Collision recap & reactions: Ace of the division

Saturday night is alright for fighting. AEW Collision (Aug. 31, 2024) emanated from Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, SD. The show featured Hikaru Shida earning a title shot, the MxM Collection challenging the House of Black, the Stone Pitbull experience, and more.

Ace of the division

The main event of Collision was a four-way duel between Hikaru Shida, Serena Deeb, Queen Aminata, and Thunder Rosa. The winner receives an All Out shot at the TBS Championship against Mercedes Moné, who is fresh of a Strong title defense over Momo Watanabe in NJPW.

AEW aired hype packages for each competitor throughout the broadcast. An extra layer of intrigue was added when Deeb proposed a partnership with Aminata. The Professor wanted Queen to think it over before answering.

When the time came, Aminata slowly came around to Deeb’s plan. They started getting on the same page. Of course, their teamwork didn’t last long. As tension increased toward the finish, Deeb slapped Aminata, so she headbutt the Professor. That was the beginning of the end, and Shida earned the win with the Katana strike on Aminata. Shida moves on for a rematch with Mercedes in her quest to prove she is the ace of the women’s division.

Rowdy fight. The action rocked, even though, there were a few clunky moments of execution. I’d compare the flow to the Royal Rumble in how new entrants clean house. There were plenty of cleaning house moments from one wrestler to the other three. The wrinkle with Deeb and Aminata combusted before it got cooking. Hopefully there is more to explore leading to screen time for both.

This was one of those rare TV matches in AEW that I had no clue who was going to win. I actually thought Shida would be a lock not to win, because she recently wrestled Mercedes earlier this month. Going with a rematch so quick is a surprising choice. I’m cool with it, because the PPV match should be good. For story allure, AEW has work to do. Kamille influenced the finish last time. The Shining Samurai will need a plan to deal with the Brickhouse.

Let’s jam through the rest of Collision.

Orange Cassidy, Kyle O’Reilly, & Hologram defeated Lee Moriarty, Johnny TV, & The Beast Mortos. Johnny gloated on the turnbuckles after hitting a flipping crucifix slam on Hologram. The masked man sprang up for a reverse Spanish Fly. Hologram hooked a crucifix pin variation for victory.

Maximum chaos for cool moves galore, however, professional wrestling purists will pick this one apart. There were a lot of planned spots. Some felt that way, such as gathering together to receive a dive outside. Others felt more natural, such as Johnny and Moriarty pulling the rope up on Komander’s springboard to send him through the air into a spear from Mortos. One moment of confusion will go down in infamy. Mortos went for a pin, but the referee informed the beast that he was not legal. Mortos stayed inside the ring to tag Johnny standing outside on the apron. The ref ruled that the tag counted, so Mortos was now legal. I can’t think of a better example that the luchador learning curve for American tag team rules is real. The takeaway from the match is that Hologram’s record is 6-0. Keep building his streak, then bring on a title shot. I also like how AEW is building the monster aura for Mortos. It takes a lot of punishment to put him down.

Bang Bang Gang defeated Premier Athletes. Mark Sterling created a distraction. Colten Gunn sidestepped Tony Nese, who smashed into the esquire. The Gunns pounced on Josh Woods for the 3:10 to Yuma for the win.

The Gunns have good chemistry with Juice Robinson as a partner. Much better than Jay White. Juice’s over-the-top energy is a better fit with the Ass Boys. Switchblade is more methodical in his approach.

FTR defeated The Kingdom. Matt Taven and Mike Bennett went for a spike piledriver. Cash Wheeler barreled in to save Dax Harwood. Shatter Machine to Bennett. Taven was victim to the Powerplex combo to lose. Afterward, the Grizzled Young Veterans ambushed FTR. They are tired of living in the shadow of FTR comparisons from stupid fans.

Good match. FTR versus the Kingdom is an example of how AEW blows layups in booking. Both teams are decorated champions in various promotions. This was a first time matchup. It should have received some build to feel somewhat special. Granted, the Kingdom have been presented like goofballs so far, but Taven and Bennett have skills on the mic to talk their way into a fight. The ingredients were there to cook. Instead, AEW tosses it out to the masses with no heat on a random episode. FTR and the Kingdom delivered in the ring, but they deserve more.

Top Flight, Action Andretti, & Lio Rush defeated Iron Savages, Jacked Jameson, & Turbo Floyd. Leila Grey led the crew to the ring. Even Lio was dressed in the team outfit.

Top Flight showed their muscle for a four-man suplex on Boulder. That was the spot of the match, for my money.

Dante Martin sealed the deal with a flying crossover splash on Jameson.

I have no takeaways from this match. It was harmless fun. Moving on.

Kyle Fletcher defeated Tomohiro Ishii. It started much like the Hangman bout on Dynamite with Ishii and Fletcher throwing furious fists. There was an apron spot for a brainbuster on Ishii. The Stone Pitbull rallied for an avalanche hurricanrana and a sliding lariat. The Aussie stayed tough to kick out. In the end, Fletcher hit two straight tombstone piledrivers to win.

Gangbusters of a match. Adrenaline was pumping. Ishii’s style is so much fun to watch when he gets time to work. Both matches against Hangman and Fletcher had the crowd roaring. Of course, he had quality dance partners. Fletcher once again showed that he should be a star of the next generation.

Buddy Matthews defeated Komander. The luchador leaped through the air, and Matthews crushed him with a knee strike. A pumphandle spinning slam was the close.

Nifty matchmaking. Matthews was equally as athletic as Komander, but he was far more muscular. Matthews bullied the smaller man.

Komander used his shiftiness to create windows of opportunity for offense. Matthews’ finisher is pretty sweet. He hasn’t won a singles match all year, so I forgot what it looked like.

Fashion week challenge. As the show progressed, I was thinking that this episode could use some MxM Collection. Lo and behold, they were just waiting for the right time. After Matthews won his match, Brody King arrived to celebrate. Mansoor and Mason Madden appeared on the big screen to issue a challenge.

Next week is fashion week. MxM wants a Friday night fashion fight. (Collision is on Friday night next week before All Out on Saturday.) They will turn Matthews and King into the House of Black and Blue. MxM chuckled at how those colors don’t match. There was more humor in the promo for Tip Touchers to enjoy.

MxM are always delicious. Their aura is so large that they feel like a special attraction when on screen. I love the style clash that we are about to witness. I’m pumped for this one. In the larger scheme, Collision needs more of these moments to set up matches for the following week. Give a reason to build anticipation to tune in.

Notes: Lance Archer mauled innocent chumps backstage. Everybody dies. It was hilarious how he slammed a locker door on one dude’s head.

PAC had his Wembley moment winning the trios titles, but he is not content. The Bastard is still full of piss and vinegar. He challenged Ospreay to a six-man bout next week on Dynamite. O’Reilly and Cassidy butt in to be Ospreay’s partners. PAC was satisfied, since he still has a grudge with OC.

Mariah May’s first world title defense will be against Nyla Rose on Dynamite. The Beauty versus the Native Beast.

Stud of the Show: Hikaru Shida

Ace.

Match of the Night: Kyle Fletcher vs. Tomohiro Ishii

I’m a sucker for the Stone Pitbull experience. That type of slugfest is right up my alley.

Grade: B-

The first hour felt like a house show. Outside of cool action, it was not interesting at all. The second hour had much more purpose. Bangers, stories, and stakes were on the menu.

Share your thoughts about Collision. How do you rate it? What were your favorite moments from the episode?