{"id":165976,"date":"2023-09-19T11:48:27","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T16:48:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=165976"},"modified":"2023-09-19T11:48:27","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T16:48:27","slug":"aew-collision-hits-misses-9-16-keith-lee-production-flub-toni-storm-and-r-j-city-orange-hook-as-a-team-statlanders-promo-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2023\/09\/19\/aew-collision-hits-misses-9-16-keith-lee-production-flub-toni-storm-and-r-j-city-orange-hook-as-a-team-statlanders-promo-more\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (9\/16): Keith Lee production flub, Toni Storm and R.J. City, Orange &#038; Hook as a team, Statlander&#8217;s promo, more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-2305802115\" 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 \/>\nSEPT 16, 2023<br \/>\nSTATE COLLEGE, PA.<br \/>\nAIRED LIVE ON TNT<br \/>\nBY DAVID BRYANT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR<\/h3>\n<p>&#8211; Hey! Welcome back! (Unless you\u2019re new, and if you are, I apologize for accidentally making this awkward, but I do it on purpose.) I hope you had a great week last week, and thank you for spending a small part of this week with me. If you\u2019re spending a large part of this week with me, I\u2019m sorry to hear about your screen.<\/p>\n<p><strong>COLD OPEN \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This week\u2019s cold open consisted of another solid round of promos hyping tonight\u2019s in-ring action.<\/p>\n<p>As for the contents of each individual promo, here are some highlights:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; In the first segment, Claudio referenced Elton John, and Bryan Danielson promised to fist Ricky Starks\u2019s mouth-hole.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; In the second segment, Big Bill cut a stellar promo, which is noteworthy because he has sometimes struggled with promos, and it sounds like he is putting in the effort to improve himself.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Also, in the second segment, Ricky Starks told Danielson there was no place on this show for glory hogs, and at first, I misheard him.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; In the third segment, Statlander used fighting words, and this time, it did not sound like the words were fighting her. This is the third week in which Statlander has improved on the microphone. I am not saying she\u2019s \u201cthere yet,\u201d but if this were a trip around the world, I would definitely say she has made it to the end of her driveway.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2794632648\" 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>In all seriousness, public speaking is an intimidating thing to learn in real time. For many people, it is scary, and for some, it is literally a phobia. Having done my fair share of public speaking, I appreciate the people who are willing to go out in front of a live audience every week and publicly make the mistakes that are necessary for them to improve (as long as they try to learn from those mistakes).<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; In the fourth segment, Brit Baker rocked some awesome eye-shadow, a wardrobe themed to her school\u2019s colors, and my boyfriend literally blurted out, \u201cHer hair looks gorgeous!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; In the fifth segment, John Silver, my favorite version of Popeye, informed Anthony Bowens, my favorite version of Stifler, that he should have spent more time reading the contract he signed for an upcoming match with Evil Uno because they had worked together to trick Bowens, and the contract he actually signed was to wrestle John Silver instead. (Is that supposed to be worse?)<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Also, in the fifth segment, I noticed a stenciled Latitude 45 logo in the background, which is a popular catering company used by Live Nation, &#8220;Cirque Du Soliel,&#8221; and several music festivals. It\u2019s not as popular as Dega Catering, which I think WWE uses. (Don\u2019t quote me on that.) However, WWE has also worked with Latitude 45, and you know what? I\u2019m just now realizing that none of you care about any of this; some of you have already skipped over this entire section, and this section has nothing to do with the show or even AEW as a whole. I don\u2019t know why I am still typing. I will stop now.<\/p>\n<p>Actually, I will stop soon because I just want to mention that it\u2019s kind of neat that Latitude 45 worked with the &#8220;Lilith Fair&#8221; tour back in the day. Alright, so that puts a pin in that.<\/p>\n<p>Oh, and they worked with the Special Olympics. Okay, I\u2019m finished for real this time.<\/p>\n<p>They also do corporate gatherings.