AEW Collision Review - October 21, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Bryan Danielson def. Andrade El Idolo

Tony Khan labeling this a "dream match" during Friday's Rampage may have caused fans to set unrealistic expectations (not to mention that it was most certainly not the definition of a "dream match"), but it proved to be an excellent opener, anyway. The crowd was into the action and they got plenty of time. I also loved that we found out afterward what's next for Danielson when Malakai Black attacked him. That's a feud I've been waiting to see for a long time.

Skye Blue def. Hollyhood Hayley

Blue has been all over AEW programming lately as well as ROH TV, and although she'd benefit from more mic time to explain her character development and darker edge, at least she's getting more reps in the ring. She got back on track here following losses to Kris Statlander and Ruby Soho with this win, and it looks like she may not be done with Statlander based on their interaction on Friday's Rampage.

The Gunns def. The Outrunners

The Gunns are basically background players in the ongoing Jay White/Juice Robinson/MJF angle, but they're playing their roles well. Although I wish they'd tone done some of the goofy stuff they do, they've definitely improved from where they were at the beginning of the year when they won the AEW World Tag Team Championship. This was a fine squash win for them to boost their credibility.

Jeff Jarrett def. ROH World Champion and NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston in a Memphis Street Fight (Non-Title)

The Jarrett and Jay Lethal pairing has admittedly grown on me since they first formed their partnership a year ago, but I've also grown to despise their matches because it's always smoke-and-mirrors nonsense. This was more of the same, which was expected given the stipulation. I'm sure there were those who enjoyed this more than I did, but I found it to be an overbooked mess. Jarrett earned Lethal an ROH World Championship opportunity with his victory.

Miro def. Action Andretti

Andretti had CJ Perry, who is taken on a managerial role, in his corner. It didn't make much of a difference as he still lost, but it did add an interesting wrinkle. AEW has completely dropped the ball with Andretti since his big upset win over Chris Jericho almost a year ago, but I appreciated that he wasn't completely squashed here and that he was able to score a fair amount of offense before losing. They had a nice match.

FTR vs. Bad Thad Brown and Darian Bengston Ended in a No Contest

The match barely got going before the lights went out (for the third time of the night, which is ridiculous) and House of Black showed up. As previously noted, Malakai attacked Danielson earlier, and Brody King and Buddy Matthews going after FTR here means all members are moving into new feuds and it's long overdue. I'm glad FTR aren't going to be directionless now that they've lost the AEW World Tag Team Championship.

AEW World Tag Team Champions Ricky Starks and Big Bill def. Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta)

I'm fine with Castagnoli and Yuta joining the tag team ranks if it keeps them busy, not to mention they work well together as partners. Granted, I didn't think they had much of a chance of beating Starks and Bill for the belts so soon after Starks and Bill became champs and the heel vs. heel dynamic was a slight hinderance, but it was an entertaining main event, nonetheless. House of Black attacking Blackpool Combat Club gave them an out for the loss. Jon Moxley returning afterward to help his boys and FTR fend off House of Black was a cool surprise.

Overall Show

For whatever reason, Collision did not feel like must-watch programming this week, even with a tag title main event and Andrade vs. Danielson. It opened and closed on a high note, but the enhancement matches in the middle didn't do much for me. The top takeaway was that House of Black are finally back and are in a prominent spot on the show feuding with Blackpool Combat Club and FTR, which I can get behind. All in all, a solid show this week.

SEE MORE: Collision Reviews