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AEW COLLISION REPORT
MAY 20, 2026
PORTLAND, MAINE AT CROSS INSURANCE ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON TBS & HBO MAX
REPORT BY JOSHUA WHITE, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Commentators: Tony Schiavone & Nigel McGuinness
Ring Announcer: Arkady Aura
Attendance: WrestleTix reported earlier that 2,846 tickets had been distributed; arena is set up for 3,159. The arena has a capacity of 9,500 spectators when configured for concerts.
“Speedball” Mike Bailey is recovering in the ring after tapping out to Darby Allin. Kevin Knight entered the ring and took a microphone. He said he was proud of Bailey for his performance. Knight put over Darby also, saying that nobody in AEW has heart like Darby. Knight told Darby it’s up to him to humble MJF’s “arrogant ass.” Knight said he knows Darby can beat MJF because Knight beat him. Knight said after they shave him bald, they’re going to send him back to Turkey. Knight told Darby not to let “The Jet” or the people down because they’re counting on him. Knight helped Darby to his feet before heading up the ramp with Bailey.
MJF angrily left the commentary desk and walked through the crowd. As Darby grabbed the microphone, MJF snuck back into the ring and attacked Darby from behind and pummeled him on the mat. Schiavone agreed with Taz that it was smart to wait for Knight and Bailey to leave before attacking MJF from behind. MJF found a pair of chair clippers under the ring and approached Darby in the ring. MJF attempted to shave Darby’s head, but Darby caught him and flipped him to the mat. The crowd cheered as Darby went after MJF’s hair. MJF panicked but managed to roll out of the ring and escape up the ramp.
(White’s Take: Kevin Knight was okay in his promo, but he was so supportive of Darby that it seemed like he was about to turn heel on him and Speedball. The MJF attack was fine, and teasing his head-shaving got a good reaction from the crowd.)
(1) WILL OSPREAY vs. KATSUYORI SHIBATA
The Death Riders stood around Will Ospreay, pumping him up before his music played and he made his way out. Renee was ringside, noting that Ospreay’s new armbar finish is officially known as “Death Ground.” Renee added that Ospreay’s opponent, Shibata, has never been submitted. Shibata’s music played and he made his way to the ring alone. The bell rang to start the match 14 minutes into the hour.
Shibata went for an armbar, but Ospreay blocked it and went for his own. They struggled and eventually rolled into the ropes to break it up. Ospreay took Shibata down by the foot and wrenched his ankle. Ospreay attempted to set Shibata up into a bow and arrow, but Shibata slipped free.
They fought to the apron where Shibata hit a suplex on the apron, held on, and rolled to the floor to deliver a second suplex. Shibata set Ospreay in a chair and feigned a running dropkick before delivering a straight kick that knocked Ospreay out of the chair to the floor. Shibata rolled Ospreay into the ring and followed with a chop and punches in the corner.
Ospreay fired back with a running boot and strikes of his own before Shibata returned fire with another running kick. Shibata charged Ospreay in the corner, but Ospreay exploded out and caught Shibata with a kick. Shibata rolled to the outside and Ospreay took him down with a plancha to the outside as they went to commercial. [c]
Back from break, Ospreay came back with a flipping kick on Shibata, who had control during the commercial. Ospreay hit a knee and kick to the midsection and charged Shiabta in the corner. Shibata backdropped Ospreay onto the apron, but he came back in with a springboard flying forearm. Ospreay went for the pin, but Shibata kicked out at two.
Ospreay hit a pair of arm breakers and then short kicks to the face with a chop. Ospreay set up for a powerbomb, but Shibata flipped out and caught Ospreay with a standing guillotine. Ospreay back into the corner to break the hold, but Shibata hit a running dropkick on the corner. Shibata executed a overhook/underhook suplex and floated into the pin for a two count.
Shibata kicked at Ospreay on the mat, but he fired up and took Shibata down with a snapmare and a kick. Shibata got to his feet, but Ospreay landed a sudden elbow strike and hit a falcon arrow into a pin for a two-count. Ospreay climbed to the top rope and hit Shibata with a flying clothesline to the back of the head. Ospreay set up for the Hidden Blade in the corner, but Anthony Bowens appeared at ringside to distract him. Shibata hit a Hidden Blade of his own on Ospreay out of nowhere. Shibata went for the pin, but Ospreay kicked out at two.
