{"id":179794,"date":"2024-06-09T23:47:50","date_gmt":"2024-06-10T04:47:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=179794"},"modified":"2024-06-09T23:47:50","modified_gmt":"2024-06-10T04:47:50","slug":"aew-collision-hits-misses-6-8-new-opening-video-ftr-shine-again-statlanders-new-entrance-hooks-normal-speaking-voice-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2024\/06\/09\/aew-collision-hits-misses-6-8-new-opening-video-ftr-shine-again-statlanders-new-entrance-hooks-normal-speaking-voice-more\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (6\/8): New opening video, FTR shine again, Statlander&#8217;s new entrance, Hook&#8217;s normal speaking voice, more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-1791483036\" 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 \/>\nJUNE 8, 2024<br \/>\nCOUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA<br \/>\nAIRED LIVE ON TNT<br \/>\nBY DAVID BRYANT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR<\/h3>\n<p><em>Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuiness<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Hey! Welcome back to another edition of my AEW Collision Hits &amp; Misses column \u2014 the best place to find the worst takes! Here\u2019s hopin\u2019 tonight\u2019s show soars over the bar of expectations that I\u2019ve set underground for it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NEW OPENING VIDEO \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was nice. I really enjoyed the way AEW\u2019s video team chose to pair close-up images of wrestlers alongside clips of those same aforementioned wrestlers wrestling in the ring.<\/p>\n<p><strong>CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI &amp; WHEELER YUTA VS. FTR \u2014 MEGA-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This should be good.<\/p>\n<p>The BCC came out first, and I\u2019m still accidentally typing BBC, which makes no sense because none of their members are news anchors, and none of their members are Black. FTR came out second, and as I said earlier\u2026 this should be good.<\/p>\n<p>During this match, there was both a standing ovation and a Loud FTR chant.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2799568089\" 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>Warning: FTR rant ahead\u2026<\/p>\n<p>IMHO, FTR are the best tag team in AEW, bar none, and I would argue that Dax Harwood (who I originally assumed was named after a pornstar) is not only a good wrestler, but Dax Harwood (who, again, and not to belabor the point, picked that name on purpose) is is easily one of my top five favorite \u201cin-ring\u201d wrestlers in AEW. Sure, most of us would agree that as a tag team technician, Harwood is an artistic genius, but I feel like people don\u2019t talk enough about how good he is all by his lonesome. Again, IMHO (which should be taken with a grain of bolder), Harwood\u2019s skillset deserves to be considered alongside the likes of Bryan Danielson, Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, and Jay White. I literally wish I could be as good at doing things as Dax Harwood is at wrestling.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, back to the match\u2026<\/p>\n<p>It was good.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE MATCH ENDING IN A TIME-LIMIT DRAW \u2014 MINOR-MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One of the things that made this match more interesting than most of AEW\u2019s televised bouts was the company\u2019s decision to pit two teams of equal esteem against one another. Normally, I\u2019d think this ending was unique, but in this instance, it felt like a cop-out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>BRANDON CUTLER IS A STICKLER FOR RULES \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Brandon Cutler, dressed like a ZZ Top-inspired tiger clown, came out to announce that the FTR vs. BCC match could not be afforded an extra five minutes because it was only scheduled for 20. This was a good use of Brandon Cutler\u2019s dignity.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-913621103\" 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>Side Note: I wonder how Cutler managed to print a copy of that contract so quickly? I\u2019m glad to see they thought these things through.<\/p>\n<p><strong>BEATING THE EVERLOVING TIGER SCAT OUT OF BRANDON CUTLER \u2014 MEGA-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>During this segment, Nigel McGuiness said, \u201cThis is unnecessary!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He was wrong.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: I hope FTR and BCC go backstage and yell at Tony Khan about their match length because, as we all saw last week, Tony Khan gives people what they want when they yell at him.<\/p>\n<p><strong>KYLE O&#8217;REILLY CUTS A PROMO, AND RODERICK STRONG HAS SOMETHING TO SCREAM ABOUT IT \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kyle O\u2019Reilly, the saddest stray dog to ever acquire anamorphic powers, cut a promo in a gray T-shirt so that Roderick Strong, the loudest car horn to ever learn to wrestle, could interrupt him.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: During this promo, Strong told O\u2019Reilly, \u201cEver since you came back, you\u2019ve looked good.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Second Side Note: Roderick Strong wears thick glasses.