Posted on 8/16/126 by Bob Magee
AEW was back in fabulous Las Vegas for Collision on TNT and
HBO Max, now just 15 days away from AEW All In: London at
Wembley Stadium! Tonight, we saw the final three matches in
the first round of the Continental Challenge Cup, including
a pair of intra-faction battles!
But before the factions collided, “Hangman” Adam Page, ROH
World Champion Bandido and Brody King beat The Lethal Twist
to open the night in their first defense of the AEW World
Trios Titles, only to be attacked by The Demand!
Nigel McGuinness managed to turn away Katsuyori Shibata in
their first meeting to move to the C3 Quarterfinals! He’ll
be joined in the second round by CMLL World Heavyweight
Champion Hechicero, who won the battle of Don Callis Family
members over Brian Cage. The blind draw also put The
Conglomeration against each other in the main event, as Kyle
O’Reilly defeated longtime partner Roderick Strong to punch
his ticket to the round of eight, which begins this
Wednesday on Dynamite!
Plus, Mercedes Moné didn’t get enough out of beating Zayda
Steel, so Moné attacked Steel and Christopher Daniels after
the match until AEW Women’s World Champion Willow
Nightingale arrived to run Moné off!
It was an eventful week in Vegas with everyone looking ahead
to the biggest stakes of the year at All In: London in just
15 days. Here are your complete Collision results!
AEW World Trios Championship Match: "Hangman" Adam Page &
Brodido (ROH World Champion Bandido and Brody King) (c) def.
The Lethal Twist (Jay Lethal, Blake Christian and Lee
Johnson)
The opening contest saw the AEW World Trios Champions,
“Hangman” Adam Page, ROH World Champion Bandido and Brody
King, defend their titles against The Lethal Twist, Jay
Lethal, Blake Christian and Lee Johnson!
The Lethal Twist made their entrance first, with Blake
Christian mocking the Motor City Machine Guns by pointing to
his hand, which read "The Swirl > MCMG." The AEW World Trios
Champions entered together, united despite this alliance
existing only for a short time.
Page began things with Christian, but quickly took him down
to the mat with a shoulder block. Christian came back with a
headscissors, and the two exchanged reversals until Page
caught Christian in midair and slammed him down. Christian
pushed Page to the corner so Lethal could tag in, and they
went to work on him, with Johnson tagging in to get a double
team with Lethal, but Page broke it up by dropping Johnson
to the mat, kicking off Lethal, and landing on Johnson for
an impressive moonsault. The crowd loved it and chanted
"Cowboy Shit!" after Page got a two-count.
Page body-slammed Johnson again and came over the top with a
senton atomico. He tagged in Bandido, who also went over the
top with a senton atomico. Then, King was about to hit one
of his own, so Johnson made the smart move of rolling away.
King entered the ring and flattened him with a senton
splash! He covered Johnson, but Lethal pulled King off after
a one -ount. King chopped Johnson into the corner, where
Bandido tagged in. Johnson reversed things on a whip and
sent Bandido into the Lethal Twist corner, where he knocked
Lethal off the apron.
Johnson tagged in Christian, and they stomped away at
Bandido in the corner. Christian mounted him and went after
Bandido's mask, but he got free using a handspring off the
ropes to escape and avert Christian, before pointing his
fingers at Christian's forehead. Christian pushed it away,
so Bandido came off the ropes with a flying headscissors.
Johnson came in, and Bandido tried to put him down with a
gorilla press slam, but Johnson escaped. Bandido got hung up
in the tree of woe, so Page came in to try to save him, but
Johnson sent Page over the top rope onto the apron.
Christian then sprang to the top rope, where he grabbed Page
between his legs so Johnson could hit a dropkick that
knocked Page down to the floor. With Bandido still in the
tree of woe, Christian swung around the ropes to kick him in
the back while Johnson hit a hesitation dropkick. Christian
immediately went to the second turnbuckle and came down on
Page with a moonsault to the floor. The champions were in
big trouble!
After Bandido was isolated for an extended period of time,
he turned things around by avoiding Lethal in the corner
with a boot, then sprang to the top rope to come back with a
twisting crossbody. King finally tagged in and unloaded on
all three members of the Lethal Twist. With all of them
stacked up in the corner, he splashed them down to the mat
and followed up with a cannonball on Johnson and Christian!
He pulled Johnson to the middle of the ring and covered him
for a two-count!
