Reigning TNT Champion Adam Cole will put his title on the line against former TNA World Champion Josh Alexander on tonight’s AEW Collision from Kent, Washington.
Like others, Cole has been feuding with the Don Callis Family recently and issued an open challenge to anyone in the faction. He will be looking for the third title of his run while Alexander has lost two straight. This will be their first ever singles bout.
The Callis Family will be represented in two other matches as Rocky Romero & Hechicero take on Brody King & Templario while Kyle Fletcher goes one-on-one with Kyle O’Reilly.
FTR will confront The Outrunners while The Patriarchy’s Christian Cage & Nick Wayne will be in action against Big Bill & Bryan Keith.
The women will also be represented as Megan Bayne takes on VertVixen while Queen Aminata battles Skye Blue.
The show is airing Thursday at 8 PM Eastern due to NASCAR coverage this Saturday on TNT.
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AEW Collision opened with FTR and The Outrunners coming out to the ring, with FTR intending to address The Outrunners attacking them and standing against them on Dynamite last night. FTR had a video made to highlight their friendship, saying that The Outrunners were jealous of the success of FTR. Harwood said that they failed in their quest to become AEW World Tag Team champions, and that is why they attacked FTR last week.
Harwood did a lot of talking here, not letting The Outrunners talk, but once he said they would never be as good as FTR, they took their time to talk. Truth Magnum, from Seattle, where the show was, pointed out that the fans would always believe in them, and they the fans, and their biggest mistake was believing in FTR. Turbo Floyd said that he wanted a fight with them, but Stokely Hathaway said that they didn’t fight for free, so they could fight next week in California.
–A recap video aired of the Young Bucks moving Swerve and Ospreay’s match up to the first match on the show, and Swerve and Ospreay challenged them to a match for their EVP titles with the company, and how the Bucks suspended Swerve for a week for attacking a referee, and then cut to the Bucks beating up Hangman Page, and Swerve was unable to join in for the save since he was suspended. I really liked how they cut those two angles together, showing the implication that the heroes tried to save Hangman, but couldn’t because Swerve was not there to round out the team.
The Patriarchy (Christian Cage & Nick Wayne) (w/ Kip Sabian & Mother Wayne) vs. The Learning Tree (Big Bill & Bryan Keith)
This match started slow, with Keith and Wayne opening. Eventually Wayne tagged out to Christian and Keith tagged out to Bill, which made Christian afraid. Christian ate a punch and immediately tagged out to Wayne, who was forced to come in and fell victim to Bill and Keith double teaming him. Wayne shoved Bill, who came into the ring and took Wayne, who cockily turned his back on Bill, into a Gorilla Press and tossed him at Christian Cage.
When the came back from the break, Christian and Wayne were beating on Keith in the corner, with Wayne hitting a vertical suplex. Christian tagged back in and hit an inverted DDT on Keith for a 2-count. Christian went for the Killswitch, but Keith fought out and both men bumped heads and went down. Keith tagged out to Bill while Christian tagged out to Wayne, and Bill started the hot tag. Wayne launched off the top rope and Bill hit a big boot, then jumped over a spear attempt from Christian and hit a big boot on him.
Bill hit a black hole slam on Wayne and tagged back out to Keith. Keith hit a Northern Lights Suplex on Wayne for a 2-count. Sabian tried to interfere, so Bill threw him into the timekeeper area and started beating on him. As Keith hit a powerbomb on Wayne, Mother Wayne jumped up on the apron and distracted the referee, allowing Christian to recover and break the pinfall attempt. Bill missed a charge at Christian, leading to Bill running into the ring post, while Christian hit a spear on Keith who was attempting to powerbomb Wayne again for the win.
Match Result: The Patriarchy defeated The Learning Tree (Big Bill & Bryan Keith)
–Josh Alexander was backstage, saying that he was going to beat Adam Cole for the TNT Championship tonight, freeing him of the burden of carrying the title. Alexander promised that he was going to break the ankle of Cole, sending him to the injury list again.
–MVP met Christian and Nick Wayne backstage, saying that he was impressed with their wins, but that the Nick Wayne was just a kid, but that if he and Wayne went against the Hurt Syndicate, he couldn’t win with Wayne, and that they didn’t stand a chance against the Hurt Syndicate. Christian Cage said that if he wanted the tag titles, they would have them. MVP said “Good luck, because you’ll need it.” This was a good segment, where we finally see people aiming to get the tag titles.
