{"id":192222,"date":"2025-02-04T11:56:19","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T17:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=192222"},"modified":"2025-02-04T14:44:08","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T20:44:08","slug":"aew-collision-hits-misses-2-1-timeless-toni-storm-steals-show-again-hook-joe-vs-wayne-sabian-harley-cameron-ftr-vs-yuta-moxley-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/02\/04\/aew-collision-hits-misses-2-1-timeless-toni-storm-steals-show-again-hook-joe-vs-wayne-sabian-harley-cameron-ftr-vs-yuta-moxley-more\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (2\/1): &#8220;Timeless&#8221; Toni Storm steals show again, Hook &#038; Joe vs. Wayne &#038; Sabian, Harley Cameron, FTR vs. Yuta &#038; Moxley, more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3276361842\" 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 \/>\nFEBRUARY 1, 2025<br \/>\nHUNTSVILLE, ALA.<br \/>\nAIRED ON TNT AND MAX<br \/>\nBY DAVID BRYANT, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR<\/h3>\n<p><em>Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Nigel McGuiness<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\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>I\u2019m sorry I wasn\u2019t here for you guys, gals, and other pals last week, but I was working on my fianc\u00e9\u2019s K1-Visa application, and Mr. Keller was very gracious in allowing me the week off. He really is one of the best bosses you could ever work for, and I\u2019m not just saying that because there\u2019s a good chance he might read this.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of reading, it is once again time to read Collision.<\/p>\n<p>I mean review Collision.<\/p>\n<p>It is time to review Collision for filth.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>HOOK &amp; SAMOA JOE vs. NICK WAYNE &amp; KIP SABIAN (w\/The Other \u201cDaddy Magic\u201d) \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This week\u2019s episode of AEW Collision opened to a hardy crowd of enthusiastic seats and about a thousand fans who stuck around after last week\u2019s Dynamite. I assume many of those fans were there to bask in the \u201cbattle of the twinks\u201d that opened the show. Now, while we did get that aforementioned battle and while it was indeed a baskful one, I was hoping for something clean and honest that would deliver for the fans, but unfortunately, Hook decided to cheat by wearing black underwear beneath his trunks.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1052391757\" 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>Bad form.<\/p>\n<p>Side note: Watching Kip Sabian slip off the top rope in spectacular fashion was an entertaining moment, but for the safety of the wrestlers, please stop greasing the ropes (I assume that\u2019s the issue. I mean, this is the same company that looked at rounded ring posts and asked, \u201cHow can we make these more dangerous?\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>Second Side Note: Tony Schiavone should be ashamed of himself because, in the middle of the match, he tried to remove his wedding ring while talking about Momma Cougar. Thankfully, the noble Nigel McGuinness caught him in the \u201cNick\u201d of time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>POST-MATCH BEATDOWN \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After the match, The Patriarchy went all \u201cDeath Rides\u201d on Hook and Joe, except that unlike Jon Moxley, when Christian cuts a promo about it, you won\u2019t need to hire a psychic to decipher the words for you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SPEAKING OF WOEFUL PROMOS \u2014 MEGA-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Coming to us live from the inside of an electric cigarette lighter, Edge\u2026 I mean Cope\u2026 I mean Precpice\u2026 No. Wait. Precipice isn\u2019t a one-syllable name.<\/p>\n<p>Cliff cut one of the best promos we\u2019ve heard from him since his arrival in AEW. The only note I have is that, and this is only my opinion, Cliff should refrain from calling Jon Moxley a \u201ckid.\u201d We get it, Edge is in his 50s, but let&#8217;s not highlight that for the same reasons I don\u2019t start conversations with, \u201cHi! I chose these shoes because I\u2019m 5\u20196.\u201d<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-642939830\" 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 feel like this well-executed promo would have had even more impact had The Death Riders been more omnipresent in every aspect of the show. If you\u2019re going to do a story like this, go all in. Have them ruin everyone\u2019s lives. Make them feel like an existential crisis in the battle of the conscience of AEW\u2019s soul.<\/p>\n<p>At first, it felt like AEW was going to do this, and then AEW saw a butterfly and wandered off.<\/p>\n<p>Second Side Note: While giving us fans this \u201cfirst-ever\u201d match-up makes sense, don\u2019t end the match by putting the title on Cliff. Not yet, at least. Beating Moxley is one of the most prestigious things an AEW wrestler can do, and there are so many younger wrestlers in the company (wrestlers who will be with AEW for years to come) who have ample time left on their bump cards to repay AEW ten-fold for the benefits of such a victory.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE BEAST MORTOS vs. ADAM PRIEST \u2014 MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Adam Priest (who you may remember from such wrestling classics as the April 5, 2021 edition of Dark Elevation) was completely obliterated by The Beast Mortos (who you may remember from some such wrestling classics as ideas Vince Russo would have said no to) in a 60-second squash match.