King then tagged in Hangman and held Johnson for him, and as
Hangman came off the top rope, Johnson pushed King away, but
ran right into a flurry of rights from Page. Page then hit a
springboard rebound clothesline from the second rope to
knock Johnson off the apron, gave the crowd a signal to get
their energy up, and connected with a springboard crossbody
over the top rope to the floor onto Johnson. Lethal tried to
attack Page from behind, but Page turned things around and
sent Lethal into the barricade. Bandido took advantage of
Lethal's misfortune and splashed him against the barricade,
while on the opposite side, King sent Christian into the
other barricade. Page and King then threw Johnson into the
barricade next to Christian, and King got the crowd barking
before smashing both Christian and Johnson against the
barricade with a massive crossbody. King picked up Christian
and Johnson, and Page went to the barricade, coming down on
both of them with a moonsault that sent the crowd in Las
Vegas into a frenzy. Page threw Johnson back into the ring,
went to the top rope, and hit another moonsault. He covered
Johnson, but only got a two-count.
Page seemed frustrated, so he tagged in Bandido, who tagged
in King. Bandido and Page started to cradle Johnson for
King, but Christian quickly broke it up and knocked King out
of the ring. Page hit a discus forearm to knock Christian
down, but was immediately taken down himself by Lethal. King
tried to rush at Lethal and Christian, so they dropped him
over the top rope with a low bridge. Christian sprang to the
apron and came off the second turnbuckle with a moonsault,
but King caught him. Lethal dove through the ropes to change
the momentum, so King was now stuck in Christian's grasp on
the floor, which allowed Johnson to come off the apron with
a frog splash onto King! They threw King back into the ring,
where Johnson hit a frog splash, followed by Christian
following up with a 450. Johnson and Christian both covered,
but still only got a two-count on King!
Johnson and Christian hit a kick combo to put King back in
the corner, but when Johnson tried to monkey flip Christian
into King, Hangman cut it off with a Buckshot Lariat out of
nowhere! Bandido got back in the ring and caught a rushing
Johnson with an X Knee as Page stopped Lethal from making
the save. Page and Bandido picked up Johnson and swung him
to King, who caught him in position for a Gonzo Bomb, but
not before Page and Bandido dove to the outside to take out
Christian and Lethal! King finished off Johnson with the
Gonzo Bomb for the three count! The champions successfully
defended the AEW World Trios Championship for the first
time!
They didn't have a chance to celebrate for long, though,
because Ricochet appeared at the top of the ramp and told
everyone to quiet down. He said he loves to rain on their
parade, and if the right hand doesn't get you, the left hand
will, and with that, Bishop Kaun and Toa Liona attacked the
AEW World Trios Champions from behind! Bandido was sent into
the barricade while Liona took out King on the outside. Page
tried to fight them both off as Lethal and Christian
returned to swing the numbers advantage against the
champions. King crawled back into the ring and put his body
over Hangman just to protect his partner, but Page was
picked up by Kaun and Liona and dropped with a Fall from
Heaven!
With Page, King, and Bandido down at their feet, Ricochet
reminded them that when you're in the Demand, you can make
demands. Kaun followed by saying, "And if you don’t follow
demands," and Liona closed it out by telling them, "You get
put down!" The Demand picked up the AEW World Trios Titles
and dropped them over the champions before exiting the ring
with The Lethal Twist!
Don Callis Family Wins With Brian Cage or Hechicero
Before they met in C3 first-round action, Lexy Nair spoke
with Cage and Hechicero, who were with Don Callis and Lance
Archer. Nair asked Callis if he was worried this would break
up the family, and Callis said, "What a mighty big word for
an interviewer, dissension. Well, one man's dissension is
another man's competition. And I know, mathematically
speaking, that there's a one hundred percent chance, Lexy,
of the Don Callis Family advancing. So in the spirit of
competition..." Callis then asked Hechicero and Cage to
shake hands. Hechicero promised to give the Family gold.
Callis did some poor translating of Cage’s respectful wishes
to Hechicero and then warned Archer that tonight, nobody
dies.
The Conglomeration Speak Before Facing Off in the C3
Lexy Nair was with The Conglomeration’s Roderick Strong,
Orange Cassidy and Kyle O’Reilly ahead of Strong facing
O’Reilly in the first round of the C3 later tonight. She
asked Cassidy, who already advanced, if they were feeling
the pressure. He said he was because he could face whoever
wins tonight in the next round … or not.