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; In the sixth segment, Anthony Bowens threatened to \u201cbeat that ass,\u201d and I thought that was a cool call back to Danielson\u2019s segment.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-4058602251\" 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<p><strong>THE BLUE COLOR OF THE EMPTY SEATS \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Meanie-blue is my favorite color, and these seats showcased a lot of it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>BRYAN DANIELSON &amp; CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI VS. BIG BILL &amp; RICK STARKS \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was a very good TV match. Big Bill looked strong (and like he doesn\u2019t wash his shoes), Starks came off like a flagitious villain, and Kevin Kelly sounded like what I imagine a community theater production of &#8220;Bad Cinderella&#8221; would sound like if it were campier. Also, Kevin Kelly really, really wants you to buy Grand Slam tickets.<\/p>\n<p><strong>HAVING RICKY STARKS WIN VIA A LOWBLOW \u2014 MINOR-MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m giving this a \u201cminor miss\u201d because I can see someone making a legitimate case for why this ending was okay, but I personally did not like it. AEW has fallen into the habit of always giving their top stars grounds for losing, but that is a shortsighted thing to do. If you always give your top stars grounds for losing, your new stars will never gain ground.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SWERVE STRICKLAND &amp; BRIAN CAGE CUT A PROMO \u2014 MINOR-MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To be clear, this is not a \u201cminor-miss\u201d because of anything Swerve Strickland or Brian Cage did wrong. I can\u2019t really judge this promo in good faith because just as Strickland started talking, someone from either the production truck or TNT started playing loud music and\/or crowd noise over the top of him, and the noise continued until the very end of his promo.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE YOUNG BUCKS &amp; ADAM PAGE CUT A PROMO \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I liked this promo. &#8220;Hangman&#8221; Page\u2019s part of the promo was especially strong, and it was nice to hear the Young Bucks talk, even though I wish they would do it more often. I personally still enjoy the Brandon Cutler\/cameraman gag at the end of The Young Buck\u2019s promos, but I understand why others might not. It is a \u201cguilty pleasure\u201d type of enjoyment for me, but I\u2019m a sucker for Matt Jackson\u2019s comedic timing.<\/p>\n<p>That said, I am not a huge fan of Cutler\u2019s shtick when he is actually competing in a wrestling ring because wrestling isn\u2019t taught in clown college, and characters should act in a way that is consistent with their lived history.<\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;HANGMAN&#8221; PAGE MODELS A WILLIE NELSON T-SHIRT \u2014 MEGA-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I think this one is self-explanatory.<\/p>\n<p>(Also, if you haven\u2019t, check out Willie Nelson\u2019s newest album \u201cBluegrass\u201d in which he re-imagines twelve of his songs. It dropped this past Friday, and I have a feeling it is on Hangman&#8217;s phone.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>POWERHOUSE HOBBS\u2019S PROMO \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not entirely sure if Hobbs is trying to portray the world\u2019s scariest Mormon or the world\u2019s loudest librarian, but whatever he is trying to do, I like it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MIRO\u2019S PROMO \u2014 MEGA-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Live from behind the grate of a milkhouse heater, manscaping denialist and brick sh&#8211;house model Miro cut a promo on his hot, flexible wife, and I can\u2019t wait to hear the exact reasons why he thinks marrying a temptation mascot who is willing to copulate with him is detrimental to anything other than sadness.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE IRON SAVAGES YELL A PROMO AT ME \u2014 MINOR-MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>At a volume reserved for contacting aliens, Jacked Jameson scared my cat.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FTR VS. THE IRON SAVAGES \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Despite this match only lasting three minutes, FTR was still able to make the whole thing entertaining because they are two of the most talented artists in the industry.<\/p>\n<p>Side note: While I sincerely appreciate FTR\u2019s support for the LGBTQ+ community, watching Cash Wheeler blow cunnilingus raspberries in the general direction of Boulder\u2019s butthole whilst pinning him makes me want to bash myself a little.