AEW Collision live results: World Championship eliminator match
Swerve Strickland wrestles on this week’s Collision.
Days away from facing Wheeler Yuta of the Blackpool Combat Club, Strickland has put out an open contract for an AEW World Championship eliminator match. On August 25, Strickland will defend the title against Bryan Danielson in a title vs. career match at All In.
Another title eliminator match will take place for the Trios Championship. The House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews) will take on The Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson & The Gunns) with Christian Cage, one-third of the Trios Champions, as special guest referee. The winners will go on to face The Patriarchy.
Other matches will see FTR take on The Outrunners, Darby Allin & Hologram teaming up to take on The Premiere Athletes (Josh Woods & Tony Nese), Rush vs. former LFI member Preston Vance, and Deonna Purrazzo taking on Thunder Rosa in a Texas Bullrope match. Hikaru Shida will also be in action.
Join us for live coverage starting at 8 pm ET.
Once again, this week’s Collision came to us from the Esports Arena in Arlington, TX. Tony Schiavone & Nigel McGuinness were on the call.
Darby Allin & Hologram defeated The Premier Athletes (Josh Woods & Tony Nese) (w/Mark Sterling & Ariya Daivari)
An energetic opener here, with the crowd firmly behind Hologram as he teamed with another red-hot babyface in Darby Allin. The Athletes are an effective undercard team, with Sterling’s schtick consistently getting the desired reactions.
Sterling walked out complaining about his broken arm and the fans in the Esports Arena. Hologram started with Woods, with Woods dragging him into his corner and getting the quick tag to Nese. Hologram got Nese to his corner, where he and Allin double-teamed Nese before an Allin Code Red scored a nearfall. Another run of tandem offense led to Allin hitting a springboard splash for a nearfall.
Sterling hooked Allin’s leg, leading to Woods getting the advantage on Allin with a huge throw. Woods sent Allin to the floor and distracted the referee, allowing the other Athletes and Sterling to lay the boots in. The Athletes beat on Allin as we saw a countdown clock for Swerve Strickland’s match tonight, set to come at the top of the hour. Allin rolled through a pair of back suplexes to get the tag to Hologram.
Hologram ran wild on both Athletes, hitting a tilt-a-whirl DDT on Woods and turning a Nese crossbody into a powerslam. Woods cut Hologram off with an anti-air knee on a springboard, leading to an assisted Olympic Slam for a nearfall. Allin broke up the pin, then did a Coffin Drop onto an interfering Sterling and Daivari. Hologram turned an attempted Chaos Theory into a crucifix pin to score the win for his team.
We got a video package hyping the Texas Bullrope match tonight against Thunder Rosa & Deonna Purrazzo, narrated by bullrope match veteran Dustin Rhodes.
Texas Bull Rope Match – Thunder Rosa defeated Deonna Purrazzo
This was the best match between these two, as they brought the violence to this blowoff match.
This match thankfully ends with pinfall or submission instead of the goofy four-corner rule. Rosa came out with a Texas flag and state-colored gear. Rosa came out a house of fire, sending Purrazzo to the floor and into the stairs. Rosa hit a backstabber, but Purrazzo cut Rosa off on the ropes. The two got into a tug of war around the ring post, which Purrazzo won by pulling Rosa into the post. Purrazzo followed with a straight shot with the cowbell to cut Rosa open as we went to a commercial.
After the break, a crimson Rosa yanked Purrazzo off of the top rope into a pile of chairs for a nearfall. Rosa stuck a chair into the corner and threw Purrazzo head-first into it before dropkicking the chair into her face right after. Purrazzo got cut open by the chair shots and cut Rosa off on the top rope. She repeatedly sent a chair into Rosa’s ribs before hitting a shoulder tackle. Purrazzo hit a Gotch-Style piledriver for a nearfall.
Purrazzo sat Rosa on a table and hit her with the rope, but Rosa cut her off and sent Purrazzo through the table with a bulldog. Rosa hit the Tijuana Bomb to score the win and finally get her win over Purrazzo.
We got a stylized video of The Outrunners, complete with VHS video quality and cheesy 80s music as the soundtrack.
FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) defeated The Outrunners (Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd)
The announcers noted that FTR is second in all-time tag team wins in AEW, behind The Acclaimed. The Outrunners worked over Wheeler to start before FTR got the advantage and mocked the Outrunners poses before the commercial break. After the break, Wheeler fought out of the Outrunner corner to get the hot tag to Harwood, who ran wild with five German suplexes on Magnum. FTR won soon after with the Shatter Machine on Magnum.
