AEW COLLISION HITS & MISSES (9/19): Darby retains TNT Title against Myron, Andrade vs. Pac set for All Out, Thekla returns to the ring, Moxley in the main event

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.

HIT – DARBY ALLIN VS. MYRON REED

This was fantastic. Even with limited television time and a roster full of established talent ahead of him, Myron Reed keeps giving you reasons to believe he could become a singles star in AEW. The way Reed has reinvented the cutter is out of this world, and he made the most of every opportunity he was given here.

Darby taking the time afterward to put Reed over was also a nice touch. AEW has struggled at times to let a moment breathe when the situation calls for it, but they got it right here. Reed was allowed to come out of a loss feeling more important than he did going into the match.

HIT – PAUL WIGHT ON COMMENTARY

Paul Wight continues to improve on commentary. More than anything, he sounds like he’s having a good time. When he sees something amazing, his reaction comes with natural emotion and genuine enthusiasm. It doesn’t sound phony or overly rehearsed. That authenticity adds something to the broadcast, especially when the action gives him a reason to react.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

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HIT – THEKLA BACK IN THE RING

This was Thekla’s first match in AEW since losing the Women’s World Title to Willow Nightingale at Redemption, and it was good to have her back wrestling on television. Thekla may have given Zayda Steel a little too much offense, but Steel looked very good and made the most of the opportunity.

Having seen Thekla in person, she isn’t one of the biggest wrestlers on the roster, but you would never know that from watching her on television. Her movements, facial expressions, and charisma allow her to project like a star.

Having Willow on commentary also gave the match a purpose beyond simply getting Thekla another victory. It provided a final piece of television build before their match at All Out, with the winner earning a shot at Mercedes Moné and the AEW Women’s World Title at WrestleDream.

MISS – DEATH RIDERS OVERLOAD

I understand what this episode was designed to accomplish. Pac defeated Adam Priest before joining the Death Riders to attack Andrade and set up their National Title match at All Out. Wheeler Yuta’s post-match attack on “Speedball” Mike Bailey led to the brawl that built toward next Saturday’s Tailgate Brawl, while Jon Moxley was positioned in the main event.

Individually, those decisions made sense. Collectively, featuring four members of the Death Riders throughout the same episode felt like overkill. Giving Pac, Garcia, Yuta, and Moxley separate matches gave the group too much of the show’s oxygen. Maybe I’m simply suffering from Death Riders fatigue at this point, but Collision has enough depth that the episode didn’t need to keep returning to the same faction.

FINAL SCORE

• HITS: 3
• MISSES: 1

FINAL THOUGHTS

Although a one-hour edition of Collision will air Wednesday, this was effectively the show’s main go-home episode ahead of All Out next Saturday. The opener was awesome, and I enjoyed the post-match moment that allowed Darby Allin and Steven Borden to cut a promo. Beyond that, however, there was plenty of room for improvement.

Readers may say, “Brian, you’re always asking for more promos and angles throughout the show, and that’s what we got.” That’s fair. I don’t know if those segments hit the way they were intended to.

Watching “Speedball” Mike Bailey and Wheeler Yuta wrestle also left me wondering whether that television time could have been used more effectively. Would a tag team match involving Kyle Fletcher & Kevin Knight or giving the Motor City Machine Guns something meaningful to do have done more for the All Out build? Personally, I think so.

WRESTLING HISTORY – SEPTEMBER 19

On this day in 2008, Ring of Honor taped Driven 2008 at Case Gym on the campus of Boston University in Boston, Mass. In the main event, Kevin Steen and El Generico defeated The Age of the Fall’s Tyler Black and Jimmy Jacobs to win the ROH World Tag Team Titles.