Brody King & Templario vs. The Don Callis Family (Rocky Romero & Hechicero)
Templario & Hechicero started the match, to the delight of the fans as they were getting lucha. Hechicero tried to intimidate Brody King. It did not work. Templario hit a hurricanrana on Hechicero, but Hechicero hit a flying knee leading to King to blind tag in. Romero demanded to tag in, and went face to chest with King, with Romero attempting to knock King down with shoulder tackles, which was a funny image. Hechicero and King ended up on the apron exchanging strikes, while Romero hit a dropkick to the knee of King, allowing the heels to start to beat on the bigger man.
Templario blind tagged in and hit a crossbody on Hechicero, and King slammed Romero onto his partner and hit a senton. When we came back from break, Templario hit a face first suplex on Hechicero before tagging out to King. King hit a cannonball in the corner on Hechicero, but Romero broke it up. King hit the ropes, but Romero low bridged him while Hechicero locked a leg submission on Templario and Romero hit a flying knee off the apron on King.
Templario made the ropes, and Hechicero was very upset. Templario hit a wheelbarrow suplex. King tagged in and Romero tried to chop him. This did not work. Hechicero choked him in the ropes instead, but while Hechicero was trying to do this, King walked forward, pulling Hechicero onto the ropes letting Templario to hit a flying double stomp on Hechicero and then a Sasuke Special to the floor. King hit the Gonzo Bomb on Romero for the pinfall. This was a really fun match.
Match Result: Brody King & Templario defeated The Don Callis Family
–A hype video aired for Mercedes Mone and all her titles, and it was inter-cut with a hype video for Toni Storm, but Mone cut the film off literally, hitting a projector with a bat. Mone said that Storm was a faker, and that their match would be a beautiful murder that she wrote. That was a good pun. Mone invited Storm to ringside for her match against Mina Shirakawa next week, as she wrestles her 1000th match.
–Toni Storm was with Mina Shirakawa backstage, and Storm was promising revenge against Mone, but Shirakawa said that she did not want storm to get involved in her TBS title match against Mone. Storm agreed, but asked that Shirakawa leave something left for her at All In.
Megan Bayne (w/ Penelope Ford) vs. Vertvixen
Bayne hit a running kick and a butterfly suplex on Vertvixen to open the match. Bayne hit Fate’s Descent soon after for the pinfall.
Match Result: Megan Bayne defeated Vertvixen
–Anthony Bowens was backstage and he announced he was entering the qualifier for the Casino Gauntlet, saying that he and Billy Gunn will have a new strategy so he can enter at #2 and have a better chance of winning to secure a title shot.
AEW TNT Champion Adam Cole defends against Josh Alexander (w/ Trent Beretta)
Adam Cole and Josh Alexander had a great match that would have been ever better with more time. I’d like to see them do this match again down the line.
Alexander seemed to have the advantage over Cole several times throughout this match, hitting hard chops and a crossbody while Cole was on the apron, sending him to the floor. As they came back from an ad break, they showed Alexander charging at Cole in the corner, and Cole hit a superkick out of the corner, and a few pump kicks before hitting an Ushigoroshi. Cole blocked a brainbuster and hit a back stabber for a 2-count.
Cole signaled for the Panama Sunrise, but Alexander caught him and hit a flapjack before going back to an ankle lock. Cole escaped, but Alexander hit a forward rolling fireman’s carry and a knee off the middle ropes for a 2-count on Cole. Cole and Alexander battled on the ropes for a bit before Cole shoved him off and hit a Panama Sunrise for a 2-count. Cole went for the Boom, but Alexander fell to the mat, baited Cole in, and locked on the ankle lock again.
Cole escaped with a series of upkicks, but ate a big boot from him and then a German suplex but he was unable to bridge due to Cole working on the neck. Alexander blocked a superkick, hit a forearm, and picked Cole up for the C4 Spike. Cole flipped onto his feet as Alexander picked him up, hit a superkick, and then the Boom for the pinfall victory. This was a good match.
Match Result: AEW TNT Champion Adam Cole defeated Josh Alexander to retain
–Ricochet was confronted by AR Fox backstage for abandoning him in their tag match on Dynamite, but The Gates of Agony attacked and laid out Fox, leaving Ricochet impressed, asking to talk with them more.
–A hype video aired for Alex Windsor, announcing her signing with AEW.