As FTR was celebrating, it was announced that The Acclaimed would get their tag team title match against The Young Bucks this Wednesday on Dynamite.
Kip Sabian was backstage with Lexy Nair, who asked about his recent issues with Nick Wayne. Wayne entered the frame and bragged about being the youngest champion in AEW history. Wayne challenged Sabian to a match on Rampage, promising to make Sabian a loser like his dead father.
We got a promo from MJF, mocking Will Ospreay for “allowing” Kyle Fletcher to get bloodied up. MJF noted that he would be wrestling another one of Ospreay’s friends, Michael Oku, in Revolution Pro Wrestling in London on August 11th. He said that he would hit Oku with the Tiger Driver and break his neck too. We heard from Ospreay and Fletcher, with Fletcher saying that if anyone deserved to get hit with the Tiger Driver, it’s MJF.
Rush defeated Preston Vance
Rush’s violence always gets over, he just needs to be around more consistently for the reactions to develop into something.
This match came about after last night’s Rampage, where Don Callis challenged Rush to prove he was willing to do whatever it took to succeed and represent the Callis Family. Rush and Vance raised fists as former stablemates before Rush hammered Vance with a forearm. Rush sent Vance into the barricade and bit him. Vance came up bloody but came back with a spear and the Brodie Lee discus lariat for a nearfall.
Vance went for The Bull’s Horns, but Rush tossed Vance into the corner before drilling him with The Bull’s Horns for the emphatic win. In the back, Callis looked pleased. Rush hit Vance with another Bull’s Horns before getting pulled away by the referee corps.
We got the same Jack Perry video from Dynamite, this time without a Taco Bell ad in the middle of it. He said that those who shape the future have the burden of burying the past before destroying TVs with former TNT Champions on them. He saved his All In opponent Darby Allin for last, before one last TV showed him in his Scapegoat mask.
Swerve Strickland came out for his open challenge Eliminator match. Strickland took the mic and hyped up his All In match against Bryan Danielson, and said that he wanted a warm-up. Prince Nana said that whoever came out needed to know that they were going up against the most dangerous man in AEW. Tomohiro Ishii answered Strickland’s challenge.
Open Challenge Eliminator Match – Swerve Strickland (w/ Prince Nana) defeated Tomohiro Ishii
A match that wouldn’t have been out of place in the G1. I’m so impressed by how Strickland has elevated himself to feel like a top-line name in AEW, alongside the Moxley’s and the Omega’s. The mood changes when he enters the room, and it’s a credit to himself and AEW that he has that feeling. A great television match here.
Strickland and Ishii went back and forth in the opening moments of the match before Strickland caught Ishii with a body shot and an outside-in dropkick. Ishii caught Strickland with a forearm, but Strickland nipped up and hammered Ishii with one of his own. Strickland caught Ishii with a dropkick to the knee, but forearms to Ishii only fired him up. Strickland blocked Ishii’s big comeback shots before hitting an uppercut to the back that sent Ishii to the floor. In honor of the Olympic season, Strickland hit a Fosbury Flop to Ishii on the outside as we went to a commercial break.
After the commercial, Ishii fought his way out of a headlock with a Saito suplex. Ishii brought Strickland to the top rope and hit a stalling superplex for a nearfall. Ishii caught Strickland with a flapjack before Strickland came back with a rolling complete shot for a nearfall. The two traded forearms and headbutts before Swerve hit a powerslam for a nearfall.
Ishii ducked a House Call and hit a German suplex and a lariat. Ishii followed up with a running lariat for another nearfall. He called for the vertical drop brainbuster, but Strickland slipped out and dropped Ishii with a standing stomp. Strickland followed up with the House Call for the win.
Claudio Castagnoli was in the back, saying that he wanted to win the Continental Championship before this year’s Continental Classic. He earned a shot at Kazuchika Okada’s title last week on Collision and challenged him to that title match on the August 21st Dynamite from Cardiff, Wales. If Okada was still confused, the two would meet face-to-face this Wednesday to make it clear.
Kris Statlander Town Hall
The idea of Tomohiro Ishii standing across the ring from Stokely Hathaway is very funny. Good to see this feud get a spot on the Wembley card.
Lexy Nair introduced Kris Statlander & Stokely Hathaway to the ring for an interview. Nair showed them Willow Nightingale’s interview from Rampage, where Tomohiro Ishii let Nightingale know that he didn’t like Hathaway either. Nair informed them that a tag team challenge had been made for the All In Zero Hour, but before Nair could announce the match, Hathaway interrupted her.
