AEW Collision: September 2, 2023

September 2, 2023 4:35 PM - Season 1, Episode 12

And so it has come to pass: Sightly more than two years after CM Punk became All Elite, Tony Khan announced his immediate termination, with cause, for starting a backstage fight with Jack Perry at ALL IN last week. Inexcusably, inarguably, in full view of security cameras, other talent, and Papa Tony himself. Expect crowd reactions like no other in Chicago for Collision tonight and All Out tomorrow!

The announced card tonight, which is definitely subject to change:

-NBA legend Dennis Rodman returns to United Center

The last time Rodman affiliated himself with wrestling, it was when he joined the NWO back in 1997 and appeared off and on with WCW, even having a feud with Randy Savage in 2000. And hey! Sting was there! Maybe he still has a grudge about it?

-Ricky Starks will challenge Ricky Steamboat to a strap match at AEW All Out

Now, I think this was supposed to be a way to draw out CM Punk and have him agree to another match at All Out. Assuming the plan is still for someone to save old Ricky from young Ricky, who will it be? I'm going to guess... Samoa Joe, so that both guys who had their pushes derailed by Punk can get back on track together?

-Dax Harwood vs. Jay White

And this match was supposed to be Punk and FTR vs. Bullet Club Gold, but is now a singles match that Harwood will probably lose, because tag team guys in solo matches shouldn't win against solo guys who've main-evented the Tokyo Dome.

-AEW World Trios Championship: The Acclaimed (Antony Bowens, Max Caster, and Billy Gunn) (c) vs. "Daddy Magic" Matt Menard, "Cool Hand" Angelo Parker, and Daniel Garcia

I don't for an instant believe that AEW debuted the new pink scissor titles for the Acclaimed only to book them to lose to the post-Jericho JAS.
However, if they actually lose, then between that and Punk's firing, I will believe Tony Khan capable of booking anything, anytime.

-The Outcasts (Saraya, Toni Storm, and Ruby Soho) vs. Britt Baker, Hikaru Shida, and Kris Statlander

Can the Outcasts co-exist when one of them is the champion, one is underutilized, and the third is becoming Norma Desmond? Will Britt Baker see two women other than her holding titles and slip into a red haze? Will any AEW show ever have more than one women's match in two hours? (r.i.p. AEW Dark, which definitely did)

posted by The Pluto Gangsta (5 comments total)

Fucking-A-right The American Dragon is back.

Ricky is gonna get his pretty head kicked in.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 5:14 PM on September 2, 2023

Also, if I can use this space to pontificate about the shows I love (and what is FanFare for, if not that?), no matter what's happened, I'll still say that in Punk's two years on the show he delivered the kind of matches and promos I always wanted to see again. There's no way to know how he could have changed the game, if it hadn't been for Brawl Out (which the Elite must share blame for), the unfortunate injuries, and of course Phil Brooks' inability to get out of his own way.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 5:34 PM on September 2, 2023

Unannounced tag match with Nick Wayne & Komander vs. Aussie Open is a nice way for Aussie Open to get some of their shine back while keeping Nick cooking. Darby Allin talking to Nick Wayne about how you can't hold on to hate, you have to let the past go, etc.... Coded message to the fans to get past CM Punk or no? If it wasn't, then Christian Cage ragging on the Blackhawks certainly is.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 5:54 PM on September 2, 2023

Something about the Gunns and Juice Robinson must exhibit a kind of "brain drain" effect on the broadcast team, because the closer they get to the announce desk the more Nigel and Kevin Kelly sound like stoner burnouts.

And of course, the Bucks come out to make the post-match save, finally ready to make their mark on Collision now that youknowwho is gone.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 7:03 PM on September 2, 2023

Besides the taped intro this episode, here's footage of Tony Khan braving the boos of a Chicago crowd to explain his decision and to tell them (in a nice way) that they can either like it or lump it.

To me, this is the best possible indicator that AEW is not going to make the same mistakes WCW made.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 8:18 PM on September 2, 2023 [1 favorite]