{"id":177788,"date":"2024-05-01T13:22:51","date_gmt":"2024-05-01T18:22:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=177788"},"modified":"2024-05-01T13:22:51","modified_gmt":"2024-05-01T18:22:51","slug":"aew-collision-hits-misses-4-27-sound-issues-prince-nana-swerve-vs-claudio-grizzled-young-vets-vs-acclaimed-storm-vs-anna-jay-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2024\/05\/01\/aew-collision-hits-misses-4-27-sound-issues-prince-nana-swerve-vs-claudio-grizzled-young-vets-vs-acclaimed-storm-vs-anna-jay-more\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (4\/27): Sound issues, Prince Nana, Swerve vs. Claudio, Grizzled Young Vets vs. Acclaimed, Storm vs. Anna Jay,  more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3504959865\" 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><b>AEW COLLISION &#8211; HITS &amp; MISSES<br \/>\nAPRIL 27, 2024<br \/>\nJACKSONVILLE, FLA.<br \/>\nAIRED LIVE ON TNT<br \/>\nBY DAVID BRYANT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR<\/b><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<p><b>OPENING THE SHOW WITH A RECAP VIDEO OF SWERVES WIN OVER SAMOA JOE \u2014 HIT<\/b><\/p>\n<p>This was a good video package, and it should have opened this week\u2019s Dynamite.<\/p>\n<p><b>PRINCE NANA CUTS A BRIEF IN-RING PROMO \u2014 HIT<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Swerve came out wearing a coat that can best be described as a cross between the American Revolution, Fall Out Boy, and looking like an absolute star. Prince Nana came out looking like a Dad who last bought new clothes in 1999.<\/p>\n<p>Nana spoke first, and his introduction was a strong one! He served the crowd less of his normal \u201ccomedic\u201d mannerisms and acted like a serious hype man for Swerve. If Prince Nana dropped his bootleg-looking TikTok dance and dressed like a serious person, I could get behind him with promos like the one he gave tonight.<\/p>\n<p><b>THE SOUND ISSUES ARE FIXED! ( HALLELUJAH!) \u2014 MEGA-HIT (ALSO, THIS SHOULD NOT BE A THING.)<\/b><\/p>\n<p>The sound quality for this week\u2019s Dynamite was some of the worst audio quality I have ever heard on a modern television program. As someone who wears a hearing aid and was born with profound hearing loss, I understood less than 30 percent of what was being said. My fianc\u00e9 had to translate the show for me in real-time. If I wasn\u2019t a passionate AEW fan, I would have changed the channel in a heartbeat.<\/p>\n<p>I do not know whose fault the audio issues this past week were, but regardless of whether it was TBS, AEW, or LMFAO, these issues need to be fixed. WWE has a lot of problems with their product, but stuff like this isn\u2019t one of them.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1765006489\" 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><b>SWERVE CUTS A PROMO \u2014 HIT<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Swerve started his promo by addressing the Young Bucks\u2019 attack on the owner of AEW. Swerve talked about being the face of AEW and how Tony Khan was the first person to give him major opportunities on a widely distributed program to show how good he is in the ring. I liked this part of the promo. A storyline as monumental as what happened on Dynamite last Wednesday should touch everything on the show, and it should be something the World Champion feels he needs to address as part of his duties within the company.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no telling when we\u2019re gonna\u2026 You know\u2026 See Tony Khan again,\u201d Strickland said. (OMG. I had no idea Swerve Strickland was ALSO deaf and blind and trapped in the In-between.) Swerve then quickly added, \u201c\u2026 in a healthy condition!\u201d probably remembering that the crowd had just seen Tony Khan in public.<\/p>\n<p>Swerve then said what The Young Bucks did was a \u201cbitch move,\u201d and the crowd started chanting, \u201cBitch move.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Interesting.<\/p>\n<p>With FTR potentially on the shelf due to reports of Dax Harwood sustaining a concussion at Dynasty, maybe Strickland could be the babyface who defends AEW against the Elite and Jack Perry, at least until FTR returns. I\u2019d be here for it. I\u2019d love to see Swerve Strickland kick Jack Perry\u2019s well-defined, very-muscular, very-pert ass all over the MGM Grande Arena. Hell, right before Strickland hits his finisher, have him do the Go To Sleep instead. While I\u2019m not 100 percent on Jack Perry\u2019s side IRL, I am mostly on Jack Perry\u2019s side IRL, but after what he did to Tony Khan on Wednesday, I hope his next match involves a two-story-high Swerve stomp, razor-sharp thumbtacks, and Jon Moxley because Jon Moxley is terrifying.