Marina Shafir jumped over the barricade and got in Bowens’ face. Bowens backed down. Ospreay went for an Oscutter, but Shibata caught him and delivered a low blow while the ref admonished Marina and Bowens at ringside. Shibata went for an armbar, but Ospreay rolled through and lifted Shibata up into a Style Clash. Ospreay followed up with a running Hidden Blade. Ospreay made the cover and got the win.
WINNER: Will Osprey in 11:00
(White’s Take: A good showing from Ospreay, further highlighting his newer style, as rebuilt by Mox and the Mechanics. A little extra star power for Collision, which shows that they actually consider it the third hour of Dynamite.)
After the match, Samoa Joe’s music played and he marched out to the stage with a microphone. Joe said he was out here to see to his friend’s protection. But Ospreay made a decision not to be his friend, and he will suffer the consequences. Joe said he’s going to give Ospreay his dream match at Double or Nothing and promised to put him to sleep.
Ospreay fired back on the microphone, saying the match was a dream come true, not a nightmare like Joe portrays it. Ospreay says a real nightmare is him waking up in the morning and not being able to compete at the level he used to. He told Joe he basically died in the ring, so people chanting “Joe’s gonna kill you” means nothing to him. Ospreay said he fell short last year, but this year, the stakes are high. This year he’s going to Wembley with the company and his whole country on his back. He said his nightmare died at the hands of the Death Riders, that they killed him and rebuilt him into a killer, an assassin. He said Sunday he starts his true dream, to win the world championship.
(White’s Take: Ospreay’s promo was a bit scattered and winding, but it landed about where it should have, further emphasizing his storyline with the Death Riders while building to the match with Joe on Sunday.)
-Copeland and Cage were in a stairwell, where Copeland reminisced about their history as a tag team, saying their friendship is real for more than 30 years. He said that FTR wants to kill their connection on Sunday. He said he wants and needs the best version of FTR to show up, because they want to beat the best and make them say “I quit.” Christian said FTR have made questionable choices. He said that when you’re born, you look like your family, but when you die, you look like your choices. He signed off saying they will “Eff, you up.”
(2) RUSH vs. TJ CRAWFORD
Rush’s music played and he made his entrance while TJ Crawford was waiting in the ring, presumably for the bull, or the horns, or whatever. The bell rang to start the match 34 minutes into the hour.
TJ offered a handshake, which Rush accepted, but then pulled him into a stiff forearm. Rush landed a series of loud chops in the corner. Rush stomped TJ into the corner before backing up and delivering the running dropkick known as the Bull’s Horns. Rush made the cover and got the quick win.
WINNER: Rush in 1:00
After the match, Rush wanted to remind everyone that when you mess with the bull, you get the horn. Singular, apparently. [c]
(3) THE DIVINE DOMINION (Megan Bayne & Lena Kross) vs. KAYLA LOPEZ & ELLE VALENTINE – Five-Minute Challenge
The Divine Dominion’s music played bringing out Kross and Bayne. They approached Renee at ringside while Renee highlighted their recent dominance. Kayla Lopexz and Elle Valentine were waiting in the ring. The bell rang to start the match 41 minutes into the hour.
Bayne rammed Valentine into the corner and delivered a flurry of shoulder thrusts. Valentine dodged Bayne in the corner and delivered a chop to the back. Bayne wasn’t impressed and rammed her repeatedly into the corner. Bayne hit a series of clotheslines in the corner and tagged in Kross.
Kross hit a running clothesline in the corner and a series of back elbows. Kross lifted Valentine up and delivered a spinning side slam. Valneetine made the tag to Lopez. Lopez charged into a big kick from Kross. Bayne tagged in and they delivered back-to-back pump kicks in the corner. Bayne executed a release German suplex on Lopez.
Kross tagged in and Divine Dominion delivered a pair of stalling vertical suplexes, tossing Valentine on top of Lopez. Bayne and Kross hit their double team chokeslam on Lopez. Kross made the cover and got the win.
WINNERS: The Divine Dominion in 3:00
-They noted an article about Darby Allin on ESPN before throwing to a video package on the feud between Darby and MJF.
-They ran down some matches coming up at Double or Nothing before cutting to a commercial. [c]
(4) FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler w/Stokely) vs. THE CONGLOMERATION (Orange Cassidy & Roderick Strong) – AEW Tag Team Championship match
The Conglomeration’s nineties sitcom theme played to bring out Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong. FTR’s music played as Dax, Cash, and Stokely made their way to the ring. Schiavone said they’ll stay with the match however long it takes. The bell rang to start the match 53 minutes into the hour.
