AEW Collision Review - June 17, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

CM Punk Addressed the Audience

No one knew what to expect from Punk's first promo back, but based on everything that's been reported and what he mentioned during his recent interview with ESPN, he wasn't going to mention "Brawl Out" or The Elite by name. The slight jab at The Young Bucks was his way of addressing the elephant in the room, but that was about it. Nothing else about this was remotely controversial, but I was slightly surprised he didn't apologize for how he acted at the All Out media scrum prior to being suspended. That would've endeared him to some of his detractors, but instead, he apologized for nothing and came off like the cocky Punk he's always been on screen (and possibly off screen). Sure, he got the hero's welcome in Chicago here, but will he receive the same treatment elsewhere? I would assume not, but who knows. All signs seem to point to him going full-blown heel before long, though.

Luchasaurus def. Wardlow to Win the AEW TNT Championship

Christian Cage winning the TNT title at Double or Nothing would've been awesome because I feel he could thrive in that role, but Wardlow retaining was the right call because he hasn't been champion very long and needed a memorable reign. Meanwhile, I had no interest in Luchasaurus as champ, and yet he dethroned Wardlow here. Make it make sense. It wasn't a very good match to boot and thus I'm not clamoring for a rematch. The TNT title belt may as well be tossed in the trash at this point.

Andrade El Idolo def. AEW World Trios Champion Buddy Matthews

This marked Andrade's return to television after almost nine months. I honestly didn't expect him to be back, so hopefully he can be utilized properly on Collision. This was the great match these two are capable of and I appreciated them receiving an ample amount of time. Andrade winning with his wife's signature Figure Eight was a nice touch. Post-match, the lights predicably went out and Andrade was attacked by House of Black. Does that mean Andrade, Rush and Dralistico are next in line for an AEW World Trios Championship opportunity?

Miro def. Tony Nese

This felt like every other return Miro has had in AEW to date where he dominates some dude and puts them away in a matter of minutes. The problem is that it wasn't anything out of the ordinary and we have no idea who he'll be feuding with. I suppose we'll find out in time, but it needs to be something significant. He's been directionless since he lost the TNT title back in September 2021 and I have no idea how that happens with a guy like him.

Skye Blue and NJPW Strong Women's Champion Willow Nightingale def. The Outcasts (AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm and Ruby Soho)

Blue and Nightingale have been feuding with The Outcasts for what feels like forever, and based on their win here, it looks like the rivalry will continue. Ugh. I like both babyfaces, especially Nightingale, but what's the endgame? Blue already failed to win the AEW Women's World Championship on Wednesday's Dynamite and I doubt Nightingale gets put in contention for the title while the NJPW Strong Women's Champion. This was a well-worked match, but the crowd's reaction to Blue's big upset win wasn't as loud as you'd think given she's a Chicago native.

Tony Schiavone Interviewed The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn

Acclaimed and Gunn have been making regular appearances on AEW TV since losing the AEW World Tag Team Championship earlier this year but haven't done much of note. They had that brief feud with Jericho Appreciation Society and unsuccessfully challenged House of Black for the Trios titles at Double or Nothing, but they don't seem to have a long-term direction. This didn't serve much of a purpose other than killing time before the main event.

CM Punk and AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR def. ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe and Bullet Club Gold

Punk mentioned during his show-opening promo that he wasn't losing until he got his rightful rematch for the AEW World Championship (he strongly suggested it without actually saying those words), so it was safe to assume his team wasn't going to lose here. That's fine, but why would there not be some sort of angle to set up whatever Punk will be doing on Collision going forward? Him sharing the ring with Joe was awesome, so hopefully he'll end up being Punk's first feud back. All in all, this was an entertaining main event and Robinson taking the pinfall loss was logical.

Overall Show

Between the intro, the set and the commentary team, AEW made a conscious effort to differentiate Collision from Dynamite and that's exactly what this show needs in order to be viewed as a true alternative. The flow wasn't as frantic and everything had a chance to breathe. The Acclaimed's promo was pretty pointless and I wasn't a fan of the TNT title changing hands for the millionth time, but this was a very enjoyable episode on the whole. The key will be consistency as far as making it as important as Dynamite and not letting it become an afterthought like Rampage. My biggest nitpick was that there wasn't a major angle or anything announced to leave viewers looking forward to next week.

SEE MORE: Collision Reviews