SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
To help you 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, starting with the most significant moments.
HITS
HAZUKI’S MOMENTUM CONTINUES TO BUILD
Last week, Hazuki made the most of her opportunity, and this week, she built on it. One of the easiest traps wrestling promotions can fall into when bringing in outside talent is presenting them as attractions rather than meaningful competitors, but AEW avoided that here. Hazuki didn’t feel like a visitor passing through the Owen Hart Tournament; she felt like someone capable of making a deep run.
What stood out most was her confidence. She wrestled as if she expected to be there, and that confidence naturally translated to the audience. The biggest accomplishment wasn’t simply advancing in the tournament—it was making viewers care about what comes next.
By the time Mercedes Moné entered the ring for the post-match, the confrontation felt meaningful. A week ago, Hazuki was making her introduction to many AEW viewers. Two weeks into the tournament, she’s already standing across from one of the company’s biggest stars and looking like she belongs in the conversation. The ensuing brawl was exactly what it needed to be. It created tension, added heat to the matchup, and gave viewers a reason to be invested in their upcoming showdown on Dynamite in Houston. That’s momentum.
THE WOMEN’S DIVISION CARRIED THE SHOW
The AEW Women’s Division has often been criticized for inconsistent focus, and Collision felt like a direct response to that criticism. The Women’s Tag Team Championship match received meaningful attention, Hazuki and Persephone closed the show in an Owen Hart Tournament match, and Mercedes Moné’s involvement helped establish the next phase of the tournament. More importantly, none of it felt token. The women weren’t featured because AEW needed to check a box; they were featured because multiple stories were moving forward simultaneously.
SHANE TAYLOR MADE THE MOST OF HIS TV TIME
Taylor’s quick win over Alan Angels was decisive, and his post-match promo immediately established why viewers should care about his upcoming Summer Blockbuster showdown with Jon Moxley.
That’s effective wrestling television. The match wasn’t meant to be competitive; it was meant to build momentum and credibility heading into a bigger opportunity. Both objectives were accomplished without wasting time or overcomplicating the story. Sometimes the best use of television time is simply giving viewers a reason to care about what’s next.
TOMMASO CIAMPA CONTINUES TO ENTERTAIN
At this point, the match was almost secondary. What continues to work is Tommaso Ciampa’s presentation. His quick destruction of BEEF accomplished exactly what it needed to accomplish, reinforcing his momentum and keeping his ongoing issues with Chris Jericho moving forward.
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
CLARK CONNORS VS. JUICE ROBINSON OVERSTAYED ITS WELCOME
Not every match needs to be an epic. Clark Connors defeating Juice Robinson was perfectly acceptable for what it was intended to accomplish—Connors got the win, further established himself, and the expected finish involving the shillelagh gave the match a clear direction.
The problem was the length. At roughly thirteen minutes, the match felt like it was asking viewers to invest in a level of drama that the outcome never really supported. There was very little mystery surrounding who was winning or how the match would likely end. Sometimes less is more. This felt like a match that could have achieved the exact same goal in six or seven minutes, leaving viewers with the same takeaway. It wasn’t a bad match, just one that would have benefited from a tighter edit.
THE CARD NEEDED MORE FLAIR
This criticism exists apart from the show’s quality. I thought Collision was a solid two hours of wrestling television, but the problem is that the card never quite felt like a must-see event. That became especially noticeable when Jon Moxley and the Death Riders appeared; the crowd immediately came alive in a way that felt different from much of the rest of the evening. It was a reminder of how much star power can change the energy inside a building.
That’s not a criticism of Hazuki, Persephone, Shane Taylor, or anyone else featured on the show—it’s a criticism of the overall presentation. For a show built around advancing the Owen Hart Tournament and setting the stage for Summer Blockbuster, the lineup could have used one more marquee attraction, one more major match, or one more segment that made the episode feel special before the opening bell even rang. The wrestling was largely delivered, but the card itself just needed a little more flair.
FINAL SCORE
- HITS: 4
- MISSES: 2
FINAL THOUGHTS
Hazuki continued building momentum, Persephone continued gaining valuable experience in a featured role, and AEW dedicated significant television time to advancing multiple women’s stories at once. That’s not something that always happened in previous versions of AEW television, which is why it’s worth highlighting when it does. The card itself may have lacked a marquee attraction, but AEW compensated by making nearly every featured story feel more important at the end of the night than it did at the beginning.
WRESTLING HISTORY
On this day in 2008, The Age of the Fall’s Jimmy Jacobs & Tyler Black (later known as Seth Rollins) defeated Kevin Steen & El Generico in the finals of a one-night tournament at ROH Up For Grabs to become ROH World Tag Team Champions.
PODCAST PLUG
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