AEW Collision Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights from Debut Episode
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CollisionAEW
Welcome to Bleacher Report’s live coverage and recap of the debut episode of AEW Collision in Chicago.
Not only was this show the highly anticipated return of CM Punk, but the former AEW champion even competed in a trios match alongside FTR against Samoa Joe, Jay White and Juice Robinson.
Miro also returned to an AEW ring for the first time in several months, Wardlow defended his TNT title against Luchasaurus, Andrade El Idolo battled Buddy Matthews, and Toni Storm teamed with Ruby Soho to take on Skye Blue and Willow Nightingale.
This was a big night for AEW with the debut of its third major weekly show. Let’s take a loo at what Tony Khan put together for the first episode of Collision.
Opening Segment, Wardlow vs. Luchasaurus
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Collision.AEW
Unsurprisingly, the debut episode of Collision opened with CM Punk coming to the ring to a massive ovation. He immediately said he was tired of being nice. He said he loves the crowd because they love him for being who he is.
He made numerous not-so-subtle references to The Elite throughout his promo. This was classic CM Punk and if he and The Elite can do business, there is so much money to be made. Punk talked for just enough time to make his return meaningful without taking up half the first hour.
Grade: B+
Wardlow and Luchasaurus immediately began trying to overpower each other to start the match. It didn’t take them long to leave the ring, which led to Christian getting involved on Luchasaurus’s behalf.
This was a battle of two of AEW’s strongest wrestlers, so a lot of what we saw were power moves and power counters. Nobody will call this a technical masterpiece, but if you like to watch big meaty men slapping meat, then this is for you.
Christian did a fantastic job playing a manic heel manager at ringside. After hitting a swanton, Wardlow was preparing to win when Christian got involved. Luchasaurus hit the champ from behind with a camera and covered him for a surprising victory.
Luchasaurus is the new TNT champion but it was Christian who was holding it up like he won.
Winner: Luchasaurus
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- The reaction for Punk was similar to what we heard when he debuted at the first Rampage in Chicago.
- Punk’s new shirt is a reference to an old Roddy Piper shirt, but Punk’s has Larry on it.
- That line about counterfeit bucks was classic Punk.
- The way Wardlow hit the steel steps looked painful.
- Do you think it hurts more to take a headbutt from Luchasaurus because of his mask?
Buddy Matthews vs. Andrade El Idolo
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Collision.AEW
Andrade El Idolo made his return to AEW TV against Buddy Matthews of The House of Black. Both men looked like they were in the best shape of their lives as they circled each other.
Andrade was getting heavy babyface reactions, so he played into it and encouraged more cheers as he began to take control.
Both of these guys are among the most athletically gifted performers on the roster, so it should surprise nobody that they were going hard from start to finish.
During the break, both men were getting checked on by ringside doctors, but they were back to brawling before the show returned.
They had an outstanding sequence of moves during the second half of the match before Andrade won with the Figure Eight just like his wife, Charlotte Flair. El Idolo offered his hand but before Buddy could shake it, the lights went out. When they came back on, Brody King and Malakai Black were in the ring.
Not only was this an incredible match, but it set up a potential trios match with HOB and LFI. This was great on every level.
Winner: Andrade El Idolo
Grade: A
Notable Moments and Observations
- Andrade’s mask and robe were awesome.
- Someone had a sign mocking Buddy in the crowd, but they spelled Mami wrong.
- Matthews’ meteora from the top rope was about as perfect as it gets.
- Kevin Kelly butchered Andrade’s name before he made his entrance.
- The double moonsault spot was great.
- Matthews countered a slingshot spear into a DDT that looked awesome.
Miro vs. Tony Nese
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Miro.AEW
Miro made his long-awaited return to AEW to interrupt Tony Nese in the middle of him insulting the Chicago crowd.
This wasn’t a total squash since Nese was able to get in some offense, but it was mostly Miro destroying The Premier athlete before locking him in his version of The Camel Clutch.
This was very satisfying to see, especially if you are a fan of the Bulgarian star. He got to do everything that he is known for and scored an easy win.
Winner: Miro
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Nese’s cartwheel off the apron was nice.
- Miro is going to be babyface by default because nobody will boo him for quite some time.
The Outcasts vs. Skye Blue and Willow Nightingale
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Collision.AEW
The first match in the second hour was the women’s tag match with Toni Storm and Ruby Soho taking on Skye Blue and Willow Nightingale.
The fight started before the bell and they kept it going once they got back into the ring. The crowd was heavily in favor of Blue and Nightingale, especially once The Outcasts started to take control.
All four women were putting forward a lot of effort to make this a fun and competitive match. Storm and Soho had Blue in a bad spot, but Willow came in and made the save to allow Blue to get the pin in her hometown.
Winners: Skye Blue and Willow Nightingale
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
- Blue and Nightingale had matching attires to look more like a tag team.
- Willow’s pounce to Ruby at ringside was nasty.
- Blue’s finisher looked good.
CMFTR vs. Samoa Joe, Jay White and Juice Robinson
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Collision.AEW
The Acclaimed gave a quick promo with Tony Schiavone before the main event took place. Juice Robinson and Jay White were out first, followed by Samoa Joe.
When it was time for FTR and Punk to make their entrance, the crowd went nuts. All three men had on pink and black gear to honor their idol, Bret Hart.
Dax Harwood and White started the match for their teams with a nice exchange of quick takedowns, strikes and counters. Cash Wheeler and Robinson had some time together before Punk finally tagged in to a huge pop.
When Joe finally came in and stared down Punk, the whole crowd was on its feet. They talked some trash to each other before locking up.
This was the only match AEW could have booked in the main event given the card they set up. The crowd was hot from bell to bell and Punk was used just enough at the right moments. All of this was agented perfectly and all six guys brought their A-game.
This bout was given a long time so all six competitors had a chance to shine. We probably saw every possible combination of opponents work together for at least a few moments, so we got a lot of variety.
Joe had Punk in a rear-naked choke while FTR was being held back by Juice and Switchblade. Cash was able to free Dax so he could go and break up the submission.
This led to Robinson taking The Shatter Machine and the GTS to give CMFTR the win. AEW ended a great debut episode of Collison with a fun main event. All in all, this was a fantastic episode of AEW TV.
Winners: CM Punk and FTR
Grade: A
Notable Moments and Observations
- Jim Ross sounded very tired on commentary. He took a bad fall earlier in the day, so that may have had something to do with it.
- It has been almost two decades since Punk and Joe shared a ring together. This felt like a big moment.
- Harwoods has some stiff chops, but Joe’s looked even harder.
- Joe no-selling Punk’s chop was hilarious.
- Punk and FTR had gear with references to Pride month.