AEW Collision Review – August 5, 2023
AEW World Tag Team Titles Match
FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) (c) vs. Big Bill & Brain Cage
FTR went for Shatter Machine on Big Bill but Dax Harwood couldn’t power him up. Bill clubbed Harwood & he drops onto all 4.
Bill chokeslams Cash Wheeler onto Harwood then Harwood ends up at ringside. Bill presses Wheeler in the ring and tosses him onto Harwood on the floor heading into a picture in picture break.
After the break Bill works over Wheeler in front of his mother & she was all smiles before Bill taunted Wheeler’s mother until she slaps him across the face. Wheeler was isolated by Bill & Cage and eventually tagged in Harwood & he works over Bill & Cage with punches.
Harwood mounted Cage in the corner and threw punches at him. Harwood dove at Bill but he caught him. Harwood bites Bill’s forehead and eventually clears him from the ring.
Harwood hoisted up Cage and tags in Wheeler & he went up top. Wheeler hits a bulldog on Cage from Harwood’s shoulders and covers him for a good near fall. Harwood set up for a piledriver but Cage powers him up and then caught Wheeler leaping from the ropes. Cage drops back and lands on Harwood while hitting a fallaway slam on Wheeler.
Cage hits a Jackhammer on Wheeler while Bill returns and simultaneously chokeslams Harwood. Cage covers Wheeler from a near fall. Bill shoves Wheeler over the top rope to the floor next to Harwood. Cage performed a flip dive onto FTR. Once Wheeler was back inside the ring Bill covers him for a two count.
Cage powered up Wheeler but slips away and shoves Cage into Bill & he fell off the apron. Harwood returns to the ring and joins Wheeler & hits Shatter Machine on Cage to score the win.
Winners & Still AEW World Tag Team Champions: FTR (STILL CHAMPIONS!!!!!)
After the match Harwood said they were going to get into a little trouble but he said they were in the Carolinas and they do things different there. Harwood spoke about starting a legacy 10 years ago and talks about becoming the greatest tag team of all time.
Harwood spoke of winning Tag Team Titles everywhere they went. He spoke about some of their big wins and said they were incredible but there was one thing left to do. Wheeler had a mic and said Young Bucks, I say we have unfinished business so how about we finish it at Wembley Stadium? Harwood said it would be the rubber match and asks who is the greatest tag team of all time.
A video package recaps CM Punk labeling himself the Real World Champion and putting his X symbol on it followed by Tony Schiavone announcing that Ricky Steamboat would be the special referee for Punk’s match with Ricky Starks.
After the break Tony Schiavone interviewed Juice Robinson & he had the Jay White cardboard cutout before the real Jay White enters the picture and knocks over the cutout. White said that’s what would happen to Metalik during their match then The Gunns enters the picture wearing production headsets and acted obnoxiously. They all did their guns up in Schiavone’s face.
TBS Title Match
Kris Statlander (c) vs. Mercedes Martinez
Kris Statlander swept the legs of Mercedes Martinez and then hits a somersault plancha before Martinez came right back and chokes Statlander with the middle rope. Martinez followed up with a couple of butterfly suplexes before Statlander stuffed the 3rd but Martinez was on the offensive heading into a partial PIP break.
After the break Statlander rallied with a couple of clotheslines and a running elbow in the corner. Statlander backed up and charged Martinez again but Martinez caught her with an elbow then Statlander returns with a big knee strike that sent Martinez to the floor.
Statlander went to the apron and dove at Martinez but she moves causing Statlander to crash & burn on the floor. Statlander hits a backbreaker and rolls Martinez back in the ring but Martinez clotheslines Statlander over the top rope.
Statlander went up top and was cut off. Martinez joins her on the ropes and hits a spider suplex then Martinez hit a running knee and got a near fall. Martinez went for a fisherman’s buster but Statlander counters into an inside cradle for a one count.
Statlander hits Saturday Night Fever for a near fall. Martinez came right back with a near fall of her own. Martinez went for a running strike to the back of Statlander’s head but Statlander ducks it and then rolls Martinez up to get the win.
