AEW Collision Review - June 8, 2024

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

FTR vs. Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli and ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta) Ended in a Time-Limit Draw

Two bald guys and two guys with Wheeler in their names. I see what you did there, Tony Khan. It was a genuinely good match, so I'm not complaining. However, I wasn't fond of the time-limit draw, which is exactly how the first Blackpool Combat Club vs. FTR match ended earlier this year. Brandon Cutler coming out afterward was even worse. I'm glad he got laid out, but he really shouldn't be on AEW TV at all.

Kris Statlander def. Robyn Renegade

I'm digging the new heel entrance for Statlander. She's really coming into the heel role and it's only been two weeks. This was a solid showcase for her in her first match since the turn. Stokley Hathaway announced afterward that she's the first entrant in the women's Owen Hart Cup. Willow Nightingale also announced herself for the tourney coming out of the commercial break, so it's possible for their next match together will happen in one of the rounds.

Dustin Rhodes def. Johnny TV

It was actually quite remarkable hearing crickets for Johnny. A majority of the roster is over with the AEW audience, yet he received almost no reaction. Yikes. The match itself was solid but was a little long in the tooth considering the outcome was never in doubt. Rhodes' post-match promo was also a little long, but it was well delivered and he hyped up his AEW TNT Championship Ladder match qualifier with Jack Perry on Wednesday's Dynamite.

Premier Athletes (Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari) def. Dante Leon and Trip

I have sub-zero desire to see Premier Athletes on AEW TV. I realize this was designed to give them a win before they face (and lose to) Hook and Samoa Joe, but I truly can't bring myself to care about them whatsoever. I appreciated that this was kept short and sweet, but this whole thing actually feels like a demotion for Hook and Joe. They make for a cool pairing, but is this really the best they can do right now?

AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm def. Lady Frost (Non-Title)

Storm continues to be one of the most over acts in all of AEW. There was a brief period where it felt like she was getting too cute with the character and it was starting to overstay its welcome, but she's been killing it with her promos lately and her matches have also been delivering. This was a solid match from her and Frost, but it seemed to only exist so she could announce May for the women's Owen Hart Cup afterward.

Daniel Garcia def. Tate Mayfairs

We were told several times that Mayfairs is an international rising star, yet I've never heard of the guy and they didn't bother to air a video package for him beforehand (unless I missed it). It would've been different if he actually had an impressive performance, but he didn't get a televised entrance and the match lasted all of three minutes. It was essentially a squash for Garcia, so why bother putting Mayfairs in that spot? At least Garcia is building momentum again.

Orange Cassidy def. Kyle O'Reilly

Both guys failed to become number one contender to the AEW International Championship on Wednesday's Dynamite, so this was their chance to bounce back. The finish was foreshadowed as soon as it was announced earlier in the episode that Cassidy would be facing Zack Sabre Jr. at Forbidden Door. O'Reilly keeps killing it yet can't win when it matters most. Maybe he'll end up joining The Undisputed Kingdom after all? It may not be the worst spot for him to be back alongside Roderick Strong, even though the faction itself sucks. This was a strong main event and the post-match chaos managed to further several storylines.

Overall Show

This followed the usual Collision formula of starting strong and ending strong with everything in the middle feeling like filler. Steps were taken to move multiple storylines forward, but Collision continues to come off like WWE SmackDown in the mid-2010s where the Brand Split was dead and all of the important stuff played out on Raw, the flagship show. There's some quality wrestling, but nothing worth seeking out other than the openers and main events. The two hours are fine if you tune in live but ultimately inconsequential.

SEE MORE: Collision Reviews