{"id":168158,"date":"2023-10-29T12:54:17","date_gmt":"2023-10-29T17:54:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=168158"},"modified":"2023-10-31T17:48:56","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T22:48:56","slug":"aew-hits-misses-10-28-mjf-vs-omega-in-aew-title-defense-jay-white-vs-a-r-fox-caster-gets-catfished-shida-vs-abadon-toni-storm-dax-vs-starks-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2023\/10\/29\/aew-hits-misses-10-28-mjf-vs-omega-in-aew-title-defense-jay-white-vs-a-r-fox-caster-gets-catfished-shida-vs-abadon-toni-storm-dax-vs-starks-more\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (10\/28): MJF vs. Omega in AEW Title defense, Jay White vs. A.R. Fox, Caster gets Catfished, Shida vs. Abadon, Toni Storm, Dax vs. Starks, more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3328128039\" 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 \/>\nOCTOBER 28, 2023<br \/>\nUNCASVILLE, CONN.<br \/>\nAIRED LIVE ON TNT<br \/>\nBY DAVID BRYANT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR<\/h3>\n<p><em>Commentators: Nigel McGuiness &amp; Kevin Kelly &amp; Jim Ross<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&#8211; Hey! Welcome to my AEW Collision Hits &amp; Misses column, which is the most-read column you are currently reading. I am thrilled to be covering a very special episode of AEW Collision in which AEW played one of the biggest cards they have left in their arsenal by hotshotting, on free TV, a very rare, highly-anticipated Abadon appearance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>JAY WHITE VS. A.R. FOX \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This show got off to a great start with Jay White facing off against A.R. Fox, who has apparently been \u201cforthright\u201d with AEW officials about his ability to work inside the Mohegan Sun Arena.<\/p>\n<p>To be honest, this match wasn\u2019t on my radar before I watched it take place. Between Dax Harwood vs. Ricky Starks, the first ever MJF vs. Kenny Omega match, and most importantly, an Abadon appearance, I didn\u2019t even notice this match had been included in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2023\/10\/28\/aew-collision-preview-10-28-announced-matches-location-ticket-sales-how-to-watch\/\"> PWTorch\u2019s AEW Collision Preview<\/a>. However, I was wrong to underestimate this match. This match was phenomenal, and despite lasting only 10 minutes, it would not have been out of place on a PPV.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MJF TRIES TO STEAL BACK HIS TITLE BELT \u2014 MINOR-MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You know, in a way, I am reticent to say I disliked this post-match angle because I would love for this whole \u201cbelt-theft debacle\u201d to come to an end, but I would also love to not witness AEW\u2019s World Heavyweight Champion dress up in all back in an attempt to steal back the company\u2019s belt. I dare you to put this storyline into any other context and have it make sense. The AEW World Heavyweight Championship belt does not even belong to MJF. It is company property, and it belongs to Tony Khan!<\/p>\n<p>Could you imagine someone pitching you a story in which Harvard\u2019s Athletic Director dressed up like a punk rock cat burglar, broke into an Associate Professor\u2019s 2016 Toyota Camry, and tried to steal back the 2022 Whitelaw Cup that the Associate Professor had pilfered from a trophy case in clear view of the University\u2019s Chancellor? No? Well, that\u2019s what this storyline looks like to normies, and watching it gives me an ice cream headache but without the fun of eating ice cream.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3662633215\" 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><strong>MAX CASTER GETS CATFISHED \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This awkwardness was better than Wednesday\u2019s awkwardness, but I\u2019m still not sure about the decision to turn Max Caster\u2019s sex appeal into abstinence appeal. However, I\u2019m very sure that I laughed out loud during this segment, so it can\u2019t be all bad. Right?<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: I have horrible taste in humor and think puns are punny.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE BOYS vs. THE GUNN CLUB \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Can men be chauvinistic towards other men because I feel like Dalton Castle is an inverted chauvinist. That said, this brief match was entertaining, even if it was only 90 seconds long.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: Why did Dalton Castle go to the back rather than support The Boys at ringside? Has he never seen a Bullet Club match before? Do wrestlers own television sets? Do they not know how to watch them? Is that why they\u2019re always watching backstage monitors at a 90-degree angle?<\/p>\n<p><strong>RYAN NEMETH PROMO OUTSIDE CJ PERRY\u2019S DRESSING ROOM \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Now that C.M. Punk has left, we can finally take Ryan Nemeth more seriou\u2026 He\u2019s dead.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1684582177\" 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>HIKARU SHIDA VS. ABADON IN A FRIGHT NIGHT FIGHT \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Finally, the thing everyone tuned in for!