AEW Collision live results: The return of CM Punk

After months of discussion, the debut of AEW Collision has finally arrived and with it, the return to CM Punk to after ten months away from the company.

Punk will team with AEW Tag Team Champions FTR to take on ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe and Bullet Club Gold’s Jay White & Juice Robinson. It will be Punk’s first match since last September’s All Out and he is expected to kick off the show with a promo.

Both Miro and Andrade El Idolo will join Punk as returning to action after being out since All Out. Miro’s opponent has yet to be named while Andrade will face Buddy Matthews of the House of Black.

TNT Champion Wardlow will defend against Luchasaurus just weeks after the former successfully defended against Christian Cage.

AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm will team with Ruby Soho against Skye Blue & NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Willow Nightingale.

The Acclaimed will also appear in a promo segment.

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Elton John’s “Saturday Night’s Alright” played us in as cameras sweep the crowd. The Collision Era begins live in the United Center in Chicago, IL. Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness were on the call.

CM Punk Returns

This will ruffle a few feathers, and Punk knew that when he grabbed the mic. Punk set up feuds with MJF and the Elite, but whether those feuds actually happen or not is anyone’s guess. An energetic start to the show.

After a few seconds of CM Punk chants, Cult of Personality hits. CM Punk made his way to the ring to a massively positive reaction. He in his gear, with his boots around his neck and a red bag in his hand.

He says that he’s tired of being nice. He was on the shelf for 10 months with a ruptured triceps. Punk talks about how, as long as he was here, this would be the professional wrestling business, not a popularity contest. If you told a young Punk that he would sell out buildings all over the world, young Punk wouldn’t believe you. But he has, and he’s gotten here riding the backs of smart and passionate pro wrestling fans. He loves the people because they love him.

They love him because he’s always unapologetically been himself. But there are some people who hate him for that. Punk knows his presence makes people uncomfortable because he is the truth, and the truth is painful. We get F*** The Elite chants. He says you can love him or hate him, but we all know he’s the truth. He says that people can call him whatever they want, but David Zaslov – WBD executive – calls him One Bill Phil, because he’s the one true article in a business full of counterfeit bucks. I’m sure that won’t ruffle any feathers.

Punk says he will never compromise, and that he’ll always be himself. There are people who think they’re owed an apology, and he apologizes. He’s sorry that they’re softer than the wrestlers they like. Punk grabs the bag, saying that the last time he was in the ring, he had what’s in the bag raised over his head. He says it belongs to him until someone can pin him or submit him. Punk grabs his boots from around his neck and says that there are people who prayed that he would hang them up. Until someone can fill those boots, they belong on his feet. Punk leaves with the bag and the boots to a massive reaction.

– We get a video package of hyping the TNT Title match tonight between Wardlow and Luchasaurus. Christian makes his way out, and it appears that the title match is next.

AEW TNT Title Match: Luchasaurus (w/Christian Cage) defeated Wardlow to win the title

This was a fun big guy match. I didn’t enjoy the finish, but it’s clear that they wanted to protect Wardlow as he lost the title.

Kevin Kelly noted that this was Luchasaurus’ first shot at the TNT Title. After a lockup, Wardlow sent Luchasaurus out of the ring with a dropkick. Wardlow followed him to the floor and battered on him before chasing Christian around the ring. Christian escaped under the ring but crawled out to grab Wardlow’s leg on the apron and allow Luchasaurus to take control. Luchasaurus clubbered Wardlow before laying him out with a boot before we went to break.

We come back to Wardlow lifting Luchasaurus in an Electric Chair position before dropping him. Wardlow fired up, muscling Luchasaurus into the corner and hitting shoulder blocks. Wardlow hit a main event spinebuster before heading to the top rope. Christian distracted him again, allowing Luchasaurus to chokeslam him down for a nearfall. Luchasaurus set up another chokeslam, but Wardlow bit the thumb – ala Arn Anderson. They traded strikes before Wardlow dropped Luchasaurus with a lariat.

Wardlow loaded up the Powerbomb, and despite Christian’s attempts to distract, he hit one. Christian grabbed a chair to distract Wardlow, allowing Luchasaurus to rip off a chokeslam for a close nearfall. Wardlow reversed a powerslam into one of his own before hitting a swanton bomb off the top rope.

Wardlow pulled the straps down, but Christian distracted him again. Wardlow went to hit the ten punches in the corner, but Luchasaurus escaped and took the referee. Christian grabbed a camera from a ringside photographer and drilled Wardlow in the head with it, allowing Luchasaurus to lariat Wardlow in the back of the head to win the match and the title. Christian grabbed the title and celebrated with it as Luchasaurus held him on his shoulders.

