AEW Collision Review - November 17, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Tony Schiavone Interviewed AEW TNT Champion Christian Cage

Luchasaurus and Nick Wayne were with Christian but didn't speak (nor did they need to). It's been a bit since we last got some entertaining mic work from Christian in the ring, so this was a treat. Their babyface opponents at Full Gear not interrupting him was refreshing, too. I was already looking forward to the six-man tag team match, but in addition to hyping that, this segment also built toward the AEW TNT Championship-related matches on this show and on Rampage.

Miro def. Daniel Garcia

As expected, this was a really good, well-wrestled match between these two. They received an ample amount of time and made the most of it. Miro has been undefeated so far this year and Garcia had an out for losing with Matt Menard coming out and stopping him from doing the dumb dance. Garcia looked like a fool for doing it mid-match, but at least the babyface turn is almost complete.

The Kings of the Black Throne def. The Boys

I assume this is why The Boys picked up a rare win on Thursday's edition of ROH TV because it's not like they're being built up for an opportunity for at the ROH World Tag Team Championship. At any rate, this was the straightforward squash for Malakai Black and Brody King as it should have been for they compete for the AEW World Tag Team Championship at Full Gear. They obviously have great chemistry as partners, but I really wish we'd get more of Black in singles competition.

Trent Beretta def. Komander, Penta El Zero Miedo and ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion Brian Cage in an AEW TNT Championship No. 1 Contender's Four-Way Match

This was every four-way spot-fest you've ever seen in AEW, but that's not to say it was bad. It certainly was never it was boring, that's for sure. All four guys had their time to shine and put together a quality match. Penta vs. Christian would've been quite cool, but I understand not wanting Penta to lose right after winning. It was a more appropriate spot for Beretta, who can work with pretty much everyone but can also afford a loss.

Wardlow def. Evan Daniels

We've been hearing a lot from Wardlow on Dynamite as of late and I love that he's established his intentions to go back after MJF, but he hasn't been in a match in about a month. This didn't last long, but at least it reminded the audience of his dominance. I wouldn't be shocked if he was ultimately revealed to be an ally of The Devil or factor into the finish of one of MJF's matches on Saturday night.

Rush vs. Dax the Axe Ended in a No Contest

Yes, Dax the Axe is what Harwood is apparently going by now and apparently it's what he wanted if you look at his Twitter/X feed. It sounds silly to me, but I guess it's a throwback to the wacky ring names of the '80s and it's possible it's only temporary. Unsurprisingly, this was a hell of a match. This was solely intended to serve as a preview of the four-team Ladder match at Full Gear, but it felt like they went all out. Even the post-match brawl with the four teams was well done, so the non-finish didn't bother me.

Buddy Matthews def. Wheeler Yuta

House of Black and Blackpool Combat Club have been feuding in recent weeks, but while this match made sense, it felt out of place on the go-home show for Full Gear. Then it became apparent that this existed to set up Matthews vs. Claudio Castagnoli for the pay-per-view. Neither Matthews nor Yuta are established babyfaces, so the crowd didn't have an incentive to cheer for either one of them, but they put on a clinic, nonetheless. That said, I wouldn't have minded if this was slightly shorter.

AEW Women's World Champion Hikaru Shida and AEW TBS Champion Kris Statlander def. The Outcasts

I honestly keep forgetting that The Outcasts are still a thing. Saraya has barely been around since losing the AEW Women's World Championship last month, though that might be a positive thing depending on who you ask. Soho just keeps racking up losses, but at least she has some sort a storyline going with Angelo Parker, for whatever that's worth. This was a solid match that gave the champs a decisive victory before their respective title defenses at Full Gear.

Tony Schiavone Conducted a Sit-Down Interview with AEW World Champion and ROH World Tag Team Champion MJF

It's interesting that we got an extended backstage sit-down interview to close the show. That's got to be a first for AEW, right? MJF repeated a lot of what he said from Full Gear, but it was an effective segment to hype the Full Gear main event and give fans a reason to rally behind him. It was a nice contrast to the promo he cut in the ring and accomplished what it needed to. Props to Schiavone for doing well in his role, too.

Overall Show

Airing this opposite of WWE SmackDown was definitely a mistake, but I suppose AEW didn't have much of a choice with Full Gear happening tomorrow night. Despite that, it turned out to be an enjoyable edition of Collision. It wasn't storyline-heavy, but as a go-home show, it successfully set the stage for the pay-per-view and hyped a majority of the card. There were also some top-notch matches to boot, so I didn't feel like I was wasting my time watching it.

SEE MORE: Rampage Reviews