For the first time in a decade, Tommaso Ciampa will compete outside a WWE owned ring when he challenges TNT Champion Mark Briscoe in the headliner of tonight’s live AEW Collision from Arlington, Texas.
Ciampa made his surprise debut this past Wednesday to answer Briscoe’s open challenge — the first time they have shared a ring since 2013.
The Rascalz will also make their AEW in-ring debut as Zachary Wentz & Dezmond Xavier take on CRU’s Lio Rush & Action Andretti.
AEW International Champion Kazuchika Okada will appear to defend the title against Adam Priest.
In the third title defense, AEW Women’s Tag Team Champions Babes of Wrath (Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron) defend against the Sisters of Sin (Julia Hart & Skye Blue).
The main card is rounded out by Darby Allin facing the returning Clark Connors.
Our live coverage kicks off at 8 pm Eastern.
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The show opened with Tony Schiavone & Nigel McGuinness running down the card before introducing the first match, Darby Allin vs. Clark Connors.
Darby Allin vs. Clark Connors
The match started with Connors crashing into Allin as Allin skateboarded down towards the ring. When Allin went to the top rope Connors swept his legs and sent Allin crashing back first onto the top turnbuckle and then to the floor. Connors sent Allin in to the guardrail and continued the beating when Allin slapped him in response. Connors hit a shoulder tackle that crushed Allin and trapped him against the ring apron.
Allin was covered in tape on his back, giving a target for Connors, who back dropped Allin on the guardrail and apron, targeting the back after Allin was suplexed into the ring steps a few weeks ago. Connors hit a German suplex on Allin in the ring for a 2-count. Connors hit another shoulder tackle on the Allin, who was on his knees, and sent him back towards the opposite corner.
Allin ended up on the apron, but Connors flew through the ropes with a spear, leaving both men on the apron. Connors pulled out the ring steps and looked to suplex Allin on them again, but Allin fought it off by raking the eyes of Connors and getting back into the ring. Connors sent Allin towards the stairs and Allin flipped over the steps to the other side, turned around and ran up the stairs to hit Connors, and got back into the ring and hit a tope suicida that sent Connors into the guardrail.
Connors blocked a superplex attempt and hit a sunset flip powerbomb followed by a spear for a 2-count. Allin fought out of a straight jacket and flipped Connors over into a Scorpion Death Drop. Allin went for the Coffin Drop, but Connors got the knees up. Connors went for another spear, but Allin dodged, swept the legs, and locked on the Scorpion Death Lock to make Clark Connors submit.
Result: Darby Allin defeats Clark Connors
This was an excellent opening match. Connors is great, and Allin remains fantastic.
–Darby Allin cut a promo about how he had defeated all the Death Riders, and now it was his time to go for the top title in AEW. As he was just about to call out MJF, Gabe Kidd ran into the ring from the crowd and started beating on Allin. Connors joined him in the beatdown, and they took Darby to the floor and placed the ring steps onto Allin’s midsection while Kidd stood on top of the stairs.
Kidd said that Allin wouldn’t be able to make it to the top of AEW if he was pushing up daisies, and that he was going to follow Allin all over the earth if he had to until he ended Allin’s career. I mean, threatening him with death and actually doing it would end Allin’s career, though it would present other problems for Kidd. Like a murder charge.
–A hype video aired for the Sisters of Sin vs. the Babes of Wrath, happening later tonight.
–Jet Speed were backstage with their new World Six-Man Championships, talking about how the Don Callis family were looking for gold, but they were not hard to find. They also said that Hangman Adam Page was no longer alone, and they would be watching his back as Hangman goes for the AEW World Championship.