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: I care far more about Adam Priest than I do The Beast Mortos because I still have not been given a reason to care about The Beast Mortos who looks like a character from Arcania and not like a thing that exists in real life. Maybe they explained his personality and motivations vividly on an episode of Ring of Honor or some other form of shoulder content, but I try my best not to drive along the shoulder of highways because it is meant to be used for emergencies and because using it in any other circumstance is illegal.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RUSH VS. MAX \u201cTHE MOST CRAPTASTICAL WRESTLER ALIVE\u201d CASTER \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While I\u2019ve not been given a ton of reasons to root for Rush (outside of a handful of Quentin Tarantino outtakes), I have been given a heaping helping of reasons to root against Max \u201cThe Cheugiest Wrestler Alive\u201d Caster after he betrayed the patron saint of creatine, Anthony Bowens.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LEXY NAIR INTERVIEWS THE OUTRUNNERS \u2014 MEGA-MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>No. None of this. Everything about this is wrong.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE LEARNING FOREST vs. THE OUTRUNNERS \u2014 HIT (BECAUSE THE OUTRUNNERS LOST)<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This match wasn\u2019t perfect (Although, Chris Jericho\u2019s \u201cHi Guys\u201d-ranna was hilarious), but at least The Outrunners did not win. Don\u2019t get me wrong, The Outrunners\u2019 in-ring skills are fine \u2014 heck, they are more than fine \u2014 it is just that everything else about them is awful.<\/p>\n<p><strong>REDWOOD GETS C\u2014BLOCKED FROM SLAMMING THE OUTRUNNERS THROUGH A TABLE \u2014 NOOOO!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After the match, Redwood and Bad Apple were about to do the world a favor by slamming The Outrunners back to the decade from which they came. However, for some reason I do not yet understand, Bandido showed up and slammed Mr. Apple through the table instead.<\/p>\n<p>Why?<\/p>\n<p>Why in God\u2019s name would AEW deny us the spectacular image of the decimation of The Outrunners? Just because the Royal Rumble is on opposite of this broadcast, doesn\u2019t mean we don\u2019t also deserve nice things, too.<\/p>\n<p><strong>LEXY NAIR INTERVIEWS OKADA \u2014 HIT\u2026-ISH<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This would have been a fine promo interruption (does any promo in AEW ever go uninterrupted?), except that Buddy Matthews\u2019 laugh sounds about as authentic as the acceptance of a Jumbotron proposal.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: \u201cHounds of Hell\u201d sounds like a name the Hells Angels thought about for two seconds and rejected. Can we please go with \u201cThe House of Hearts\u201d or literally anything else that doesn\u2019t sound like a Marilyn Manson B-Side?<\/p>\n<p><strong>HALREY CAMERON vs. TAYA VALKYRIE \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Taya Valkyrie is the queen of facial expressions and her gift for always finding the right camera to make eye contact with borders on the supernatural. The way Valkyrie seethed with anger and astonishment after Harley Cameron\u2019s victory did as much to put over Cameron as the pinfall itself.<\/p>\n<p>As for Cameron, she is bordering on having one of those rare \u201clightning in a bottle\u201d moments that Tony Khan desperately needs to cork but never does. This match literally got a \u201cFeel the Wrath\u201d chant. While I\u2019m not yet convinced that Cameron can do quite as much for the AEW Women\u2019s Division as Toni Storm, Mariah May, Britt Baker, and Thunder Rosa, I\u2019m also not convinced she can\u2019t.<\/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-talk-kenny-omega-s-return-match-samoa-joe-returns-and-wtf-was-that-jarrett-promo--63734055\">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=63734055&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>RENEE PAQUETTE SITS DOWN AND THEN STANDS UP FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH RICOCHET \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Ricochet said all of the right things in this promo, but his voice sounds like a Charles Dicken\u2019s character. That has always been a bit of a problem with him, to be honest. Still, this new murderous, felonious, and some-how-not-in-jailious version of him is the most interesting version of him he\u2019s ever been.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SWERVE TAKES RENEE\u2019S SEAT TO CONTINUE THE INTERVIEW \u2014 MEGA-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Swerve Strickland interrupted Renee Paquette and took her seat to continue the interview (because that\u2019s how journalism works), and things quickly escalated to the close proximity of murder in the 2nd degree. Typically, I would take off \u201chit\u201d points for something like that, but given that this is AEW, it would be more unusual for a segment to not involve death threats.<\/p>\n<p>You know what?<\/p>\n<p>At this point, I\u2019m on the verge of just accepting that AEW\u2019s Universe takes place in the same universe as the Purge if the purge part never ended.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cTIMELESS\u201d TONI STORM STEALS THE SHOW AGAIN \u2014 MEGA-MEGA-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Now in her \u201cMildred Pierce\u201d era, Toni Storm literally stepped back into the spotlight in an on-stage segment that featured her struggling to do the \u201cToni Time\u201d sign, assuring fans that she really was the one who played that \u201cyoung girl in the red shorts,\u201d and wearing Ingrid Bergman\u2019s hair from the 1946 film \u201cNotorious\u201d but bigger.<\/p>\n<p>This was everything I could have ever wanted from such a segment. In fact, even the camerawork was some of AEW\u2019s best camera work to date. I have no additional notes to add, except: more of this, please.