<\/p>\n<p><strong>GUEST APPEARANCE BY AEW\u2019S 2ND AC \u2014 MEGA-MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Right before they began broadcasting Keith Lee\u2019s promo, AEW accidentally broadcast the person I assume is their 2nd AC. (They\u2019re usually the ones in charge of the clapper in most productions.) While almost entirely onscreen, this person clapped their hands in place of a clapperboard, and the cameraman pulled the zoom and framed Kieth Lee and Lexi Nair in a loose cowboy shot.<\/p>\n<p>Originally, I had shrugged my shoulders and recorded a quick quip for this column. (A good portion of my not-so-good jokes comes from simply talking into a voice recorder while watching the show in real-time.) Like most of my jokes, the joke I had planned wasn\u2019t really all that good in the first place. It was a half-hearted riff with a barely-there punchline about needing to buy a billionaire a clapperboard. Luckily for me and my thousandaire budget, I did not have to worry about Tony Khan\u2019s lack of clapperboards because, somehow, against all evens and odds, the production crew managed to &#8220;screw up a second time&#8221; and revisit the 2nd AC while they were modeling an acrylic clapperboard right before a Ricky Starks\u2019 promo.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE INTERRUPTING OF KEITH LEE\u2019S PROMO \u2014 MINOR-MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Maybe I\u2019m just annoyed by the flub mentioned in the previous paragraph, but it is frustrating to watch even Kieth Lee, one of the best talkers in the business, get interrupted before getting so much as a word out. I wish they would at least pretend there was going to be an interview before obviously scheduled interruptions. By this point, instead of looking shocked when she is interrupted, Lexi Nair should look shocked if she gets through the word &#8220;hello.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>KEITH LEE &amp; LEE MORIARTY &amp; SHANE TAYLOR SEGMENT \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Now that we\u2019ve gotten to the meat of this segment (no chant intended), everyone involved with this skit shined! There was A LOT that I enjoyed about this interaction, so let me break down just some of the things I liked:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Thing I liked number 1: Nair is really good at looking \u201cdignified\u201d rather than \u201cfrightened\u201d when a rude wrestler \u201cshocks\u201d her with an interruption. The line between looking dignified and looking like you\u2019re no-selling a wrestler\u2019s intimidating presence can be a tough needle to thread, but Nair threads it well.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Thing I liked number 2: Shane Taylor\u2019s hubris during this segment was thick and heavy, and I don\u2019t mean physically. When I was evaluating Taylor\u2019s Sept 2 2023 promo, I gave it a \u201cHit,\u201d but I also wrote, \u201cThese were good promos, especially Joe\u2019s portion, but I cannot find a way to get into this match.\u201d (If you would like, you can read more of that column <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2023\/09\/06\/aew-collision-hits-misses-9-2-moxleys-promo-class-grade-promo-ricky-steamboat-ricky-starks-orange-cassidy-speaks-more-dark-order-the-acclaimed-nick-wayne-more\/\">HERE<\/a>. However, I was able to \u201cget into\u201d this promo easily. I\u2019m not absolutely sure what the difference was, but Taylor definitely came off like one of those know-it-all jerks you encounter on the playground who always thinks he\u2019s right.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Thing I liked number 3: This new storyline looks like it could lead to a push for Lee Moriarty, and Moriarty is a very talented wrestler who is in need of a backstory that lives up to his abilities.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Thing I liked number 4: Keith Lee\u2019s sarcastic, well-placed use of the word \u201csalutations.\u201d I\u2019ve never thought of that as a hurtful word before, but I felt that through my TV screen.<\/p>\n<p>I hope they don\u2019t drop the ball and let this segment disappear into the Skye Blue. I\u2019m crossing both of my fingers that this whole thing doesn\u2019t vanish like a throwaway Snapchat story, and I\u2019m not sure what it says about AEW\u2019s long-term planning that this is my first reaction to a segment I liked.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MAX CASTER RAPS ABOUT \u201cBEATING MEAT\u201d \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Max Caster knows what he\u2019s doing, and it\u2019s mean.<\/p>\n<p><strong>ANTHONY BOWENS VS. JOHN \u201cTHE SAILOR MAN\u201d SILVER \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Billy Gunn, the first member of the human race to solve time, and Max Caster, the first member of the human race to solve pores, accompanied Anthony Bowens to the ring so that he could \u201cbeat meat\u201d while they watched.