**CONTAINS SPOILERS**
Tonight’s AEW COLLISION was broadcast live from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC!
Nigel McGuinness and Ian Riccaboni were the broadcast team for tonight’s event.
It’s Saturday night and you know what that means! Saturday night’s alright for fighting!
AEW World Tag Team Championship Match!
FTR—Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood (c.)
vs.
The Embassy’s Big Bill & “The Machine” Brian Cage (with Prince Nana)!
Cash Wheeler hugged his mother, who was sitting in the front row.
Brian Cage steamrolled Cash with a shoulder tackle. Dax Harwood tagged in and charged at Cage with his own shoulder block. Cage nailed Dax Harwood with a forearm. Cage ran through both members of FTR with a massive running shoulder ram.
Big Bill tagged in, and he scoop slammed Cash. FTR tried for the Shatter Machine on Big Bill but Dax couldn’t lift up Big Bill. Cash was choke slammed by Big Bill onto Dax’s back! Big Bill press slammed Cash over the top rope and threw Cash down onto Dax on the arena floor!
Big Bill hammered Cash outside the ring, right in front of Cash’s mother! Big Bill blew a kiss at Cash’s mother and she had enough of the taunting, slapping Big Bill right in the mush!
Brian Cage superplexed Cash into the ring. Big Bill hoisted up Wheeler in the torture rack. Cash escaped but Big Bill decapitated Cash with a clothesline. Cash made the hot tag to Dax and Dax cleaned house on Big Bill and Brian Cage with a flurry of offense.
Dax lifted up Cage on his shoulders and Cash jumped off the top rope with a bulldog, a play out of the Steiners’ playbook, for a near fall on Cage. Brian Cage managed to lift both members of FTR at the same time and hurled them to the mat.
Brian Cage jumped over the top rope with a cannonball to FTR outside the ring. Big Bill blasted Cash with a big boot for a near fall.
The fans chanted “This is awesome! This is awesome!”
FTR connected with the Shatter Machine on Brian Cage and pinned him!
Cash Wheeler: “We’re gonna get in a little bit of trouble tonight. 10 years ago, we started a legacy. We talk about being the greatest tag team of all time, and I think through every promotion we’ve been through, we were the world champion. To complete the legacy and to be known as the greatest tag team of all time, there’s one thing we gotta do. One thing left for FTR to do.”
Dax Harwood: “Young Bucks! I said we had unfinished business so how about we finish it at Wembley Stadium?”
Cash Wheeler: “80,000 strong, Young Bucks, FTR, the rubber match, who is the greatest tag team of all time? Top guys out!”
TBS Championship Match!
Kris Statlander (c.) vs. Mercedes Martinez!
Martinez charged in and clubbed Kris with strikes. Statlander rallied back with a shotgun dropkick. Martinez took down Statlander with a butterfly suplex. Kris cracked Martinez with a big kick.
Statlander, unrelenting, resilient, determined, smashed Mercedes with a running boot. She jumped at Mercedes with a crossbody press to the outside but Mercedes moved out of the way. Kris came back with a snap powerslam on Martinez for a near fall. Martinez came back with a spider suplex to the champ.
Martinez rocked Kris with a running knee strike for a two-count. Statlander planted Martinez with a fishermen’s buster driver for a near fall. Martinez countered a wheel barrel, almost scoring an upset pin on Kris. The champ rolled back with a bridge and pinned Martinez.
Martinez attacked Kris after the match, grounding and pounding here. Diamante sprinted to the ring, looked at Martinez, and then began to pummel Kris! Willow Nightingale ran to the aid of the fallen champion. Martinez and Diamante retreated out of the ring.
Tony Schiavone was backstage to interview former Women’s World champion Toni Storm!
Toni Storm: “Former? Yes, okay, I can handle that. I stand here feeling naked as the day I was born. But don’t worry I’m not going to freak out like you think I’m going to. But let me ask you this: am I not a star anymore? Look at the state of me? Look at me? Do you really think this is right for me? No, it’s not! I’m the illustrious Toni Storm! This is not right! This interview is over. So now you can shut up!”
ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe vs. Serpentico!
Samoa Joe locked Serpentico right into a submission and forced him to tap out right away!
Samoa Joe: “My name is Samoa Joe, your one true king of television. I’ve got a few problems. First one being soon, at a sold-out Wembley Stadium, we go all in, and your king has no one to dance with. And that leads to our second problem. While a certain “Real World Champion” was traveling around the world saying he was the best in the world, I knew in my heart he wasn’t better than me a day in his life.
“But recently, I lost that luxury at the Owen Hart Invitational. It’s not the fact that I lost it, it’s how I lost it. Because me and this so-called Real World Champion have battled for over three hours in this ring. Damnit, a roll-up is not good enough for our legacy. So, I come here champ to ask you, to ask you to give me what I want. To ask you to give these people what they want. To ask you to give our legacy what it deserves. You and me, with the eyes of the world upon us, giving these people everything, we have.
“But know this champ. My courtesy extends only to this week. If you make me wait until next week, you best believe I’ll convince your ass, Punk!”
Tony Schiavone had a sit down interview with The Acclaimed earlier in the day!
Anthony Bowens was holding Daddy Ass’s wrestling boots.
Bowens: “We spoke with Daddy Ass over the weekend, and we tried to give him his boots back. He wouldn’t take them. He’s pretty firm in his decision that he’s officially retired.”
Tony Schiavone: “Did he say why?”
Bowens: “He kept saying that it was his fault that we lost the tag team titles and that Malakai pinned him twice in a row. He feels like he’s lost a step in high pressure scenarios, but I disagree.”
Schiavone: “Where does The Acclaimed go from here Max?”
Max Caster: “Look, I want to respect Billy’s decision. If he’s done, he’s done. But he’s given us so much.”
Bowens: “He thinks he failed us. Maybe we failed him. Billy, I hope that you’re watching this because I hope you understand how much you’ve meant to Max and I. Because we were two people who were trying to find ourselves on the roster, to prove that we were elite. You were the one person that believed in us. And it was because of you that we got to call ourselves champions. So, we’re gonna miss you, we’re gonna go out there every week with these boots for you, and I just hope you know how much everyone loves you. So, one last time please, if you can throw up those scissors on that couch, and scissor me, Daddy Ass.”
AEW World Trios Championship Open House Match!
House of Black—Malakai Black, Buddy Matthews, & Brody King (c.)
vs.
Action Andretti, Darius Martin, & Lee Johnson!
The chosen stipulation for the match was Julia Hart was banned from ringside.
“That is a clever play by the challengers,” said Ian.
Brody rocked Martin with a shoulder block. Martin connected with a thrust kick. Martin jumped with a high cross body, but he bounced right off Brody, who didn’t budge.
Malakai tagged in and hit a back elbow on Martin. Action tagged in and took down Black with a hurracanrana. Black shoved Action into the barricade. Malakai swept out the leg of Action.
Matthews launched Andretti, tossing him onto the top rope! Lee Johnson tagged in and moonsaulted into a double DDT on Buddy and Black! He jumped a second time with double cutters!
“Big Shotty taking his shot,” said Nigel.
The House of Black engulfed Lee with the three-headed beast. Action jumped in to make the save. He moonsaulted to the outside on Black and Buddy. Martin and Action nailed Brody with double thrust kicks. Brody wiped out Martin with a discus lariat and then pinned him.
Ian Riccaboni received breaking news over the headset from Tony Khan!
Next week on Collision it’ll be the House of Black against CMFTR for the AEW World Trios Championship!
Tony Schiavone was backstage with Powerhouse Hobbs!
QT Marshall and Harley Cameron interrupted and told Tony Schiavone to leave.
QT: “Powerhouse, I told you I would make this right. So, I have some gifts. First, the finest Cuban links money can buy. The second, it’s not material, it’s opportunity. Think about it now. Chicago. All Out. The United Center, where Collision started. Powerhouse Hobbs gets the biggest victory of his career. I am handing you your biggest win on the proverbial silver platter. How does that sound?”