<\/p>\n<p><strong>HARLEY CAMERON MAKES MERCEDES LOOK LIKE A DUMMY \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As a massive fan of Randy Feltface, I could not have enjoyed this segment more; however, I have no idea how normal people felt.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DANIEL GARCIA vs. LEE MORIARTY vs. KYLE O\u2019REILLY \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There was nothing overtly wrong with this match except that it took place without any obvious explanation as to why Daniel Garcia would agree to put himself in a situation where he did not have to be pinned to lose his title.<\/p>\n<p>Side Note: It looks like the point of this match was to lead to another clustermatch next week. Joy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>HOLOGRAM INTERACTS WITH THE CGI TEAM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FLASH MOVIE \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While this video looked entirely out of place in AEW (or in any facet of the real world), I hope AEW continues to explain to me why and how Hologram can shoot space dust from his fingertips. Yes, I know; it is not the best backstory, but at this point, I will take any backstory over nothing at all.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MEGAN BAYNE vs. HYENA HERA \u2014 MISS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I have nothing against Megan Bayne (She is good in the ring and looks intimidating), but three squashes in one show are two squashes too many.<\/p>\n<p><strong>KRIS STATLANDER HAS ANOTHER CHANGE OF HEART \u2014 MINOR-HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kris Statlander\u2019s character changes hearts more often than Dick Cheney.<\/p>\n<p><strong>JON MOXLEY &amp; WHEELER YUTA vs. FTR \u2014 HIT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Wheeler Yuta came out to the ring with a chest that looked like it had been absolutely blistered by chops, and I imagine that is how his friends help him \u201cwarm up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As for the match itself, this one was consistently entertaining, and even though I could have done without the bolt cutters to the nose and without Wheeler Yuta taking the pinfall, both of those things should have been expected by now. Plus, FTR\u2019s in-ring storytelling ability is impeccable and meshes well with Jon Moxley\u2019s. All three of those men are true artists, and this match allowed all three of them to showcase that artistry \u2014 full-stop.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FINAL THOUGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This show had too many squash matches, and while the main event was very enjoyable, a show is more than just its main event. For that reason, I\u2019m giving its overall match grade a \u201cC.\u201d On the other hand, it has been nice to see more storytelling added into AEW Collision. I was unable to review last week\u2019s show, but had I been able to, I would have given its storylines an \u201cA+.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This week\u2019s storytelling wasn\u2019t quite as in-depth as last week\u2019s, but you can\u2019t have big storyline reveals every week. (Can you believe that girl in the red shorts was played by Toni Storm??? Good gracious, she is good.) Therefore, I will give this week\u2019s storylines a solid \u201cB\u201d due to the outstanding promo delivered by \u201cTimeless\u201d Toni Storm.<\/p>\n<p>So, if on a 7-point grading scale, a solid \u201cC\u201d is the equivalent of an 81 and a solid \u201cB\u201d is the equivalent of an 89, that averages out to an overall show grade of 85, which is the equivalent of a \u201cB-\u201d<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Overall Match Grade: C<\/li>\n<li>Overall Storylines Grade: B<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>SHOW GRADE: B-<\/p>\n<p><strong>DAVID\u2019S DODGY MATCH RECOMMENDATIONS:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Match of the Night: Jon Moxley &amp; Wheeler Yuta vs. FTR<\/li>\n<li>Second Best Match: Daniel Garcia vs. Lee Moriarty vs. Kyle O\u2019Reilly<\/li>\n<li>Third Best Match: Harley Cameron vs. Taya Valkyrie<\/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, you can\u2019t spell the word shame without the word ham. And also me. And sha.<\/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 juggling 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 permanent deodorant, which I swear is not soldered on Saran Wrap. 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; Darrin Lilly\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oZknutfR3nI?start=6&#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-3784801886\"><div id=\"pwtor-566288156\"><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 FEBRUARY 1, 2025 HUNTSVILLE, ALA. AIRED ON TNT AND MAX 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\/2025\/02\/04\/aew-collision-hits-misses-2-1-timeless-toni-storm-steals-show-again-hook-joe-vs-wayne-sabian-harley-cameron-ftr-vs-yuta-moxley-more\/\" title=\"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (2\/1): &#8220;Timeless&#8221; Toni Storm steals show again, Hook &#038; Joe vs. Wayne &#038; Sabian, Harley Cameron, FTR vs. Yuta &#038; Moxley, more\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":192223,"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-192222","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\/2025\/02\/Screenshot-2025-02-04-at-11.47.26\u202fAM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192222","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=192222"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":192224,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192222\/revisions\/192224"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/192223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}