It may at first glance seem confusing why the rating for this weeks Collision is so low considering the relatively high ratings so many matches were given. And it is true that for the most part the matches on this show were technically very well wrestled and are certainly good matches bell to bell. However, we do not rate shows on an average system at Wrestling Republic, and instead many factors are taken into consideration when finalising a full show grade. The matches, while all very good, didn’t reach the threshold of at least one 4.25+ star match needed for the overall match rating to go any higher, though I acknowledge and appreciate the consistency of the action this week. The shows biggest fundamental problem was very inadequate storytelling. With the exception of the excellent Cage promo to open the show and hints of interest in Soho and Parker, this show felt like a complete waste of time, ambling along with a mediocre and jumbled structure and a stench of filler wafting in the air. The crowd weren’t all that invested through a fair amount of the later matches and it was a very poor go-home show for Full Gear. The wrestlers did a good job within the ropes, but it takes a lot more to make a good and cohesive overall show, and in that respect this week sadly failed to deliver
Tonight on AEW Collision, Ruby Soho and Saraya take on a team of champions in Hikaru Shida and Kris Statlander. Miro also looks to get his hands on Daniel Garcia while Rush and Dax Harwood go one on one ahead of the fatal 4 way tag match at Full Gear. Let’s get at it!
AMAZING Christian Cage Promo- Watch Segment Here
Fantastic opening segment here from Cage, who is magnificent in this role. Some killer lines and some always fun bullying of Tony Schiavone.Not a lot is said new outside of his takedown of Copeland, but it’s just great moment after great moment. Really strong opener
David Sheldon WR Star Rating- 4.25 Stars
GOOD Miro vs Daniel Garcia
This had two stories running through it, the destruction of Garcia by Miro and the attempts by Daddy Magic to stop Garcia dancing. Neither were all that uniquely integrated but it did its job, and served as a backdrop for a fun match. An entertaining clash of styles between technique and power with an ultimately dominant win for Miro
Result: Miro by Pinfall via Camel Clutch
David Sheldon WR Star Rating- 3.25 Stars
Andrade has been entered into the Continental Classic. We find out the reward for the winner is a cash bonus. I need more than that as a viewer Tony, that’s nowhere near good enough as a prize
SQUASH Kings Of The Black Throne vs The Boys
Entertaining enough little squash match to get the KOTBT more over, even if the Dante’s Inferno looked a bit ropey in this one.
Result: Brody King by Pinfall via Dante’s Inferno
GREAT Trent Barretta vs Brian Cage vs Komander vs Penta El Zero Miedo
Why was this on a go home show? I understand it’s a way to make you tune into Rampage, but if you’re going to book a random 4 way contenders match on Collision just book the Rampage match anyway. The match was brilliant in the ring, immensely innovative, always exciting and nicely worked between the 4 guys, but it just felt out of place on this show, which lest I remind you is the day before Full Gear. Very bizarre but nonetheless a terrific wrestling spectacle, though it’s rating is tanked by a very low storytelling rating.
Result: Trent Barretta by Pinfall
David Sheldon WR Star Rating- 3.5 Stars
Hobbs and Callis brag about putting Paul Wight out of action, with everyone just conveniently forgetting they lost the match which is really odd..
SQUASH Wardlow vs Evan Daniels
No reason for this match to happen, just confirmation Wardlow is strong, which is something we already know. Quick and painful.
Result: Wardlow by Referee Stoppage
GREAT Dax Harwood vs Rush
This was getting really really good and then a DQ ending sucked the wind from the sails. I was already finding this match a little hard to care about at the start but the talents of both men made me get into it, earning a ‘this is awesome’ chant from the crowd through their excellent physicality. I loved the post match brawl warfare, but must we have sacrificed 15 minutes of good work to get there. A real shame as it put a massive cork in what could’ve been a show stealer with a bit of a better structure and a more defined finish
Result: No Contest
David Sheldon WR Star Rating: 3.5 Stars
We had a backstage interaction between The Kingdom and Action Andretti. I thought this was rather stilted and didn’t exactly capture my interest.
GREAT Buddy Matthews vs Wheeler Yuta
Though it’s story was a bit underdone and the atmosphere not always what you’d want, this was a flawlessly technically wrestled matchup, put together by two of the best in the buisness. Fundamentally it was so so impressive, but it was surprisingly lacking in crowd response, which I think points to the fact that while these teams have interacted on TV, the story has all got a bit confused and it’s not pointed enough
David Sheldon WR Star Rating- 3.75 Stars
GOOD Saraya and Ruby Soho vs Hikaru Shida and Kris Statlander
It’s deeply ironic that the match on the card that was by far the least interesting from an in ring perspective was also the only real one to have any interesting storyline development. I enjoyed the interactions here between Ruby Soho and Angelo Parker, and I think that was about the only interesting thing about it. Otherwise it’s just a wrestling match, nothing especially technically brilliant with an incredibly dead crowd. It was a good match, wrestled without botches or anything really wrong, but for a main event I wanted something more exciting and less standard. Still, I appreciated the attempts at storyline development here, and it was actually done pretty well.
Result: Hikaru Shida by Pinfall via Katana
David Sheldon WR Star Rating- 3 Stars
We end the show with a pretaped sit down interview with MJF, which was quite strangely edited but the content was very good. He is always a delight to watch and he had some great lines about expectations, but there was nothing especially new divulged here, just packaging things he’s already said to reinforce his position ahead of the PPV.
Overall…
It may at first glance seem confusing why the rating for this weeks Collision is so low considering the relatively high ratings so many matches were given. And it is true that for the most part the matches on this show were technically very well wrestled and are certainly good matches bell to bell. However, we do not rate shows on an average system at Wrestling Republic, and instead many factors are taken into consideration when finalising a full show grade. The matches, while all very good, didn’t reach the threshold of at least one 4.25+ star match needed for the overall match rating to go any higher, though I acknowledge and appreciate the consistency of the action this week. The shows biggest fundamental problem was very inadequate storytelling. With the exception of the excellent Cage promo to open the show and hints of interest in Soho and Parker, this show felt like a complete waste of time, ambling along with a mediocre and jumbled structure and a stench of filler wafting in the air. The crowd weren’t all that invested through a fair amount of the later matches and it was a very poor go-home show for Full Gear. The wrestlers did a good job within the ropes, but it takes a lot more to make a good and cohesive overall show, and in that respect this week sadly failed to deliver
Matches: 0.5/1 Stars
Show Structure: 0.5/1 Stars
Atmosphere: 0.5/1 Stars
Storytelling: 0.25/1 Stars
Production/Theme: 0.75/1 Stars
Overall Rating: 2.5/5 Stars
Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling- November 17th 2023For inquiries about the rating criteria check out the article announcing the new system here:
