Collision recap and reactions: Will Ospreay does it again

Saturday night is alright for fighting. AEW Collision (June 1, 2024) emanated from Acrisure Arena in Palm Springs, CA. The show featured Will Ospreay in another barn burner, Roderick Strong talking his way into a world title match, Claudio Castagnoli swinging with John Morrison, and more.

Will Ospreay does it again

Will Ospreay added another notch on his résumé of great matches in AEW. He had a quality dance partner in Kyle O’Reilly with the International Championship on the line in the main event of the evening.

O’Reilly realized the magnitude of the situation. His plan wasn’t to put on an instant classic. It was to beat Ospreay as efficiently and violently as possible for the title.

O’Reilly backed up his words in strategy. He was viciously focused on damaging Ospreay’s left arm. O’Reilly’s best shot at victory came when he caught Ospreay’s springboard cutter to counter for an armbar. Ospreay was feisty trying to escape, so O’Reilly transitioned from armbar to triangle choke to armbar once again. Ospreay managed to muscle up for a powerbomb to escape.

The match progressed as a rowdy affair. When O’Reilly punted his opponent, Ospreay popped up for a surprise Hidden Blade strike. Ospreay removed his elbow pad to charge for a second Hidden Blade, but O’Reilly was quicker to the draw to block with a jumping knee to the jaw. Both men were down.

Ospreay and O’Reilly dug deep for a furious battle of fisticuffs. Ospreay ducked a clothesline to deliver the Hidden Blade. The Stormbreaker sealed the deal. Ospreay is still the international champion. Afterward, respect was shared between opponents.

AEW can’t go wrong rolling out Ospreay to put on crackerjack matches on a consistent basis for television. Even though the result was obvious, this was still a damn fine showing from both wrestlers. Several sequences were eye-popping. O’Reilly fought like this was his big opportunity to upset the apple cart, and that attitude resonated for intense action.

The show didn’t end there. Swerve Strickland chimed in with a video promo about wrestling Ospreay for the AEW World Championship at Forbidden Door.

For extra context to the promo, Swerve will defend the world title against Roderick Strong on Dynamite. Backstage after Strong’s win over Lio Rush, the Messiah approached Tony Khan to request a title shot. Strong was supposed to be the tenth man in the Casino Gauntlet, but he never got a chance to enter. Khan was persuaded to grant the match. Also, shout out to neck health awareness.

I like the idea of this simple scene for an explanation to arrange the match. It’s much better than a random announcement on social media. They came up with a logical excuse to book the title bout, and it keeps Swerve active in the ring as world champion. Plus, Strong’s yelling routine is still amusing, and it was funny watching Khan trying not to crack with laughter.

On to Swerve’s trash talk. I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or genuine in a cocky way. Swerve was amazed by Ospreay’s body of work thus far, however, the Billy GOAT has yet to main event a PPV. Swerve has him beat in that regard. The world champ turned his focus to Strong. Swerve is going to make Strong pay in pain for thinking he can just demand this match without earning it.

Let’s jam through the rest of Collision.

Roderick Strong defeated Lio Rush. Strong worked the back, and Rush rallied with shifty speed. The Kingdom were persistent with interference, so Rush took them out on a springboard moonsault. When Rush had victory within reach, Matt Taven caused just enough of a distraction to delay Rush’s frog splash. Strong put this knees up to block and pounced for a backbreaker to win.

Solid match. One benefit of Forbidden Door season is seeing random matchups that I never expected. This episode was clearly about in-ring action, so, sure, let the novelty rip. This could also be used as a setup for a larger match if Rush brings a few friends along to fight the Kingdom.

Daniel Garcia & Katsuyori Shibata defeated Workhorsemen. Daddy Magic was on commentary. JD Drake and Anthony Henry forced the babyfaces to work for the win. They turned the tide with double chokes. Shibata and Garcia pummeled Drake with teamwork offense, and Shibata pinned the Blue-Collar Badass for victory.

I was absolutely stunned that Drake landed his moonsault. That might be the first time in a match he lost. The usual routine is to miss the mark, then his opponent rallies to win. Shibata saved Garcia on the pinfall in this situation for the match to continue.

