AEW Collision 6/29/2024

Taped in Buffalo, New York. 

Excalibur & Nigel McGuinness were on commentary. 

Orange Cassidy & Tomohiro Ishii defeated TMDK’s Shane Haste & Robbie Eagles (10:53)

**3/4

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Haste demanded to know what was in Cassidy’s pockets before the match, but I don’t think he ever got an answer. Cassidy and Eagles had a good sequence where they exchanged arm drags back and forth. Cassidy booted Haste off the apron and sent Eagles headfirst into the buckles. Haste dropped Cassidy back-first on the ring apron, and Eagles followed out with a tope con hilo to regain control. 

Cassidy took a beating during a split-screen break, then made the tag to Ishii. Ishii ran through Eagles, then dropped Haste with a Saito-style back suplex for a near fall. Haste was double teamed in the babyface corner. A suplex from Ishii set up Haste for a top rope elbow from Cassidy for a near fall. 

Haste countered an Orange Punch attempt from Cassidy with a falcon arrow. Eagles got the tag and got a Slumdog Millionaire from Cassidy. Eagles dodged the Orange Punch and caught Cassidy with a rollup. Cassidy caught Eagles with the Beach Break out of nowhere and got the pinfall. 

House of Black v. Private Party v. Roderick Strong & Gabe Kidd v. Tomohiro Ishii & Kyle O’Reilly was announced for the Zero Hour pre-show during this match.

– A teaser video aired for the return of Hangman Adam Page. He’s apparently been drinking in his kid’s room since he’s been suspended. Don’t worry, he moved the kid out first. And it looks like he’s still after Swerve Strickland.

Chris Jericho and the Learning Tree gave advice to the trainer about how to tape a wrist. Did you know that every time you visit the trainer, if you take a roll of tape with you, you won’t have to pay for it later? Follow the Learning Tree for more money saving tips! 

Stephanie Vaquer defeated Lady Frost (7:08 aired) 

**1/2

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Vaquer holds the CMLL World Women’s Championship and the New Japan Strong Women’s Championship. Mercedes Mone came down to ringside to watch the match 

Vaquer took Frost down with a body scissor, then locked in a STF. Vaquer locked eyes with Mone while Frost crawled to the ropes. Frot sent Vaquer to the floor with a kick, and Frost and Vaquer fought right in front of Mone. Frost looked pretty good until she tried a handstand on the apron, and Vaquer hit her with a superkick and it looked like her face collapsed. 

After the break, Frost escaped a package piledriver and hit a flying clothesline. Frost hit a gamigiri in the corner, then followed up with a cartwheel cannonball. The crowd was chanting for Frost, who hit a tornio for a near fall. Frost came back with a superkick and a spinning DDT for a near fall. Vanquer hit a series of headbutts in the corner and a dragon screw leg whip. Vaquer used a package piledriver into a backbreaker to finish off Frost. Lady Frost continues to impress in these losses. 

After the match, Mone took the ring and held up her belt. Vaquer left,  but Zeuxis ran in and attacked Mone. Zeuxis and Vaqueer laid Mone out.

Lexi Nair interviewed The Lucha Bros. Himormu Takahashi & Titan showed up to challenge the Lucha Bros to the six man, Los Ingobernables v. Death Triangle. PAC is focused on the Owen Hart tournament, so Parka counters with Luncha Bros & Mistico. It felt like they shot an angle for a match we’ve known about for a few days now. 

Serena Deeb defeated Kelly Madan (1:14)

**

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Deeb won with the Deebtox. 

After the match, Deeb got on the mic and demanded an opponent more on her level. Riho came from the back dressed in street clothes to accept the challenge. Crowd was happy to see Riho back, who must have had lifts in her shoes to stand eye to eye with Deeb.

More in the back with the Learning Tree, who made sure everyone washes their hands after using the bathroom. “Germs spread really easily this time of  year!” 

Chris Jericho wanted to double-check with the Zamboni crew to make sure it was properly maintained, but found Samoa Joe’s crew in the back instead. The fight spilled into the arena (Bryan Keith was holding up pretty well even though his arm was in a sling). Eventually they got to the ring, and Jeff Cobb ran in to help the heels. Cobb and Joe had a huge stand-off in the ring, and Cobb planted Joe with a spinebuster. Jeff Cobb is officially Jericho and Bill’s partner for Forbidden Door.

A video package hyped up Zach Sabre, Jr. for his match with Orange Cassidy. Afterwards, Lexi Nair interviewed Cassidy about the match, this was interrupted by Sable, who told Cassidy he knew all of his tricks and would beat him Sunday. 

Hechicero defeated Kevin Blackwood (2:21) 

**1/4

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Blackwood had a cheering section in the crowd, being a local of Buffalo. It didn’t help. Hechicero mauled Blackwood from the opening bell. Hechicero flattened him with a flapjack, then took him down with a spinning hammerlock into a backbreaker. Hechicero tied up Blackwood’s arms and got the tap out. 

Lexi Nair interviewed the Patriarchy. The Bang Bang Gang interrupted and talked a lot of trash about Christian Cage and his group. Oddly, Cage offered no response. 

Daniel Garcia vs. The Butcher in the Battle of Buffalo (8:59) 

***

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The fight went to the floor early. Garica propped Butcher up in a chair and hit him with a shotgun dropkick. Garcia tried a second time, but Butcher caught him and dropped him back first on the steel barricade. 

