AEW Collision - December 2, 2023
by Doc Allen
Live from Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, Pennsylvania. WrestleTix estimates attendance at 2,258. Our hosts are Tony Shiavone, Nigel McGuinness, and Kevin Kelly.
Continental Classic competitors talk to the camera in the cold opening. Brody King has a new barking catchphrase. Claudio Castagnoli is done talking. Andrade El Idolo is going to destroy Daniel Garcia. Garcia is eager to put Andrade in his place. Buccaneer Bryan Danielson is going to make Eddie Long John Kingston walk the plank. I just made that up, but Danielson is still sporting an eye patch and wants Kingston at his best. Kingston (sort of) respects Bryan, but he only cares about winning.
Continental Classic - Blue League
Brody King vs. Claudio Castagnoli
They waste no time trading big boots and strong forearms. They exchange competitive chops until their skulls collide. They return to their feet to resume a stiff slugfest. Pump kick by King, Claudio responds with a scoop slam. Claudio's outside clothesline sets up the running uppercut. King absorbs a hard Irish whip and blasts a lariat. Back from commercials, Claudio escapes a chinlock by hyperextending King's back arm. King sells his injury while regaining the lead. Claudio wakes up with a burst of offense. King blocks the Giant Swing, so Claudio double stomps his face. Pop up uppercut by Claudio gets 2. Giant Swing into a Sharpshooter! King sidesteps a head of steam and dishes a German suplex. King's cannonball senton only gets 1! Death Valley Driver by Claudio also gets 1! Claudio springboards into King's fist and eats a piledriver, but still kicks out! King nails a lariat to finally win at 12:37! Brutal high octane fight. King continues to sneak up the pecking order, ****.Winner: Brody King
Jon Moxley talks to the camera. He admits that entering the Continental Classic might have been a bad idea because the last four years of work has left him banged up. He's sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, but he plans on wrestling his way out of it.
Abadon vs. Kiera Hogan
Hogan comes off like a happy go-lucky babyface who doesn't seem to recognize that she could be in trouble against the Living Dead Girl. Bell rings and Hogan hits a shotgun dropkick. Abadon pops up for a flurry of offense, but Hogan answers with a running hip attack. Sliding boot by Hogan gets 2. Hogan runs into a Black Hole Slam. Cutter by Abadon gets 2. Hogan's neckbreaker gets 2, and this kick out at 2 festival is starting to drag. Abadon mercifully delivers a brutal DDT WITH HER KNEES to win at 3:40. Short match that lacked creativity and somehow managed to overstay its welcome, *.Winner: Abadon
Lights go out for TBS Champion Julia Hart to appear and then disappear behind Abadon.
Alex Marvez interviews Samoa Joe backstage. They're immediately interrupted by eternally injured Roderick Strong and The Kingdom. Strong's best friend is Joe's friend so therefore Joe is Strong's best friend. Trust me, that logic tracks. Joe is less than impressed and wanders off.
Continental Classic - Blue League
Daniel Garcia vs. Andrade El Idolo (with CJ Perry)
Daddy Magic sits in on commentary and complains about Garcia's dancing shtick. They feel each other out and Andrade taunts by lounging in the ropes. High crossbody by Andrade, then a low dropkick. Garcia fights back with rapid Dragon Screws and an ankle lock. Andrade slips out (and totally no-sells his ankle) and bonks Garcia's skull on the post to send us to commercials. They return with Garcia hitting a desperation back suplex. Garcia delivers a flurry of offense and uses a Tree of Woe to pummel the allegedly injured ankle. Running dropkick by Garcia and Emerald Fusion Brainbuster only gets 2. Andrade responds with Two Amigos before Garcia counters with a sleeper. Andrade escapes with a superplex and finishes the Three Amigos for only 2. Garcia reverses a Figure Four into a Sharpshooter! Andrade sneaks out for a hammerlock DDT to win at 11:04! Great competitive energy and sense of urgency from bell to bell. These tournament matches are giving these shows a nice lift. ***½.Winner: Andrade El Idolo
Willie Mack is offended that Wardlow crushed his friend, AR Fox, this past week.
The Kingdom wheel out Roderick Strong with a live mic. Joe is Roderick's new best friend by proxy, so he dedicates The Kingdom's match in his honor. If that doesn't melt Joe's cold, evil heart, I don't know what will.
The Kingdom (Matt Taven and Mike Bennett, with Roderick Strong) vs. Iron Savages (Boulder and Bronson)
Iron Savages cut off the Kingdom's hot start with a hard cross body block. Bennett gets slammed onto the apron. Bronsonr ambushes Taven and hits a sitout powerbomb for 2. Boulder misses a moonsault. Taven hits a dive to ringside and The Kingdom finish with a tandem piledriver at 2:31. Good, energetic short match.Winners: The Kingdom
Roderick Strong leaps out of his wheelchair to cheap shot the Iron Savages. He pretends to injure his foot on the attack and quickly retreats to his chair.