– Backstage, Lexy Nair was with Powerhouse Hobbs and QT Marshall. Marshall said that Hobbs was here on Collision as promised, and that Hobbs would win the Owen Hart Tournament. Hobbs said that this new chapter of the Book of Hobbs would be about redemption.

Andrade El Idolo defeated Buddy Matthews (w/ Julia Hart)

This was a stellar return match for Andrade, and he and Matthews had a battle playing off of each other’s recent injury history. The post-match set up what looks to be an entertaining feud in the future.

The crowd chanted Welcome Back to Andrade, who hasn’t been in an AEW ring since All Out 2022 where he tore his pec. I guess he was waiting for Punk too. After a stalemate, Andrade caught himself in the ropes and baited Matthews to the floor. After scolding Hart for getting too close to his mask, Andrade cartwheeled into a moonsault off the apron. Matthews sent Andrade into the ringpost and into the timekeeper’s area, but Andrade hopped on the barricade and hit a hurricanrana into the barricade.

Back in the ring, Andrade and Matthews battled near the turnbuckle, where Matthews hooked Andrade’s arm and pulled him into the post. He sent Andrade into the barricade before pulling him into the ring and hitting a meteora for a nearfall. In the picture-in-picture break, both men were being checked by the ringside doctors. Andrade was checking his arm, while Matthews had issues with his knee. They were good to go, so the match continued.

Back in full screen, Andrade was writhing on the floor as the referee laid in the count. Andrade got back in the ring where he was met with boots from Matthews. Andrade came back with dragon screw leg whips before hitting his double jump moonsault for a nearfall. Matthews fought out of Andrade’s hammerlock DDT before catching him with a DDT in the ropes for a nearfall. Andrade followed Matthews to the top rope, where Matthews tried a sunset flip powerbomb. His knee gave way, but he was able to hook Andrade’s head and hit superkicks.

Matthews crumbled on a powerbomb attempt, allowing Andrade to drill him with a running back elbow. Andrade went for the knees in the corner, but Matthews popped up and hit a knee for a nearfall. Matthews tried locking on a reverse sharpshooter – shades of Rhea Ripley – but Andrade got out of it and locked on a Figure Four. Andrade bridged up into a Figure Eight – shades of his wife Charlotte Flair – to force the submission and score the win.

Andrade offered a handshake, but the lights went out. It wasn’t Sabu, it was the rest of the House of Black. Brody King laid him out with a lariat as the House of Black stood tall around him.

– We got a Scorpio Sky video package, highlighting his AEW career before noting that he will be back soon.

– Tony Nese was in the ring, sick of seeing the cellulite spill over everyone’s chairs. He led the United Center in group exercise before Miro’s music hit.

Miro defeated Tony Nese (w/ Smart Mark Sterling)

From what I saw, Miro looked in good shape and had the crowd on his side. A motivated Miro is another great re-addition to the AEW roster.

I missed most of this match due to technical issues on my end. The issues didn’t take that long to fix. I got the show back running with Miro hyping up the crowd. He hit a big sidekick on Nese before calling for the Game Over. He locked it on, breaking Nese’s back and making him humble. Nese quickly submitted as the crowd cheered Miro’s violence.

Skye Blue & Willow Nightingale defeated The Outcasts (Ruby Soho & Toni Storm)

A fine match that allowed Skye Blue to get a win in her hometown.

The Outcasts got a jump start on their opponents, sending them to the floor. They got in the face of Skye Blue’s mom at ringside, who slapped them both. That allowed Nightingale to pounce Soho into the barricade, and for Blue to jump off the apron to hurricanrana Storm. Back in the ring, Storm cut Nightingale off with a shot to the back, allowing Soho to take control as we went to picture-in-picture.

Back from the commercial, Nightingale clotheslined Soho before making the tag to the hometown girl Blue. Blue fired up on the champion, hitting the rising knee and a low kick. Blue hit a diving crossbody for a nearfall that Soho broke up. The match broke down into a Pier Four brawl before Storm locked on the cloverleaf submission she beat Blue with on Dynamite. Blue crawled all the way across the ring to get the ropes.

Blue escaped the Storm Zero before tagging in Nightingale, who laid out Storm. Soho laid out Nightingale with the Destination Unknown before Blue tagged in. Storm hit the hip attack to Blue in the corner. The Outcasts went to spray paint Blue, but Willow grabbed Storm and sent the paint into Soho’s eyes. Blue hit the Code Blue on Soho to score the win in her hometown.