Cru (Action Andretti & Lio Rush) (w/ Lacey Lane) vs. The Rascalz (Zachery Wentz & Dezmond Xavier) (w/ Myron Reed)
Xavier and Rush started the match, with Xavier grounding Rush a little bit, but the pace picked up very quickly, with Xavier hitting a dropkick off the ropes. Wentz tagged in and hit a bronco buster on Rush. Rush rolled over to Andretti when he hit the ropes and tagged him in, and Andretti came in with a clothesline that dropped Wentz and Cru had the advantage for the first time in the match.
Xavier missed a top con giro to the floor, but largely landed on his feet, and Wentz came flying in with a corkscrew plancha to the floor on Rush and Andretti. Rush dodged a double team attempt, leaving an opening for Andretti to spring board into a lariat on Xavier. Andretti hit a suplex on Xavier and got a 2-count. Cru hit a series of double team moves, ending with a spinning kick to the back of Xavier’s head from Rush for a 2-count.
There was a series of counters so fast that I couldn’t keep track of it, and Cru ended up hitting stereo handsprings and tope suicidas on everyone. Wentz saved Xavier from a double suplex and then superkicks started flying so much I thought it was a Young Bucks match, and Wentz did a handspring into flying knee on Rush. Wentz went for a moonsault and Xavier shoved him in mid air until he spun over and hit it on Andretti for the pinfall.
Result: The Rascalz defeated Cru
This was an excellent match, and also shows that Cru is rather under utilized in the tag division. I would love to see the Young Bucks mix it up with both of these teams.
–Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor were discussing their team again, saying that they both like to get hit and hit other people, and while Windsor had other tag partners, none of them were able to get to the titles. Hayter and Windsor said that they were going to have fun chasing the titles.
–Jon Moxley was backstage and he responded to Takeshita challenging him last week. He said that Takeshita was one of the few wrestlers in the world that he understands, because they both chased titles and competing against the best all around the world. Moxley said that he thought he was that kind of man, but Takeshita had some goons attack him last week, and Moxley made Mark Davis pay for it by hitting him in the face with a title. Moxley said that if the Callis Family was looking to start a gang war that it was something that the Death Riders did for fun. This promo was fantastic. Jon Moxley is, again, one of the best wrestlers in the world today for creating compelling matches.
Orange Cassidy & Toni Storm vs. Gino Medina & Lady Bird Monroe
Cassidy put his hands in his pockets and hit a dropkick on Medina. Lady Bird Monroe got in the ring and started arguing with Cassidy, so he did his slow kicks to her shins, then stood aside to let Storm dropkick her and Cassidy hit a tope suicida on Media. Storm hit a tornado DDT on Medina, the hip attack, and sent Medina into an Orange Punch for the pinfall from Cassidy.
Result: Orange Cassidy & Toni Storm defeated Gino Medina & Lady Bird Monroe
–Wheeler Yuta ran in to attack Cassidy as soon as the match ended, and Marina Shafir attacked Storm from behind after. Yuta grabbed a mic and said that he was going to interview Orange Cassidy while Shafir held him in a full nelson. Yuta said that Cassidy said a lot of lies about Yuta, and asked how he felt now that the Death Riders made him pay.
Cassidy said that he couldn’t hear Yuta through his garbage hair. Yuta grabbed a pair of scissors from ringside and looked to cut the hair of Cassidy, but Storm came in, suplexed Shafir, grabbed the scissors, and threatened to stab Yuta. Storm then grabbed a mic and said that they picked the wrong team to mess with, and that mixed tag hair vs. hair match was going to happen in Australia at AEW Grand Slam, and that Yuta or Shafir were going to lose their hair.
–The Grizzled Young Veterans were backstage with Eddie Kingston and Ortiz, and how they continued wanting to fight. Kingston said that they could end it, as they beat each other up, and that should be it. GYV said that Kingston didn’t understand them, and didn’t speak for them, and Kingston challenged them to a parking law brawl for next week. Bryan Keith and Big Bill flew in and attacked Kingston and Ortiz, and GYV paid them for their services. GYV then agreed to the parking lot brawl for next Saturday.