Winner & Still TBS Champion: Kris Statlander (STILL CHAMPION!!!!!)
After the match Martinez attacks Statlander from behind and then threw punches at her. Diamante ran out and acts like she was going to go after Martinez but she attacks Statlander instead. Willow Nightingale ran out and Martinez & Diamante exits the ring.
Tony Schiavone interviewed Toni Storm & she said she felt as naked as the day she was born without her Women’s Title. She wouldn’t freak out like Schiavone thought she would. She asked if she’s not a star anymore or was no longer talented. Storm declared that the interview was over and told Schiavone he could shut up.
Samoa Joe vs. Serpentico
Samoa Joe slams Serpentico to the mat and then locks him in the Coquina Clutch for the submission win.
Winner By Submission: Samoa Joe
After the match Joe cuts a promo. He brought up All In and said the king has nobody to dance with. Joe said the so call Real AEW World Champion told everyone he was the best in the world. Joe said he knew it was never true a day in his life. Joe recalls losing to CM Punk in the Owen Hart Cup tournament and said a rollup wasn’t good enough for their legacy. Joe called for Punk to give their legacy what it deserves with a match at Wembley. Joe said that if Punk made him wait until next week I’ll convince your ass.
An Andrade El Idolo video package aired and spotlighted his ladder match win over Buddy Matthews.
After the break The Acclaimed were interviewed in a sit down setting by Tony Schiavone. The duo had the boots that Billy Gunn left in the ring. Schiavone asked if they’d talked to Gunn. Anthony Bowens said they have and tried to get him to take the boots back to resume his career but he declined. Bowens said Gunn feels like he was responsible for their losses to House Of Black. Bowens got emotional while saying they would miss Gunn and would go to the ring with his boots.
Trios Titles Open House Match
House Of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King & Buddy Matthews) (c) vs. Action Andretti, Darius Martin & Lee Johnson
House Of Black isolated Action Andretti before Buddy Matthews knocks Andretti off the apron with a forearm that sent him crashing into the side of the broadcast table heading into a PIP break.
After the break Lee Johnson took a hot tag and hit a double cutter from the ropes on Malakai Black & Matthews. Black avoids Johnson when he charges and then Matthews hits him in the corner with a shoulder block.
Black follows up with a running kick to Johnson’s head before Brody King tags in an cannonballs Johnson and then Black kicks Johnson from the apron. King had Johnson pin but Andretti broke it up. Andretti hits an Asai moonsault onto Black & Matthews.
Darius Martin hits a top rope splash onto the back of King and then covers him but King kicks out at 1. Martin & Andretti both threw kicks at King.
Martin launches Andretti but he was caught with knee strikes from Black & Matthews. King turns Martin inside out with a clothesline for the victory.
Winners & Still Trios Champions: House Of Black (STILL CHAMPIONS!!!!)
Backstage Tony Schiavone interviews Will Hobbs before QT Marshall and Harley Cameron showed up. Marshall told Schiavone that it’s Powerhouse Hobbs and then dismissed him. Marshall gifts Hobbs a Cuban link chain. Marshall spoke about giving Hobbs his biggest moment in Chicago at All Out. Hobbs told Marshall he doesn’t need his help. Hobbs grabs the gold chain and said Thanks for the gold before walking away.
After the break Tony Schiavone interviewed Christian Cage & TNT Champion Luchasaurus & they had a young girl with them. Cage said the girl is his daughter and he brought her because he realizes that he’s a role model for children now that he’s TNT Champion before she asked Cage if she could have his TNT Title. Cage asked if she won the TNT Title then told her to go find her mother. Once the she left the picture Cage calls for security and said his daughter was not credentialed and said they should remove from her the arena.
Jay White vs. Metalik
Jay White dominates Metalik and then tossed him to ringside where Juice Robinson got in his face & say he’s not even rock hard yet Austin Gunn said He’s not even full force.
