AEW Collision live results: Kazuchika Okada vs. Ultimo Guerrero
A big interpromotional match is set for tonight’s AEW Collision as AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada will meet Ultimo Guerrero in a title eliminator match.
This will mark the AEW debut of the CMLL legend as stars from both CMLL and NJPW continue to make appearances ahead of next Sunday’s Forbidden Door.
A second CMLL star, Hechicero, will also be in action taking on Matt Menard.
Will Ospreay will defend the AEW International title against Brian Cage. Ospreay made the save for MJF after he was jumped by the Gates of Agony on Wednesday and after a backstage confrontation, Ospreay accepted a title challenge for tonight.
The rest of the card will see Samoa Joe, Hook & Katsuyori Shibata vs. The Premier Athletes; Chris Jericho & Big Bill taking on Private Party; and The Patriarchy taking on The Iron Savages. Toni Storm & Mariah May be in action against Leyla Hirsch & Lady Frost while The Kings of the Black Throne (Malakai Black & Brody King) will compete.
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Sir Elton John took the week off as this week’s Collision comes live – to tape – from Allentown, PA. Tony Schiavone & Nigel McGuinness were on the call.
Hook, Katsuyori Shibata & Samoa Joe defeated The Premier Athletes (Ari Daivari, Josh Woods & Tony Nese) (w/Mark Sterling)
This is what I want AEW’s trios division to look like. Some established groups, but more groups of singles guys coming together for a common cause. Whether it be to win Trios gold, or menace the Premier Athletes as Hook, Shibata, & Joe have come together to do. This was nothing special, but a useful enhancement match.
The Athletes got their hands on Hook to get a moment of control, but Hook was able to fight his way to the corner for a tag to Shibata. Shibata and Woods got after it on the mat as both are former ROH Pure Champions, but Nese broke it up with a stomp. Shibata took a page out of Samoa Joe’s playbook by walking out of the way of a Nese moonsault.
A distraction and a double shoulder tackle scored the Athletes a one count on Joe, but Joe swept Daivari’s leg and got the tag to Hook. Hook ran wild until Woods sent him flying into the corner with a German suplex. Shibata came in and ran wild before getting Nese to submit to a cross-arm breaker.
Bullet Club Gold was backstage, sans Jay White. They complained that AEW refuses to recognize Juice Robinson as a Trios Champion, while they have the House of Black & Death Triangle breathing down their necks for title matches. They warned PAC to look out for Jay White in the Owen Hart Memorial Tournament, because he’d hurt him.
The Learning Tree (Big Bill & Chris Jericho) (w/Bryan Keith) defeated Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen)
This was far more competitive than you would think. Private Party looked fine, but they’re not over and feel like a relic from AEW’s past.
Big Bill has Tony Schiavone’s quote about him being “Too much man” across his tights, with Schiavone noting that this is the first time he’s seen his name across another man’s backside. Bill dominated Quen to start the match. Kassidy tagged in and went after Jericho with a flurry of offense. Kassidy hit Silly String for a nearfall before Keith cut off Quen with a trip on the floor.
After a commercial, Quen hit a high cross to Jericho to get the tag to Kassidy. Kassidy ran wild on both Jericho & Bill, getting a nearfall with a sunset flip. Jericho went for a Lionsault on Quen, but Quen got his knees up and held Jericho in place for a Kassidy dive to Bill on the floor. Private Party hit a pair of top rope moves, with Jericho kicking out of a 450. Kassidy springboarded into a big boot from Big Bill for a nearfall.
Jericho caught Kassidy’s hurricanrana attempt into the Walls of Jericho, but Kassidy got to the ropes. Big Bill tagged in and got a nearfall with a double-rotation Bossman Slam. Bill chokeslammed Quen onto Kassidy for another nearfall. Private Party knocked Bill into Jericho on the top rope, allowing them to hit a modified Gin & Juice for a nearfall. Big Bill distracted the referee, allowing Keith to hit Kassidy with a set of brass knuckles to help Jericho score the win.
The Learning Tree put the boots to Private Party before Samoa Joe, Katsuyori Shibata, & Hook made the save. Joe made the challenge for a trios match between the teams at Forbidden Door.
AEW Continental Title Eliminator Match – Kazuchika Okada defeated Ultimo Guerrero
I wondered why Guerrero wrestled with his mask on here, but remasking Guerrero so Okada could get heat for unmasking him was a good call for a one-off TV match in Forbidden Door season. The match was clunky, as the two didn’t have the smoothness you’re used to seeing in AEW. They pulled it together by the end to have a good enough TV match.
The normally unmasked Guerrero controlled things early on as Schiavone ran down his credentials as a long-time star in CMLL. Guerrero clubbered on Okada in the corner before an attempt at a submission got Okada to the ropes. Guerrero fought off the neckbreaker out of the corner, but a second attempt scored for Okada as we went to commercial.
Both men went down with clotheslines as we came back from the break. Guerrero knocked Okada to the apron, then baseball slid him to the floor. Guerrero threw Okada back in the ring but got caught with a dropkick. Okada went for the mask, but Guerrero pulled him out of the corner to hit a powerbomb for a nearfall. Guerrero went for a reverse superplex, but Okada clawed at the mask to escape. Guerrero ducked a Rainmaker attempt, but after snatching the mask off, Okada hit a Rainmaker to win.