<\/p>\n<p><strong>KRIS STATLANDER HAS A NEW ENTRANCE \u2014 MEGA-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I am unexpectedly loving Kris Statlander\u2019s new character pivot. I never thought Statlander would be something I looked forward to each week, but she has put in the work to improve her stage presence, and I hope she continues to build upon it. Likewise, I never thought Stokely Hathaway could make me take him seriously as a manager after so many years of playing the human equivalent of a Saturday morning cartoon about \u201cfail memes.\u201d However, here we are, and I hope AEW capitalizes on this fortunate turn of events.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: Imagine if Statlander was this good when she beat Jade Cargill? Actually, you know what? Don\u2019t imagine that too hard because I\u2019m 70 percent sure that\u2019s how fairies die. But still, if only\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>KRIS STATLANDER vs. ROBYN RENEGADE \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I feel like we\u2019re about to witness a murder, but I always\u2026 it\u2019s over.<\/p>\n<p>Side note: Just because Kris Statlander is capable of putting on clinics does not mean she always should. This style of match was the correct call for her present character.<\/p>\n<p><strong>STOKELY HATHAWAY SLAYS A PROMO \u2014 MEGA-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>During this promo, Stokely said he wished he could be as intense as Kris Statlander, and now he has two more wishes left.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS STATLANDER WAS PERFORMING BEHIND HATHAWAY \u2014 MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While Kris Statlander is doing good work in other ways, right now, this one particular way fell flat because her continuous movement subtracted from Stokely\u2019s intensity rather than added to it, but that\u2019s an easy thing to fix.<\/p>\n<p><strong>WILLOW NIGHTINGALE CUTS A PROMO \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Willow Nightingale announced that she would be entering the Owen Hart Tournament alongside Kris Statlander, and depending on who else enters the tournament, that could make for an interesting final match.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DUSTIN RHODES VS. JOHNNY TV \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was a good by-the-numbers match, and I enjoyed Taya Valkyrie\u2019s antics, which surprised the referee because wrestling referees have the brains and memory retention of goldfish.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DUSTIN RHODES CUTS A PROMO \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What I liked about this promo is how much of it felt like a real conversation with a real, live human being. So many wrestling promos feel like a conversation with a real, live sentient bullhorn, but this one felt relatable, and it didn\u2019t rely solely on screaming. This particular promo had highs and lows, which is an important thing for a promo to have because, without the lows, the highs become meaningless by lack of contrast.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DUSTIN\u2019S RHODES\u2019 INTERNAL LOGIC \u2014 MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>During his promo, Dustin Rhodes accused Jack Perry of being a golden-spooned nepo-baby, and then he mentioned his father. (Rhodes\u2019 father, not Perry\u2019s.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE PREMIER ATHLETES VS. VICTIMS \u2014 IN THE MIDDLE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Premier Athletes, who are so premier they\u2019ve only been fired occasionally, destroyed Dante Leon and a twink whose name I did not catch because this match was over in 30 seconds.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: The twink\u2019s name was Trip Jordy. I looked him up because of course I did.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SCORPIO SKY PROVIDES PROOF OF LIFE \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I remember the days when Scorpio Sky had so much promise, and I remember the days when Tony Khan broke them all.<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONI STORM VS. LADY FROST \u2013 MINOR-MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Toni Storm\u2019s character never gets old (for me, at least). I love the way she has finally found the perfect balance between her gimmick and her in-ring performances, which is a thing that should be lauded. However, I\u2019m not sure how to feel about Lady Frost woman-handling AEW\u2019s third longest-reigning women\u2019s champion in such a dominant fashion.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: Sunset Boulevard is returning to Broadway: https:\/\/sunsetblvdbroadway.com\/<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONI STORM CUTS A PROMO \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Toni Storm sat Mariah May down on the ring apron and cut what is probably the closest her character will come to a \u201cserious promo.\u201d During this promo, Storm insisted that Mariah May be given a spot to compete in the Owen Hart tournament, and she did this without irony or the slightest glimpse of foresight.