SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
HITS
KEVIN KNIGHT MAKES A STATEMENT IN THE MAIN EVENT
Kevin Knight is here—and more importantly, he feels like he belongs immediately.
Going toe-to-toe with Kazuchika Okada is one thing. Looking like you belong in that spot is another—and Knight did both.
Even in defeat, this wasn’t about the result. It was about how he carried himself. His athleticism stands out, but it’s the confidence and composure that made the difference. He didn’t wrestle like a newcomer—he wrestled like someone who expects to be back in this position.
This wasn’t just a good showing. It felt like another statement. And more importantly, this didn’t feel like a one-night thing.
AEW doesn’t always tip its hand early, but Knight feels like someone they already view as more than just depth. If they stay the course, you’re looking at someone with real future world champion upside.
TOMMASO CIAMPA vs. ACE AUSTIN STEALS THE SHOW
This is what Collision should look like week to week.
What could’ve easily been a standard TV match turned into the most complete match on the show. Ciampa brought the physicality and control, Ace brought the urgency and explosiveness, and the match kept building instead of peaking too early.
No wasted motion, no filler—just two guys working like they had something to prove. And it worked.
TTHEKLA CONTINUES TO FEEL LIKE REQUIRED VIEWING
At this point, Thekla doesn’t miss.
Another confident, direct promo that actually meant something and pushed things forward. No fluff, no overproduction—just presence and purpose.
She feels like a centerpiece of the division right now, and AEW is finally presenting her that way. That kind of consistency has been missing—and she’s filling that gap right now.
WOMEN’S TAG TEAM TITLES OPEN THE SHOW STRONG
Opening Collision with Divine Dominion vs. Babes of Wrath for the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Titles immediately gave the show a sense of purpose.
More importantly, it gave the division visibility. AEW has struggled with consistency when it comes to the women’s tag titles, so putting them in the opening slot—and letting them feel important—was the right call.
The match didn’t overstay its welcome, and that mattered more than anything. It set a tone that this wasn’t going to be a throwaway episode.
PRIVATE PARTY SHOWS REAL SIGNS OF LIFE
One of their better performances in a long time—and importantly, it stood on its own.
They looked sharper, more in sync, and more confident than we’ve seen in a while. This didn’t feel like team filler—it felt like a team trying to reestablish itself.
If AEW follows through, there’s something here again.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
Check out the latest episode of the “All Elite Conversation Club” with Joel Dehnel and Gregg Kanner, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “pwtorch” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
MISSES
KYLE FLETCHER INJURY CLOUD HANGS OVER THE SHOW
There’s an uneasy layer to anything involving Kyle Fletcher right now.
Reports circulating—most notably discussed by Bryan Alvarez—suggest there may be an injury situation developing, and it’s hard not to watch anything involving him without that in the back of your mind.
Whether it’s precautionary or something more serious, it creates uncertainty around his immediate direction. AEW has done a good job building momentum with him, so any disruption here is worth paying attention to.
Hopefully it’s minor—but it’s something that lingers coming out of the show.
FINAL SCORE
- HITS: 5
- MISSES: 1
FINAL THOUGHTS
A strong, work-rate-driven episode of Collision that quietly delivered across the board.
Kevin Knight feels like a legitimate future piece after holding his own against Kazuchika Okada. Ciampa vs. Austin gave the show its in-ring peak, Thekla continues to anchor the division with consistency, and the women’s tag titles opening the show set the tone.
Not everything is clicking yet, but this is the version of Collision they need to build around.
WRESTLING HISTORY
On this day in 2004, Bob Sapp won the IWGP Heavyweight Championship for the first and only time after beating Kensuke Sasaki by pinfall at the NJPW Sumo Hall Show in Tokyo, Japan.
PODCAST PLUG
Be sure to check out the Collision Café I host with PWTorch’s Taylor Halley, available exclusively to PWTorch VIP members.
Did you know you can read an ad-free, silky-smooth-loading version of this website with a PWTorch VIP Membership? Also, unlock 35+ years of archives including nearly 2,000 PWTorch Weekly Newsletters dating back to the late 1980s, hundreds of retro radio shows from the 1990s, and two decades of podcasts including Post-PPV Roundtable Podcasts dating back to the mid-2000s. Plus, new VIP-exclusive articles and podcasts throughout the week, fully compatible with the native Apple Podcasts app.
CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON VIP MEMBERSHIP
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.