AEW will make their debut tonight in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, as Collision will feature the finals of the second-ever Owen Hart Foundation tournaments.
On the men's side, CM Punk will face Ricky Starks for the first time ever. Punk advanced with wins over Satoshi Kojima and Samoa Joe to get here while Starks defeated Juice Robinson and Powerhouse Hobbs.
On the women's side, Willow Nightingale will face former partner-turned-rival Ruby Soho. Soho got wins over Britt Baker and Skye Blue while Nightingale beat Nyla Rose and Athena to punch her ticket. Soho was unsuccessful in last year's final that Baker won.
Nightingale and Soho have faced off once before in singles action with Soho picking up the victory in March.
After losing in a title eliminator last Saturday, AEW Tag Team Champions FTR will defend against Bullet Club Gold's Jay White & Juice Robinson in a two-out-of-three falls match.
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We got our pre-roll videos, featuring comments from everyone in our key matches tonight. After a few weeks, I can do without these videos. Instead of the good kind of old-school, they feel antiquated and lame.
This week’s Collision takes place in Calgary, Alberta, Canada as part of the Calgary Stampede. Joining Nigel McGuinness on commentary this week is Ian Riccaboni, as Kevin Kelly is in Japan doing commentary for New Japan’s G1 Climax tournament.
AEW World Tag Team Title Two Out Of Three Falls Match – FTR defeated Bullet Club Gold (Jay White & Juice Robinson) 2 falls to 1 to retain the titles
I’ll get my small criticisms out of the way first. There was a lot of dead time in this one. The first fall was a lot of stalling, which tipped me off that this one was going long. Despite that, this was an incredible effort from these teams as they came together to have an excellent match. They peaked all three falls well, bringing the crowd to a fever pitch by the end of the third fall. This one will be talked about for a long time as the first Collision classic.
A good bit of stalling to start, which makes me think this one will be going long. Once they got started, White got the better of Harwood with armdrags. Both men made tags, with Wheeler sending Robinson out of the ring with a shoulder block as we went to our first picture-in-picture break.
As we came back from the commercial, Harwood tripped White up on a dropdown before hitting a side Russian leg sweep for a nearfall. Harwood caught White in a Cobra Twist, taunting Robinson as he grabbed the rope for leverage. Tags made on both sides led to Robinson dropping Wheeler with the Left Hand of God. The two traded pinfalls before Wheeler press slammed Robinson and tagged in Harwood. Harwood laid out Robinson with a chop before chopping him more in the corner.
As Harwood and Robinson traded headlocks, the announcers told us that Malakai Black & Brody King would be in tag team action tonight. After some headlock exchanges, Robinson sent Harwood shoulder-first into the ringpost before tagging in White. White leathered Harwood with chops. Harwood fought back but missed a corner splash and hit the ringpost head-first. White laid both Harwood and Wheeler out with DDTs before hitting a DVD for a nearfall. White dropped Harwood down with a facebuster before pulling him up and over with a bridging German suplex for a nearfall. Harwood fought back with chops before knocking White down with a lariat.
Things quickly broke down into a four-way scramble that ended with Robinson cutting off a Shatter Machine attempt and punching Wheeler with the Left Hand of God. That led to White hitting the Blade Runner to score the first fall as we went to a full screen break.
Robinson worked over Harwood’s arm as we came back from the break. Wheeler tagged in and laid into White, dropping him with a lariat for a nearfall. White came back with a back suplex before tagging out to Robinson, who laid into Wheeler with a pair of sentons. Robinson and White isolated Wheeler, with White clawing at Wheeler’s eyes to stop him from going for the tag. White hit Wheeler with a slingshot into the bottom rope before Robinson dropped Wheeler with a DDT on the floor.
More clubbering on Wheeler before Wheeler got his knees up on a Robinson senton to cut him off. Wheeler went for a sunset flip on Robinson, but White tagged in and went after the eyes again. Wheeler caught White with a headscissors before making the tag to Harwood, who ran wild on the challengers. Harwood got a pair of nearfalls on Robinson before sending him flying with two German suplexes. Harwood hit a brainbuster for a nearfall.
The Saddledome came alive with This Is Awesome chants as Harwood went for the Sharpshooter, but Robinson kicked him off and tagged in White. White hit a suplex into the turnbuckles that Robinson followed with a cannonball for a nearfall. White sent Harwood to the floor before teasing a stuff piledriver on Wheeler with Robinson. But FTR came back as Harwood hit a sunset flip off the ropes for a nearfall. FTR hit the Redneck Boogie on White, shouting out the Briscoes, for a close nearfall. FTR went for the Powerplex on White, but White got the knees up on Wheeler’s splash. Robinson came off the ropes with a Frog Splash on Harwood for another nearfall. This crowd is at a fever pitch as the match resets. FTR quickly got the second fall with some misdirection leading to the Shatter Machine on Robinson.
Back from commercial, and a Pier Six brawl broke out during the break. White backdropped his way out of a piledriver on the apron. Harwood got White in powerbomb position on the floor, but White took Harwood over the barricade. The doctors came to check on both men, but the match continued as White and Harwood brawled with each other in the crowd. Harwood dropped White with a suplex on the concrete, before FTR brought White back to ringside with a double suplex. Robinson came in, but FTR dropped him with a double suplex as well. White beat the countout before leading to the West Side Story staredown. They brawled with each other, with Wheeler suplexing Robinson over the ropes to the floor as we went to a picture-in-picture commercial.