O’Reilly spoke of his long, storied history with Strong that
ranged from partners to enemies to the closest friend he’s
ever had in the business, but no matter what happens
tonight, it won’t change. Strong said he appreciated it and
reminded O’Reilly that he never treated him differently
along the way. That won’t change tonight, and he expected
the same from O’Reilly. May the best man win. O’Reilly left
to warm up and asked Cassidy to help him. Nair wished Strong
good luck.
Strong responded, “He’s gonna need it.”
AEW Continental Challenge Cup First Round Match: Don Callis
Family's CMLL World Heavyweight Champion Hechicero def. Don
Callis Family's Brian Cage
As Renee Paquette reported before the match, this was a home
game of sorts for Cage, who only had a 20-minute drive from
home. This was also where he won the Mr. Nevada bodybuilding
tournament. Both men entered alone, per Continental rules.
The crowd chanted for Hechicero at the bell!
Both men tried to use their advantages in the early going,
with Hechicero trying to grind Cage down to the mat and slow
him. In contrast, Cage used his power to escape and
eventually work Hechicero into the corner, where he unloaded
with chops. Hechicero found himself on the opposite corner
but avoided a charge and tried a shoulder block on Cage, but
Cage didn't go down. Cage asked for more, so Hechicero tried
a clothesline, and Cage stayed up again. A kick to the gut
gave Hechicero a chance to get a brief advantage on Cage, so
he kicked him in the knee and hit a DDT for the first near-
fall of the match.
Hechicero hammered Cage in the chest and then put his focus
on Cage's left arm, snapping it backwards across his knee.
Hechicero chopped Cage in the corner and tried a running
knee strike, but Cage caught him and put Hechicero down with
a Death Valley Driver. Cage rushed Hechicero in the corner,
but Hechicero was ready with a boot. However, Cage shook it
off, hit a clothesline and a strike, then a running face
wash kick. With Hechicero on the apron, Cage pulled him up
over the top rope for a deadlift superplex! What a move by
The Machine!
Hechicero turned things around by trapping Cage in the
corner with a dragon screw through the ropes. Hechicero went
to the top and came off with a flying elbow drop across the
chest of the standing Cage, but Cage kicked out at two!
Hechicero kicked at Cage, telling him to get up. Cage came
back with a flurry of strikes, but Hechicero met him in the
ropes and choked him over the top rope with a full
bodyscissors until the referee broke it up. Hechicero choked
Cage again from behind, but Cage managed to turn his body
around and spike Hechicero with a draping DDT from the top
rope! Cage covered Hechicero, but Hechicero kicked out at
two! Cage came right back with a sit-out powerbomb, but
Hechicero once again kicked out to keep the match alive!
Hechicero escaped Cage's pump handle slam attempt and turned
it into a leg grapevine, but Cage made it to the ropes to
break the submission in the corner. Hechicero hit a running
knee, but Cage came back with a discus clothesline, and both
men were down in the middle of the ring as the referee began
his ten count. They fought up from their knees, and Cage cut
off Hechicero with a thrust kick. He went for the Drill
Claw, but Hechicero floated out the back and hit a big boot
before a flying guillotine put Cage down, although Cage was
able to kick out at two!
Hechicero trapped Cage's arms and cradled him on his
shoulders for the three count! While the Don Callis Family
comes away victorious, it's only Hechicero who moves on to
the Quarterfinals. After the match, Hechicero and Cage
exchanged some heated words.
Darby Allin Asks Kevin Knight What Family Means
Allin had his face almost fully covered by his hood as he
spoke. “My biggest fear in life is when this 15-minute ride
is over, that I’m gonna look at myself and not know who I’m
looking back at. It’s scary. It’s really scary. There was a
time in AEW when I thought I had to change in order to make
it to the top. I had to sacrifice everything I stood for.
But it wasn’t until I met Sting that he taught me that you
don’t have to change one thing. And I look at you, Kevin.
Man, have you changed. I hope you like it at the top because
the foundation you’re building your house on isn’t going to
last. When you hear the word family, Kevin, what do you
think of? Because the Don Callis Family isn’t family. When I
hear family, I think of Sting. I think of Sting’s sons,
Steve and James Borden, and like all those years ago when I
saw potential in you, Kevin, I see that in Steven. You’ve
got my word. From now until Wembley, I’m not gonna sneak
attack you. I’m not gonna have any explosives. Cause I wanna
beat the very best Kevin Knight at Wembley. You’re already
one of the greatest TNT Champions that’s ever lived. But
after All In, when you look at yourself in the mirror,
you’re not gonna recognize who you’re looking back at.
Because, Kevin, I am going to beat you within an inch of
your life. It’s so scary…”
Lio Rush Will Team with The Rascalz Tonight!
Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz were fired up about their
win last week and said The Rascalz were riding high, but
Myron Reed reminded them he lost. They tried to pick him up,
and he was appreciative of them setting up tonight’s tag
match because he needs the win. Xavier thought Reed set up
the match, but when all three realized that none of them
were responsible, they heard a voice.
“HE DID!”
“Blackheart” Lio Rush appeared and said, “Yes, he did. He
needs friends.”
Xavier said everyone needs friends, but Rush said they need
to listen for the rain.
Wentz said, “No, we’re The Rascalz. Smoke ‘em if you got
‘em?”
Rush responded, “He has them all!”
The Rascalz all left as Rush said, “IT’S FINE!”
AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions Divine Dominion
("Colossal" Lena Kross and "Megasus" Megan Bayne) def.
Rachelle Riveter & Mazzerati
Kross and Riveter began things, with Riveter oddly trying to
get a waistlock on Kross, only for Kross to kick her leg.
She missed a stomp, so Riveter went off the ropes and
attempted a flying headscissors, which Kross caught and put
her down the hard way with a sidewalk slam.
Bayne tagged in, so Divine Dominion hit a combo of kicks and
strikes in the corner, followed by Bayne throwing Riveter
back across the ring with a German suplex. Mazzerati came
in, and Bayne quickly blocked one of her right hands and
clotheslined her down to the mat. She tagged in Kross, and
they picked Mazzerati up for Divine Intervention, but
Riveter broke it up. Both Kross and Bayne connected on big
right hands to Mazzerati and Riveter, then held both up for
stereo vertical suplexes, ending with Kross throwing
Mazzerati on top of Riveter.
Riveter was thrown out of the ring, and Divine Dominion
absolutely crushed Mazzerati with Divine Intervention as
Kross covered for the dominant pinfall victory.
The champions didn't have much of a chance to bask in their
dominance, though, because their challengers at All In:
London, the Brawling Birds, hit the ring to brawl. Kross and
Bayne tried to fight them off, but Jamie Hayter and Alex
Windsor clotheslined Bayne over the top rope and then hit a
pair of headbutts to knock Kross down to the mat. The Birds
dragged the steel steps over to the timekeeper's area and
brought Bayne to the top of the steps, where they set her up
for what appeared to be a double chokeslam, but Kross pulled
Bayne away and back into the ring. The Birds chased after,
so the champions bailed up the ramp. These two teams will
meet in fifteen days for the AEW Women's World Tag Team
Championships at All In: London at Wembley Stadium!
Zayda Steel Confronted by Mercedes Moné after Dynamite!
We went back to Wednesday night, where after Dynamite, Renee
Paquette asked Zayda Steel about her huge opportunity to
face Mercedes Moné on Collision. “I'm excited for Saturday.
I mean, I've been studying, I've been training, I've been
looking forward to this match for over 10 years."
Mercedes Moné walked in to interrupt. "You're another fan,
nice to meet you, but who are you again?" Steel replied,
"Mercedes, you know my name, but if you want me to remind
you, I'm ‘The Real Deal’ Zayda Steel. And yeah, I did look
up to you, I did admire you, but after what you did to
Willow, attacking her from behind, I've lost all respect for
you." Moné shot back, "You lost respect for me?"
Moné blasted Steel with a cheap shot, knocking her to the
ground. Moné crouched over Steel and said, “Let me teach you
some respect this Saturday on Collision. Nice to meet you...
bitch."
AEW Continental Challenge Cup First Round Match: Nigel
McGuinness def. The Opps' Katsuyori Shibata
The fans chanted "HOLY SHIT!" at the bell, and after Shibata
offered a handshake, McGuinness accepted it, and we were
underway!
Shibata quickly worked things to the mat, where he grabbed
hold of McGuinness's left ankle. McGuinness tried to escape,
only for Shibata to grab him in a headscissors. Nigel went
to a handstand to escape, but Shibata was ready for him once
again, controlling McGuinness until going into guard and
grabbing a pin attempt for a one-count. They worked back to
their feet, where McGuinness tried to get hold of Shibata's
head and neck, but Shibata reversed things, taking
McGuinness down to the mat. Without anywhere to go, there
was a mutual break, and both men returned to their feet.
