{"id":190767,"date":"2025-01-08T17:11:37","date_gmt":"2025-01-08T23:11:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=190767"},"modified":"2025-01-08T17:21:04","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T23:21:04","slug":"aew-collision-hits-misses-1-4-bryants-assessment-of-toni-storm-vs-deonna-purrazzo-daniels-and-hangmans-backstage-fight-rock-roll-express-appearance-rated-ftr-cope-promo-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/01\/08\/aew-collision-hits-misses-1-4-bryants-assessment-of-toni-storm-vs-deonna-purrazzo-daniels-and-hangmans-backstage-fight-rock-roll-express-appearance-rated-ftr-cope-promo-more\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (1\/4): Bryant&#8217;s assessment of Toni Storm vs. Deonna Purrazzo, Daniels and Hangman&#8217;s backstage fight, Rock &#038; Roll Express appearance, Rated FTR, Cope promo, more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-664344689\" 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 \/>\nJANUARY 4, 202<br \/>\nCHARLOTTE, N.C.<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!<\/p>\n<p>Tonight\u2019s show (which was, to my great surprise, in no way, shape, or form a pre-show for AEW\u2019s upcoming WrestleDynasty PPV that aired that same night) kicked itself off with a series of promos:<\/p>\n<p><strong>MARK BRISCOE CUTS A PROMO \u2014 MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>None of this. Just&#8230; none of this. It\u2019s all bad.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not saying Mark Briscoe is bad. Mark Briscoe is an immensely talented wrestler, but his promos sound like the ramblings of a homeless man I met on the red line at 1 in the morning.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DANIEL GARCIA CUTS A PROMO \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was simple, to the point, and touched on the city\u2019s name, the show\u2019s name, and hyped up the significance of tonight being Collision\u2019s first-ever simulcast on Max.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-593680471\" 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>Are Daniel Garcia\u2019s promos brilliant works of art? Oftentimes, no; however, after watching Mark Briscoe randomly duct tape bananas to walls for 30 seconds, this felt like watching the Mona Lisa.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE LEARNING FOREST CUT A JOINT PROMO \u2014 IN-THE-MIDDLE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There was nothing explicitly wrong with this joint promo. However, it is my personal opinion that having Jericho speak so briefly was a missed opportunity to showcase one of AEW\u2019s best speakers at the start of the show.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FTR CUTS A PROMO \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>From now on, anytime Adam Copeland starts to speak, AEW should dub whatever he was going to say with a pre-recorded promo by Dax Harwood.<\/p>\n<p><strong>ADAM COPELAND CUTS A PROMO \u2014 MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Good to know that Adam Copeland dislikes ugly kids. That was vital information, and it will surely garner cheers from the crowd.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NO OPENING PYRO \u2014 MISS<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2962538906\" 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>I know the Bojangles Coliseum is a smaller (although not minuscule) arena, but AEW has set off pyro in that same building in the past and it wasn\u2019t a problem. Not having pyro in the opening of a major, modern-era wrestling show looks bush-league \u2014 it did when WWE did it, and the same criticism applies when AEW does it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MARK BRISCOE VS. DANIEL GARCIA \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Like I said earlier, Mark Briscoe\u2019s character-related issues have nothing to do with his in-ring skills. This man may not be able to articulate anything remotely associated with words, but he can put on one hell of a show in the ring.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE DEATH RIDERS (I KEEP WANTING TO TYPE &#8220;EATERS&#8221;) CUT A PROMO \u2014 IN-THE-MIDDLE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I love Jon Moxley\u2019s promo style, but sometimes (not always) I wish he would state his goals in a more straightforward manner. This new \u201cDeath Rider\u201d take on Moxley\u2019s character is one of my favorite versions of Moxley to date, but I\u2019d love to see what would happen if he experimented with writing out all of his promos beforehand. (Or, maybe he does, and if so, wow.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>JEFF JARRETT VS. AARON SOLO &#8211; MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m enjoying Jeff Jarrett\u2019s more serious take on his current character, but Aaron Solo did not deserve to lose in a 90-second squash. I\u2019m not saying Solo deserved to win if AEW truly has plans to use Jeff Jarrett, but if you want to prove that Jarrett can still go in the ring, then the best way to do that is with longer matches.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: I wish that rather than setting his sights on winning AEW gold, Jarrett would set his sights on winning the Owen Hart tournament. Having Jarrett win that would be both poetic and a great capstone to his already historic career.<\/p>\n<p><strong>PRIVATE PARTY VS. LEO RUSH &amp; ACTION ANDRETTI (no team name?) \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This match was solid, and it had more than enough enjoyable moments to garner a \u201chit\u201d from me, but the ending was rough. The referee had to scoot his torso underneath the ring ropes in an awkward attempt to avoid seeing Andretti use both the ropes and Rush\u2019s hand as leverage. Please stop making referees look stupid; it not only cheapens the referees, but it also cheapens the outcomes that they are inevitably involved in deciding.<\/p>\n<p><strong>ADAM COPELAND CUTS A PROMO \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This promo was going well until Adam Copeland invoked kangaroo pouches.<\/p>\n<p><strong>CHRIS JERICHO CUTS A PROMO \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Chris Jericho was lighting up the mic until Copeland interrupted him to remind viewers that this \u201cis the 4th decade you and I will compete against each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>TONI STORM VS. DEONNA PURRAZZO \u2014 MEGA-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Coming fresh out of the entrance of Mercedes Mone\u2019s closet, Deonna Purrazzo and her Gaga-haired friend, Taya Valkyrie, wore high-quality outfits that sparkled as if they\u2019d crashed into an Inch-Of-Gold booth on their way to the ring. Toni Storm wore an outfit that sparkled like a brand-new car because she\u2019s only ever worn that outfit once or twice and never at any other point in her career.