{"id":161843,"date":"2023-07-09T22:46:27","date_gmt":"2023-07-10T03:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=161843"},"modified":"2023-07-09T22:46:27","modified_gmt":"2023-07-10T03:46:27","slug":"aew-collision-hits-misses-7-8-an-all-around-a-episode-with-punks-promo-joe-vs-punk-ftr-vs-jay-juice-starks-vs-hobbs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2023\/07\/09\/aew-collision-hits-misses-7-8-an-all-around-a-episode-with-punks-promo-joe-vs-punk-ftr-vs-jay-juice-starks-vs-hobbs\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (7\/8): An all-around A+ episode with Punk&#8217;s promo, Joe vs. Punk, FTR vs. Jay &#038; Juice, Starks vs. Hobbs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-1136734528\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><h3>AEW COLLISION &#8211; HITS &amp; MISSES<br \/>\nJULY 8, 2023<br \/>\nREGINA, SASK.<br \/>\nAIRED ON TNT<br \/>\nBY DAVID BRYANT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR<\/h3>\n<p>Heyyy! Welcome back to the only Hits &amp; Misses column written by a super-serious columnist who is forever in his \u201cthird term of college creative writing\u201d (according to a recent fanfic I read.) Speaking of fanfic, did you know there are currently 18,183 works of professional wrestling fanfic on AO3, and over 100 of them are dedicated to Marko Stunt?<\/p>\n<p><strong>COLD OPEN \u2014 HIT (AGAIN)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was Collision\u2019s best cold open yet. I am a mark for these cold opens, and I do not apologize for that! (Hell, I\u2019m a mark for wrestling in general, and I will never apologize for enjoying things.)<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, back to enjoying things&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>I enjoyed that this cold open ended with a cliffhanger. Wrestling thrives off of cliffhangers more than mountain climbers do, and I hope that AEW continues using cliffhangers like they\u2019re writing for Re:Zero.<\/p>\n<p>There were three parts to this cold open, and instead of going through each one individually, I\u2019ll just say that C.M. Punk, Ricky Starks, Powerhouse Hobbs, Samoa Joe, Harley Cameron, and Aaron Solo all did their jobs fantastically. Q.T. Marshall was also involved.<\/p>\n<p><strong>C.M. PUNK\u2019S OPENING PROMO \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>(Fair warning: This is going to be a \u201chit heavy\u201d episode of Collision because it deserves to be.)<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2996551928\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Going into this promo, I was lukewarm on the main event, and coming out of it, I have more third-degree burns on my body than Cody Rhodes. I honestly can\u2019t believe how good C.M. Punk has been upon returning. NGL, I was expecting him to be a drag on this show, and he has been nothing short of a human rocket launcher. I wish C.M. Punk\u2019s entire AEW run had been this entertaining because the last three weeks have felt like he swallowed a time machine and set it to 2013.<\/p>\n<p><strong>VIDEO PACKAGE HYPING THE MAIN EVENT \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My boyfriend (who is very new to wrestling) watched Money in the Bank with me, and one of his biggest takeaways was how astonishingly powerful the video packages were. After seeing the video package for Money in the Bank\u2019s main event, he expressed that he wished AEW would use hype videos more prevalently and more effectually.<\/p>\n<p>Given how much trepidation there has been amongst the IWC about video packages potentially dampening ratings, I would be very interested to see the minute-by-minute numbers for this week\u2019s Collision and compare them to last week\u2019s.<\/p>\n<p>This week\u2019s show departed from AEW\u2019s traditional format and, in my opinion, that departure was a good thing because it allowed for better storytelling. After all, storytelling is the backbone of the entertainment industry and, if it is made a priority, it will pay dividends in the long run.<\/p>\n<p>For a more detailed overview of my opinions regarding AEW\u2019s recent flaws in storytelling, check out my June editorial <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2023\/06\/08\/editorial-tony-khans-booking-mistake-a-byproduct-of-one-of-his-strengths-and-how-to-fix-it\/\">HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE VIDEO RECAP OF THE STARKS vs. HOBBS feud \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Speaking of my boyfriend, just as I was about to fill him in on the history between Starks and Hobbs, a video popped up on the screen and did it for me. (Also, he got to see fetus-Hook, and that filled his heart with joy and questions about mudwrestling.)<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-888552444\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Did you know that PWTorch VIP membership gives you access to an ad-free version of this website (mobile and desktop versions), an unmatched 35 year library of insider wrestling content in newsletter article and podcast formats, dozens of new VIP-exclusive podcasts throughout the month (that are easily compatible with Apple Podcasts App, Apple Car Play, and many other popular podcast apps), and more benefits. Check out details and sign up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorchvipinfo.com\/\">HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>RICKY STARKS vs. POWERHOUSE HOBBS (Q.T. Marshall &amp; Harley Cameron, &amp; Aaron Solo) \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This match went a lot better than Starks vs. Robinson, and the ending surprised me. I assumed Punk would win the main event, and because of that, I assumed Hobbs would win this match to set up a face vs. heel match in the next bracket. Instead, Starks came out on top, and Hobbs came out blaming Q.T. Marshall.