McGuinness worked Shibata to the ropes and let him go for
what appeared to be a clean break, but instead, McGuinness
kicked the top rope into Shibata. McGuinness tried to
apologize and offered a hand, so Shibata feigned taking it
and instead kicked him in the gut. With McGuinness down,
Shibata kicked him in the back twice. McGuinness asked for a
third, but when Shibata came off the ropes, McGuinness fell
backwards to avoid it and pointed to his head as if to say
he was smarter than Shibata, but he didn't expect Shibata to
come off the ropes with a giant chop to the back of his
neck. Shibata mocked McGuinness by pointing to his head, but
McGuinness snapmared Shibata into the bottom rope on two
different sides of the ring, which seemed to injure
Shibata's right leg.
Both men ended up back on their feet fighting in the middle
of the ring, but it was McGuinness taking a cheap shortcut
by stomping on Shibata's bad right leg. Shibata came back
with a strike, but McGuinness escaped with a headbutt to
Shibata's gut. However, when he tried it again, Shibata
caught McGuinness in a guillotine. McGuinness started
fading, so Shibata changed his grip into a cravat, but
McGuinness escaped by stomping on Shibata's foot multiple
times before flipping him over for a suplex.
McGuinness tried to shake himself awake and grabbed Shibata
in a headlock. He stopped what he was doing and landed an
uppercut on Shibata. When he tried it again, Shibata slipped
behind with a rear naked choke and brought him down to the
mat in the middle of the ring. Shibata had the legs locked
around McGuinness, but McGuinness trapped Shibata's bad
ankle to turn the submission around completely. Shibata had
to get to the ropes to break it up, and McGuinness gave
himself a round of applause.
He started to work over Shibata with uppercuts in the
corner, but Shibata stormed right out after him, so
McGuinness came back with a back elbow. He followed with a
throat thrust, then put Shibata on the top turnbuckle with
another throat thrust. He seemed to be looking for a Tower
of London, but Shibata escaped. McGuinness ran into a boot,
and Shibata grabbed him in a choke once again. McGuinness
went down to a seated position, which usually meant Shibata
was going to go for a PK to finish the match, but when he
kicked McGuinness, he did so with his bad leg and
immediately grimaced in pain. He tried it again from the
front side but ended up kicking McGuinness in the boot, in a
stroke of genius by McGuinness, who had thrown up his foot
for the block. Shibata crumbled to the mat in pain, and the
crowd chanted "Fight Forever!”
McGuinness grabbed Shibata and locked in a very deep ankle
lock, but Shibata was able to roll out of it. McGuinness
tried to change submissions, but Shibata got away, bounced
him off the ropes, and looked for the discus clothesline,
but Shibata was ready for it and rolled him up for a near-
fall. When McGuinness kicked out, Shibata hit him with a PK
to the chest and covered him, but McGuinness kicked out once
again at two. Shibata immediately grabbed McGuinness's arm
to try to lock on a cross armbreaker, but McGuinness was
able to roll on top of Shibata to get a near-fall. He
mounted Shibata and rained down strikes. Shibata tried to
cover up and eventually rolled McGuinness over near the
ropes to rain down strikes of his own. He once again grabbed
a choke on McGuinness and jumped on his back to grapevine
his legs. McGuinness fell to the mat with Shibata behind
him, but then rolled over Shibata to trap his shoulders on
the mat for the shocking pinfall victory!
McGuinness wins and moves on to the round of eight in the
C3, keeping his Wembley Stadium dreams alive!
Will Ospreay Needs Two Partners to Face the Don Callis
Family on Dynamite
Renee Paquette was backstage with Ospreay and asked about
him finding two partners to face the Don Callis Family this
Wednesday on Dynamite – and considering the Death Riders are
out of the picture, he’s pretty thin on friends right now.
Ospreay responded, “It’s the year 2026, and Don Callis is
still taking credit for Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega.
Laughable, really, but he's right; there's history there,
one that I'm not really proud of. But now I need to deal
with it, and this is going to be a difficult phone call that
I've got to make." Ospreay revealed he plans to call his
boys in Japan. "I know Henare’s going to be okay with me,
and Akira's going to be okay with me. It's my little
brother, Callum, that I'm a little bit worried about. It's a
conversation we need to have." He paused before adding, "I'm
sure it'll be all right... hopefully."
Before the next match, we took a look at the legacies on the
line when Christian Cage and Adam Copeland defend the AEW
World Tag Team Titles against the Young Bucks at All In:
London!
ROH World Television Champion "Blackheart" Lio Rush & The
Rascalz (Zachary Wentz, Dezmond Xavier and Myron Reed) def.