He said it was pathetic that Nightingale needed a short, bald man to do her bidding for her. Hathaway said that he could find Statlander a partner from New York, but Nair let him know what the challenge was: Nightingale & Ishii vs. Statlander & Hathaway. Hathaway laughed it off, but to his chagrin, Statlander accepted the challenge. The graphic was shown on the screen, making this match official for Wembley.
Top Flight, Action Andretti, and Leila Grey were backstage with Lexy Nair. Nair said that MxM Collection had asked for this interview but couldn’t be found anywhere. Grey pointed at them kneeling beneath the camera before MxM stood up. They apologized…for not mocking their haircuts. Top Flight challenged them to a match tonight, as they were all in their gear, but Mansoor had broken a nail and wasn’t “cosmetically cleared.” Lio Rush entered the frame to relay a message from Tony Khan that the match was booked for next week.
Hikaru Shida defeated Aleah James
Shida got the quick win with the Falcon Arrow.
Bryan Danielson Sit-Down Interview with Jim Ross
The most significant tidbit from this interview is Danielson noting that he’s likely going to need another neck surgery before the end of the year. That puts the result of the Wembley main event in doubt, with the possibility of Danielson putting the next major star of the promotion over before hanging up the boots.
Ross asked Danielson to assess his journey, with Danielson noting how Jim Ross signed him to a developmental contract 24 years ago. Danielson said that there were moments in his career that amazed him and that he was blessed to have had them. When asked about his physical issues, Danielson noted that he was most cognizant of his neck and his concussion history. He said that a lot of people with careers as long as he didn’t do the things he did on the independent scene just to get noticed.
Danielson said that he would likely have to have neck surgery before the end of this year, and it’s something that he’s accepted as coming down the line. When asked about his upcoming title match against Swerve Strickland, Danielson noted that he’s learned things about himself in his past four challenges for the AEW World Title. He said that he’s the best he’s ever been mentally, 25 years into his career. Danielson said that his mental strength would pull him through and be the difference at Wembley.
Hikaru Shida was backstage with Lexy Nair. Shida said that the last time they talked, she called out Britt Baker before losing to her on Dynamite. Shida said that the record between the two was now 2-2 and that they would break the tie one day. Shida wanted one more chance to get on the All In card and called out Mercedes Mone. She called herself the ace of the women’s division and ran down her credentials before challenging Mone to a TBS Title match on Dynamite. The match was announced as official for this Wednesday.
(This was a very good promo from Shida. Her passion and hopes to get to Wembley were made clear, with a relatively big women’s match set for Wednesday.)
AEW World Trios Title #1 Contender Match with special referee Christian Cage – House Of Black (Brody King, Buddy Matthews & Malakai Black) vs. Bang Bang Gang (Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn & Juice Robinson) ended in a draw
This was a solid main event, as the guest ref shenanigans were saved for the end of the match. With both teams getting laid out by the Patriarchy, I expect this will lead to a three-way match at Wembley. However, with Nick Wayne having a side feud with Brit Kip Sabian, it makes me wonder if he will find his way into the Wembley match with a pair of partners.
Cage came out in a referee-striped turtleneck. Matthews got in Cage’s face after he got taken out by Cage several weeks ago, but King told Matthews to focus on the match. Robinson worked over Matthews after a commercial break, with Matthews fighting off all three of his opponents on their side of the ring to get a tag. Unfortunately, referee Cage didn’t see the tag and forced King back on the apron. Matthews fought to his corner again as the crowd chanted that the ref sucked. Black got the tag and ran wild, with King tagging in to continue the offensive assault. King set up a cannonball, but his target got pulled to the outside. King hit a dive onto all three of the Bang Bang Gang as we went to another commercial.
After the commercial, Colten and Robinson ran wild, with Robinson getting a nearfall on King with a senton. The House got the advantage, with Black hitting a double stomp and King hitting a lariat on Colton for a nearfall. King shrugged off Austin’s shots and laid him out with a forearm. With Colten on the outside, Austin and Robinson hit the 3:10 To Yuma on King for a nearfall. The match broke down into a Pier Six brawl before all six men were laid out.
Referee Cage, who called the match down the middle up to this point, laid in a standing ten count to all six men. At the count of nine, Matthews got to his feet. Cage speared him, then counted to ten for the double knockout draw. Killswitch & Nick Wayne hit the ring with chairs to destroy all six men. Wayne hit Austin Gunn with Wayne’s World on the floor. Cage hit a Con-chair-to to the knee of Matthews. Killswitch laid out Colten with a chokeslam onto a chair. Cage hit Black with a Killswitch – the move, not the wrestler – onto a chair. The Patriarchy stood tall with their belts as the show came to a close.