Sanders’ AEW Collision Review 12.2.23

Saturday night is all right for FIGHTING! Hello friends! I am Lee Sanders, filling in for the great Theo as he rests with family this weekend. He’ll be back next week, but for now, saddle up cause we’ve got ourselves a pretty good edition of AEW COLLISION! Let’s get into it!

Location: Erie, PA
Venue: Erie Insurance Arena
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuinness, and Kevin Kelly (this mix doesn’t work for me. We don’t need Schiavone there as he hinders Kelly)

MATCH 1: CONTINENTAL CLASSIC BLUE LEAGUE-CLAUDIO CASTANOGLI VS BRODY KING

Two bulls tried to ram one another down, but it was a stalemate. Both men are slugging it out as Brody uses his bandaged arm across the chest/neck of Claudio. Both men go down after bouncing off the ropes and clotheslining each other. Both men take it outside, where they clothesline each other again, but no one budges. It returns to the ring, where King gets off a big boot to ground Claudio. Claudio returns with a scoop slam, followed by clotheslining King over the ropes! Claudio races outside and runs at King with a clothesline before clotheslining him into the barricades. King no-sells it as he comes back with a clothesline of his own.
Claudio is strong-whipped over the barricades as we head into our first set of commercials. We are back as both men are slugging it out again before King gets off a senton—King with a body splash on Claudio, who’s in the corner. Claudio returns with a swinging series of uppercuts to the eruption of fans! Claudio is relentless as Brody tries countering, but Claudio tries going for the giant swing. Brody uses his solid and thick legs to kick him away. Claudio off the ropes and comes in with a double stomp for a near fall! Claudio tries to put him over his shoulders as Brody comes swinging with a hard chop! Brody catches a lifted uppercut as Castanogli calls for the giant swing and pulls it off! Castanogli, now with the sharpshooter, also removes Brody’s arm from reaching the bottom rope. Brody somehow gets to the rope for the break regardless. Claudio tries charging at Brody, but it’s a miss! Brody plants him with a German suplex. Brody with a giant cannonball as he goes for the cover, and Claudio immediately kicks out at one! Claudio with the Canadian destroyer as Brody kicks out at the one count! Claudio caught with a right hand from off the ropes, followed by a piledriver for a near fall. Brody with a gigantic lariat to end this one. Six points to the big man! Brody leads with six points, as he can’t be eliminated in the next two matches upcoming.

Winner:Brody King (11 minutes)
Rating:***
Mama, nothing more entertaining than two big and beefy men slugging it out! This was a classic! I have seen that guys like Brody can thrive in this tournament. Brody isn’t the one I see winning the whole tournament, but he can come close, as I see him in the semi-finals.

Jon Moxley talks about putting every once, swear, and spirit into the tournament. This comes despite being in pain and suffering from multiple injuries. Moxley looks to show why no one can touch him in this tournament, as it’s his for the taking. Moxley will wrestle in the Gold League against RUSH on Wednesday’s DYNAMITE.

MATCH 2: ABADON VS KIERA HOGAN

Kiera looks a bit unsettled as she faces Abadon. Kiera with a shotgun dropkick as Abadon comes back on some severe offense with multiple clotheslines. Kiera with a kick to the knee followed by a successful hip attack. Kiera with a running baseball kick as she tries for the cover and gets a two count. A vicious spinning black hole slam follows from Abadon! Abadon with a cutter from the ropes as it’s another two-count. Abadon clicks Kiera’s face before hair whipping her down to the canvas. Kiera with multiple kicks on the Living Dead Girl, followed by a spinning heel kick and a neckbreaker for a near fall.

Winner:Abadon (4 minutes)
Rating:**
Always love seeing Kiera in action. Also, it’s nice to see Abadon get more TV time, as she’s been putting in the work inside the ring and out. I follow her on social media and know her physical transformation in recent months. It’s truly something to admire, as I’m all for these two girls slugging it out for the TBS title.

Lights go off, and we see Julia Hart in the ring when they come back on. Abadon isn’t flinching as the lights go off and come back on again as Julia disappears.

In the backstage segment, Samoa Joe is approached by The Kingdom and Roderick Strong. They try to tell Joe that they will let bye-gones be bye-gones as they try to convince Joe that MJF is the devil. They also tell Joe that since they are friends with Adam Cole, and Cole is friends with MJF, then by default they are friends of Samoa Joe by proxy. Joe chuckles and walks away as we head into our next match.

