AEW Collision: March 30, 2024 (& Rampage March 29)

March 31, 2024 7:48 AM - Season 1, Episode 40

Collision skipped a week because of basketball and comes back with a hot Ontario crowd. Adam Copeland (the former Edge) defends his new title against a former Edge-head, Thunder Rosa meets a worthy opponent, and a big upset in the tag team tournament.

RAMPAGE -- March 29

Dustin Rhodes defeated The Butcher

"Jay White and The Gunn Club completed a little minor home invasion at Billy Gunn's house. It's not a crime if you're related though, according to Austin. White challenged the Acclaimed for the AEW Trios titles. White is about to smash Billy's big screen TV (which is on even though no one was home) but Billy and his wife arrive and the heels run off."

Deonna Purrazzo defeated Rose

Mariah May (w/ Toni Storm & Luther) defeated Nikita

"May is now 6-0 and “a juggernaut in the women's division" according to Schiavone."

AEW International Title Eliminator Match: Roderick Strong (c) (w/ Mike Bennett and Matt Taven) defeated "Daddy Magic" Matt Menard

"Menard ("Papa Magie" in Québec) has the hometown crowd behind him, who are finally reacting to something tonight. Menard took the fight to the floor, where he clobbered Strong with punches. Back in the ring, Menard hit a shoulder tackle off the middle ropes. During the break, Strong backdropped suplexed Menard on the ring apron. After the break, Strong was in control with a reverse chinlock. Menard fought out of the chinlock, then took a knee to the midsection. Menard "hulked up" and hit a series of clotheslines. Menard hit an uranage for a near fall. Strong backdropped out of a piledriver attempt, but Menard caught him with a rollup for a near fall.

Strong came back with a version of the Juice Box for a near fall. Menard locked in a Boston crab, but Strong got to the ropes to force a break. Taven tried to distract Menard, but it backfired and Menard hit Strong with a cutter for another near fall. Taven and Bennett both got up on the apron to distract Menard again, and this allowed Strong to hit Menard with a high knee and get the pinfall. Man, what a letdown. Menard looked like the biggest babyfaces in this match (getting cheered by his home country fans). He could have won here and Strong could have beaten him next week. Strong winning the International title has really devalued it."

COLLISION -- March 30

AEW TNT Championship Match: Adam Copeland (c) defeated Matt Cardona

"The two had an opening exchange as the crowd went wild for both men. Copeland slid to the floor and played rope-a-dope with Cardona before hammering him with a clothesline. Copeland brought Cardona to the apron, but Cardona poked him in the eyes and sent him into the ring stairs to big boos as we went to our first commercial. After a commercial, Copeland fought his way out of a headlock before he and Cardona had the same idea for three straight moves – cross body, clothesline, big boot – leaving both men down. Cardona went to the top rope before Copeland yanked him down to the mat. Cardona cut Copeland off as he went to the top, but Copeland brought him down with a gourdbuster before hitting a Steiner-esque bulldog off the top rope for a nearfall.

Copeland hit the Edge-o-matic – Cope-o-matic? – for a nearfall. Cardona played rope-a-dope and kicked the ropes as Copeland got back into the ring before hitting the Impaler DDT for a nearfall, looking to add insult to injury to his former mentor. Cardona talked trash to Copeland in the corner as the London crowd booed him. Copeland went to spear Cardona on a facewash boot attempt, but Cardona moved out of the way and sent Copeland into the turnbuckles. Copeland countered Radio Silence with a Buckle Bomb, then a powerbomb in the center of the ring for a nearfall. Copeland went for a spear, but Cardona caught him with Radio Silence for a big nearfall. Cardona set up for a spear, but Copeland got a spear of his own to score the win.

Copeland celebrated the win until the lights went out. When the lights came back up, it wasn’t Sabu staring him down, but Malakai Black. Black spit out some black mist before Buddy Matthews jumped Copeland from behind. Mark Briscoe came out for the save before he was overwhelmed by the numbers. Eddie Kingston made his way to the ring and stood with Briscoe and Copeland. With the House of Black outnumbered the lights went out again. The match was quite good, as these two worked well together. But this London, Ontario crowd was rabid to start this show, elevating this match to another level. I hope the energy stays up for the rest of the show. The post-match angle gave us an interesting matchup to consider."

AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament Quarter Final Match: FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood) defeated The Infantry (Carlie Bravo & Shawn Dean)

Kyle O'Reilly defeated JD Drake

"...Drake took O’Reilly down with a Shining Wizard but missed a Vader Bomb and a cannonball. O’Reilly peppered Drake with leg and chest kicks before taking him down with a leg sweep. O’Reilly hit the Ax and Smash kicks before hitting a running chest kick for a nearfall. O’Reilly caught Drake’s arm on the kickout and locked on an armbar to score the quick win. The Undisputed Kingdom celebrated with O’Reilly again, lifting him onto their shoulders."

AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament Quarter Final Match: Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin) defeated Big Bill & Ricky Starks

"Starks and Darius started by trading quick offense before the Martins got a quick tag out and hit some tandem offense. Bill tagged in and cornered Dante, but Top Flight sent Bill and Starks to the floor with a double dropkick. Starks cut off Dante from the floor, allowing Bill to lay Dante out with a big boot as we went to a commercial.

Back from the break, Bill sent Dante into the ring over the second rope from the floor. Bill hit a big corner splash, but a second one missed before Dante hit a cannonball to the floor. Tags on both sides, as Darius ran wild on Starks. Darius hit a wall walk Pele Kick on Starks before both guys got sent to the floor. Darius got a quick nearfall with a jackknife cradle that Starks didn’t get a strong kickout on. Darius sent Dante over Starks before catching a spear, then hitting a tornado DDT off of his brother’s chest for the win. Nobody seemed ready for that ending, as it took a moment for Top Flight’s music to hit after the three count.

An unfortunate result here, as it looked like Starks got hurt at some point leading up to the quick – and possibly audibled – finish here. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious. Meanwhile, while this is far from the way you want to see it happen, Top Flight gets a meaningful win and an opportunity to show out in the next round against FTR."

Thunder Rosa defeated Lady Frost

"Rosa was in firm control early, scoring with a hurricanrana and a dropkick. Frost caught herself on the apron before coming back in with a cartwheeling headscissors and a neckbreaker for a nearfall. Frost evaded a corner charge only for Rosa to pop out of the corner with a clothesline as we went to a commercial. Back from the commercial, Rosa countered a cartwheel into a rollup for a nearfall. Rosa fired up with a dropkick into the ropes. Rosa went for the Tijuana Bomb, but Frost kicked her way out and hit the Killa Chilla for a nearfall. Rosa ducked a hurricane kick and hit the Tijuana Bomb for the win."

Blackpool Combat Club (Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli) & Katsuyori Shibata defeated Lance Archer & The Righteous (Dutch & Vincent)

"...After the commercial, Dutch was taunting the crowd when he got caught in a LeBell Lock by Danielson. Archer quickly broke it up, allowing Dutch to clubber Danielson in the corner. Danielson dove out of the way of a corner charge before Archer knocked his partners off of the apron. Archer and Dutch bodyslammed each other onto Danielson before Archer shot Danielson into a Bossman Slam from Dutch for a nearfall. Dutch brought Danielson to the top rope, but Danielson knocked him down and hit a shotgun dropkick. Castagnoli tagged in and ran wild on Archer, clubbering him with uppercuts in the corner. Castagnoli hit a cutter out of the corner before setting up the Giant Swing, but the Righteous cut him off. Shibata cut off Autumn Sunshine before Shibata hit hesitation dropkicks on both men.

Castagnoli and Shibata hammered Archer with strikes before Castagnoli got the Giant Swing on Archer. Castagnoli transitioned into the Sharpshooter before Dutch cut Castagnoli off with a side suplex. We got a move train that ended with Archer hitting a ripcord Bossman Slam. Vincent tagged in and hit a Swanton Bomb for a nearfall but got a guillotine choke countered with a vertical suplex. Shibata tagged in and hit the hesitation dropkick on Vincent. Dutch broke up a submission attempt, leading to another move train. Shibata kicked out of a rollup with the tights before locking on a sleeper hold. After Castagnoli hammered an interfering Archer with a running uppercut, Shibata hit the Penalty Kick on Vincent to score the win."

posted by The Pluto Gangsta (2 comments total)

Apparently basketball is not done displacing the show, as next week's Collision will air at 1130PM Eastern/830PM Pacific.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 8:49 AM on March 31

Haha I'm such a dope. Collision isn't pushed to 1130 on April 6 because of sports, it's because of Wrestlemania!
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 7:11 PM on April 3