AEW Collision Review - July 8, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

CM Punk Addressed ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe

Punk's history with Joe is well established for anyone who's aware of their history in Ring of Honor, but I really liked that Punk started the show cutting a promo about how important it was for him to beat Joe. His line about it being the biggest match of his career was a bit ridiculous, but the promo was well delivered otherwise and the fact he cut it at ringside next to the Owen Hart Cup trophy was a nice touch.

Ricky Starks def. Powerhouse Hobbs in a Men's Owen Hart Cup Semifinal Match

These two had a much better match on the Grand Slam Rampage last year, but even without the unfortunate botch, this was a solid match. Starks winning advancing to the finals was the right call, but I still hope Hobbs can be pushed on his own soon. The next step is splitting him away from QTV. He beat up Aaron Solo afterward, Harley Cameron stopped him before he could get physical with QT Marshall. It looks like they're building to it, but I wish they'd get it over with already.

Julia Hart def. Bambi Hall

This only existed because Athena vs. Willow Nightingale in a women's Owen Hart Cup semifinal match had to be bumped to next Friday's Rampage due to an injury to Nightingale. Hart has improved and this was a competent squash, but I have yet to see her have a memorable match, and that includes her hardcore match with Anna Jay A.S. not too long ago. It was decent but far from a breakout performance from her. I just don't find her as interesting as the rest of House of Black.

Bullet Club Gold (Jay White and Juice Robinson) def. AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR in an AEW World Tag Team Championship Eliminator Match

A masterclass in tag team wrestling is what this was. These teams definitely benefited from Athena vs. Nightingale being bumped because I'm sure they got much more time as a result. It didn't feel like almost 30 minutes because they made every minute matter and had outstanding chemistry. The final few minutes in particular were especially excellent. Bullet Club Gold winning made the most sense, but there was also a chance FTR won, so the unpredictable result helped. They'll run it back next week with the titles on the line, this time in a two-out-of-three falls match. Is it possible that they'll top themselves?

Scorpio Sky def. Action Andretti

Sky has been out of action for almost exactly one year. I know he was hurt for a time last year, but surely he wasn't hurt that entire time, right? I just assume AEW had no creative plans for him until now. He faced a fan favorite in Andretti, but showed respect to him afterward, so maybe he'll be a babyface going forward. Either way, this was a pretty standard showcase for Sky. It's going to take quite a bit for me to care about him again after all the damage that's been done from a booking standpoint.

CM Punk def. ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe in a Men's Owen Hart Cup Semifinal Match

This obviously paled in comparison to the tag team match from earlier, but it was well worked and they excelled with the storytelling. Punk had never beaten Joe before, so he had to fight from underneath throughout before finally eking out the win. Joe attacking Punk afterward was key because hopefully it means their bad blood isn't over and they'll feud post-Owen Hart Cup. Punk vs. Starks can go either way in the finals, but Starks definitely needs the victory more.

Overall Show

Collision is still in its infancy, but this was probably my favorite edition yet. It was back to being live this week and had two top-notch matches. I loved the layout with the Punk promo opening things, Punk vs. Joe serving as the main event, FTR vs. Bullet Club Gold eating up a ton of time in the middle, and the rest of the episode being filled out by Starks vs. Hobbs, Sky's in-ring return, and a quick Julia Hart squash. What's wild is that it would have been even better if Athena vs. Nightingale happened as advertised. Collision continues to be my favorite weekly wrestling show.

SEE MORE: Collision Reviews