<\/p>\n<p>Silver opened this segment by pulling a two-paragraph contract of his pants and saying there were even more details hidden within its intricacy. You see, it turns out that Billy \u201cThe Ryan Phillippe of Aging\u201d Gunn and Max \u201cThe Matt Rife of Rap\u201d Caster are banned from ringside, which decreases Bowen\u2019s chance of winning to 100 percent.<\/p>\n<p>Also, I was wrong about Anthony Bowen\u2019s chances of winning.<\/p>\n<p><strong>STARTING THE MATCH DURING A BEATDOWN OF BOWENS \u2014 MEGA-MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is one of my biggest pet peeves, and I have enough pets.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE ENDING OF ANTHONY BOWENS VS. JOHN \u201cTHE SAILOR MAN\u201d SILVER \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The ending surprised me and furthered Dark Order\u2019s storyline by having Uno help Silver cheat when he threw Bowens into the square ringposts, which is a design element that makes only marginally more sense than rebar ring ropes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>EDDIE KINGSTON CUTS AN INTENSE PROMO \u2014 MEGA-HIT (WITH A CAVEAT)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The caveat: I am not a fan of the \u201cwouldn\u2019t do business\u201d line in this promo.<\/p>\n<p>The promo: I liked everything else. I understand this kind of promo isn\u2019t for everyone, but, in my opinion, the intensity of Kingston\u2019s recent promos are both harrowing and endearing. NGL, it\u2019s hard for me to explain why I do. However, I think a lot of what Kingston says feels so authentic and soul-bearing that its emotive nature is enough to overcome its acidity.<\/p>\n<p>Castagnoli\u2019s behavior toward Kingston reminds me of the bullies who made my life hell in school and who are probably the reason I\u2019m still lifting weights despite my orthopedist asking me not to after a fairly recent elbow injury. Kingston says the things I wish I could have said back then but never dared to because I\u2019m not that kind of person. Eddie Kingston is that kind of person, and watching him lash out like this allows me to live vicariously through him.<\/p>\n<p>Eddie Kingston vs. Claudio Castagnoli is the Grand Slam match I\u2019m looking forward to the most, and I hope Eddie Kingston wins this one. This isn\u2019t the \u201cbig one\u201d I personally wanted to see Kingston win because, if I were writing this story, his first big win would be for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship. However, I think this is the \u201cbig one\u201d he needs to win. I worry that if Kingston loses again after all this time, it will tarnish his character irreparably. You can only believe in someone so many times before you start to notice that the word &#8220;lie&#8221; hides inside the word belief.<\/p>\n<p><strong>ORANGE CASSIDY AND HOOK JOIN FORCES \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I understand the appeal of teaming these guys up, but after Orange Cassidy\u2019s magical moment at the end of All Out, I was hoping AEW would strive to bottle that lightning with a feud that is higher up the card than what I imagine they have planned for Hook (even though they should have huge things planned for Hook.) Now, if these two competitors were to face MJF &amp; Adam Cole and AEW made it believable that Hook &amp; Cassidy might win, that could be an exciting turn of events.<\/p>\n<p>Also, it is interesting how, between Jack Perry, Darby Allin, Isiah Cassidy, Orange Cassidy, and Ricky Starks, the powers that be sure seem to enjoy having Hook team with other attractive people, not that I\u2019m complaining.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AUSSIE OPEN COMPETES IN A SQUASH MATCH \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This wasn\u2019t bad. It wasn\u2019t great. It was simply what it was, and I am glad to see they are taking Aussie Open seriously. (Maybe.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>KYLE FLETCHER CUTS A PROMO \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Perhaps I have just not been paying attention, but I had no idea Fletcher could talk like that. I\u2019m not thrilled with Aussie Open suddenly getting an AEW Tag Team Title shot after losing their match at All In and losing a battle royal, but if The Workhorsemen are getting a shot&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong>R.J. CITY AND TONI STORM ROCK! \u2014 MEGA-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I adored all of this. I loved Storms\u2019 complaints about harsh lighting and the lampshade being tawdry, and I enjoyed watching her casually brush something off R.J. City\u2019s shoulders for him. I also loved the random shoe sitting next to Storm during the closing title card. This whole segment felt like what I imagine would happen if gay Twitter came to life.