–A short hype video aired for Tommaso Ciampa vs. Mark Briscoe, highlighting clips from ROH when they were much younger.
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Mark Briscoe for the TNT Championship
Ciampa and Briscoe maintained a clear back and forth for the first few minutes of the match, exchanging holds until Briscoe hit a Redneck Kung Fu kick and a cannonball tope through the middle ropes. Briscoe and Ciampa exchanged chops, but Briscoe hit a dropkick and then hit a suplex for a 2-count. Briscoe’s advantage continued for a few minutes until Ciampa managed to hit the Psycho Drillerr on the apron, driving Briscoe head and back first onto it. That was brutal.
Ciampa hit 7 punches in the corner and did the “six-seven” meme to the delight of the crowd and a sigh from me. Briscoe fought out of a sleeper hold with a back suplex. Briscoe fired up with some chops hit a flying forearm on Ciampa. Briscoe hit a lariat in the corner and then another in the opposite corner before going for an exploder suplex.
Ciampa blocked the attempt but ate a kick from Briscoe that sent him to the floor. Briscoe hit a running dropkick and hit a blockbuster from the apron on Ciampa before the fans helped him stand back up. As they were coming back into the ring Ciampa hit a draping DDT on Briscoe for a 2-count. Briscoe blocked a Psycho Driller attempt off the top rope and hit a froggy bow for a 2-count. Ciampa blocked a top rope move of his own and hit the Psycho Driller off the top rope for a 2-count.
Both Ciampa and Briscoe exchanged attempts at Jay Drillers until Ciampa hit a running knee that sent Briscoe to the floor. The ring announcer let us know that there was only 5 minutes left in the match. Briscoe grabbed the time keeper’s table after fighting Ciampa off, but got cut off from Ciampa who put Briscoe on the table, hit a running knee, and posed on the table. Briscoe, however, came off the top rope with a froggy bow to the standing Ciampa that put them both through the table.
Briscoe and Ciampa got back in the ring and started exchanging attempts to finish the match, hitting kicks, etc. Just as they were getting to the last minute, Ciampa manged to counter of a Jay Driller and hit a running knee to knock Briscoe out and score the pinfall.
Result: Tommaso Ciampa defeated Mark Briscoe to win the TNT Championship
This was a fantastic title match, with Briscoe putting in his usual great performance, and Tommaso Ciampa having a fantastic debut. Ciampa winning here puts him over strong, and Briscoe can move onto new things, so it looks like we will not be getting that Fletcher and Briscoe rematch that Callis was teasing/pushing Fletcher into. Fletcher will need to face Ciampa instead.
–Just as I wrote my reaction above, Fletcher came onto the ramp and pointed at Ciampa, indicating that he was going to be wrestling him soon.
–Josh Alexander was cutting a promo while the Don Callis family beat up a bunch of people in the background, saying that Moxley should mind his own business when saying Takeshita is too good for the Don Callis family. Alexander said that announced that Mark Davis would be facing Hangman Adam Page before Australia, and Romero said that he had a ringside ticket to see Okada beat Adam Priest. Alexander looked around for Lance Archer, who ran in off screen to hit a crossbody on three of the poor geeks backstage before laughing and saying “Everybody dies” while almost giggling. That was great.
Adam Priest (w/ Tommy Billington) vs. Kazuchika Okada (w/ Rocky Romero) for the AEW International Championship
Rocky Romero joined the commentary desk and immediately accidentally called Priest “Adam Pierce” which is quite the funny mistake. Romero insisted that Priest was not on the same level as Okada and didn’t deserve Okada in a robe or to see the International title. Okada dominated the early part of the match, with Okada hitting a dropkick and selling like he hurt his knee. Romero ran down from the commentary desk on the ramp to attack Priest from behind as the referee was checking on Okada.