<\/p>\n<p>Swerve then shifted the promo to talk about his victory at AEW\u2019s Dynasty PPV last weekend, and he talked about how he\u2019d worked so hard for this moment that after he won the title, his daughter said, \u201cDaddy, I feel like I don\u2019t know you.\u201d (Holy crap.) However, Swerve assured us that his reign would make all of his sacrifices and time away from home worth it. (Side Note: That is not how therapy works.)<\/p>\n<p>Swerve then said he wanted to be a fighting champion, and he threw down an open challenge to anyone in the back who wanted a shot at his AEW Championship because we were only busy doing rankings over here.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3273599051\" 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>Claudio Castagnoli answered the challenge, and you know what? Forget what I just said about rankings. This match has to happen, and I am fine with being a hypocrite if it means we get Castagnoli vs. Strickland for the AEW Championship tonight. (Or, as Tony Khan would say it, \u201cHere, tonight, right here, in Daily\u2019s Place, in Jacksonville, tonight.)<\/p>\n<p><b>VIDEO RECAP OF THE ELITE ATTACKING TONY KHAN \u2014 MEGA-HIT<\/b><\/p>\n<p>AEW is making its most prominent storyline feel like a big deal, which, historically, has not been this company\u2019s strong suit. I hope they play this footage endlessly between now and Double or Nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: Kudos to the person in charge of making Jack Perry\u2019s punch to Tony Khan\u2019s stomach look fantastic. That man is a gifted editor and probably utilized magic.<\/p>\n<p>Second Side Note: Shout out to Shad Khan\u2019s fashion courage. I have never seen a man wear pajamas in public so proudly.<\/p>\n<p><b>BULLET CLUB GOLD vs. TOP FLIGHT &amp; ACTION ANDRETTI \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/b><\/p>\n<p>I am frankly surprised to discover that Top Flight &amp; Action Andretti are the number one contenders to the Trios Titles. I would have thought the prerequisite for obtaining a title shot would have involved things other than losing.<\/p>\n<p>Either way, this was a fun match, but it is destined to get lost in the colossal shadow of tonight\u2019s epic main event. (More on that later.) Still, there was a great rewind-worthy moment in which Darius Martin leaped to tag himself out, and instead of making the tag, he landed face-first in front of both of his tag team partners as they stared at him from the apron.<\/p>\n<p><b>VIDEO RECAP OF THE YOUNG BUCKS DEFEATING FTR AT DYNASTY \u2014 HIT<\/b><\/p>\n<p>As disappointed as I was to see FTR lose this match, and by \u201cdisappointed,\u201d I mean \u201cthrew things.\u201d I am thrilled to see AEW replaying this footage and once again reminding us of their central storyline. This kind of thing may not show up in the ratings immediately, but if AEW sticks to making their storylines feel consistently present, realistic, and cohesive (and does so with a sound quality higher than 20 KBPS), I\u2019m willing to bet that it will pay off in the long term.<\/p>\n<p><b>HOUSE OF BLACK CUTS A MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD PROMO THAN LAST WEEK \u2014 HIT<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Unlike some of House of Black&#8217;s more riddle-rrific promos, this one was straightforward and easy to understand. One member of the House of Black will accept Adam Copeland\u2019s open challenge for his TNT Championship on this week\u2019s Dynamite, but they won\u2019t tell him which one until Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>This promo also incorporated footage of Copeland having black mist blown into his face this past Sunday at Dynasty. I hope AEW continues to show us highlights from Dynasty because every time they do, it makes their PPVs appear more relevant.<\/p>\n<p><b>REY FENIX vs. THE BEAST MORTOS \u2014 HIT<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Rey Fenix has not lost a step during his time away from AEW. He looked to be in great shape, and he wrestled like he was competing on his best day. During the course of this match, there were several eye-popping moments, breathtaking near-falls, and \u201cRey Fenix\u201d chants.