MATCH 3: CONTINENTAL CLASSIC BLUE LEAGUE-DANIEL GARCIA VS ANDRADE

Matt Menard is at ringside on commentary as Kelly reminds him that he’ll be fired if he leaves the table and interferes in Garcia’s match. It should be interesting to see how this plays out as CJ Perry looks at the ramp area as the match progresses. Nice lockup to begin as Garcia gets a cover, and it’s a quick kick out. The referee ejected CJ as Andrade bounced off the ropes and shoulder-bumped Garcia to the canvas. Garcia tries tossing Andrade between the ropes, but Andrade catches himself and begins showboating. Garcia maintains his composure and tries for a rear choke that Andrade shakes off. Andrade off the ropes and connects with a big crossbody! Irish whip reversal from both men as Andrade catches him with a sliding dropkick. Andrade tries for a cover after getting him back in the ring, as it’s another kick out—Garcia with a pair of dragon screws and a cover as Andrade kicks out at one. Garcia rams Andrade into the barricades as Andrade tries returning to the ring. Andrade rams into the corner, and he ends up tossing him over the top rope as we head into our next set of breaks. We are back as Garcia and Andrade are now trading body shots. Garcia gets the best of the encounter by following up with a pickup. Andrade is tied up in the tree of woe as Farcia focuses on hitting the knees before a dropkick to the face. Garcia follows it all up with a brainbuster as Andrade kicks out. Garcia reaches around as Andrade uses his right arm to elbow his way out; a big forearm shot follows up on Garcia as Andrade hits the three amigos. Garcia reverses the third suplex attempt as he gets in a rear naked choke. Andrade climbs up to the top rope despite Garcia being on top of him. Andrade connects with a superplex as he connects with the three amigos this time. It’s a near fall, as Garcia is still in this match! Garcia counters with a sharpshooter as Andrade is far away from the ropes. In the process of getting back to a vertical base, Andrade quickly grabs Garcia and hits him with a flat liner from out of nowhere to end this classic encounter.
Andrade now with 3 points as Garcia still sits at no points.

Winner:Andrade (14 minutes)
Rating:***
Now that was good, that was damn good! Seriously, what is next for Daniel Garcia? The man can’t seem to catch a break. Maybe he should be the one flirting with Ruby SoHo!

Footage of highlights from the Gold League is shown on DYNAMITE this week. I can’t stress it enough; go check out Swerve Strickland vs Jay White from that episode. Excellent stuff!

Elsewhere, Willie Mack challenges Wardlow for next week. This comes as a result of Wardlow putting his hands on AR Fox. Mack is upset with how things went with Fox as he heads into our next contest.

MATCH 4: THE KINGDOM VS BIG MAN 1 AND BIG MAN 2 AKA THE IRON SAVAGES

Bronson with a powerbomb as Taven somehow kicks out of it. Boulder is tagged and misses a moonsault as Bronson gets tagged back in and is superkicked! Taven takes flight and crashes into Boulder as Kingdom finishes off Bronson to pick up the victory.

Winner:The Kingdom (3 minutes)
Rating:NR
Surprised it went as long as it did. It’s all about the story arc, and that’s all that matters.

Ethan Page is with Kenzie as he challenges Kenny Omega to a match since they’ll be in Canada next week. Page has been in ROH, picking up wins and rebuilding himself since we last saw him on AEW TV, where he lost to MJF. Will Kenny Omega accept?

MATCH 5: MALAKAI BLACK & BUDDY MATTHEWS VS CHRISTOPHER DANIELS & MATT SYDAL

Sydal and Matthews will start as Matthews tries for some early cover attempts. No mas, as Sydal kicks out multiple times. Sydal with his trademark kicks as Matthews rocks him with an elbow strike. Sydal with a spinning kick to the head as Daniels is tagged. As Daniels goes for the cover, Daniels and Sydal have some tag team synergy. It’s a quick kick out as a tag is made to Malakai Black. Daniels with a crock screw kick. Daniels tries to follow up as Black stops him and tags back in Matthews. Matthews sends Daniels outside as Malakai takes to the sky and hits Daniels with a moonsault as we head into our next set of commercials. We are back as Black, and Sydal is tagged. Sydal used the top rope for leverage to pull off a missile dropkick! Sydall with his trademark kicks, followed by a guillotine leg drop for a near fall. Malakai catches him with a strike to the head as Daniels gets tagged. Sydal and Matthews hit meteroas on opposite opponents as they clear the ring. Daniels comes flying and crashes into Malakai as Sydal climbs to the top. Buddy sends Sydal out as Buddy delivers a curb stomp to the back of his head of Daniels! Sydal comes off the top and gets kicked silly by Malakai. Malakai follows up with a spinning kick to Daniels to end this fun match.

Winner:House of Black (8 minutes)
Rating:***
Fun tag match from all involved. The highlight of the night almost for me so far.

FTR comes out as the House of Black and talks about how FTR is out there because they want to join the House of Black. Before FTR can respond, the House of Black ambushes them, spinning kicks! Malakai grabs a mic afterward and tells them how he predicted no one would come to help FTR! Dax throws up a middle finger as Black kicks his head off! Always bet on Black baby!

Last week’s footage shows that Toni Storm is not happy that Skye Blue interrupted her. Storm feels the only thing that’s interesting about Skye Blue is the pictures of Skye’s butt. She welcomes her to a match for her AEW Women’s Championship. Speaking of Skye Blue, when we are back from the commercial, Skye promised to have her chin up, chest out, and shove a shoe up Toni’s behind. These girls will be facing off on this coming week’s DYNAMITE. Elsewhere, footage of Christian Cage and Adam Copeland’s upcoming match is shown, which should be a good one in Montreal on TBS.