Jeaux Braxton, Frescomatic, Watson & Ice Williams
Lio Rush initially entered by himself but was joined by The
Rascalz and seemed to enjoy taking part in their usual
antics and poses around the ring. While Rush seemed to want
to start the match for his side, the opposition was taunting
him from the floor, so he galloped around the ring and took
all of them out with a dive!
Williams entered the ring, but Rush took him down with a
clothesline. Williams tagged out to Braxton, who went for a
clothesline, but Rush ducked it and hit a stunner. Rush
tagged in Wentz, who ran into Braxton in the corner. Xavier
came in with a running uppercut, followed by Reed, who went
over the top and came back in with a lungblower, which he
held onto so Xavier could come back over the top with knees
to the back.
Watson decided to enter the ring, but Wentz and Xavier
quickly kicked him down to the mat, and then Braxton tagged
in Frescomatic, but Rush jumped off Braxton to tackle
Frescomatic and bite him on the head! Meanwhile, Reed and
Wentz flipped Xavier over for a triple dropkick on Williams!
Frescomatic found himself in the middle of the Rascalz and
Rush and tried to chop Rush, who grabbed his hand and bit
it, allowing the Rascalz to hit a triple superkick. All
three Rascalz then hit springboard dives to the floor!
Back in the ring, Rush grabbed Frescomatic and rolled him to
the Rascalz' corner. Wentz came off the top with a senton
bomb, Reed, who had just tagged in, hit a 450 splash, and
then Xavier came off the top with a spiral tap before
tagging in Rush. The crowd chanted "Lio" as Rush scaled the
top rope, then came back down and trapped Frescomatic in a
front cravat to get the tap-out victory! The Rascalz
cautiously celebrated with Rush up the ramp until The Hurt
Syndicate came out for their match. Rush and The Rascalz
made their way to the back without incident as Bobby
Lashley, Shelton Benjamin and MVP continued to the ring.
The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin) &
Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor and ROH Pure Champion
Lee Moriarty) def. Sonico, Juli Montaña, Ro Montaña and Jake
Redondo
All of Shane Taylor Promotions came out to support Taylor
and Moriarty. This marked the first time Bobby Lashley,
Shelton Benjamin, Shane Taylor, and ROH Pure Champion Lee
Moriarty teamed up together, following Shane Taylor
Promotions' business proposal to the Hurt Syndicate last
week on Collision.
It was Benjamin and Lashley who attacked at the bell,
knocking their opponents off the apron, with Lashley running
through Juli Montaña with a hit stick spear on the floor!
Sonico charged at Benjamin but was thrown backwards with a
release German suplex. Ro Montaña came in after Benjamin,
got sent to the corner, and ate a nasty step-up knee before
Benjamin threw him backwards with another massive release
German suplex. At the same time, Taylor and Moriarty simply
watched it unfold. Lashley then speared Ro to join his
partner on the floor, and MVP walked up the ramp to conduct
the crowd as they sang, "We hurt people." Lashley and
Benjamin left the ring together as MVP held up the envelope
Taylor had given them the week before and made his way up
the ramp, indicating that destruction was what their money
had gotten them, before returning to the back.
Redondo came at Moriarty, who took him out with a flying
kick, then followed with a massive dive onto Sonico on the
floor. Fired up, Moriarty got back in the ring as Redondo
stood and stared down Taylor, missed a pair of right hands,
and ate a headbutt that crumpled him to his knees. Taylor
called for the end, hooked up Redondo, and finished him with
the Marcus Garvey Driver for the three count. Shane Taylor
Promotions celebrated after clearing the ring, though the
Hurt Syndicate did not return to join them.
Tommaso Ciampa Speaks on the Casino Gauntlet
We heard from Ciampa, who explained that all roads lead to
Wembley and called this year's Casino Gauntlet the biggest
in AEW history. He said the stakes couldn't be higher, with
one man leaving London guaranteed a shot at the AEW World
Championship, "the big belt," the reason he came to AEW in
the first place, and the title that tells the world you're
the very best professional wrestler in the industry. Ciampa
then addressed Andrade and MJF directly, acknowledging they
were the first two entrants announced for the gauntlet, and
warned that if they believed in a god, they'd better pray he
wasn't drawn as the third. He closed by promising he'd see
them at Wembley.
Mercedes Moné def. SkyFlight's Zayda Steel
Zayda Steel entered to a big ovation alongside Christopher
Daniels, representing SkyFlight in the matchup. Mercedes
Moné pushed Steel as she raised her Owen Hart Cup
Championship in her face before the bell. Moné worked Steel
into the corner and pie-faced her, but Steel pushed her
right back. Moné charged the corner and missed, and Steel
caught her with a right hand. Moné came out of the corner,
and Steel cradled her for a one-count.
