AEW Collision: June 1, 2024 (& Rampage May 31)

June 2, 2024 2:40 PM - Season 1, Episode 48

This week's Collision mostly stayed away from the events of Double Or Nothing while slightly laying groundwork for the upcoming Forbidden Door. We got lots of strong acrobatic boys showing off (including a returning Lio Rush), plus a visit from one of NJPW's rising tag teams and AAA's luchadoras!

RAMPAGE - May 31

TNT Ladder Match Qualifier: Konosuke Takeshita def. Penta El Zero Miedo

"Fantastic opener for Rampage featuring two great talents in AEW. Takeshita as part of the TNT Ladder Match is a wise addition and it’ll be interesting to see who fills out the rest of the match."

Satnam Singh def. Peter Avalon

"Avalon looked terrified to face Singh at the start of the match, as he approached slowly. Singh offered Avalon a free pin, but did a very powerful kickout. From there, Singh choked Avalon and slammed him to the mat repeatedly. Bearhug by Singh brought a quick end to this squash."

AEW Women’s Championship Eliminator: “Timeless” Toni Storm def. Viva Van

"Storm and Van started by locking up in the middle of the ring before Van tried to apply the jujikitami to no avail. Storm took advantage by sending Van to the outside with a running hip strike as we took a Picture-in-Picture break. The action continued with Storm and Van exchanging strikes before Storm got the better of her opponent. Van’s attempt at taking advantage was stopped cold by a rope-assisted backstabber, followed by the fisherman’s suplex.

Van surprised Storm with a two-footed kick to the face, then an axe kick. That got a near-fall. Van was looking for some sort of maneuver, but Storm fought out of it as she sent Van into the corner. Running hip attack, then the Storm Zero got the win for the Timeless One. A nice little match and I thought Viva Van got a good showing even in defeat. Look for more of her to come in the future."

Kyle O’Reilly def. Jordan Cruz

"O’Reilly started off strong with a running knee to the corner, as he continued on the offensive against Cruz. O’Reilly targeted Cruz’s arm with repeated strikes and a hammerlock. Cruz momentarily had the advantage, but O’Reilly took over with mounted strikes, then bringing an end to the match with a jujikitame arm submission.

O’Reilly looked good in this quick squash ahead of his International Championship Match against Will Ospreay on Collision. His strikes just have that oomph to it and it’s always a joy to see him really lay into those attacks of his."

Rey Fenix def. Isiah Kassidy

"Fantastic main event between Fenix and Kassidy to cap off a very breezy and entertaining hour of action on Rampage. It’s great to see Fenix back in action in AEW after a long break for injury, and I enjoy seeing Isiah Kassidy get a chance to show up and show out as a singles competitor. Would love to see more of that."

COLLISION - June 1

Schiavone welcomed FTR to the ring, as we got highlights of Anarchy In The Arena. [Nigel] McGuinness made sure to note that Jack Perry pinned Bryan Danielson to win the match. Wheeler said that it was hard to accept their loss on Sunday, but the Elite hadn’t killed them off just yet. Harwood struggled having to see his partners get brutalized, but he would fight until his dying breath to defend AEW. He said that one day soon that Danielson, Allin, and FTR would be back to kick The Elite’s asses.

Roderick Strong (w/Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) defeated Lio Rush

"Pro wrestling is better when Lio Rush is doing it. Any time you get annoyed at his consistent absences, a match like this reminds you how capital-G Great Lio Rush is. Hopefully, he can find a consistent home on either side of the Forbidden Door. Meanwhile, the Undisputed Kingdom continues to putter on, even as their main rival MJF seems to have moved on from caring about them. I like all of the talent in the group, but there is no use in having this group exist anymore."

Daniel Garcia & Katsuyori Shibata defeated The WorkHorsemen (Anthony Henry & JD Drake)

"This is the kind of match that makes me love Collision. The WorkHorsemen, a great team that never gets pushed, against two aligned babyfaces in Garcia and Shibata in a match that got some time to breathe and real energy from the crowd. As a long-time advocate for them, I’m so glad the WorkHorsemen were able to shine in a TV opportunity like this. I hope the reaction they got scored them more chances like this one. Meanwhile, Garcia scores a fall on his road to an International Title shot."

Thunder Rosa defeated Reina Dorada

"They noted that Dorada was a rising name in the independent scene in Mexico. Rosa hit a Dominator that Dorada kicked out of before scoring the win with the seated Cobra Clutch. Rosa had some words for Deonna Purrazzo, noting that their issues weren’t settled yet."

Cage Of Agony (Bishop Kaun, Brian Cage & Toa Liona) defeated Danny Gee, Danny Rose & KM

"These poor dweebs got murdered by the former Mogul Embassy, getting the pin on Rose after just flinging him in the air by his limbs and letting gravity finish the job. I cannot emphasize how much of a demolition this was."

Claudio Castagnoli defeated Johnny TV (w/Taya Valkyrie)

"Johnny came out looking like late-career Randy Savage with the leather cowboy hat and duster. Castagnoli caught Johnny on a leapfrog with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Johnny tripped Castagnoli in the ropes before hitting a running knee to take control. Castagnoli reversed a neckbreaker into a backslide before hitting a double stomp to the guts. Castagnoli held Johnny up for a stalling vertical suplex before dropping him. Castagnoli went for the Giant Swing, but Johnny pulled Taya into the ring as a distraction. Johnny scored with a mule kick before hitting the Flying Chuck for a nearfall.

After a commercial break, Castagnoli reversed a hold into a vertical suplex. Johnny avoided another Swing with an inside cradle before hitting a neckbreaker for a nearfall. Johnny brought Castagnoli to the ropes to let Taya slap him, but the slap woke Castagnoli up. Castagnoli got in Taya’s face on the floor, allowing Johnny to hit a dive over the post. Castagnoli cut off the Starship Pain and hit a reverse superplex before locking on the Sharpshooter. Johnny pulled Taya into the ring again, but Castagnoli caught the leg on a second mule kick attempt and hit the Giant Swing. Castagnoli hit a running lariat to score the win."

Shane Taylor Promotions (Lee Moriarty & Shane Taylor) (w/ Anthony Ogogo) defeated The West Coast Wrecking Crew (Jorel Nelson & Royce Isaacs)

AEW International Title Match – Will Ospreay (c) def. Kyle O’Reilly to retain

"Another fantastic match from Will Ospreay. In other news, the sun rose in the east today. O’Reilly had another great title fight, adding to his stellar resume since returning from injury. He would be my pick to win the TNT Title ladder match at Forbidden Door, paying off how close he’s come in these title challenges. This was a stellar Collision main event."

posted by The Pluto Gangsta