– In a pre-tape, Ricky Starks added himself into the Owen Hart Tournament. He noted that this tournament was absolutely his to win. I see what he did there.

– In a pre-tape, Jeff Jarrett announced that he’s signed for a Concession Stand Brawl against Mark Briscoe, 46 years to the day of his family promoting the infamous Tupelo Concession Stand Brawl. He says there’s gonna be no Karen and no Sonjay, only Jeff kicking Briscoe’s ass.

The Acclaimed Want Us To Listen

Tony Schiavone welcomed out the Acclaimed. In Caster’s rap, he wanted us to wish Daddy Ass a happy Father’s Day. Billy Gunn noted that while he’s not been in the game much lately, the Trios Titles are still within their reach. Anthony Bowens noted that AEW now stood for two things – Acclaimed Every Wednesday and Acclaimed Every Weekend. They want to scissor in the city that made the Acclaimed the people’s choice, so they have a big scissor party.

– Kevin Kelly ran down the Dynamite card for Wednesday in Chicago. Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, and Minoru Suzuki will reform their team from last year’s Forbidden Door to take on AR Fox, Action Andretti, & Darius Martin. Kris Statlander will defend the TBS Title against Taya Valkyrie. Orange Cassidy and Katsuyori Shibata will team against Daniel Garcia and Zack Sabre Jr. The Gunns will take on the Hardys. Jeff Jarrett and Mark Briscoe will have their Concession Stand Brawl. Finally, a Blind Eliminator Tournament will take place to determine the #1 contender to the AEW Tag Team Titles.

CM Punk & FTR defeated Jay White, Juice Robinson, & Samoa Joe

This was an energetic main event, as Punk was able to get his feet under him with a win. The energy was mostly directed towards the Punk/Joe faceoffs, and Joe did get the better of Punk in their exchanges, so it’s possible that they move in that direction for Punk’s near future. It didn’t need to go as long as it did, but I understand maximizing the minutes Punk was on screen. A fun show overall.

Jim Ross joined the announce booth for the main event, noting that he was so excited for this match that he talked himself hoarse. White and Harwood started off, with White taking control with heavy chops. Harwood answered back with chops of his own before hitting a big back body drop. Harwood ran White ragged before going for the Sharpshooter, but White rolled out of harm’s way and tagged out to Robinson.

Robinson got cut off with an FTR double team before Wheeler ran wild with dropkicks. Wheeler sent Robinson up and over with a gorilla press slam. Punk tagged in for the first time, helping set up a top rope powerslam from Wheeler for a nearfall. Robinson bailed out of a Go To Sleep before Samoa Joe tagged himself in. The staredown between Joe and Punk got the crowd fired up. Joe got the first shots in with heavy chops before Punk slowed things down with a headlock as we went to a picture-in-picture break.

Back from the break as Robinson knocked Harwood down with the Left Hand of God. Joe’s team clubbered on Harwood before Harwood caught Robinson with a German suplex. Wheeler tagged in and ran wild on Robinson, finishing with a catch powerslam for a nearfall. Punk tagged in and hit an assisted elbow drop on Robinson before tagging back out for another picture-in-picture commercial.

Wheeler reached the ropes on a White single-leg crab as we came back to full screen. Joe’s team battered Wheeler before Punk broke up a cover from Joe. Wheeler and White traded chops before White went low and hit a chop block. Wheeler hit a back drop on Robinson, and despite White’s best efforts, Punk made the hot tag and ran wild on the Bullet Club team. Punk hit both White and Robinson with rising knees before taking them both out with a bulldog/clothesline combination.

White clawed at Punk’s eyes to get out of the Go To Sleep. Punk hit a high kick in response before going to the top rope, but Robinson swept Punk’s legs out from under him. White hit a uranage for a nearfall. White set up the Blade Runner, but Punk hit the Pepsi Twist to escape. FTR tagged in and hit a Powerplex before Punk hit the diving elbow. Robinson broke up the cover, allowing White to tag out to Joe.

Joe and Punk traded strikes before White blindsided Punk. The match broke down into a Pier Six brawl before Punk and Joe were back alone in the ring. Punk hit the rising knee, but Joe slipped out of the Go To Sleep and locked on the Coquina Clutch. Bullet Club tried to hold back FTR, but Harwood was able to break up the submission. Robinson tagged in, but Punk hit a high kick. FTR hit the Shatter Machine, leading to Punk hitting the Go To Sleep on Robinson to win. CMFTR celebrated as we faded out.