Top Flight were backstage with Lexy Nair. Dante Martin reminded everyone that he broke his leg in the last ladder match he was in. He had to be a little crazy to get in another ladder match, but it’ll take a little crazy to get the TNT Title. Lio Rush – who earned a spot in the ladder match with a win over Action Andretti last night – told Dante that he had his back last week, but he wants the TNT Title just like Dante does. They had a tense staredown.
We got a video package on The Patriarchy’s focus on the Trios Titles, and their attack on Buddy Matthews last week.
The Patriarchy (Christian Cage, Killswitch & Nick Wayne) (w/Mother Wayne) defeated Iron Savages (Boulder, Bronson & Jacked Jameson)
Less Iron Savages on my TV, please.
Christian sent his guys to the ring before joining Schiavone & a fawning McGuinness on commentary. The Savages did their sauce bit before Killswitch headbutted Bronson. Wayne preened, allowing Bronson to do the dumb bit with Boulder’s chest. Killswitch beat these dorks up, chokeslamming Jameson onto Boulder on the floor. Killswitch hit a chokeslam on Bronson, then tagged in Wayne to hit Wayne’s World. Christian then went to the ring to hit the Killswitch – the move, not the wrestler – for the win.
We got a video recapping Mercedes Mone’s surprise appearance in Arena Mexico to confront her Forbidden Door opponent, Stephanie Vaquer. The two got into a scrap ending with Mone holding both titles high.
Mariah May & Toni Storm (w/Luther) defeated Lady Frost & Leyla Hirsch
Storm and May got in a little trouble in this match, with Storm having to cover May up as Frost hit the Frostbite. Storm got the win after dual hip attacks and a Storm Zero to Hirsch.
Serena Deeb was backstage. She started the year on a hot streak, but then suffered three of the toughest losses of her career. She will fight to turn the tide, and she challenged anyone to come to Buffalo next week for Collision.
House Of Black (Brody King & Malakai Black) defeated LSG & MSG
This was a swift death for the locals, as the House of Black got a quick win with Dante’s Inferno. After the match, Ian Riccaboni asked how it felt to be out there without the injured Matthews. King said that revenge was never a straight line, and that they felt nothing. Alright.
Hechicero (w/Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) defeated Matt Menard
Hechicero caught Menard on a leapfrog and dropped him on his head. He followed up with a rising knee in the corner and a back body drop. Menard avoided another rising knee, hitting ten punches in the corner before hitting a Diamond Cutter for a nearfall. Hechicero came back with a choke over the ropes and a twisting dive into the ring. Hechicero got the win with the twisting leg drop and a Rings of Saturn variant.
We got a Jeff Jarrett video package. Jarrett spoke candidly and emotionally about his memories with Owen Hart. He said that the Owen Hart Memorial Tournament meant more to him than anything in his career, and it meant the world to him to get the chance to win the tournament in Owen’s hometown.
(This was a stellar video package, with earnest and genuine emotion from Jarrett talking about his late friend. It gave his entry into the Owen a real emotional hook.)
We got a rundown of next week’s Dynamite before getting a look at next week’s Collision card, which will feature Deonna Purrazzo vs. Hikaru Shida in a Hart Foundation Tournament match.
AEW International Title Match – Will Ospreay defeated Brian Cage to retain
A strong defense for Ospreay, and a strong main event for a largely uneventful Collision. Ospreay allowed Cage to muscle him around, including that wild powerslam off the ropes. Ospreay got another good win leading up to the Forbidden Door main event against Swerve.
These two got after it at the bell, with Cage jumping Ospreay to start and tossing him away on a headscissor attempt. Ospreay low-bridged Cage before hitting a house show dive as we went to a commercial break.
After the break, Ospreay fought out of a bear hug and hit an enzuigiri. Daniel Garcia looked on as Ospreay hit a Phenomenal Forearm for a nearfall. Ospreay got back body dropped out of a Stormbreaker attempt, leading to Cage dumping Ospreay with a German suplex. Cage hit an apron superplex for a nearfall. Ospreay reversed a powerbomb into a hurricanrana into the corner. Ospreay hit a forearm off the top rope, but after a series of reversals, Cage dropkicked Ospreay out of the sky on an Oscutter attempt.
Cage went for a discus lariat, but Ospreay flipped through and hit a powerbomb as the match reset. Cage eventually caught Ospreay with an F-5 for a nearfall. After a commercial, Ospreay fired up and caught Cage with a pair of Scorpion Kicks, but Cage laid him out with a lariat. Cage hit a pair of powerbombs for a nearfall. Ospreay maneuvered out of another powerbomb and hit a DDT. Cage caught Ospreay on a handspring for a German suplex, but Ospreay rolled to his feet and hit a Hidden Blade for a nearfall.
Cage powered Ospreay to the corner, then caught Ospreay with a gamengiri. Ospreay stuck Cage’s head in the corner and hit a Cheeky Nandos kick. Cage cut off a hurricanrana and hit a sick powerslam off the ropes for a nearfall. Cage hit a lariat that sent Ospreay up-and-over to the top rope, but Ospreay hit the hurricanrana he was looking for. Ospreay got caught with a forearm but came back with a Stundog Millionaire and a poisonrana. Ospreay only got a nearfall with the OsCutter, but the Hidden Blade put Cage down for the count as Ospreay retained the International Title.