AEW COLLISION HITS & MISSES (8/22): Claudio and O’Reilly advance to Continental Challenge Cup semi-finals, Bang Bang Gang answer STP’s open challenge, Willow retains against Maya, more

To help add context, my “Hits” are ordered from best to worst. With that said, let’s move into the high points of this week’s episode.

HITS

OSPREAY-OMEGA VIDEO PACKAGE

AEW did an excellent job putting together the video package on the history between Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega. Going back to their time in PWG, through New Japan, and now AEW showed how long their paths have been connected. It wasn’t just a collection of highlights. The package explained how their relationship went from mutual respect to resentment and why this match has become so personal.

NIGEL MCGUINNESS AND WILL OSPREAY

I hadn’t thought about the possibility of Nigel McGuinness and Will Ospreay interacting before All In, but this was really well done. These types of filmed backstage interactions can sometimes feel staged, but this sounded exactly like how these two would speak to each other. I loved how Will put over Nigel’s chances in the Continental Challenge Cup, while Nigel made it clear that Will needs to beat Kenny Omega at Wembley. It also made me wonder if this could be the beginning of a friendship, especially if Will needs friends against the Death Riders down the road.

CONTINENTAL CHALLENGE CUP SEMIFINAL DRAW

The Continental Challenge Cup semifinal draw gave us two interesting matches for Dynamite, but it was the Death Riders’ reaction that stood out to me. Wheeler Yuta complained about Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli having to face each other until Moxley told him to shut up. Claudio responding with “Sucks for who?” was even better. In one short segment, AEW showed the difference between all three personalities without forcing tension that wasn’t there. Kyle O’Reilly facing Nigel McGuinness in Glasgow also gives the other semifinal a natural story after O’Reilly had to beat two of his closest friends to advance.

CONTINUED PRESENTATION OF NICK WAYNE

Nick Wayne went to war with Bandido at Death Before Dishonor and then wrestled again the following night on Collision. That performance could have easily been forgotten in the shuffle, especially in an era when “banger fatigue” is a real thing. Instead, AEW has kept Wayne on television over the last few weeks and continued giving him meaningful moments. That is not easy with the amount of talent on this roster. Wayne getting the victory before Tommaso Ciampa shoved him down after the match also gave AEW another direction to explore with him.

DEPTH  OF THE TRIOS DIVISION

I’m still skeptical about how long AEW can keep this momentum going, and I’m not sure the trios division would be the best way to introduce Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods if they debut. Still, AEW is showing how much depth the division has built. The Dogs, The Demand, and the Bang Bang Gang are all circling the current champions, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. The division suddenly has several credible teams and different directions AEW can take coming out of All In.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

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MISSES

MAYA WORLD’S LACK OF ALL IN DIRECTION

Maya World had a good main event with Willow Nightingale, but she still doesn’t have an opponent for All In. The lack of direction for the TBS Title this close to the show is disappointing. I worry this ends with a random interaction on the go-home Dynamite followed by a match graphic. Maya and AEW’s creative team are capable of giving the title something better than that.

MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS LOSE MOMENTUM

AEW rolled out the red carpet for the Motor City Machine Guns when they debuted in Detroit, but there has been very little meaningful follow-up since then. They appeared in one backstage promo, but three weeks later, they still haven’t wrestled and aren’t advertised for All In. Unless one of them is injured or AEW has something bigger planned after Wembley, it feels like a lack of focus. You only get one opportunity to capitalize on a debut, and some of the excitement surrounding theirs has already started to fade.

FINAL SCORE

• HITS: 5
• MISSES: 2

FINAL THOUGHTS

With All In eight days away, Collision did a good job filling in some of the details before Wembley. The Ospreay-Omega video package was the highlight for me, while the Continental Challenge Cup continues to give the show a purpose.

WRESTLING HISTORY

On this day in 2015 – NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn took place at Barclays Center. Bayley defeated Sasha Banks to win the NXT Women’s Championship in a match that remains one of the most celebrated women’s matches in WWE history.