MATCH 6: VIKINGO VS KIP SABIAN

Nice lockup. Sabian maintains a wristlock as Vinkingo comes back with a spinning backkick. This comes after Vikingo purposely bounces off the ropes without going out—Vikingo with an arm takedown from off the ropes. Vikingo tries for another high-risk maneuver as Sabian stops him dead in his tracks—Sabian with a moonsault that connects to the outside as we head into another set of commercials. We’re back as Vikingo connects with a spinning kick, followed by a knee lift and strike to the face—Vikingo with a spinning 360 that gets him a near fall. Sabian catches Vikingo on the top rope and connects with a leg scissors takedown followed by a falcon arrow for a two count! Sabian misses a strike as Vikingo connects with a spinning 180-degree corkscrew! Vikingo follows up with the 630 splash for the win.

Winner:Vikingo (8 minutes)
Rating:*
Spot after spot, after spot. Foolish me, as I thought early on we would see what Vikingo could do when it’s a grounded match, as Sabian usually doesn’t leave his feet a lot. Boy, was I wrong! I’d rather see Komander or Fenix, as they are more versatile. This wasn’t a bad match cause it wasn’t a match, it was a spot fest.

Keith Lee is with Lexi to figure out who Lee has been referencing for the past couple of weeks. Shane Taylor interrupts to tell Lee he knows he’s not dumb enough to look past him. Taylor challenges Lee to a match at Final Battle. Lee accepts. We are back as Miro tries talking to CJ Perry. Miro isn’t happy that CJ isn’t by his side. CJ understands his origin but begs him not to touch her client. Miro reluctantly agrees and storms off as it’s time for our main event.

MATCH 7: CONTINENTAL CLASSIC BLUE LEAGUE-BRYAN DANIELSON VS EDDIE KINGSTON

Both men felt each other out early on. Kingston tries to throw a few jabs as Daniels keeps his distance with a few kicks. They lock up and head into the corner, hugging one another, when finally, Daniels can back away and slaps Eddie’s chest hard. More feeling out as the two get in a corner again, where Daniels fires off another chop! Kingston comes back with a chop of his own that floors Danielson. Danielson with low kicks as Kingston follows up with a kick to the left arm that grounds Danielson. It looks like it was a bait and switch as Danielson returns with more chops to the chest. Danielson with kicks to the chest, followed by a vertical bow stretch. Kingston reverses it and applies a bow stretch before Danielson counters with a suplex. Danielson with a big boot to the face but misses a low baseball slide as Kingston sets him up for a successful back suplex onto the floor as we head into our final set of ad breaks. Headbutt to Kingston to get a breather as Danielson follows up with a shotgun dropkick. Kingston comes in with chops to the chest and knife-edge chops to the neck.
Danielson somehow grounds Kingston and is trying for the LaBelle lock but can’t get it all in. Danielson with the rollover as Kingston powers out and is hammering the head of Danielson. Kingston is slapping Danielson repeatedly as they come to a vertical base—Kingston with a backhand slap that grounds Danielson for a near fall. Vertical suplex follows Danielson, as that’s also a near fall. Breaking news: Ethan Page vs. Kenny Omega will happen next Saturday on Collision. Danielson with a roundhouse kick to the top of the head of Kingston! Danielson follows it up with his YES! kicks as Eddie barely moves. Danielson is off the ropes as Kingston catches him with thunder chops to the chest! The two are now trading shots as Danielson hits an enziguri followed by a half & half. A back fist from Kingston countered as Danielson dropped him on his head! Danielson returns to his trademark kicks as he hits a back suplex with a pin for a near fall. Danielson, with the stomping of the head, cannot defend himself. The referee checks in in Kingston, as somehow he’s still in this game. Both men are yelling at each other as Danielson is up first and hits the running psycho knee for the win! Three points to Bryan Danielson!

Winner:Bryan Danielson (16 minutes)
Rating:****
Great psychology, great technical aspects, and all-around just plain fun!

End of Show

For more great talk of all things wrestling and beyond, be sure to follow me on Twitter @THERCWRSHOW and check me out on YouTube.com/thercwrshow Enjoy the weekend you all!

THE FINAL SCORE:  REVIEW

VERY GOOD

As I mentioned less than 24 ago in the comments section, there are certain aspects of the Continental Classic I don’t like such as trying to understand the point system, ways for scoring and other aspects. Not too mention I’ve never been a fan of tournaments especially when it’s down every three months as been the case with AEW. Give me solid in-ring action though like from what we’ve seen this week, and I can look past it all as a I love great entertainment. These two hours went by quick and was a better show than the poorly executed RAMPAGE. I personally could’ve gone without Sabian vs Vikingo as it felt like a different show in a bad way. I could’ve settled for another women’s match personally. By the way, bonus points for Danielson grabbing the KINGSTON IS A BUM sign and laying it across Kingston’s unconscious chest. I popped so hard in laughter! What say you 411Manaics?! Sound off! Meantime, going to go see the new Godzilla movie as I’ve heard nothing but good things! I’ll follow up with a review soon on here. For more great talk of all things wrestling and beyond, be sure to follow me on Twitter @THERCWRSHOW and check me out on YouTube.com/thercwrshow Enjoy the weekend y’all!

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