AEW Collision: Winter Is Coming Review - December 16, 2023

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Claudio Castagnoli def. Andrade El Idolo in a Continental Classic Blue League Match

What can be said about this match that isn't already obvious? Both of these guys are great and had the excellent match they're capable of. Castagnoli is already eliminated from winning this thing, but he successfully played spoiler by surprisingly picking up the win here. That keeps things interesting in the Blue League. Andrade has a ready-made rivalry with Miro, so I think it's safe to assume he isn't winning, anyway.

Abadon def. Jazmin Allure

Allure just resurfaced on the ROH Final Battle Zero Hour pre-show, losing to Taya Valkyrie. This was a similar showcase for Abadon, except a few minutes shorter. Abadon is being built up for an opportunity at the AEW TBS Championship and this got her another step closer to that. Skye Blue cemented her heel turn by aligning with Julia Hart afterward, only for Thunder Rosa to make her return and help out Abadon. Apparently she's been cleared for some time, but at least she's finally back.

AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy def. "The Bounty Hunter" Bryan Keith

Keith had a hell of a showing at Final Battle on Friday night, first by beating Jack Cartwheel on the Zero Hour pre-show and then making it to the final three in the Survival of the Fittest match for the ROH World Television Championship. As I've already said, sign this man! There was no reason to believe he was beating Cassidy for the AEW International Championship here, but they had a fun match and Keith was made to look credible in defeat.

House of Black Interrupted FTR

I like FTR. I like House of Black. I haven't liked this feud so far. That's not to say it's been bad necessarily, but there hasn't been anything out of the ordinary about it. They've exchanged words from afar, the lights go out a lot, and House of Black have beaten them up a time or two. That's really it. I hope the eventual match makes up for it. This was a solid segment to set it up, though.

Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale def. Mercedes Martinez and Diamante in a Texas Street Fight

We already saw this match a few months ago on Collision, so I'm glad they were given a stipulation this time. They certainly made the most of it by using as many weapons as they did and the crowd ate it up. It would have meant a little more if we didn't see this sort of stuff so frequently in AEW, but they worked hard and had an entertaining brawl. I'd say Statlander can now go back after the AEW TBS Championship, but it might be a bit with Hart being busy with Abadon at the moment.

ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion Brian Cage def. Kerry Wright

This was a short-and-sweet squash for Cage as it should have been. Wright sold Cage's offense like death. I was wondering why this was placed on Collision because it felt like something that belonged on Rampage or ROH TV, but it became clear afterward when his backstage interview was interrupted by Keith Lee, who clearly has his sights set back on Swerve Strickland. It looks like we'll get Lee vs. Cage before then.

ROH World Champion and NJPW Strong Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston def. Daniel Garcia in a Continental Classic Blue League Match (Non-Title)

I remember when Kingston had a few matches with Garcia during his lengthy feud with Chris Jericho last year and not really caring because Garcia was just a glorified enhancement guy at that point. However, he's come a long way since then and is gotten really over with the audience. These two had a very enjoyable outing with Kingston barely putting Garcia away to stay alive in the Continental Classic for a little longer.

Bryan Danielson def. Brody King in a Continental Classic Blue League Match

I can't stress enough how Danielson was the perfect person to put in the Continental Classic because it's been such a treat to see him in there killing it with everyone in the Blue League. This was another above-average main event with King proving he can hang with Danielson and even coming close to winning a few times. King kicked out of Danielson's finisher at one point and went on to take it another three times before Danielson finally pinned him. That put King over in a big way in defeat.

Overall Show

Needless to say, the Continental Classic continues to carry Collision. All three matches this were were wonderful and worth checking out. I worry what Collision will look like once its over, but it's been a blast for the last month. In addition to that stuff, we also got that Texas Street Fight, the long-awaited return of Rosa (which was a pleasant surprise) and the announcement that it will be Christian Cage vs. Adam Copeland in a No Disqualification match for the AEW TNT Championship at Worlds Ends. Strong stuff from Collision this week.

SEE MORE: Collision Reviews