<\/p>\n<p>Heck, even straight Twitter taking notice. During this segment, Greg Parks (PWTorch columnist and the host of PWTorch\u2019s Podcast \u201cWrestling Night in America\u201d) tweeted: \u201cI\u2019ve always liked Toni Storm, but it did feel like she was missing something. I think she found it with this character.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As for R.J. City, I love his character, too. I wish they would feature him on TV more often. R.J. City is a perfect fit to interview Toni Storm, and his adorable presence could ease Storm into being a face again (because she should totally be a face with this gimmick).<\/p>\n<p>Also, I would love to watch this skit as a sitcom. This should be the new &#8220;Will &amp; Grace.&#8221; They should call it \u201cR, J, and T,\u201d but in this case, the \u201cR\u201d should stand for R.J. City, the \u201cJ\u201d should stand for Jean Harlow, and the \u201cT\u201d would stand for everything Toni Storm spills.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SCORPIO SKY CUTS A PROMO \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was a great promo and it made the loss that followed it even sadder.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SCORPIO SKY vs. ANDRADE EL IDOLO \u2014 MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I like Andrade, but Sky deserved better than to lose just minutes after returning.<\/p>\n<p><strong>BULLET CLUB GOLD TROLLS ANDRADE \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Jay White is my favorite British pirate who doesn\u2019t know he is a pirate.<\/p>\n<p>Both Andrade and White are excellent wrestlers, and I can\u2019t wait for this match to take place because, IMHO, White should be used to help fill the void Punk left. On the other hand, I do wish they\u2019d give this match more build-up. They could tell a great story with White and Andrade, and it would make the fantastic match that is sure to follow mean even more.<\/p>\n<p><strong>GOLDEN LOVERS VIDEO PACKAGE \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was the bare minimum.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SHIBATA\u2019S PHONE CUTS A PROMO \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you can\u2019t sign Shibata to a long-term deal, you should at least sign his phone.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE RIGHTEOUS VS. MATT &amp; JEFF HARDY \u2014 MINOR-MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This match was okay, but my opinion of it suffered from not knowing more about The Righteous. I kept wondering where Stu Grayson was, but I\u2019m sure I missed something because of course I did. The homework required to keep up with everything AEW puts out is on the precipice of becoming a full-time job.<\/p>\n<p>Also, there has to be a better use for The Hardys than this, right? I mean, even if they don\u2019t feel like they could ever put the titles on these two because of Jeff Hardy\u2019s recent (and distant) past, they could still surely get more out of them than an unannounced loss to a tag team whose members I cannot name in their entirety.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE RIGHTEOUS CUTS A PROMO \u2014 DEAD IN THE MIDDLE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Vincent has a lot of charisma, but this felt like someone took a really good promo, put the words in a Scrabble bag, shook them all to hell, and dumped the bag\u2019s contents into the back of Vincent\u2019s mouth.<\/p>\n<p><strong>KEVIN KELLY PLUGS GRAND SLAM \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m giving this a minor hit because it was amusing. Kevin Kelly\u2019s campier version of &#8220;Bad Cinderella&#8221; sounded like it was two adverts shy of turning into a revival of Tickets, Please!<\/p>\n<p>(Seriously, I really do hope people show up for this. Grand Slam looks like it will be a fantastic show on paper.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>DANIELSON AND SABER VIDEO PACKAGE \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was a nice video package, but they need to do more for a match that is going to be one of the primary selling points of their Wrestle Dream PPV, which &#8211; and I cannot stress this enough &#8211; will cost another $50.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SCHIAVONE INTERVIEWS STARKS \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Starks cut a good promo while challenging Bryan Danielson to a match that (and I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll get flack for saying this) should be on the WrestleDream card instead of Danielson vs. Zack Sabre Jr. Danielson vs. Starks is a better long-term investment in the company\u2019s future than Danielson vs. someone who does not work for the company.