christian's here in his turtleneck gear. HEADLOCK TAKEOVERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR by Christian on Punk! Punk hits a plancha before eating a Starks punch off the top to the ribs. DARBY SUICIDE DIVES ONTO DARBY AND LUCHASAURUS SWATS HIM DOWN! 

DARBY SENT CHRISTIAN TO THE FLOOR AND MADE HIM TAKE A BUMP! THAT EVIL LITTLE FUCKER! Corner bulldog/clothesline combo! PEPSI TWIST HITS FOR 2! Punk gets the elbow for 2 before Starks comes in for back and forth forearms. Darby's in and eats a mid-air spear to...the balls before the Roshambo gets 2! Superplex by Starks leads to a super deathdrop. Punk GTSes Cage on the floor and Starks wins with a Bret-Davey rollup AND THE ROPES win it! And they got like a frame of the finish. This was a great 18 match spread over a good 30 minute match - HHH would be proud.