<\/p>\n<p>Abadon, the great and powerful, came out wearing a scarlet vampire cape, flames of green hair, and Space Ace makeup. Hikaru Shida came out wearing an evening gown for some reason.<\/p>\n<p>This match had an odd stipulation that involved jumping off turnbuckles in attempts to ride broomsticks and a \u201cWe Want Pumpkins!\u201d chant. However, as ridiculous as this match was, I also loved it. Abadon is so entertaining to me, and I was thrilled to see her get a piece of the limelight for once. I just wish that limelight hadn\u2019t involved her wearing a pumpkin on her head.<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONI STORM EATS A CLEMENTINE ON THE ANNOUNCE TABLE \u2014 MEGA-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The only way this could have been made better would have been if R.J. City had hand-fed Toni Storm the fruit himself.<\/p>\n<p><strong>KEITH LEE AND SHANE TAYLOR VIDEO PACKAGE \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I am excited about this match, but I\u2019m also afraid that it is going to take place on an ROH PPV, and I cannot justify spending another $40 on ROH when I\u2019m already spending $50 a month on AEW.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SAMOA JOE SQUASHES RHETT TITUS \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Watching Samoa Joe destroy people never gets old, but I wish AEW would have given Rhett Titus, a former ROH World Television Champion, more offense so as to better protect that title\u2019s historical prestige.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q.T. MARSHALL, JOHNNY TV,\u00a0 HARLEY CAMERON INTERVIEW \u2014 MEGA-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I did not expect to like this. Why did I like this? Am I broken inside?? What is going on???<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: Q.T. Marshall is still the human equivalent of gravity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI PROMO \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Claudio Castagnoli is one of the smarmiest b\u2014\u2014\u2014ds out there, and I will never forgive his character for how much he disrespected Eddie Kingston\u2019s epic career full of hard-hitting carnage, an ROH World Heavyweight Title run, and mustard wrestling.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DAX HARWOOD VS. RICKY STARKS \u2014 MEGA-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I expected this match to be good, and it was. Both Dax Harwood and Ricky Starks are mavens of their craft.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: Do you remember that time Maven dropkicked the Undertaker so hard he eliminated him from the 2002 Royal Rumble? If not, you can watch that moment <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=mYZoGACeqt4\">HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Second Side Note: Do you remember that time Dax Harwood dropkicked Rezar at the 2019 Royal Rumble? If not, you can watch that moment <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=DVrVjYZU0MM\">HERE<\/a>. However, to be honest, you\u2019d probably be much better off watching <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=R7Y30-iA5GY\">THIS<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>JULIA HART\u2019S RETURN \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This made Julia Hart look like a star.<\/p>\n<p>Side note: It is wild to me to think <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jjleJ4BJ5HI\">this was once Julia Hart<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RUSH\u2019S CREW GETTING INVOLVED IN SOMETHING THAT ISN\u2019T AWFUL \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This is way better than pretending to do violence in a pseudo-gritty Tarantino parody.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SAMOA JOE TELLS MJF TO SCREAM OUT HIS NAME \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This segment was both haunting and comical (which is also an apt description of the underrated 2023 Disney film \u201cHaunted Mansion,\u201d featuring Tiffany Haddish being hilarious.) Having Joe offer to run to MJF\u2019s rescue if he\u2019ll just scream out his name is an intriguing offer, potentially humiliating, and homoerotic to only me.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: In kayfabe, it would make a lot of sense for MJF to accept Joe\u2019s request for a match, and here is my reasoning: I imagine MJF\u2019s contract says he has to defend the World Title a certain number of times over a certain number of days. If MJF were forced to pick between Joe, Wardlow, and Hobbs, Joe would be the most obvious choice. MJF knows Wardlow can beat him; MJF has no idea if Hobbs can beat him, and MJF knows that he can beat Samoa Joe because he already beat him at Grand Slam.<\/p>\n<p><strong>JIM ROSS REPLACING KEVIN KELLY ON COMMENTARY \u2014 MEGA-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Jim Ross was even better tonight than he was last week and a big improvement over Kevin Kelly. I don\u2019t say that to be mean to Kevin Kelly. He seems like a nice person, isn\u2019t \u201cinherently\u201d bad at his job, and I\u2019ve noticed he\u2019s gotten slightly better as of late. Still, he hasn\u2019t delivered the kind of commentary he was apparently known for delivering during his New Japan run, and until Kelly has found his footing in AEW, I\u2019d much rather hear from Jim Ross.