Queen Aminata vs. Skye Blue (w/ Julia Hart)
This match was a little rough at the start, but the crowd got into it when Skye Blue dodged a beheading dropkick from Aminata and hit a twist and should off the apron to the floor before they went to break. When they came back, Aminata hit a big boot the head of Blue in the corner. Aminata went for a fisherman’s neckbreaker, but Blue fought out, hit a knee, and then a TKO for a 2-count. Aminata hit a big headbutt and a kick that sent Blue to the floor.
Blue hid behind Julia Hart, allowing her to pop out and pull Aminata into the ring steps. Blue went to the top rope and hit flying knees to Aminata. Blue looked a bit hesitant, and Aminata couldn’t catch her on that, so both hit the floor and it is a miracle that neither got hurt there. Aminata didn’t catch Blue, and Blue didn’t stretch out, instead jumping vertically, leaving very little room to be caught. Aminata hit the decapitating dropkick in the ropes and got the win.
Match Result: Queen Aminata defeated Skye Blue
–Thekla ran down to the ring as Julia Hart and Aminata faced off, and Hart, Thekla, and Blue beat on Aminata, forming an alliance of some sort. Anna Jay and Tay Melo ran down to make the save, and as they chased the heels off, Penelope Ford and Megan Bayne came out to the ramp, as Nigel McGuinness pointed out that all 8 women might be in the Women’s Casino Gauntlet at All In.
–Daniel Garcia & Matt Menard were backstage asking about Garcia’s problems with the Don Callis Family. Rocky Romero walked up saying that the family had no problems with Garcia, and that the offer of joining Callis’ family was still on the table. Romero said that Garcia didn’t know what a real friend looked like, and that he shouldn’t trust Cole, and if he wanted a real family, he knew where to find them.
Kyle Fletcher vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Fletcher and O’Reilly immediately started with some high quality mat wrestling, as the fans amusingly chanted “Kyle!” for both men. This was followed with “This is Kyle!” I love wrestling audiences. Fletcher claimed credit for the chants, which caused the fans to boo him, and as fans chanted “Kyle’s Awesome” and “Kyle Sucks!” it actually worked well as a clever dueling chant.
As they came back from ad break, the fans were chanting “We want Kyle!” Well, you have two of them, fans! Fletcher slammed O’Reilly in the ring, maintaining wrist control, but O’Reilly pulled himself up and hit some forearms. Fletcher went for another slam, but O’Reilly turned it into a triangle choke that Fletcher powered out of.
O’Reilly and Fletcher exchanged kicks and knees and both men went down. This match has been great, and the fans have been red hot for it, which is both a testament to their commitment to have fun chanting about Kyle, while also enjoying the work of both wrestlers. O’Reilly went for a guillotine choke, but Fletcher pulled O’Reilly up, who floated over, clipped the knee, then locked on an armbar as the fans chanted “We Kyle people!” ala the Hurt Syndicate. O’Reilly hit a dragon screw on Fletcher as the fans chanted “He’s our Kyle!” like the “He’s our scumbag!” chant for MJF.
O’Reilly hit a flying knee drop onto the knee of Fletcher and went for a heel hook, leading to Fletcher screaming in pain and grabbing for the ropes. O’Reilly missed a flying knee strike and Fletcher hit a superkick and a running big boot on the floor, but O’Reilly pulled Fletcher’s arm into a chair as Fletcher grabbed for him. The fans chanted “You sick Kyle!” as O’Reilly hit a flying dropkick off the apron on Fletcher.
Lance Archer ran down and laid O’Reilly out on the ground as Fletcher distracted the referee. O’Reilly kicked out of a Michinoku Driver, but finally fell to a brainbuster from Fletcher to end a fantastic match. As Archer and Fletcher attacked and beat down O’Reilly after the match, Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, and Daniel Garcia ran down to make the save and they posed together as Fletcher yelled that the TNT Championship was his.
Match Result: Kyle Fletcher defeated Kyle O’Reilly
Final Thoughts
This was a decent episode of Collision with a fantastic main event. I loved the video packages and announcing of a few big matches for Dynamite on Wednesday, and even one match for Collision. AEW has been hit or miss in announcing matches for the next show the last few years, but always benefit when they do announce at least one big match. I do miss the days of having the full card in advance like the early Dynamites though.
AEW Dynamite: Episode 300
- TBS Championship: Mercedes Mone (c) vs. Mina Shirakawa
- Kota Ibushi vs. Kazuchika Okada
- Casino Gauntlet #2 Spot Qualifier: Brody King vs. MJF vs. Anthony Bowens vs. AR Fox
AEW Collision: Episode 100