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DANTE MARTIN, SHANE TAYLOR, AND LEE MORIARTY CUT A PROMO \u2014 MINOR-MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My main takeaway from this promo was just how much Dante Martin needs to improve on his mic skills, especially when he\u2019s verbally sparing with someone as gifted as Shane Taylor. Don\u2019t get me wrong. I\u2019m rooting for Martin; I like Martin; Martin is great, but he also sounds like a robot if robots could feel insecurity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>HOOK WALKS AND TALKS WITH SAMOA \u201cTHE LEARNING MOUNTAIN\u201d JOE \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My main takeaway from this promo was just how much better Hook sounds when he talks in his normal speaking voice rather than sounding like he swallowed a vocoder. I hope this is how Hook\u2019s character is presented going forward.<\/p>\n<p><strong>HOOK AND THE LEARNING MOUNTAIN DESTROY THE PREMIER ATHLETES \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Samoa \u201cThe Learning Mountain\u201d Joe is the horror movie version of a professional wrestler and literally Sweet Tooth.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DANIEL GARCIA VS. ALREADY IN THE RING \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As talented as Daniel Garcia is, the setup for this match had \u201cDark Elevation\u201d written all over it, and neither Garcia nor his opponent was able to pull it out of that overbearing shadow.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: Tate \u201cAlready In The Ring\u201d Mayfairs is remarkably talented, and he definitely made the most of the situation he was placed in tonight.<\/p>\n<p><strong>ORANGE CASSIDY CUTS A PROMO \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was a very effective and straightforward promo, and it made me far more interested in tonight\u2019s main event than watching Roderick Strong scream at Kyle O\u2019Reilly for no reason.<\/p>\n<p><strong>KYLE O\u2019REILLY VS. ORANGE CASSIDY \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was a hard-fought battle laced with devastating spots. Kyle O\u2019Reilly and Orange Cassidy treated this match as if it were on a PPV, and it was a welcome bookend to the FTR vs. BCC match that started the show.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: Both the first match and the last match on tonight\u2019s show got a standing ovation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FINAL THOUGHTS:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Tonight\u2019s episode of AEW Collision felt like a bologna sandwich on a toasted sourdough bun; it had a great match on the front end, a great match on the back end, and a lot of \u201cbaloney\u201d in the middle. Still, that\u2019s better than last week&#8217;s episode of AEW Collision, and even this week\u2019s \u201cbaloney\u201d tasted more like the kind of sausage you get in the actual city of Bologna.<\/p>\n<p>SHOW GRADE: B-<\/p>\n<p><strong>DAVID\u2019S DODGY MATCH RECOMMENDATIONS:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Match of the Night: FTR vs. BCC<\/li>\n<li>Second Best Match: Orange Cassidy vs. Kyle O\u2019Reilly<\/li>\n<li>Third Best Match: Dustin Rhodes vs. Johnny TV<\/li>\n<\/ul>\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, bologna cake is a thing, and there are people who eat it intentionally.<\/p>\n<p><em>(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 bottle of mustard that doesn\u2019t pee on your sandwich if you forget to shake it. 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\/2024\/06\/09\/aew-collision-results-6-8-ftr-vs-claudio-yuta-dustin-vs-johnny-tv-toni-storm-vs-lady-frost-oreilly-vs-cassidy-dustin-jack-perry-exchange\/\">AEW COLLISION RESULTS (6\/8): FTR vs. Claudio &amp; Yuta, Dustin vs. Johnny TV, Toni Storm vs. Lady Frost, O\u2019Reilly vs. Cassidy, Dustin-Jack Perry exchange<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/prowrestling.net\/site\/2024\/06\/08\/aew-collision-results-6-8-powells-live-review-of-ftr-vs-wheeler-yuta-and-claudio-castagnoli-toni-storm-vs-lady-frost-in-a-non-title-match-orange-cassidy-vs-kyle-oreilly\/\">AEW Collision results (6\/8): Powell\u2019s live review of FTR vs. Wheeler Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli, Toni Storm vs. Lady Frost in a non-title match, Orange Cassidy vs. Kyle O\u2019Reilly<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"entry-meta\">\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-465511203\"><div id=\"pwtor-1627781872\"><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 JUNE 8, 2024 COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA AIRED LIVE ON TNT BY DAVID BRYANT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuiness &#8211; Hey! Welcome back to another edition of my <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2024\/06\/09\/aew-collision-hits-misses-6-8-new-opening-video-ftr-shine-again-statlanders-new-entrance-hooks-normal-speaking-voice-more\/\" title=\"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (6\/8): New opening video, FTR shine again, Statlander&#8217;s new entrance, Hook&#8217;s normal speaking voice, more\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":179795,"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-179794","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\/06\/Screenshot-2024-06-09-at-11.45.24\u202fPM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179794","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=179794"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":179796,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179794\/revisions\/179796"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/179795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=179794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=179794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=179794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}