Harwood got to the ropes to get out of a White submission as we came back. White tuned up the band but put Harwood in the Sharpshooter instead to big boos. Harwood reached the ropes and fought off a double-team attempt. Harwood brought White to the top rope before bringing him down hard with a back superplex. We got a 55-minute call as Robinson cut off a Harwood tag. White hit a bridging back suplex for a nearfall. White teased the Bladerunner, but Harwood pulled him into a Sharpshooter. Wheeler cut off Robinson and put him in a Sharpshooter. FTR couldn’t hold the position on the Sharpshooter and collapsed. Robinson tagged in, but Harwood snatched him into the Sharpshooter again. Robinson tapped out, giving FTR the deciding second fall and the win to a big pop.
After the match, FTR offered a handshake. Instead, White and Robinson spat on their hands and left. I’ve heard that might be a fine nowadays.
– We got a hype package for Blood and Guts this Wednesday, hyping it as the bloodiest match in AEW.
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Owen Hart Foundation 2023 Women's Tournament Final Match – Willow Nightingale defeated Ruby Soho
Soho came out solo, with the announcers noting that she made it to the finals last year. Nightingale started the match in control, countering Soho’s offense before hitting a trio of suplexes for a nearfall. Soho avoided a charge in the corner and tied Nightingale in the ropes, hitting her with knees to the chest. Soho got a nearfall as we went to picture-in-picture break.
Back from the break as Nightingale hit an enzuigiri. Nightingale fired up on Soho, clubbering on her in the corner. Soho hit a back elbow, but Nightingale pulled her into an Oklahoma Stampede for a nearfall. A pinning predicament led to a forearm exchange, which led to Soho getting a rollup for a nearfall. Nightingale hit a main event spinebuster and locked on a single leg crab. Soho got to the ropes, where she grabbed her spraypaint can. She put it in Nightingale’s hands and feigned innocence before clawing the eyes and hitting the No Future for a nearfall. Soho went for the paint again, but Nightingale hit a pounce that sent the can out of the ring. Nightingale hit the Babe With The Powerbomb to win the tournament. Tony Khan raised Nightingale’s hand as the announcers noted that Martha Hart would have an official ceremony for both tournament winners during Battle of the Belts.
– We cut to a video from last week, where Tony Schiavane was looking to talk to Powerhouse Hobbs after QTV accidentally cost him his tournament match against Ricky Starks. QT Marshall and Harley Cameron went into his locker room, with Marshall pleading his case to Hobbs. Hobbs seemed to buy it.
Kings of the Black Throne (Brody King & Malachi Black) defeated Artemis Spencer & Randy Myers
King powered one of the men into the corner, forcing a tag. Black tagged in, kicking the legs out of his opponent. Black locked on a knee bar as King hit a senton. This was a destruction that brought out Andrade El Idolo. Black hit the Black Mass for the win as referees held Andrade back. The House of Black taunted Andrade with his stolen mask.
– The announcers ran down the Battle of the Belts card before running down the Blood and Guts Dynamite card, featuring the Blood and Guts match, the Blind Eliminator Tag Team Tournament Finals with Adam Cole & MJF taking on Sammy Guevara and Daniel Garcia, and an FTW Title match with Hook defending against Jack Perry. They then announce that next Friday’s Rampage will feature the return of the Royal Rampage match.
Owen Hart Foundation 2023 Men's Tournament Final Match – Ricky Starks defeated CM Punk
This was fine. The work was nothing special, but the crowd was electric for and against Punk.
Punk had a mixed reaction coming out here. Dueling chants for both men as they traded arm wringers to start. Starks knocked Punk down with a shoulder block before taunting him with the Go To Sleep pose. Punk hip-tossed Starks to the floor as we went to commercial.
Starks avoided a corner charge as we came back from the break. Starks went Old School on Punk as the announcers noted that the legendary Jushin Thunder Liger would be helping to present the trophy to the winner of this match. Punk heated up on Starks, hitting a big kick to the back. Punk bodyslammed Starks before hitting the Bret Hart second rope elbow. Wrong brother, Punk. A Russian leg sweep scored a nearfall for Punk. Punk laid out Starks with a leg lariat as the crowd continued to be mixed for Punk. Another bodyslam set up the elbow, but Starks cut him off as we went to break again.
Punk hit the rising knee as we came back from commercial. Starks booted Punk on a corner charge, but Punk cut off a satellite DDT and hit a La Magistral cradle for a nearfall. Another rising knee scored for Punk, but Starks got the DDT for a nearfall. Starks went to the top rope, but Punk sat up out of the way of an elbow drop. Punk hit the Pepsi Twist for a nearfall. Both men met in the middle with crossbodies, crashing into each other for a double down.
They had a strike exchange that fired up Starks, but Punk caught Starks with a Piledriver for a nearfall. Punk called for the Go To Sleep, but Starks elbowed out and hit a spear that sent Punk to the floor. Starks dragged Punk back into the ring and went for another spear, but Punk caught him in a front guillotine that forced Starks to the ropes. Punk brought Starks to the top rope and hit a hurricanrana. They rolled through each other’s pins until Starks got the pin with second rope in hand. Starks celebrated as Punk sat in shock as we cut to Battle of the Belts.