<\/p>\n<p>As for the match itself, this was a great use of the respective talents of Storm and Purrazzo. The match capitalized on Storm\u2019s uncanny ability to present her character\u2019s story arcs within the confines of the ring and Purrazzo\u2019s unique ability to work well-paced matches around Storm\u2019s ever-evolving mythology.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: I loved that Toni Storm\u2019s post-match celebration contained subtle aspects of her \u201cTimeless\u201d Toni Storm gimmick without being overly conspicuous about it.<\/p>\n<p>Second Side Note: Valkyrie is the queen of ringside facial expressions.<\/p>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Check out the latest episode of the &#8220;All Elite Conversation Club&#8221; with Joel Dehnel and Gregg Kanner, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/all-elite-conversation-club-dehnel-kanner-review-aew-fight-for-the-fallen-on-max-kenny-omega-return-worlds-end-more--63569881\">CLICK HERE<\/a> to stream (or search \u201cpwtorch\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=63569881&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;playlist-continuous=false&amp;chapters-image=true&amp;episode_image_position=right&amp;hide-logo=false&amp;hide-likes=false&amp;hide-comments=false&amp;hide-sharing=false&amp;hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>CHRISTOPHER DANIELS AND ADAM PAGE FIGHT BACKSTAGE \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I liked the energy both men brought to this segment, and I especially appreciate Hangman\u2019s acting skills here. I am also pretty sure the payoff match for this segment will be fantastic. That said, having Hangman ask Christopher Daniels what he gave to this company (literally his eyeball) was so over-the-top that it verged on absurdity rather than invoking anger.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE ACCLAIMED FIGHT BACKSTAGE \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While Anthony Bowen\u2019s acting outshone Max Caster\u2019s, both men gave good performances here, and unlike the aforementioned Daniels-Hangman spat, their performances made it feel like we were spying on a legitimate disagreement.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: I wish that disagreement did not seemingly revolve around Bill Gunn, but maybe I am mistaken, and they will better clarify their motivations in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n<p><strong>KOMANDER VS. DANTE MARTIN VS. THE BEAST MORTOS VS. BRIAN CAGE \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This match was for \u201c$100,000,\u201d and I\u2019m not sure if those stakes made it better or worse, but if we\u2019re working with entirely fictional numbers, why stop at $100,000? Also, why is a $100,000 match taking place on a show with only 400,000 viewers?<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: It was nice to see Brian Cage get the win here.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FTR CUT A PROMO WITH THE ROCK \u2018N\u2019 ROLL EXPRESS \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The best part of this exchange was watching Dax Harwood\u2019s reaction to Ricky Morton bringing up that time Harwood piledrove him in an attempt to \u201calmost break (his) neck and paralyze (him).\u201d Thankfully, Harwood is an artful promo and managed to tiptoe his way around that proverbial minefield.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE OUTRUNNERS MAKE THEMSELVES PART OF IT \u2014 MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Seeing FTR, The Rock \u2018N\u2019 Roll Express, and The Outrunners in the same promo was a reminder of the differences between the words \u201ctribute\u201d and \u201cparody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>CHRIS JERICHO &amp; BIG BILL &amp; BRYAN KEITH VS. FTR &amp; ADAM COPELAND \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The only thing that kept this from being a \u201cMega-Hit\u201d was the terror I felt when Chris Jericho landed a Lionsault on his face. Other than that, this match was fun, energetic, and it made me hope that we will get Copeland vs. Jericho on a PPV rather than on free TV.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FINAL THOUGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The match-to-storyline ratio of tonight\u2019s show reminded me more of Rampage than Collision, and we don\u2019t need a two-hour Rampage. That said, the matches were fantastic, even if the promos were lackluster. Because of this, I\u2019m going to give this show an A- \u201cmatch-grade\u201d and a D- \u201cstoryline-grade\u201d to come up with an overall average grade of C+.<\/p>\n<p>Match Grade: A-<br \/>\nStoryline Grade: D-<\/p>\n<p>SHOW GRADE: C+<\/p>\n<p><strong>DAVID\u2019S DODGY MATCH RECOMMENDATIONS:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Match of the Night: Toni Storm vs. Deonna Purrazzo<\/li>\n<li>Second Best Match: FTR &amp; Adam Copeland vs. The Learning Forest<\/li>\n<li>Third Best Match: Mark Briscoe vs. Daniel Garcia<\/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, life is what you make it; so, pay attention in shop class and learn to make things because if you don\u2019t, you will die.<\/p>\n<p><em>(David Bryant\u2019s 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 creator of the world\u2019s freshest chicken sandwich, but be careful because it\u2019s alive. Less impressively, David studied screenwriting at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wade Keller Post-show - AEW Dynamite w\/Wade Keller &amp; Chris Maitland\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ncCLc3b8v5s?start=103&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-3603781699\"><div id=\"pwtor-2930342763\"><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 JANUARY 4, 202 CHARLOTTE, N.C. AIRED LIVE ON TNT BY DAVID BRYANT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuiness &#8211; Hey! Welcome back to another edition of my AEW <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/01\/08\/aew-collision-hits-misses-1-4-bryants-assessment-of-toni-storm-vs-deonna-purrazzo-daniels-and-hangmans-backstage-fight-rock-roll-express-appearance-rated-ftr-cope-promo-more\/\" title=\"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (1\/4): Bryant&#8217;s assessment of Toni Storm vs. Deonna Purrazzo, Daniels and Hangman&#8217;s backstage fight, Rock &#038; Roll Express appearance, Rated FTR, Cope promo, more\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":190768,"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-190767","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\/2025\/01\/Screenshot-2025-01-08-at-5.10.44\u202fPM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190767","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=190767"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":190771,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190767\/revisions\/190771"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/190768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}