AEW Collision Review - May 16, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Conglomeration (Mark Briscoe and AEW World Trios Champions Orange Cassidy and Kyle O'Reilly) def. Shane Taylor Promotions (ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Infantry and ROH Pure Champion Lee Moriarty) (Non-Title)

This stemmed from Cassidy and Mark Briscoe saving Dalton Castle and The Outrunners from Shane Taylor Promotions at Supercard of Honor last night. Of course, Shane Taylor Promotions were never winning the Trios titles (which hardly matter anyway), but they were a fine team for The Conglomeration to have a title defense against and the match was fun.

AEW TBS Champion Willow Nightingale def. ROH Women's World Television Champion Red Velvet (ROH Women's World Television Championship Was Not Defended)

Velvet cut a promo on Nightingale backstage at Supercard of Honor challenging Nightingale on this show and bringing up how she beat her in a women's Owen Hart Cup a few years ago. That was nice attention to detail to make the match more meaningful. This was good stuff from them. Velvet is largely relegated to Ring of Honor these days, but she's come a long way since she was last a regular in AEW.

The Conglomeration Saved Mark Briscoe from Tommaso Ciampa

I liked how Ciampa and Briscoe's backstage brawl spilled over into the ring. I appreciated their intensity, and it served as a small preview of their now-official Street Fight coming up on Dynamite this Wednesday. The Conglomeration saving Briscoe was smart because they were on the show earlier and it would have made no sense if they didn't come to his aid.

The Opps (Anthony Bowens and Samoa Joe) def. The Lethal Twist (Lee Johnson and Jay Lethal)

Bowens has joined The Opps and, truthfully, I can't say I care. Maybe he'll excel in the spot, and I'm glad it gets him television time, but it doesn't change my mind about how AEW has completely dropped the ball with him in the last year. I don't see this making much of a difference. This was a well-worked six-man tag team match, but the focus was on the post-match promos from Bowens and Samoa Joe, who addressed his Double or Nothing opponent Will Ospreay.

AEW Women's World Tag Team Champions The Divine Dominion def. Allie Katch and Kaia McKenna in a 5-Minute AEW Women's World Tag Team Championship Eliminator Match

This was another one of Divine Dominion's straightforward squashes where they won in quick and decisive fashion. Needless to say, Katch and McKenna aren't under contract to the company, so there was zero uncertainty surrounding the outcome. This gimmick is an effective use of the champs until they can settle into their next feud as it further establishes their dominance.

​The Dogs (David Finlay and Clark Connors) and AEW National Champion Mark Davis def. The Rascalz (Myron Reed, Zachary Wentz and Dezmond Xavier)

We now know that The Dogs and Davis will be a part of a Stadium Stampede match coming up at Double or Nothing, so this was a warm-up for them before then. It's unfortunate that The Rascalz were utilized as stepping stones here (it's pretty much been their role since they joined AEW), but at least it was a competitive contest with them scoring plenty of offense before eating defeat.

AEW World Champion Darby Allin def. ROH World Tag Team Champion Sammy Guevara in a No Count-Outs Match

Okay, Guevara is where I draw a line as far as acceptable challengers to the AEW World Championship. I understand these two have history, but Guevara hasn't been relevant in the AEW universe in ages, so it was pretty ridiculous to see him challenging for the top title. This was solely meant to be a spot-fest, and it was fun for what it was, but I would've preferred to see someone else in this spot, personally.

Overall Show

I mentioned my issue with Guevara going for the AEW World Championship, but it doesn't change how we got a world title defense in the main event of the show. Nothing else was remotely as eventful, but the rest of the show was still solid. In addition to the enjoyable wrestling, there was the usual setup for Dynamite as well as hype for Double or Nothing next weekend.

SEE MORE: Collision Reviews