<\/p>\n<p><b>THE LENGTH OF REY FENIX vs. THE BEAST MORTOS \u2014 MINOR-MISS<\/b><\/p>\n<p>That said, there is no reason that a returning Rey Fenix should be going 15-plus minutes against The Beast Mortos (formerly Black Taurus in AAA) in his first-ever match on AEW Collision. If they want to build up The Beast Mortos as a potential star, I\u2019m all for that idea, but to the average fan, a returning Rey Fenix \u2014 AEW\u2019s 2021 match-of-the-year winning star \u2014 just went 50\/50 with a guy from the Supercard of Honor pre-show.<\/p>\n<p><b>ORANGE CASSIDY CUTS A BACKSTAGE PROMO \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/b><\/p>\n<p>There wasn\u2019t anything wrong with this promo, but it didn\u2019t make me any more excited for the Parking Lot Brawl on Rampage than I already was before the program began (and I very much was.)<\/p>\n<p>That said, my two biggest takeaways from this promo were that AEW debuted a new backstage announcer (Her name is Arkady Aura.), but because they waited until after the promo was over for Tony Schiavone to mention who she was, I spent the beginning of Orange Cassidy\u2019s promo wondering. My second takeaway from this promo is that Kris Statlander is continuing to improve in her character\u2019s presentation and her acting. I\u2019m not saying she\u2019s going to get an Emmy, but compared to where she was a few months earlier, she should at least get a shout-out in my column.<\/p>\n<p><b>RUSH vs. MARTIN STONE \u2014 HIT<\/b><\/p>\n<p>This was a squash, and that is what it should have been. Hopefully, AEW has a well-thought-out plan for Rush going forward that doesn\u2019t involve vignettes of a Clint Eastwood film directed by Quentin Tarantino.<\/p>\n<p><b>SERENA DEEB CUTS A BACKSTAGE PROMO \u2014 HIT<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Serena Deeb made a straightforward and coherent case for why she should be the number 1 contender and why Toni Storm should take her seriously. I especially liked that Deeb talked up Toni Storm as \u201cone of the greatest champions in this company\u2019s history.\u201d It\u2019s a lot easier to make yourself look good in a promo than it is to make your opponent look good. In this promo, Deeb did both.<\/p>\n<p><b>TONI STORM vs. ANNA JAY \u2014 HIT (TO MY GREAT SURPRISE)<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Toni Storm wrestled this match in a yellow checkered 1940s-inspired ring gear \u2014 a look best described as being \u201cwhen you have a championship match at 10 but need to be at the beach by 11.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Given Anna Jay still has some in-ring weaknesses, I was expecting to \u201cendure\u201d this match rather than watch it, but I was pleasantly surprised. Storm worked around Jay\u2019s weaknesses and focused on grounded wrestling moves to highlight her strengths. As a result, this was an enjoyable match that both women can be proud of.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: Anna Jay\u2019s main weakness is what appears to be a lack of confidence in her in-ring skills. This shows up primarily in minor hesitations, pulled strikes, and lots of daylight. While I have never directly advised a wrestler, I have advised plenty of actors, and my advice for Anna Jay would be the same advice I give other performers: I would rather you f&#8212; it up with confidence than do it right with insecurity.<\/p>\n<p><b>THE ACCLAIMED vs. THE GRIZZLED YOUNG VETS \u2014 HIT<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Wow. The Grizzled Young Vets are a talented duo! The Acclaimed are talented, too, but I couldn\u2019t help but feel like The Grizzled Young Vets were making them look even more talented than they already are.<\/p>\n<p>This was a fun match, and Max Caster\u2019s facial expressions (not his rapping) were a highlight throughout its entirety. If you\u2019re a fan of tag team wrestling and you get a chance, check this match out!<\/p>\n<p><b>SHIBATA\u2019S PHONE TYPES ITSELF \u2014 MINOR-MISS<\/b><\/p>\n<p>While I can\u2019t help but laugh (in a good way) at Shibata\u2019s Voice-To-Text promos, seeing Shibata pretend to type his responses into his phone would go a long way in making these fun segments more believable. As it is, it comes off like his phone has developed sentience.<\/p>\n<p><b>SWERVE STRICKLAND vs. CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI \u2014 MEGA-HIT<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Holy s&#8212;.