Backstage interview with Ethan Page. He wants to become The King of Canada, so he challenges Kenny Omega to a match in Montreal.
Willow Nightingale and Mercedes Martinez exchange words in dueling video promos.
The House of Black (Malakai Black and Buddy Matthews) vs. Matt Sydal and Christopher Daniels
Buddy and Sydal start exchanging holds. Buddy rolls through Sydal's crossbody, and they trade stiff shots. Sydal hits a standing moonsault to serve Buddy up to Daniels. Black tags in and soon hits an outside moonsault. Back from commercials, Sydal gets a hot tag and is allowed a polite amount of offense. Black and Sydal hit dueling Meteoras. Buddy and Sydal exchange knee strikes, but Black interferes, prompting a tope from Daniels. Black trips Daniels down for Buddy's curb stomp. Sydal flies into Black's superkick. Black Mass finishes Daniels at 8:42. Took a bit to get going and get the crowd invested, but was total fire after the break, **½.Winners: The House of Black
The lights go out and FTR arrive to confront The House of Black. Malakai thinks FTR must be here to join them. Before FTR can respond, the HOB puts the boots to them. They force Dax to watch Cash suffer Black Mass. No one comes to rescue FTR, which is Black's point.
Backstage interview with Timeless Toni Storm, who is distressed to be here rather than fixing her hair. Storm thinks Skye Blue should walk backwards, because people are only interested in her bottom. She steals Renee's shoe and saunters off.
Skye Blue talks to the camera about Toni Storm and her pathetic mid-life crisis. Nothing will stop Skye from taking the AEW Women's Championship. She has no disagreement regarding Toni's comment about her bottom.
Video package making a hard sell for Adam Copeland vs. Christian Cage on Dynamite.
AAA Mega Champion El Hijo Del Vikingo vs. Kip Sabian
This is a “standby” match, but should be a fun exhibition. They lock up, Sabian enjoys a size advantage, but Vikingo hits harder. Vikingo fakes a dive and lures Sabian into an enziguri and double springboard armdrag. Sabian blocks a dive with an enziguri. Arabian Press by Sabian sends us to commercials. They return just in time for Vikingo's comeback. He hits a Torture Rack Knee LIft and Phoenix Splash from the middle rope but Sabian kicks out! That should have finished a bottom card dweller, but I digress. Sabian answers with a bouncy super rana and Falcons Arrow for 2. Vikingo hits a tightrope walk corkscrew press to outside! The 630 press finishes Sabian at 8:05.The live crowd really warmed up to Vikingo down the stretch. This was a business card in wrestling match form, **½.strong>Winner: El Hijo Del Vikingo
Backstage interview with Keith Lee. They're interrupted right away by Shane Taylor to challenge Lee for ROH Final Battle.
Backstage interview with CJ Perry is immediately broken up by angry Miro. CJ demands that he let her continue on her managerial work. Miro might have lost his god, but he has enough affection for CJ to not lay a hand on her client.
Continental Classic - Blue League
Bryan Danielson vs. Eddie Kingston
Bryan tests the water with some kicks but then hides in the ropes. Eddie cautiously closes in for rapid body shots. Eddie chops Bryan off his feet. They exchange stiff shots, Bryan plays possum to gain an advantage. Eddie exposes his own chest and dares Bryan to hit him harder, which Bryan is happy to oblige. Danielson focuses on the legs, but Kingston catches him in a nasty back suplex outside. Back from commercials, Bryan blocks a superplex with hammering elbows. Missile dropkick by Danielson, but is too injured to capitalize. They stumble up to trade more stiff blows. Bryan rolls into the LeBell lock. Eddie turns him over for a pummeling. Bryan slaps back, but Eddie hammers away at the eye patch. Kingston nails another back suplex and back hand swing for a great nearfall. Vertical suplex by Kingston gets a middling nearfall. Bryan answers with a roundhouse kick, adjusts his eye patch, and nails YES kicks. Eddie hits crackling chops to the chest, absorbs Bryan's kicks, and nails and enziguri. Hard suplex by Eddie, but Bryan counters into a nasty back suplex. Bryan serves up more vicious kicks while Eddie fights from his knees. Another sick suplex by Danielson gets 2, so he stomps the face in search of a ref stoppage. Kingston sticks a middle finger in Bryan's face but eats the Busaiku Knee for the pinfall at 16:52! Man, they left it all in the ring. Emotionally devastating and physically brutal fight, ****½.Winner: Bryan Danielson
Final Thoughts: The Continental Classic matches and short, entertaining interviews make this an easy recommendation. The “standby” matches were a bit on the random side but definitely over delivered. I'm glad I took the time to watch.
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