<\/p>\n<p>Starks has something special. The crowd never hesitates to get behind him, and I hope his inevitable loss to Punk next week is part of a larger, grander plan for his character. Harley Cameron also has something. I can\u2019t quite put my finger on what it is, but it\u2019s oddly entertaining, and I feel like it needs a selfie stick. Q.T. Marshall has something too, and he should get it looked at.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MAKING THE REFEREE LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT \u2014 MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>MJF may have Attention Deficit Disorder, but AEW\u2019s referees have Attention Abundance Disorder.<\/p>\n<p><strong>HOBBS TURNING ON MARSHALL \u2014 MASSIVE HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Finally! The world makes sense again.<\/p>\n<p>To be clear, I don\u2019t hate Q.T. Marshall because I want him off my T.V. screen. I hate Q.T. Marshall because he is very good at playing a smarmy little bitch, and his face looks like a honey pot for violence. It takes a lot of skill to be as good as he is at parodying a white person, and that skill would be indispensable if he were placed in the right role. However, managing Powerhouse Hobbs is not that role. Q.T. Marshall is better suited for a role in which he is either having someone like Hobbs stomp him into bloodstain made out of white claws and milk or managing a stable made up of Harley Cameron, Kerwin White, and the nanny named Fran.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MIRO PROMO \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Cutting an effective promo while crammed inside a genie\u2019s lamp might seem impossible for most people, but Miro makes it look easy.<\/p>\n<p>(Also, hire Lana.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>ATHENA AND NIGHTINGALE\u2019S BACKSTAGE SEGMENT \u2014 MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The match that resulted from this segment will be a good match, but I was confused by Athena\u2019s reasoning. In the course of four minutes, Athena\u2019s story changed more times than Lady Gaga in concert. At first, Athena was certain Nightingale was faking her injury, and then she was certain Nightingale was so injured she wouldn\u2019t make it to next week.<\/p>\n<p><strong>JULIA HART vs. BAMBI HALL \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I found Bambi Hall entertaining, and I wouldn\u2019t mind seeing her again. I found Julia Hart to be vastly improved now that she\u2019s moved from the cheerleader\u2019s table to the goth kid\u2019s table, and her life is like a Halloween version of Groundhog Day.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MALAKAI BLACK TALKS ABOUT MASKS \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I said in my first Hits &amp; Misses column that I hoped they had a reason for taking Andrade\u2019s mask, and I\u2019m glad to see they did. I enjoyed Malakai\u2019s promo because it was more articulate and story-based rather than his usual platitudes.<\/p>\n<p>Not that I\u2019m totally against platitudes because I can be heavy-handed with them myself. In truth, Black\u2019s promo reminded me of a line from one of my books: \u201cThe closer you get to another man\u2019s mask, the easier it is to see through.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>ANDRADE\u2019S PROMO \u2014 HIT (w\/Caveats)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was a better promo than last week, and I liked what he was getting at. However, I want to tack on one caveat: I wish that he\u2019d gone into more detail because the things he said were interesting, but channel surfers and casual fans might not know all of the specifics. For example, during the promo, he talked about his culture and his country. I found that compelling, but not everyone watching knows the history of masks in Lucha Libre. Maybe that is something he can talk about next week and further humanize himself by using it to flesh out his character?<\/p>\n<p><strong>FTR vs. TEAM \u201cWHITE JUICE\u201d \u2014 MASSIVE HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As good as the main event was, this match was my personal match of the night. From a purely \u201cin-ring\u201d perspective, this was the best match I\u2019ve seen in over a week, and I watched Money in the Bank. (I know this is not a WWE column, but if you haven\u2019t seen this year\u2019s Money in the Bank, you are missing out on a jaw-droppingly spectacular pay-per-view. Also, a pay-per-view is what I\u2019m calling it because that is what it is because I paid for Peacock to view it. A PLE is a gastrointestinal disease.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>SHAWN SPEARS VIDEO PACKAGE \u2014 (Chairshots are types of hits, right?)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t know for a fact that Wade Keller broke his TV during this segment, but I feel like there\u2019s a non-zero chance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FTR\/TEAM \u201cWHITE JUICE\u201d POST-MATCH PROMO \u2014 MINOR HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The promo itself was good, but I\u2019m incredulous that Team \u201cWhite Juice\u201d would request a two out of three falls match when that is more or less FTR\u2019s specialty.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SCORPIO SKY vs. ACTION ANDRETTI \u2014 MINOR HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The match was good, but I\u2019m not sure how to feel about the ending. However, I want them to do more with Scorpio Sky, and this is a good start.