<\/p>\n<p>This was outstanding.<\/p>\n<p>This could have been the main event of a PPV, and I don\u2019t think anyone would have complained about the quality of the match. This match got both a \u201cThis Is Awesome\u201d chant and a random chant for AEW\u2019s video game \u201cFight Forever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There are no number of words I could type out in this column that would do this match justice. In fact, it might have been even better than last week\u2019s Bunkhouse match. (I say \u201cmight\u201d because I\u2019m not sure; I\u2019d have to go back and watch them back-to-back.) However, if I were to give this match a star rating, it would be somewhere in between (not that In-between) 3.75-stars and 4-stars.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: I loved the quality of Swerve Strickland\u2019s recent matches against Kyle Fletcher and Claudio Castagnoli, but I also hope he doesn\u2019t burn himself out. Tonight\u2019s match went over 20 minutes and featured some daring offense (including a double stomp that Castagnoli blocked with his shoulders, caught in mid-air, and turned into a pop-up European uppercut.) Strickland is a phenomenal athlete, but he is also a human being, and Powerhouse Hobbs showed us last week what can happen to even the most talented of human beings. Please be safe, Mr. Strickland.<\/p>\n<p><b>FINAL THOUGHTS<\/b><\/p>\n<p>This is the second AEW Collision in a row that has delivered on all cylinders. After I gave last week\u2019s episode of AEW Collision an A-, I texted someone at the Torch who I consider to be a good friend, and I said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis week\u2019s Collision was better, but I know it will go back to what it was last week, and the week before that, and the week before that. They only did a good one last night because it was before a PPV.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I was wrong.<\/p>\n<p><b>SHOW GRADE: A-<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>DAVID\u2019S DODGY MATCH RECOMMENDATIONS:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Match of the Night:<\/b>\u00a0Swerve Strickland vs. Claudio Castagnoli<\/p>\n<p><b>Second Best Match<\/b>: Rey Fenix vs. Not The Black Taurus<\/p>\n<p><b>Third Best Match<\/b>: The Acclaimed vs. The Grizzled Young Vets<\/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, we still don\u2019t know if the \u201cIn-between\u201d is a state of consciousness or a physical place, so until Tony Khan clarifies, watch out for wormholes.<\/p>\n<p><i>(David Bryant\u2019s new bathroom-selfies can be found on his \u201cArtist Formerly Known as Twitter\u201d account @IamDavidBryant; a video of David Bryant being knocked unconscious by an exploding television set can be found on his Instagram account @IamDavidBryant, and David Bryant\u2019s Threads account is threadbare and also located @IamDavidBryant because David Bryant sucks 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 Death Metal telegram. Less impressively, he studied screenwriting at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.)<\/i><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-2127277371\"><div id=\"pwtor-3826911118\"><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 APRIL 27, 2024 JACKSONVILLE, FLA. AIRED LIVE ON TNT BY DAVID BRYANT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR OPENING THE SHOW WITH A RECAP VIDEO OF SWERVES WIN OVER SAMOA JOE \u2014 HIT <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2024\/05\/01\/aew-collision-hits-misses-4-27-sound-issues-prince-nana-swerve-vs-claudio-grizzled-young-vets-vs-acclaimed-storm-vs-anna-jay-more\/\" title=\"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (4\/27): Sound issues, Prince Nana, Swerve vs. Claudio, Grizzled Young Vets vs. Acclaimed, Storm vs. Anna Jay,  more\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":177789,"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-177788","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\/2024\/05\/Screenshot-2024-05-01-at-1.22.16\u202fPM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177788","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=177788"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":177790,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177788\/revisions\/177790"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/177789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}