AEW COLLISION REVIEW 8/10/24 ARLINGTON RESIDENCY

The Arlington residency is drawing to a close, and we are gearing up for AEW All In! I’ve been spoiled while covering this residency, and it’s definitely going to suck next week when we have to say goodbye to Collision. Overall, this has been a great experience and so many great moments have come from this time. I would love to see something permanent here. The fans earned it and the wrestlers seem like they are genuinely having a great time as well. This Collision episode was no different. As an added bonus, I got ta front row seat again. So, I knew that this was going to be fun!

Darby Allin & Hologram vs The Premiere Athletes

We have a second week of tag action from two of Collision’s brightest spots. Hologram has provided a much needed boost to Collision since his debut and has become a fan favorite. Pairing him with Darby Allin made me a bit skeptical, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well it work. However, I would love to see an actual match between these two. Also, I would love to see Josh Woods chasing a singles title. Great opener!

Thunder Rosa vs Deonna Purrazzo (Texas Bullrope Match)

The pre-match narration on the history and brutality of this match by Dustin Rhodes... Chef’s kiss. There will be some who will watch this match and say, “Women aren’t supposed to bleed and be violent.” Blah, blah, blah. It’s the first of its kind for women’s matches. It’s historic, violent, bloody and I was here for it! The only thing I would have wanted more out of in this match was the use of the actual bull rope. It was used, but I would have preferred it to be a focal point of the match as a live viewer. Still, it was a great match!

FTR vs The Outrunners

This match brought us 80s tag team wrestling. And can I just say, The Outrunners have captured the hearts and minds of the Arlington faithful. I love the gimmick and putting them up against any tag team in AEW would make sense to me. I don’t know if that is a result of the venue, but I really want to see more of these guys. FTR is going to be FTR, and this win helps the build momentum.

Rush vs Preston Vance
This match is the epitome of the Summer Series here in Arlington. All summer we have seen people that needed to be in the spotlight more. This match gave us that. Rush has that stature of “I’m that guy”. He just commands attention! Beating Vance might have put him in a great position to build momentum and chase a title. Preston Vance is tough as nails! I wanna see more of him, but tell me his story!

Swerve Strickland Open Challenge

We finally get an appearance from the AEW World Champion! Swerve has an aura about him now. I think he even coined a new term “ The eSportatorium”. He had a “warm up” match again Tomohiro Ishii that was no warm up! But, he got the job done and now we look forward to Wembley, where he will face Bryan Danielson! Spoiler... get the tissues ready.

All In Pre-Show Match Added

We learned in a segment that at All In, we will see Willow Nightingale and Tomohiro Ishii vs the team of Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway. I think this has some intrigue and maybe the debut of someone new. Definitely something to keep an eye on!

Hikaru Shida in Action

I sensed a turn coming for Shida. She came in against Aleah James, who is quickly making a name for herself on the independent circuit, and made a statement. Afterwards, she cut a great promo that reminded us that she is the one woman, who should not be overlooked. She is the Ace of the women’s division. It’s hard to argue that she isn’t. We will see her in action on the next Dynamite against Mercedes Mone!

The Bang Bang Gang vs House of Black (AEW Trios Championship #1 Contenders Match)

I almost hated that his match had to happen. I love both groups. So did the crowd, apparently! Someone had to lose this match... or did they? Seeing Christian Cage put my mind at ease because I knew if he could get away with not having to face anybody, he would make it happen. I was proven right! Also, I don’t know where you find a turtleneck referee shirt. How does he do this? Now, give me what I want. I triple threat Trios Title Match at Wembley. And, if you really love me, make it a ladder match.

Final Thoughts

I went back and watched this show. It doesn’t do this crowd justice. These have been some of the best wrestling crowds I have ever been around. This was a very fun show to attend. I’m definitely gonna be sad to see this go away. Because you see some of the same fans, you become a tribe, in a sense. It’s awesome seeing people like Sign Guy at the shows and interacting with them. In a way, we did bring the eSportatorium to life. Which is why I’m going to shoot my shot. Mr. Khan, the city of Arlington humbly requests that you set up shop here. You’ve built it. We will keep coming!