Moné, unhappy with that, hit an angry shot on Steel, but
Steel ran up the ropes and took her down with an arm drag
before rolling through a bulldog attempt for a one-count of
her own. Mercedes chucked Steel back down to the mat, and
Steel rolled to the apron. Moné charged at her there, but
Steel got back into the ring as Moné climbed to the apron.
Steel brought Moné back in with a lungblower for a two-
count. Moné elbowed her way free and stopped a headscissors
attempt, turning it into a nasty lungblower of her own. She
paused for the crowd, mounted Steel with punches, and went
for a sloppy cover that Steel easily kicked out of. Moné
snapped Steel to the mat and locked on a rear chinlock.
Steel elbowed free and nearly rolled Moné up for a pinfall,
but an angry Moné broke free and dropkicked her into the
corner.
Moné kept the heat on, locking Steel up in the middle of the
ring with another chinlock as the crowd chanted for both
women. Steel dropped down to escape and tackled Moné with a
Lou Thesz Press, following up with a flurry of punches, but
Moné sent her to the ropes. Steel came back with an STO, in
homage to Daniels, and hit a running crossbody on Moné in
the corner. Steel went to the top for a flying crossbody,
but Moné kicked out just in time. On commentary, Paul Wight
noted that Steel had Moné on her heels!
Steel turned Moné around for an underhook piledriver
attempt, which Moné reversed into a backstabber! Moné then
hit the Moné Maker and rolled it straight into the Statement
Maker, accentuating the hold by pulling Steel's lifeless
body into a forced smile, to earn the submission victory.
Moné held onto the hold well past the bell until the referee
pulled her off. When Daniels came in to check on Steel, Moné
attacked him from behind with her championship belt, then
turned her attention back to Steel with more belt shots
before AEW Women's World Champion Willow Nightingale ran out
for the save!
As Moné bailed to the floor, Nightingale got on the mic and
said, "You want me so bad, you're gonna come attack me? You
want to fight? I'm right here. You're going crazy because
you look at me and you know I could beat you. I'm right
here." Moné faked like she was going to the ring, then
instead grabbed her title and headed into the crowd, but not
before Nightingale got the last word in: "Hey Mercedes, I'm
still smiling, bitch."
A Bloody “Jungle” Jack Perry Speaks After Dynamite and Meets
Swerve Strickland
After Dynamite, cameras caught up with Perry, who said he
was supposed to see the doctors because he's bleeding but
doesn't have time to bleed, because he needs to prepare
himself to become the AEW World Champion. He admitted it
might not look like it right now, but he's never been so
confident in his life, and he thanked Mox for showing him
what it's going to take and the level he needs to reach to
get there. Perry said iron sharpens iron, and he needs to
face everyone who's been at that level: Samoa Joe, “Hangman”
Adam Page, and his friend Kenny Omega. He trailed off and
simply said, "you," as he got up, and a familiar laugh rang
out, revealed to be Swerve Strickland.
Swerve responded by running down the list of names Perry had
just mentioned, his so-called friends, saying he'd beat all
of them: the Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, “Hangman” Adam Page.
He acknowledged the fight Perry had with Jon Moxley was a
tough one, someone Swerve himself hasn't quite figured out
yet, but told Perry he's not quite ready to walk among
killers like them. Perry looked at his bloody hand and said,
“I think I am.” Swerve warned him not to bring a knife to a
Swerve fight. Swerve walked away as Perry stood there
contemplating what he'd said, blood still dripping from his
nose.
Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks Confronted by Cage and Cope
After taking a special look at Omega vs. Ospreay for the AEW
World Title at All In: London, Omega addressed the Don
Callis Family, calling them "the crap stain on the
underpants of that which is my life," and saying that while
he wouldn't normally complain about a week off, he doesn't
like Callis and he doesn't like bullies. He challenged any
three members of the group to a six-man tag team match next
week, promising to bring two of his friends. The Young
Bucks, Matt and Nick Jackson, backed him up, declaring The
Elite are back in action and that they've always got Kenny's
back.
AEW World Tag Team Champions Christian Cage and Adam
Copeland showed up and tried to figure out what happened in
their match last week in Mexico when they teamed with the
Bucks. When Cope asked what happened when he had Jon Moxley
pinned while the Bucks were doing flips on the outside.