After a long split-screen break, Butcher hit a backbreaker and a clothesline for a near fall. Garcia came back with a series of boots. Garcia countered a suplex attempt with a Twist and Shout neckbreaker. Garcia resorted to biting in the corner. Garcia tried for a pair of clotheslines that barely moved the big man. Garica caught him running with a third clothesline that knocked the Butcher down. Garcia then dropped Butcher with a piledriver and got the pinfall. 

This looked good, but most of the match happened during the split screen commercials. 

After the match, Garica held up Butcher’s hand in a sign of respect and the Buffalo natives walked to the back together. 

Lexi Nair interviewed Will Ospreay, and they were interrupted by the Don Callis family. Ospreay again reiterated that he wanted to win the World Title on his own, but did ask Kyle Fletcher to come out with him for the weigh-in later tonight. After Fletcher and Ospreay left, Rush entered the picture to talk to Callis.

Lexi Nair interviewed Jack Perry about tonight’s six man tag featuring all the opponents from the ladder match. Perry never agreed to the match. Christopher Daniels interrupted to make sure that Perry knew if he skipped out on the six man tag, he was also out of the ladder match at Forbidden Door. 

Hikaru Shida defeated Deonna Purrazzo in a Quarterfinal Match in the Owen Hart Women’s Tournament (8:08) 

**3/4

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Shida dropped Purrazzo with an enziguri. Shida tossed Purrazzo to the floor, then came off the middle rope with a crossbody to the floor. Purrazzo caught Shida with a stomp to the arm and a pump kick to take control. 

After another long split-screen break, Shida was in control. Shida hit a pair of knee strikes for a near fall. Purrazzo countered a falcon arrow attempt with a leg sweep. Shida swung wildly and Purrazzo caught her with an armbar. Shida escaped by getting to the bottom rope. Shida came off the top with a kick and hit a Falcon Arrow. She went for a cover, but Purrazzo countered with a cradle. Shida reversed the cradle for her own near fall, then hit Purrazzo with a Katana kick for the pinfall. 

Purrazzo jumped Shida after the match ended, but was saved from a beating with the kendo stick from Thunder Rosa. 

Another heartfelt Jeff Jarrett promo about the Owen Hart tournament, this time with words of encouragement from the rest of his crew.

Jack Perry, El Phantasmo & Konsuke Takeshita defeated Mark Briscoe, Dante Martin & Lio Rush

***1/4

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It looked like Perry would start out, but immediately tagged out to Takeshita. Lio Rush caught Takeshita with a cradle, and then ate a huge boot that put him down. Takeshita aggressively tagged in Phantasmo, who caught a dropkick from Rush. Tags were made on the babyface side, and they all hit Phantasmo with avalanche clotheslines. Phantasmo got triple teamed in the babyface corner. 

Phantasmo took a beating from the babyfaces.. They did a great job cutting him off from his corner, not that it really mattered since neither of his partners were really waiting for a tag. When he finally did get to his corner to get a tag from Perry, Perry dropped to the floor. Marik Briscoe dove at Perry and caught him with a dropkick on the floor. 

The heels were having a hard time working together, and Dante Martin took both Phantasmo and Takeshita down with a hurricanrana. Briscoe got the tag and took it to Takeshita and ELP. Birscoe knocked ELP out of the ring with an enziguri. Briscoe hit a fisherman’s buster for a near fall, broken up by Jack Perry. 

Briscoe set up ELP for the Jay Driller, but Phantasmo escaped and hit a superkick. Lio Rush got the tag and took Takeshita out with a dive to the floor. Phantasmo took Rush out with a dive, and Dante Martin took Phantasmo out with a dive. 

Back in the ring, Rush and Martin hit Phantasmo with frog splashes for a near fall, again broken up by Perry. Brischo went for a cannonball on Perry, who ducked. Takeshita suplexed Rush over his head. He tried the same with Dante Martin, who landed on his feet. Marin tried for a top rope rana, and got it after Takeshita initially blocked the move. Martin went to the top, but Perry pushed him down. Martin took Perry out with a kick, but Takeshita hit Martin with a blue thunder bomb and a running knee to get the pinfall. 

After the match, Perry ran in and hit Takeshita with the TNT belt. Phantasmo hit Perry with a superkick, and Rush hit Phantasmo with a stunner. Rush and Martin engaged in a brief tug of war with the TNT belt. Brischo leveled his own partners with a ladder, then took everyone out with a sommersault dive off the top of the ladder to the floor.

World Championship Weigh-In for the Forbidden Door Main Event. 

Prince Nana welcomed us to the weigh-in, brought to us by Prince Nana Coffee, which is a real thing. Ospreay came out first with Fletcher. Ospreay’s official weight is 220 pounds. Swerve then came out with five guys, including “Buffallo hip-hop royalty” Westside Gun. You could tell how important this is because Nana doesn’t dance when Swerve’s music played. Swerve weighed in a 230 pounds. Nana directs both guys to stand off for the official fight photos for tomorrow night, and of course they get in each other’s face and start jawing. Then, they pose for photographs. Ospreay tells Swerve he’s got 24 hours before he knocks the grill out of his mouth. Strickland responded that he’s a businessman, and suggested he’d offer his wife a contract. That’s all it took for Ospreay to shove Strickland. Both crews were able to keep them separated  for a bit, but the Ospreay killed Strickland with a Hidden Blade out of nowhere. Strickland sold the move like a million bucks. 

This was a great show-closing angle and a tremendous hard sell for the main event tomorrow night. 

Overall the show-closing angle and the Adam Page teaser made for a pretty noteworthy Collision.

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