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MJF VS. KENNY OMEGA \u2014 MEGA-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Speaking of Jim Ross. During this match, Ross said, \u201cYou\u2019ve all heard the crowd chant \u2018This is awesome\u2019 a lot, but it has never been more appropriate than now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Despite Omega stumbling on a kickup and slipping on a bridge-up, this match was epic. In fact, labeling it as a \u201cmega-hit\u201d is an understatement that fails to describe how good it was. This was an unqualified, unequivocal, gargantuan monster of a mega-hit. This match was so good that it surpassed Chrisitan Cage vs. Bryan Danielson to become the second-best match I have ever seen on AEW Collision, and I am a shameless mark for both of those men.<\/p>\n<p>In my opinion, out of all the matches that have ever aired on Collision, only the FTR vs. Bullet Club Gold match was better than this one. I could even see how someone might make a good-faith argument that this match was still somehow better than FTR vs. Bullet Club Gold. I cannot see how someone could make a good-faith argument that this match was bad.<\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t normally give out star ratings to matches on AEW Collision, but if I did, this would easily be a 4.75-star match. Congratulations to both men for not only living up to most people\u2019s expectations but also exceeding them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SIDE NOTE:<\/strong> MJF should have had his world title belt with him for this match\u2019s introductions. MJF not having been given a new belt by now is ridiculous, and the fact that this storyline took away from the opening of a potentially legendary match is giving me another ice-cream headache.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FINAL THOUGHTS&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This show blew my expectations out of the water. I went into this hoping for a good show, and I left feeling like I witnessed one of AEW\u2019s best. I don\u2019t know what the ratings for this episode of AEW Collision will be, but if AEW stays the course with more shows like this, their ratings will eventually go up because the word will eventually get out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SHOW GRADE: A+<\/strong><\/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, two wrongs do not make a left.<\/p>\n<p><em>(David Bryant\u2019s unwanted opinions can be found on his \u201cArtist Formerly Known as Twitter\u201d account @IamDavidBryant; a photo of five jack-o-lanterns can be found on David Bryant\u2019s Instagram account @IamDavidBryant, and David Bryant\u2019s Threads account is threadbare and also located @IamDavidBryant because David Bryant is bad at usernames. 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 health-conscious escalator that improves the health of its riders by not giving rides and being stairs. 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\/10\/28\/aew-collision-results-10-28-mjf-vs-kenny-omega-for-the-aew-world-title-shida-vs-abadon-for-aew-womens-title-danielson-injury-update-starks-vs-dax-white-vs-a-r-fox\/\">AEW COLLISION RESULTS (10\/28): MJF vs. Kenny Omega for the AEW World Title, Shida vs. Abadon for AEW Women\u2019s Title, Danielson injury update, Starks vs. Dax, White vs. A.R. Fox<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/prowrestling.net\/site\/2023\/10\/28\/aew-collision-results-10-28-powells-live-review-of-mjf-vs-kenny-omega-for-the-aew-world-championship-hikaru-shida-vs-abadon-for-the-aew-womens-championship\/\">AEW Collision results (10\/28): Powell\u2019s live review of MJF vs. Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship, Hikaru Shida vs. Abadon for the AEW Women\u2019s Championship<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"entry-meta\">\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-3444906927\"><div id=\"pwtor-1386936738\"><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 OCTOBER 28, 2023 UNCASVILLE, CONN. AIRED LIVE ON TNT BY DAVID BRYANT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR Commentators: Nigel McGuiness &amp; Kevin Kelly &amp; Jim Ross &#8211; Hey! Welcome to my AEW <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2023\/10\/29\/aew-hits-misses-10-28-mjf-vs-omega-in-aew-title-defense-jay-white-vs-a-r-fox-caster-gets-catfished-shida-vs-abadon-toni-storm-dax-vs-starks-more\/\" title=\"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (10\/28): MJF vs. Omega in AEW Title defense, Jay White vs. A.R. Fox, Caster gets Catfished, Shida vs. Abadon, Toni Storm, Dax vs. Starks, more\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":168159,"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":[46,52,28,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-168158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spotlightarticles","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists_hitsandmisses","category-specialists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-2023-10-29-at-12.53.45-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168158","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=168158"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168158\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":168260,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168158\/revisions\/168260"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}