Shibata and Garcia have fun chemistry as teammates. Garcia wore matching gear, and he popped the crowd with his dancing as Shibata chopped Henry in the corner. They also posed together after the match with Garcia dancing behind Shibata sitting cross-legged on the mat.

Thunder Rosa defeated Reina Dorada. La Mera Mera didn’t have much trouble from the debuting luchadora, who entered the Forbidden Door from the Mexican indies. Dorada showed toughness kicking out of a brutal Tijuana bomb. Thunder finished the job with the Cobra Clutch submission.

Thunder handled business to send a message to Deonna Purrazzo. I was impressed by Dorada’s toughness when she kicked out of the Tijuana bomb. The impact on the mat looked rough.

Cage of Agony defeated Danny Rose, Ricky Gee, & KM. Demolition. The body guys ate three sloppy Joes for dinner. They practiced their cheerleader torture techniques by grabbing Rose’s limbs for a teamwork toss into the air. Instead of catching Rose, they let him crash down to the mat. Bishop Kaun picked up the pin on Rose.

Brian Cage and the Gates of Agony dished out pain in spectacular fashion. Cage tossed KM around, and KM is not a small man. They probably have enough energy left in the tank to hit the gym for a midnight pump.

Claudio Castagnoli defeated Johnny TV. The story revolved around the big swing. On the first attempt, Taya Valkyrie grabbed her husband’s hands to block the carnival ride. Taya also provided a distraction for Johnny to hit a mule kick to the groin. The TV couple shared juicy kisses for the sake of it. On the second swing attempt, Johnny escaped to counter for a roll-up. Taya intervened again to slap Claudio. When he confronted the banshee on the outside, Johnny saved his beloved with a corkscrew dive over the ring post.

For the third swing try, Claudio blocked another mule kick, and that gave him the leverage necessary to swing Johnny around in circles. Claudio aimed to finish with emphasis by running the ropes to pick up steam for a hefty lariat to win. After the pinfall, Johnny stumbled out of the ring in a daze and collapsed on the floor.

Lots of personality to make this an entertaining contest. Taya was a hoot on the outside. Working in the swing angle was a nice touch to build a hook for the fans. By the end, everyone wanted to see Claudio swing Johnny.

Shane Taylor Promotions defeated West Coast Wrecking Crew. Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty wrestled, while Anthony Ogogo cheered on his team from ringside. Royce Isaacs and Jorel Nelson arrived from NJPW. Taylor took control down the stretch by being a badass tough guy. He punched Nelson out of the air and pinned him on a package piledriver. Ogogo added insult by knocking out Isaacs with a punch after the match.

Nice to see STP earning a quality win. They rumbled like bad men. It was also nice to see exposure to the West Coast Wrecking Crew.

Notes: FTR were embarrassed after losing to the Elite. It is hard to accept failure. FTR said they would die for AEW, and they aren’t dead yet. The war will continue. FTR doesn’t know when or where, but Team AEW will whip the Elite’s ass in time.

Jack Perry shared his thoughts after Anarchy in the Arena. Blood, sweat, and tears are the bare minimum sacrifice. Perry was lit on fire. He wondered when people will realize that nobody believes in the spirit of AEW more than him. Perry will continue to sacrifice in order to shape the future.

Kris Statlander and Stokely Hathaway mocked an apology to Willow Nightingale with a box of snacks. Statlander will destroy anyone who gets in her way.

Mariah May has a match against Saraya on Dynamite. She watched the movie about Saraya’s life and noticed they omitted her downfall. Mariah proposed a sequel called Shit Storm. Toni Storm inappropriately added that her forbidden door is wide open.

AEW aired the ROH hype vignette for the Premier Athletes. Josh Woods, Tony Nese, and Ari Daivari are managed by Mark Sterling. My hope is that this leads to more Josh Woods, please.

The Iron Savages wanted to book tickets to titty city, but Luchasaurus beat them up. I like this version of the dino as a monster on the loose wreaking havoc.

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Stud of the Show: Shane Taylor

Punching a dude out of the air is an effective way to demonstrate badassery.

Match of the Night: Will Ospreay vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Rocking action for a satisfying main event.

Grade: B-

A bunch of matches with not much else beyond a few amusing bits in between.

Share your thoughts about Collision. How do you rate it? What were your favorite moments from the show?