AEW Collision: Fairway to Hell Review - May 9, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Mark Davis def. "Jungle" Jack Perry to Win the AEW National Championship

This was a rematch from Dynasty. I was slightly surprised Davis didn't take the title then, but I'm glad they pulled the trigger on a title change now, if only because it feels like Davis has more momentum than Perry at the moment (not to mention he's coming off a recent count-out win over Will Ospreay). It also made sense for Ricochet to cost Perry the win given their own issues. This was another good match from them and it was cool to see the show start with a title change.

AEW Women's World Tag Team Champions The Divine Dominion def. Ruthie Slay and Rachel Ley in an AEW Women's World Tag Team Championship Eliminator Match

This was more along the lines of the Proving Ground matches we get in Ring of Honor where if the "challengers" could outlast the champions (or outright beat them), they would've earned a future title shot. The only difference is that the time limit was five minutes instead of 10 minutes. With this being the first one, it was smart to have it end quickly, not to mention Slay and Ley aren't on the roster.

"Speedball" Mike Bailey def. Kiran Grey

I'd say this was random, but it's worth noting that Bailey beat AR Fox on last week's Collision, so it's clear he's being built up for something. I assume it's an opportunity at Kevin Knight's AEW TNT Championship and that the match will happen at Double or Nothing. Regardless of where these wins are going, this was a perfectly fine showcase match for Bailey that didn't overstay its welcome.

AEW World Champion Darby Allin def. Pac in a No Count-Outs Match

This was the perfect venue to do a No Count-Outs match in and these were the perfect two people to take part in such a stipulation. They took their fight all over the golf course and pulled off some pretty sweet spots. The crowd had a blast with this and so did I. Allin obviously wasn't dropping the AEW World Championship on Collision, but the match was entertaining enough to make up for the predictable outcome.

Overall Show

The first hour of Collision aired after Dynamite on Wednesday, but this was way more enjoyable. The stuff in the middle was whatever, but Davis capturing the National title was notable and I loved the main event. This show is worth seeking out for the unique venue alone. AEW has been running more venues like this in the past year and the atmosphere is always intimate and electric.

SEE MORE: Collision Reviews