With defined directions and matches already set for Full Gear, AEW Collision this week offers some big contests with the promise of more action and stories.
AEW Men’s World champion, Hangman Adam Page, will speak. It seems obvious from the cowboy’s post-WrestleDream reaction and Samoa Joe’s bragging after Dynamite’s opening match that their issues are not over. Whether on PPV or Dynamite, like Page’s rematch with Jon Moxley, the Hangman wants another bite of Samoan ham. Likely with a stipulation for flavour. Yet what chaos might occur during the build?
Elsewhere, the fight between The Conglomeration and the Death Riders continues. This next chapter will be stiff, painful, and for some sickos a dream match. PAC, a man whose character in AEW would make the Dynamite Kid walk the other way, takes on Tomohiro Ishi. Big Tom can take a hit with the best of them. Can the Bastard overcome the granite-like figure? Or will the Stone Pitbull bash PAC’s teeth like Elton John hitting the piano keys for Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting?
Stardom History Revisited
Backstage on Dynamite, the Toxic Spider confronted a former rival from Stardom, Mina Shirakawa. Each is coming off huge losses from WrestleDream, and on Saturday, each looks to gain more than a W. Having wrestled each other 35 times, this is only their fourth singles match, with Thekla holding a 2-1 lead over Shirakawa. Shirakawa’s Club Venus and Thekla’s H.A.T.E. fought on various occasions over their three years together in Stardom.
Two fan favourites with contrasting styles and personalities. We’ve seen fun spots already in multi-women matches, like Shirakawa shoulder rolling while the Toxic Spider stalks upside down behind her. This will be a character-driven match, perhaps more than an action-driven one, adding variety to the show.
With the brackets now set for the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship tournament, there will likely be a wider story here. Shirakawa says she hasn’t seen the broken and distraught “Timeless” Toni Storm since WrestleDream. Collision, just as much as Dynamite, is Storm’s spotlight. Plus, with The Sisters of Sin either at ringside or around post-match, expect a story beat.
$400K All-Star 8-Man Tag
Safely away from Florida, Tony Khan finally opened the door to The Young Bucks. Pleading for money, the Founding Fathers will compete for $100K each alongside rivals and fellow shortcut takers, FTR. As far as party matches go, the potential of this one could steal the week.
There will be plenty of aerial assaults. The chemistry and creative potential for high spots between The Young Bucks, Jurassic Express, and JetSpeed is etched in old and recent history. Although FTR is a more traditional and grounded team, they know how to counter and add drama and layers to these kinds of contests. Likewise, their chemistry with their partners and rivals is well established.
The debate surrounding whether these types of matches and the money stipulation lose significance and impact through consistent repetition is valid. Yet given the peak form of FTR and The Young Bucks as characters, along with Jungle Boy, who is still competing with a heelish edge, there will be colour in the spaces between moves.
Clearly, these intersecting feuds are not over. How, what, and where they will escalate to, we’ll have to keep watching to find out.
AEW Collision Matches Announced:
- Hook in action
- Thekla vs. Mina Shirakawa
- PAC vs. Tomohiro Ishii
- $400K All-Star 8-Man Tag: The Young Bucks and FTR vs. JetSpeed and Jurassic Express
AEW Collisio Segments Announced:
- We’ll hear from AEW Men’s World champion, Hangman Adam Page
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – AEW – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on the AEW Collision preview and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS. AEW Collision airs Saturday at 8 pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content available on their YouTube
