AEW Christmas Collision Review - December 21, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Ricochet def. Will Ospreay in a Continental Classic Gold League Match

I thought this was a vast improvement over their last match on Dynamite two months ago. That was a blast as well, but this benefited from a better dynamic with the crowd being so against Ricochet. He's fully in heel mode, and although his mic work is still shoddy, he seems to be more comfortable as a heel in terms of his in-ring mannerisms and body language. This was an excellent outing and Ricochet stealing the win legitimately shocked me. That means there's a reason for them to face off again eventually so Ospreay can avenge the loss.

The Undisputed Kingdom Saved Adam Cole From MJF

This verbal exchange between Cole and MJF was the best thing these guys have done, whether it be together or individually, since they rekindled their rivalry a few months ago. They had some stronger lines than what they've been delivering lately and they did a nice job of hyping up their match for Worlds End. Matt Taven and Mike Bennett again coming to Cole's aid has me convinced they're turning on him at the pay-per-view. As long as we can move on from MJF vs. Cole after that, I'm content.

Kris Statlander def. Penelope Ford

As seen on Friday's Rampage, Ford is apparently aligned now with Harley Cameron. I swear, those two are always aligned with someone because there's no interesting plans for them on their own. This was perfectly fine for what it was as it gave Statlander another win before she challenges Mercedes Mone for the AEW TBS Championship again at Worlds End. Will Willow Nightingale get involved to help or hurt Statlander?

ROH World Champion "The Learning Tree" Chris Jericho, Big Bill and Bryan Keith Walked Away From Big Boom! A.J., Big Justice and Anthony Bowens

The Costco Guys (sans The Rizzler) opened the show with Ian Riccaboni in the ring running the Continental Classic leaderboards, so I don't think it was necessary for them to come out again for this segment (and that's coming from someone who enjoyed A.J.'s match with QT Marshall on the Full Gear Zero Hour pre-show. Getting Jericho and Bowens involved was even worse. This entire segment was pure garbage. I would not at all be shocked if Jericho ends up wrestling A.J. once the latter is medically cleared.

AEW TNT Champion Daniel Garcia def. Shelton Benjamin in a Continental Classic Blue League Match

Part of me was hoping that Benjamin would win here so he could set himself up as a challenger to Garcia's AEW TNT Championship after the Continental Classic is over, but no such luck. I don't think Garcia should've been in the Continental Classic to begin with so he avoid taking losses so soon after capturing the title, but at least he's won more matches this year. This was a well-wrestled affair.

Mark Briscoe def. The Beast Mortos in a Continental Classic Blue League Match

Briscoe has been having a hell of a run in the Continental Classic this year. Not only in terms of the matches themselves but also the amount of wins he's been able to score. In addition to beating Mortos here, he's also knocked off Garcia and Kyle Fletcher. That's pretty impressive. This was good stuff from them, but there was not a doubt in my mind that Mortos was losing.

Thunder Rosa Attacked AEW Women's World Champion Mariah May

May was being interviewed in the back and was disrespecting Rosa's family before Rosa showed up to attack her. That led out in front of the crowd and Rosa got the better of her. The build to their Tijuana Street Fight has been simple, but it hasn't changed how I don't view Rosa as a legitimate threat to May's AEW Women's World Championship at Worlds End. She's merely a filler challenger, and I'm sure Rosa will disappear from programming again afterward.

AEW World Trios Champion Claudio Castagnoli def. Darby Allin in a Continental Classic Gold League Match

Castagnoli beat Allin when they first faced off about a month ago, so I thought Allin might get that win back here. That said, I had no issue with Castagnoli beating him for a second straight time. They once again had terrific chemistry and produced an entertaining main event. Castagnoli cheating to win with the brass knuckles was lame since the Continental Classic is supposed to be about clean finishes, but I get that they wanted to protect Allin in defeat this time.

Overall Show

As I mentioned in my review of ROH Final Battle from Friday night, the Hammerstein Ballroom is an awesome venue and it gave Collision the best atmosphere it's had in a long time if not ever. These fans were into all of the action, and there was plenty of above-average action thanks to the Continental Classic. Throw in the other hype for Worlds End and this was a much better edition of Collision than what we're used to getting (stupid segment with Jericho aside).

SEE MORE: Collision Reviews