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SAMOA JOE vs. C.M. PUNK \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was a very good match, and AEW did a very good job of making it feel monumental on short notice. On Saturday night&#8217;s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/user\/pwtorch\/20230708wkpwp-collision\"> Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-Show<\/a>, there was an interesting discussion about the ending of this match, and I recommend you folks check it out. As for me, I fall more on the side of being okay with the roll-up finish. I personally don\u2019t think it diminished the outcome, and in a way, it actually enhanced the ending of the match for me because it came so suddenly. However, Wade Keller and his various guests made excellent points, and if you have the time, I think it\u2019s worth hearing what they had to say and deciding for yourselves.<\/p>\n<p>Also, for some reason, I was actually fooled into thinking Joe\u2019s offer of a handshake might have been legit (Maybe it was because a handshake earlier in the show threw me off the scent?), and I was so angry at Joe for ruining what could have been a great moment in wrestling. I hope he gets his comeuppance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FINAL THOUGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was an excellent program and Collision\u2019s best episode to date. Regardless of whatever rating comes in on Monday, my advice to the people who put together this particular episode is simple: do nothing. In the film and television industry, there is a saying so popular that a 2nd A.D. once put it on all of our call sheets: \u201cHurry up and wait.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That phrase is not exclusive to the entertainment industry. In fact, it is thought to have originated in the U.S. Military during WWII, and it applies to many situations other than call sheets &#8211; this is one of those \u201cother situations.\u201d So, to anyone who was involved in creating this show, even Q.T. Marshall (who I secretly enjoy, but don\u2019t tell anyone), my advice is to hurry up and do it again and then wait before making any further changes to the formula.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SHOW GRADE:<\/strong> A+<\/p>\n<p>Thank you all for reading. I truly appreciate it. And as always, I\u2019m still working on my sign-off, but until next week, remember, no matter what your friends tell you, there is no \u201cV\u2019 in Regina.<\/p>\n<p><em>(David Bryant studied screenwriting at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and Broadcast and Cinema at UNC-Greensboro. David is a published author as well as a former Mr. NC USofA, Mr. SC United States, Mr. KY EOY, and Mr. National Don\u2019t H8. His Twitter, Instagram, and Threads accounts can be found at @IamDavidBryant.)<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2023\/07\/08\/aew-collision-results-7-8-punk-vs-joe-ftr-vs-juice-jay-white-willow-vs-athena-lee-strickland-vs-darby-cassidy\/\">AEW COLLISION RESULTS (7\/8): Punk vs. Joe, FTR vs. Juice &amp; Jay White, Willow vs. Athena, Lee &amp; Strickland vs. Darby &amp; Cassidy<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>OR CHECK OUT JASON POWELL&#8217;S REVIEW OF COLLSION AT PROWRESTLING.NET:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/prowrestling.net\/site\/2023\/07\/08\/aew-collision-results-7-8-powells-live-review-of-cm-punk-vs-samoa-joe-and-ricky-starks-vs-powerhouse-hobbs-in-owen-hart-cup-tournament-matches-aew-tag-champs-ftr-vs-jay-white-and-juice-robin\/\">AEW Collision results (7\/8): Powell\u2019s live review of Punk vs. Joe, and Starks vs. Hobbs FTR vs. Jay &amp; Juice<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Subscribe to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/show\/wkpwps\">Wade Keller&#8217;s free podcasts<\/a> by searching &#8220;Wade Keller&#8221; in your podcast app. They include a weekly flagship episode (blue-logo show) and the post-shows after Raw, Dynamite, Smackdown, and Rampage (red logo show) with a mix of best-of episodes too!<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/show\/wkpwps<\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-470475063\"><div id=\"pwtor-471894978\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>AEW COLLISION &#8211; HITS &amp; MISSES JULY 8, 2023 REGINA, SASK. AIRED ON TNT BY DAVID BRYANT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR Heyyy! Welcome back to the only Hits &amp; Misses column written by a super-serious columnist who <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2023\/07\/09\/aew-collision-hits-misses-7-8-an-all-around-a-episode-with-punks-promo-joe-vs-punk-ftr-vs-jay-juice-starks-vs-hobbs\/\" title=\"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (7\/8): An all-around A+ episode with Punk&#8217;s promo, Joe vs. Punk, FTR vs. Jay &#038; Juice, Starks vs. Hobbs\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":161713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,28,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-161843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists_hitsandmisses","category-specialists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2023\/07\/Screenshot-2023-07-07-at-2.47.47-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161843"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161843\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":161844,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161843\/revisions\/161844"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}