AEW Collision Review - July 1, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

AEW World Champion MJF def. Kip Morst (Non-Title); AEW World Champion MJF def. "All Ego" Ethan Page

This marked MJF's Collision in-ring debut, and it was notable because MJF barely wrestles on AEW TV as it is. His match with local Canadian wrestler Kip Morst wasn't much of a match at all as it ended extremely quickly, but he then issued an open challenge to anyone from the area and Page accepted. He cut a strong promo about why deserved the opportunity and they had a good match. I wish we got a little more, but I can't say I'm surprised given it was an impromptu match and Page has largely been a non-factor prior to this point. That said, I hope he gets more chances to shine on his own in the future.

Powerhouse Hobbs def. Dustin Rhodes in a Men's Owen Hart Cup Quarterfinal Match

It's been cool to see Rhodes on AEW TV so much this year, even if he's not wrestling weekly. He and Hobbs had a solid match. Ideally, Hobbs should be squashing Rhodes at this stage of the latter's career, but it didn't bother me that it was given a decent amount of time given it was a tournament match. Unfortunately, QT Marshall accompanied Hobbs to ringside and even helped him win, so that alliance isn't over yet. Ugh.

Miro def. Anthony Henry

Henry is super skilled and anyone who has seen him in action on the Dark shows and on ROH TV knows that, but I don't know if it was necessary for him to score as much offense as he did in this match. Miro should have been more dominant than he was, but at least it didn't last longer than a few minutes. Miro's role still isn't completely clear, but I'm of the belief he's a babyface considering Tony Nese is a pest heel and Miro destroyed him two weeks. I'd like to see him in an actual storyline soon, but building up wins in the meantime is fine.

Tony Schiavone Interviewed Bullet Club Gold

The Gunns were officially made members of Bullet Club Gold here. In addition to putting AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR on notice and hyping Juice Robinson vs. Ricky Starks, they spent a majority of this interview addressing CM Punk. Jay White even referenced the bag Punk had with him when he returned to television two weeks ago. Sign me up for Punk vs. White, please. This was a solid segment that also segued nicely into the backstage interview with Punk, Starks and FTR as well as Starks vs. Robinson coming out of the commercial break.

Ricky Starks def. Juice Robinson in a Men's Owen Hart Cup Quarterfinal Match

Starks has seemingly lost to Bullet Club Gold at every turn in the last few months, so it was important that he won here. He's definitely cooled off from where he was earlier this year and I'm hoping this tourney can get him back on track. Him and Robinson had a quality contest, even if the crowd was largely quiet. Punk and FTR made the save for Starks when Bullet Club Gold attempted to attack afterward.

AEW TBS Champion Kris Statlander def. Lady Frost

Frost getting a televised entrance is an encouraging sign for her future with the company. I assume she'll primarily be relegated to Ring of Honor, but I'm glad she got this opportunity to showcase her skills. I just wish there was a video package or mic time for her beforehand to get fans familiar with her so the outcome wasn't so obvious. This was well wrestled and I appreciated they weren't rushed for time.

ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe def. Roderick Strong in a Men's Owen Hart Cup Quarterfinal Match (Non-Title)

It was noted on commentary earlier in the evening that this marked the first singles match these two have had in 17 years, and yet you'd never know it based on how well they worked together here. It wasn't a mat classic by any means, but it was an entertaining, hard-hitting main event. Joe winning was the right call as it sets up Joe vs. Punk in the semifinals next week and that will be a must-see match. The post-match angle was well done with Joe injuring Strong while Punk and Adam Cole had to watch him get stretchered out of the ring.

Overall Show

This was taped on Thursday, and I don't know if it was due to that or another reason, but this crowd was super subdued throughout the entire episode. Granted, it wasn't the hottest two hours, but surely they could have been more energetic. This was a slight step down from the first two weeks of Collision, but I still enjoyed it on the whole and still prefer this format over what we get on Dynamite. It's much simpler and a lot less hectic, not to mention all of the featured stars seem to be getting consistent television time.

SEE MORE: Collision Reviews