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RECURRING GUEST APPEARANCE BY AEW\u2019S 2ND AC \u2014 MEGA-MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If I pinched my nose harder, I\u2019d need a nose job.<\/p>\n<p><strong>STATLANDER VS. BAKER \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I am very happy with his match, and I\u2019m even more pleased that I got to watch it on Fite TV via Discord because my boyfriend is in Australia RN. That meant I got to see all of the match and not just the few minutes that aired on TV in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>I sincerely appreciate Tony Khan putting this TBS Title match on last, but a ten-minute match with a commercial break in the middle doesn\u2019t \u201cfeel\u201d like a main event, even though the match itself was one of Britt Baker\u2019s best matches in a while.<\/p>\n<p>Also, as an added bonus, because I was unsure of who would win this match, it kept me on the edge of my seat. I would like to visit the edge of my seat more often, and the map to me doing so can be found in the lines of potential stories.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SHOW GRADE:<\/strong> C+<\/p>\n<p>This show was above the median expectations I have for an episode of one of AEW\u2019s flagship programs, but only barely. This is the second lowest grade I have given to AEW Collision, and while my opinion is not the be-all and end-all, my opinion is the opinion of an avid fan of the product. I am rooting for AEW to succeed, and for that reason, I hope future episodes of Collision are able to maintain the benchmark of quality set by previous episodes. Above all, I hope the show never turns into a long-winded version of Rampage.<\/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, every time you don\u2019t buy a ticket to &#8220;Grand Slam,&#8221; Kevin Kelly kidnaps a kitten.<\/p>\n<p><em>(David Bryant\u2019s obnoxious amount of self-promoting retweets can be found on his \u201cArtist Formerly Known as Twitter\u201d account @IamDavidBryant; a video of David Bryant spinning plates can be found on his Instagram account @IamDavidBryant, and David Bryant\u2019s Threads account is threadbare and also located @IamDavidBryant. David is a published author, circus artist, drag promoter, male pageant winner, unrenowned musician, sloppy figure skater, and the inventor of the world\u2019s first air guitar tuner. Less impressively, he studied screenwriting at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.)<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>RECOMMENDED NEXT:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2023\/09\/15\/aew-dynamite-hits-misses-9-13-jericho-and-guevara-mjfs-math-kingston-callis-and-the-alpha-indifference-to-women-more\/\">AEW DYNAMITE HITS &amp; MISSES (9\/13): Jericho and Guevara, MJF\u2019s math, Kingston, Callis and The Alpha, Indifference to Women, more<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/prowrestling.net\/site\/2023\/09\/16\/aew-collision-results-9-16-powells-live-review-of-bryan-danielson-and-claudio-castagnoli-vs-ricky-starks-and-big-bill-ftr-vs-iron-savages-for-the-aew-tag-team-titles-kris-statlander-vs\/\">AEW Collision results (9\/16): Powell\u2019s live review of Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli vs. Ricky Starks and Big Bill, FTR vs. Iron Savages for the AEW Tag Team Titles,\u00a0Kris Statlander vs. Britt Baker for the TBS Title<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-3677825201\"><div id=\"pwtor-1490324088\"><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 SEPT 16, 2023 STATE COLLEGE, PA. AIRED LIVE ON TNT BY DAVID BRYANT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR &#8211; Hey! Welcome back! (Unless you\u2019re new, and if you are, I apologize for <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2023\/09\/19\/aew-collision-hits-misses-9-16-keith-lee-production-flub-toni-storm-and-r-j-city-orange-hook-as-a-team-statlanders-promo-more\/\" title=\"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (9\/16): Keith Lee production flub, Toni Storm and R.J. City, Orange &#038; Hook as a team, Statlander&#8217;s promo, more\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":165979,"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-165976","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\/09\/Screenshot-2023-09-19-at-11.47.41-AM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165976","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=165976"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165976\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":165980,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165976\/revisions\/165980"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/165979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}