Metalik eventually had a run on the offensive and hits White with an Asai moonsault before White came back and executed a Cobra Clutch suplex and then hits Blade Runner for the win.
Winner: Jay White
A video package aired on the Hikaru Shida vs. Anna Jay match. Jay recalls that Shida was her 1st AEW opponent. Jay said she’s not a rookie anymore and would beat Shida for the Women’s Title.
Real AEW World Title Match
CM Punk (c) vs. Ricky Starks
Ricky Starks hits an early hip toss before CM Punk returns the favor so Starks rolls to the floor and looks at Ricky Steamboat. Punk smirked and held the ropes open. Punk knocks Starks down with a shoulder block and then mocks Starks’ pose. Punk went to the ropes and struck the pose again. Starks returns through another side of the ring.
Starks performed some deep armdrags before Starks mocks Punk’s poses and held the ropes open for him. Punk smirked and enters through a different part of the ring. Both men went for their finishers and were unable to perform the moves. Starks clotheslines Punk and they both tumbled over the ropes heading into a PIP break.
After the break Starks accused Punk of poking his eye as both men traded slaps. Starks puts Punk in the corner and hits him with a barrage of punches. Punk spun Starks around and fired back with punches of his own. Starks slaps Punk and then headed to ringside then Starks pulls Punk to the floor with him. Punk sent Starks over the barricade and into the front row.
When Starks returns Punk mounted him on the floor and fired punches at him until Steamboat pulls him off. Both wrestlers returns to the ring where Punk chops Starks and then stood over him on the ropes and punches him until Starks picked him up and dumps him on the top rope.
Starks hits a baseball slide on Punk as Steamboat checked on Punk before Starks took offensive control and maintained it heading into another PIP break.
After the 2nd break Punk superplexed Starks then Punk threw some punches and then hit a leg lariat. Punk hits a swinging neckbreaker then Punk follows up with a high knee in the corner and then bulldogs Starks before covering him for a two count.
Punk went up top and dove at Starks in what appeared to be a botched spot. Starks covered Punk for a two count. Punk hoisted up Starks for his finisher, but Starks slipped out. Punk sat down on Starks and hooked his legs while getting a two count.
Punk lowers his kneepad and went for a high knee but Starks caught him and powerbombed him for a near fall. Starks grabs Punk’s arm and went for a rope walk but Punk pulls Starks from the ropes and into position for Go 2 Sleep but Starks slips away and shoved Punk through the ropes and into the ring post.
Starks charged Punk but he leaped over him. Starks crashes in the corner and was roll up for a two count. Punk drops Starks with a kick and got another two count. Punk went for a piledriver but Starks counters into an Alabama Slam for a near fall.
Punk & Starks traded shots in the ring then Starks ran the ropes and Punk drops down to avoid him which led to Starks running into the referee as the referee Stephon Smith tumbled to the floor where Steamboat checked on him.
Starks took Punk down and pins him while using the ropes for leverage but Steamboat shoved Starks’ legs off the ropes. Starks was upset with Steamboat. Punk rolls up a distracted Starks for the win.
Winner & Still Real AEW World Champion: CM Punk (STILL CHAMPION!!!)
After the match Steamboat raised the arm of Punk while a frustrated Starks sat on the mat. Punk & Steamboat hugged. Punk exits the ring and was on the apron when Starks shoves Steamboat into Punk. Starks threw punches at Steamboat and then removes his belt. Starks whips Steamboat with the belt. Punk tried to return to the ring but Starks knocked him back to the floor and went back to whipping Steamboat.
Punk returns with a chair to run off Starks. Punk tends to Steamboat and motioned for help while Starks slowly backs up the ramp. Starks walks back toward the ring. Punk saw him coming, grabbed the chair and chased him. Punk threw the chair toward Starks but he avoids it and went backstage. Punk returns to the ring to join the trainer in tending to Steamboat. Punk shows frustration over what happened to Steamboat. Punk nodded along while fans chanted for Steamboat & he got to his feet and continued to sell the lashes he took to close out this week’s Collision.