FTR immediately blindsided Orange Cassidy. They went for a quick spike piledriver, but Strong broke it up. Cassidy caught a quick roll-up on Cash for a two count. Dax, Cash, and Stokely seemed to be headed to the back, but Strong chased them up the aisle and delivered kicks and chops. Cassidy fell from the top rope onto Dax and Cash at ringside.
Back in the ring, Strong chopped Dax into the corner and then delivered a big back body drop. Strong lifted Dax onto his shoulders and tagged Cassidy in. Strong hit a double knee gutbuster and Cassidy set up for the Orange Punch, but Cash dragged Dax under the rope to safety at ringside as they went to commercial. [c]
They returned from commercial as Strong fought out of a headlock. Dax and Strong traded chops until Dax went for a sleeper that Strong countered into a backbreaker. Strong went for the tag, but Cash knocked Cassidy off of the apron. Cash and Strong took each other down with simultaneous clotheslines.
Cassidy got the tag and dodged both Dax and Cash in the corner and came in with a crossbody onto Dax. Strong rescued Cassidy from a double suplex attempt. Cassidy got a two-count on a sunset flip on Dax. Cassidy hit a suicide dive onto Dax at ringside and rolled Dax back into the ring.
Cash made a blind tag as Dax hit a spinebuster. Cash made the cover, but Cassidy kicked out at two. Cash hit a combination of jabs followed by a big chop on Cassidy. Cash locked in a cobra clutch on Cassidy, but Cassidy got to his feet and escaped. Dax tagged in and delivered a scoop slam. Cassidy dodged a pair of elbow drops from Dax and kicked his way out of a sharpshooter attempt.
Dax knocked Strong off of the apron and stuck Cassidy with a piledriver. Dax made the cover, but Cassidy kicked out at two. Despite being well past the hour, they went to another commercial. [c]
Back from the final break, Strong got the hot tag, but the ref didn’t see it. FTR double teamed Cassidy in their corner. Cassidy got a boot up on Dax and dodged Cash in the corner. Cassidy leapfrogged Dax and made the hot tag to Strong. Strong hit running kicks, flying knees and an Olympic slam on Dax. Strong lifted Cassidy up and rammed him into Dax in the corner before lawn-darting Cassidy into a flying DDT on Cash. Cassidy went for the pin, but Cash kicked out at two.
Dax rammed Strong headfirst into the ringpost. Cassidy dodged an attempted Shatter Machine and went for the pin on Cash, but he kicked out at two. Dax and Cash mocked Cassidy with slow kicks. They set up for a double suplex, but Strong broke it up. Dax hit a combination of punches on Cassidy. Stokely tried to run interference, but Cassidy stepped out of the way and Dax charged into Stokely, knocking him off the apron.
Cassidy hit Dax with the stundog millionaire. Cassidy set up for the Orange Punch, but Cash slid into the ring and they hit the Shatter Machine on Cassidy. Dax made the cover, but Strong broke up the pin at the last second. Strong clotheslined Cash over the top rope and tumbled with him to the floor.
Cassidy got to his knees and put his hands in his pockets. Dax hit a combination of punches, but Cassidy caught him with a backslide for a two count. Dax shoved Cassidy into the ropes where Stokely blasted him with the stolen wristwatch. Cassidy fell back into a pin from Dax for the three-count.
WINNERS: FTR in 20:00
(White’s Take: Why are FTR going twenty minutes in a match that they’re so obviously going to win? They’ve been building to a PPV match with Copeland and Cage for like six months and I’m supposed to believe FTR are going to lose the titles to two-thirds of the trios champs? And why, on a three-hour show, if you have a twenty-minute main event, are you starting it with seven minutes left in the show? These gripes aside, the action was great because these are four great workers. Such a Collision match, and I mean that as a pejorative despite the quality of the in-ring action.)
-They quickly ran down some of the matches for Double or Nothing as they went off of the air.
FINAL THOUGHTS: One-hour Collisions usually fly by, but it seemed like everything outside of the Ospreay match and follow-up promo was a colossal waste of time. The main event was obviously a very good, back-and-forth match. But sometimes a simple ten-minute match is all that’s needed. And I’m all for squash matches, but back-to-back squashes with nothing much on the other side made the show drag. You would expect Copeland and Cage to show up at the end as a button going into the PPV, but we didn’t even get that, just a run-of-the-mill promo earlier in the night. In fact, for the go home show, the only segment that did anything for Double or Nothing was the Ospreay stuff at the beginning of the show.
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