AEW Collision: Holiday Bash Review - December 23, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli Ended in a Continental Classic Blue League Match Ended in a Time-Limit Draw

I'm surprised AEW waited so long to have a Continental Classic match end in a time-limit draw, but I'm glad they did because it was the perfect finish for this bout. They had an excellent outing and I loved how they made every minute matter. Castagnoli could have easily lost since Danielson won the Blue League regardless, but what they went with instead was clever. They should absolutely revisit this eventually.

AEW World Trios Champions The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn def. Action Andretti and Top Flight

The Acclaimed are obviously still over as an act, but I wouldn't have minded seeing them lose the titles to Andretti and Top Flight, who have gradually been building momentum since entering the six-man tag team ranks. The ending came off awkwardly because the commentators questioned if Max Caster held Andretti's tights while pinning him, so I'm curious if there will be more matches and if the champs could be going heel. It was a good match for what it was.

Shayna Wayne Explained Her Actions and AEW TNT Champion Christian Cage Accepted Adam Copeland's Challenge to a No Disqualification Match at Worlds End

Nick Wayne's mom helping Christian retain the AEW TNT Championship earlier this month was predictable, but I'm glad they took the time to have her explain her actions here. I can't say I'm thrilled both she and Nick will be a permanent part of Christian's faction apparently, but hopefully Christian can do most of the talking. I'm really looking forward to Christian and Copeland going at it again at Worlds End, this time in a No Disqualification match. What's stopping Christian's disciples from interfering?

Daniel Garcia def. Brody King in a Continental Classic Blue League Match

King has already lost twice in the tourney to Danielson and Eddie Kingston, but it still meant something for Garcia to beat him here because he had been winless up to this point, so it was a cool moment. This was the hard-hitting affair you'd expect from them and it was a blast. Post-match, FTR saved Garcia from House of Black and challenged them to a match (but didn't mention when it would take place).

Thunder Rosa and Abadon def. Skye Blue and AEW TBS Champion Julia Hart

This marked Rosa's first match since August 2022. It's crazy that it's been that long, but it was great to see her back. She came off as the biggest star of the four women involved with this show emanating from her hometown of San Antonio. She also scored the win for her team by pinning Blue, but Abadon is the one getting the title shot against Hart at Worlds End. Needless to say, Hart will retain against Abadon with Rosa being next in line.

ROH World Champion and NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston def. Andrade El Idolo in a Continental Classic Blue League Match (Non-Title)

Kingston fighting to survive and make to the finals so he can hold onto his gold has made for a strong story and has enhanced every match he's had in the tourney, especially since he started out with two straight losses. Andrade is terrific in his own right, so this was a top-notch main event. With his win, Kingston now advances to the Blue League finals to face Danielson on Wednesday's Dynamite.

Overall Show

This was the final edition of Collision for the year with there being no episode next week due to Worlds End happening in its place. More matches were announced for the pay-per-view, the tourney matches once again delivered, and Rosa returned to action. This could have been a phoned-in effort with it being a holiday weekend, but this was an above-average episode. As I've said before, the Continental Classic has been a big boost to Collision over the last month, but now that it's almost over, the question is how the show will be able to maintain momentum in the new year. Merry Christmas and happy holidays!

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