Omega excused himself, and the Bucks brushed it off before
needling Cope about his age, after he pointed out that Nick
was 37. He said he was already wrestling when Nick was three
years old, watching his matches as a kid. They joked that
he's old enough to be their father. Cage shot back, "Who
says I'm not?" He left before asking Cope when he’ll be done
trusting them.
AEW Continental Challenge Cup First Round Match: The
Conglomeration's Kyle O'Reilly def. The Conglomeration's
Roderick Strong
This was the first time that Roderick Strong and Kyle
O'Reilly were on opposite sides since Strong defeated
O'Reilly to retain the AEW International Championship at
Dynasty 2024. In fact, Strong held a 5-1 all-time singles
record over O'Reilly coming into this match, with O'Reilly's
last victory over Strong coming 12 years ago.
They locked up at the bell but had a tough time separating
from each other, although it was Strong who struck first
with chops. O'Reilly answered with kicks, and the two
wrestled around on the mat until Strong got away. He jumped
right into a big right hand from O'Reilly, who worked him
over in the corner briefly before stretching him on the mat.
O'Reilly rolled Strong into a cradle for a near-fall, then
took him down with kicks to the chest, followed by a leg
sweep. O'Reilly continued working on Strong's left arm and
then snapped him down to the mat with another kick to the
back.
Strong finally broke free with a backbreaker across his
knee. He picked up O'Reilly, threw him into the corner, and
followed with a pair of chops before a snap suplex got him a
near-fall. O'Reilly fought back to his feet and tried to hit
a running knee against the ropes, but Strong flipped him to
the outside. Strong tried to follow up with a pair of boots
through the ropes, but O'Reilly was ready and caught him.
Strong still managed to kick his way free and tried the
double boots through the ropes again, but once again
O'Reilly moved. O'Reilly then jumped up to the apron and
came running down with his signature knee, but Strong was
ready and picked him up, dropping him across the barricade
with a nasty backbreaker.
Back in the ring, O'Reilly continued to chop down Strong to
the point that even Paul Wight on commentary was surprised
at just how hard these two friends were going at each other.
Strong appeared to break free of O'Reilly but ran into a
boot in the corner. O'Reilly put himself on the second rope
and came flying down on Strong with a knee. Strong cut
O'Reilly off with another backbreaker and covered him, but
O'Reilly kicked out at two.
Strong was clearly in pain from all the work O'Reilly had
done on his leg but limped forward to move O'Reilly to the
corner. He dropped him once and brought him out for a
vertical suplex, but O'Reilly escaped, so Strong hit a chop.
O'Reilly came back with a succession of kicks to put Strong
in the corner. Strong tried to battle back, but O'Reilly
caught him in a guillotine choke, adjusted it into a
triangle choke, and then tried to pick the ankle, but Strong
rolled to the outside.
O'Reilly followed with a running knee off the apron and
threw Strong back in the ring. O'Reilly tried to go to the
top rope, but Strong stopped him and brought him down with a
violent backbreaker! Strong covered him for a two-count.
Strong and O'Reilly traded strikes until Strong put a few
together to knock O'Reilly into the ropes, but O'Reilly came
right back to drop Strong with a clothesline. O'Reilly hit a
short brainbuster for a two-count and tried to lock in a
cross armbreaker, which Strong initially blocked but then
rolled through into a near-fall. Back on their feet, Strong
and O'Reilly traded kicks and chops until Strong hit a kick
to the back of O'Reilly's head and covered him for another
two-count. The crowd chanted "Fight Forever" as they got
back to their feet and resumed throwing strikes.
O'Reilly hit a big kick, so Strong grabbed him for a
backbreaker. O'Reilly floated out of it, and Strong turned
things around; then O'Reilly did the same, and they
continued to exchange reversals until O'Reilly snatched
Strong with a rolling cradle for a three-count out of
nowhere! O'Reilly moves to the round of eight in the C3.
After the match, when O'Reilly went up to Strong, Strong
pushed him down, then pulled O'Reilly back up, hugged him,
and raised his hand. The two embraced one more time and left
the ring together, where Orange Cassidy was waiting for both
of them at the top of the ramp. O'Reilly and Cassidy, who
could meet in the quarterfinals, had somewhat of a face-off
until Strong grabbed them both and led them to the back.
That brought Collision to a close!
Catch AEW Dynamite LIVE next Wednesday on TBS & HBO Max at
8/7c from Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in Baltimore,
Maryland!
Tickets on sale now! – AEWTIX.COM
And remember… We are AEW—Where The Best Wrestle!