AEW COLLISION HITS & MISSES (12/20): A compelling twist in Mercedes’ belt collection, a potentially star-making trajectory for Knight continues, Kingston’s redemption arc

To help you add context, my “Hits” are ordered from best to worst. Each review includes a historical tidbit and a final grade. With that said, let’s move into the high points of this week’s episode, starting with the most significant moments.

HITS

KEVIN KNIGHT VALIDATING MOMENTUM

This was easily the story of the show. Kevin Knight pinning Kazuchika Okada wasn’t just an upset, it was the kind of result that reframes a wrestler’s ceiling overnight. What made this land even harder is that it didn’t come out of nowhere.
Back on the Nov. 27 Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show after Dynamite, Wade Keller and I singled out Knight as someone AEW should continue to push — mentioning his athletic upside, natural explosiveness, and overall cool factor Knight adds to the roster. Those comments felt like a smart observation at the time. After this episode, it feels prophetic.

Knight wrestled with confidence and sharpness. His bursts of offense actually forced Okada to adjust, and once the crowd realized the upset was possible, the match snapped into a different gear. The finish didn’t feel like a fluke — it felt earned.
For a company that needs fresh, young, organic babyfaces to rise, this was exactly the right call. Now the real test is whether AEW follows through. A win over Okada can’t be treated like a statistical oddity in the block standings. Knight showed he belongs in the mix, and AEW should treat him like it.

TOURNAMENT PARITY

One of the quiet strengths of this year’s Continental Classic has been the overall competitive balance, and Collision’s results pushed the Gold League into its most compelling state yet — a full six-way tie that actually feels earned, not manufactured.

Instead of one or two wrestlers running away with the block, the standings now look like an actual athletic tournament where momentum swings weekly and no one is safe from taking a loss. Kevin Knight’s upset over Okada didn’t just give Knight a defining moment, it completely reshaped the math of the league. Suddenly, every match matters, every point matters, and the final stretch has real tension built in.

For all the criticism AEW gets about long-term storytelling, this is where the C2 format works: wins have consequences, losses change trajectories, and anyone in the field can beat anyone. That parity makes the tournament feel less predictable and far more rewarding to follow week to week.

EDDIE KINGSTON’S REDEMPTION ARC

Eddie Kingston’s squash win might look like a simple palate-cleanser on the surface, but it’s actually a smart next step in his redemption arc following the loss to Samoa Joe. Eddie’s whole appeal is built around emotional gravity — when he loses, it means something, and when he climbs back, it feels earned.

After dropping the match to Joe, Eddie didn’t disappear, sulk, or get slotted into a cold tag team pairing. Instead, AEW let him come back with a sense of urgency. His win here wasn’t about dominance for the sake of dominance; it was about Kingston steadying himself, re-calibrating, and reminding everyone that he’s still a threat heading into the final stretch of the C2.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Dynamite: CLICK HERE (or search “wade Keller” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)

MERCEDES MONÉ CRASH-OUT

Mercedes Moné crashing out with another loss — this time dropping the RevPro British Women’s Title to Alex Windsor — might look like a setback on paper, but it’s actually one of the more interesting creative choices AEW has made with her run so far.

Instead of booking her as an untouchable global star collecting belts, AEW is letting Mercedes struggle, and that struggle is giving her character layers we haven’t seen since early in her WWE run. The losing streak isn’t burying her, it’s grounding her. It’s creating tension. And it’s setting the table for a rebound storyline that can actually mean something when she finally gets hot again.

MISSES

None this week.

FINAL SCORE

• HITS: 4
• MISSES: 0

FINAL THOUGHTS

Collision was a tighter, more compressed episode this week due to the one-hour format, and that naturally limits how many angles, promos, or character beats AEW can realistically fit in. Because of that, there weren’t many glaring issues – just the expected challenges that come with trying to deliver a full Collision experience in half the time.

Even with the condensed runtime, the show still produced a couple of meaningful developments: Kevin Knight scoring a career-shifting win, Mercedes Moné’s story taking another interesting turn, and the Continental Classic standings tightening into a chaotic six-way tie. The wrestling was efficient, the pacing never dragged, and the episode accomplished more than its structure should’ve allowed.

WRESTLING HISTORY: On this day in 2009 TNA held Final Resolution at the Impact Zone in Orlando, headlined by AJ Styles defeating Christopher Daniels to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship — another strong chapter in one of the promotion’s most reliable in-ring rivalries. The show also featured the annual Feast or Fired match, in which Samoa Joe secured a briefcase that earned him a future World Championship opportunity.

PODCAST PLUG: Be sure to check out the Collision Café I host with PWTorch’s Amin Ajani, available exclusively with a PWTorch VIP membership.

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