Okada hit a DDT on Priest on the floor as a fan held a “Okada Fears Takeshita” sign that the announcers noted. Okada taunted Priest with some face wash kicks before hitting a hard uppercut, but Priest fired back with his own. Priest hit a few forearms and a neckbreaker to drop Okada. Priest went for a figure four, but Okada fought out. Okada went for a dropkick, but Priest dodged and locked on a figure four in the middle of the ring.
Priest hit an upper cut, but Okada responded with a dropkick after hit hit the ropes. Okada went for the Rainmaker, but Priest countered into a backslide. Priest went for a cutter, but Okada dumped him onto the mat like a back suplex and then hit the Rainmaker for the win.
Result: Kazuchika Okada defeated Adam Priest
–The Rascalz were backstage with Lexy Nair, and they mentioned how they like parking lots. Eddie Kingston walked in and said that if Bill & Keith were going to get involved, Kingston was bringing in friends that had had history with the Grizzled Young Veterans. He then said he was going to the parking lot with the Rascalz to take some medicine, and they offered Lexy Nair some, but she said no.
–A hype video aired for the current AEW World Championship situation with Brody King challenging MJF in a Eliminator Match, while Omega, Hangman, and Andrade are all chasing MJF for AEW Revolution. Good recap video.
–Lexy Nair was with Tommaso Ciampa backstage, and he was with his wife and child. His daughter had the title on her shoulder, which was cute. Ciampa said that AEW had welcomed him like family, and that his daughter now has a new sister in the TNT title, and they were going to celebrate. Great promo.
The Sisters of Sin (Julia Hart & Skye Blue) vs. The Babes of Wrath (Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron) for the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship
Julia Hart immediately attacked Nightingale on the apron and all four women ended up on the floor fighting around ringside. Nightingale saved Cameron from a double suplex from the Sisters of Sin and sent Cameron into Blue and Hart before Cameron hit a sling blade on Blue. Nightingale got necked on the top rope letting Blue hit a tornado DDT on Nightingale.
Cameron hit a crossbody onto both Blue and Hart, rolled to the floor, but got shoved into the apron by Julia Hart. Hart and Blue hit a flapjack on Cameron for a 2-count. The Sisters of Sin then got the heat through the commercial break on Cameron. Hart locked on a tarantula on Cameron letting Blue hit a dropkick to the midsection of Cameron.
Cameron managed to hit a suplex on Blue and tagged out to Nightingale who came in and started hitting clotheslines on Hart. Nightingale dodged a corner charge from Blue, who crashed into her own partner. Nightingale then cartwheeled out of an attack by Blue and hit a pounce on her before hitting a spinebuster on Hart for a 2-count.
Hart hit some forearms on Nightingale and went for a hurricanrana, but Nightingale’s balance got thrown off and they both fell over. Nightingale covered for this transitioning into a Boston crab. Nightingale went for the powerbomb, but Hart hit an X-factor and the Sisters of Sin hit a front suplex and double superkick on Nightingale.
Nightingale fought off a double team move and tagged out to Cameron and then there was a series of miscommunications with Cameron and Blue, but they recovered and Cameron hit Blue with a DDT and eventually a Crucifix bomb. Cameron hit Sole food on Blue that sent her backwards into a page turner from Nightingale for the win.
Result: The Babes of Wrath defeated The Sisters of Sin to retain
–After the match Thekla ran down to attack, and Kris Statlander made the save. As Statlander cleared the ring, Penelope Ford and Megan Bayne ran in and attacked Statlander, laying her out, and working with the Triangle of Madness to beat down Nightingale and Cameron as well.
Final Thoughts
This was a good episode of AEW Collision, especially the Mark Briscoe and Tommaso Ciampa match. The rest of the show was not that important, but there was nothing bad on it, outside of a few awkward communication issues and botches in the main event. This was a good show overall. The Rascalz and Cru had a great match, as did Darby Allin and Clark Connors. So, three good matches across this two hour show. I give that a thumbs up.