Powerhouse Hobbs: “I don’t want your help. And I damn sure don’t need your help.”
After a commercial break, Tony Schiavone was backstage with TNT Champion Luchasaurus and Christian Cage!
Christian Cage: “I have my daughter here tonight. People might be wondering why I brought my daughter to Collision. It’s very simple. To prove a point. That as the TNT Champion, the face of TNT, I realize that I’m a role model for children all over the world, not just my own child.
“What’s really annoying me lately is looking at a guy like Darby Allin who seems to be mentoring an 18-year-old snot nosed punk kid that has no business being in AEW let alone stepping foot inside my ring.”
Christian Cage’s daughter looked at her father and asked, “Can I have your belt?”
Christian Cage: “Did you win this belt? You did not win this belt. Nobody touches this belt except for me. Go find your mother. I am the TNT champion now and forever. Do you understand me?”
Metalik vs. Bullet Club Gold’s “Switchblade” Jay White (with Juice Robinson & The Gunns)!
The Gunns joined the broadcast team for this match.
Jay White backed Metalik into the turnbuckles and began to stomp a mudhole into him. Jay White planted Metalik with a DDT for a near fall. White drove Metalik into the steel ring post.
Jay White nailed Metalik with a back breaker. Metalik jumped off the ropes with a hurracanrana. Metalik tried for a moonsault, but Jay White moved out of the way. White blasted Metalik with a cobra clutch suplex and then finished him off with the Blade Runner, scoring the pin!
Main Event Time!
“Real World Championship” Match!
CM Punk (c.) vs. 2023 Owen Hart Foundation Winner “Absolute” Ricky Starks!
Jim Ross returned and joined the commentary team for the main event.
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat was the special guest outside referee for this match.
Punk hip tossed Starks. Ricky Starks used Steamboat style arm drags on Punk. Starks mocked Punk, mimicking his GTS hand gesture.
Starks pummeled Punk in the corner with closed fist strikes. Starks hit Punk with a clothesline and both men tumbled over the top rope and to the arena floor.
Punk and Starks traded open hand strikes. Punk answered with body shots, unloading on the challenger. Starks slapped Punk in the face, playing mind games. Punk mounted Starks outside the ring and grounded and pounded him. Ricky Steamboat pulled Punk off Starks.
Starks used a baseball slide right to Punk’s face. Punk attempted a sunset flip, but Ricky held onto the ropes. Punk superplexed Starks off the top rope!
Punk built momentum with a swinging neck breaker on Ricky. Punk hit his signature bulldog on Ricky for a near fall. Punk lowered his kneepad. He charged at Ricky and Ricky caught him and power bombed Punk for a near fall.
Starks shoved Punk into the steel ring post. Starks went for the spear, but Punk dodged him. Punk blasted Starks with a big kick to the head. Ricky countered a piledriver with a beautiful overhead Alabama slam. Starks accidentally collided with the referee, knocking the ref out of the ring. Starks used a double leg takedown. He covered Punk but had his feet on the ropes. Ricky Steamboat wouldn’t allow for it, and he knocked Starks’ feet off the ropes. As Starks stared at Steamboat in disbelief, Punk rolled up Starks and pinned him!
After the match, Starks blindsided Steamboat, knocking him into CM Punk! Starks jumped on top of Steamboat and began to hammer him with right hands! Starks pulled off Steamboat’s belt and began to whip him with it!
Punk tried to make the save but Starks hit Punk with the belt. Punk grabbed a steel chair and jumped into the ring to save Steamboat.
“Starks may have lost the match but in doing so he may have made a statement,” said Nigel.
CM Punk chased Starks away, throwing a steel chair at him!
Catch AEW DYNAMITE on TBS next Wednesday live at 8/7ct from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH!
And remember…the home of professional wrestling is All Elite Wrestling!