{"id":211504,"date":"2026-02-03T12:48:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T18:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=211504"},"modified":"2026-02-04T12:47:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T18:47:05","slug":"aew-collision-hits-misses-1-31-ciampa-debuts-with-tnt-title-win-the-rascalz-arrive-hair-vs-hair-set-for-grand-slam-australia-womens-tag-titles-headline-the-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/02\/03\/aew-collision-hits-misses-1-31-ciampa-debuts-with-tnt-title-win-the-rascalz-arrive-hair-vs-hair-set-for-grand-slam-australia-womens-tag-titles-headline-the-show\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (1\/31):\u00a0 Ciampa Debuts with TNT Title Win, The Rascalz Arrive, Hair vs. Hair Set for Grand Slam Australia, Women\u2019s Tag Titles Headline the show"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-873045533\" 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><p>To help you add context, my \u201cHits\u201d are ordered from best to worst. With that said, let\u2019s move into the high points of this week\u2019s episode, starting with the most significant moments.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>HITS<\/h3>\n<p><strong>TOMMASO CIAMPA\u2019S TNT TITLE DEBUT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Collision delivered its strongest statement of the year with Tommaso Ciampa debuting and immediately capturing the TNT Championship. AEW didn\u2019t slow-walk his arrival or frame it as a curiosity \u2014 this was a decisive, confident booking. Ciampa was presented as a player from the moment he stepped into the spotlight, and on a show still carving out its identity, moments like this matter. This wasn\u2019t just a surprise pop; it was a declaration of intent.<\/p>\n<p><strong>THE RASCALZ ESTABLISH RHYTHM AND PURPOSE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz brought urgency and cohesion to Collision\u2019s tag division. Their performance didn\u2019t feel like a nostalgia act or a soft reintroduction \u2014 it felt like a team stepping into a clearly defined role. Collision benefits when tag teams feel intentional rather than interchangeable, and The Rascalz accomplished that without overcomplicating things.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DARBY ALLIN\u2013GABE KIDD FEUD CONTINUES<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Darby Allin\u2019s victory over Clark Connors was solid, but the segment truly clicked once Gabe Kidd entered the picture. The post-match involvement reframed the bout into something personal and volatile \u2014 familiar terrain for Darby, but effective when executed with purpose.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MIXED TAG HAIR VS. HAIR MATCH<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2272290210\" 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>Orange Cassidy &amp; Toni Storm teaming against Gino Medina &amp; Lady Bird Monroe initially came off as light and character-driven, but the real weight arrived after the bell. Marina Shafir and Wheeler Yuta\u2019s involvement shifted the segment from filler to friction, directly setting up Storm\u2019s challenge and locking in the Grand Slam Australia stipulation. The hair vs. hair element adds genuine drama \u2014 especially with someone like Yuta involved, whose presentation is tied to seriousness and control. With no obvious \u201csafe\u201d pin among the four, the outcome feels legitimately unpredictable.<\/p>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>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-discuss-strong-world-title-picture-andrade-stepping-up-tommaso-ciampa-debut-more--69711946\">CLICK HERE<\/a> to stream (or search \u201cpwtorch\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"All Elite Conversation Club - Dehnel &amp; Kanner discuss strong world title picture, Andrade stepping up, Tommaso Ciampa debut, more\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=69711946&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<h3>MISSES<\/h3>\n<p><strong>WOMEN\u2019S TAG MAIN EVENT<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>AEW deserves credit for trusting the Women\u2019s Tag Team Division with the main event, and Babes of Wrath defending against the Sisters of Sin felt important on paper. Unfortunately, the match itself struggled to justify that placement. The action leaned heavily on spots and, at times, felt unorganized, with sequences that didn\u2019t always flow or build to a satisfying conclusion. When a match closes the show, structure matters as much as representation. The intention was right \u2014 the execution didn\u2019t fully support the statement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>INTERNATIONAL TITLE MATCH<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kazuchika Okada, defending the AEW International Title against Adam Priest, showcased clean execution, and Priest continues to prove he\u2019s a very good worker. However, the match lacked purpose within the larger Collision framework. There was little urgency, minimal narrative framing, and no clear sense of consequence before or after the bell. Okada elevates any ring he steps into, but title matches should feel like chapters, not exhibitions. Without context or follow-through, this came across as wrestling for wrestling\u2019s sake rather than a meaningful step forward for the championship.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>FINAL SCORE<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3584937854\" 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<ul>\n<li>HITS: 4<\/li>\n<li>MISSES: 2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>FINAL THOUGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Collision\u2019s Jan. 31 episode succeeded where it mattered most \u2014 it created moments with consequences. Ciampa\u2019s debut reshaped the TNT Title picture, Darby Allin gained a clear conflict, and the mixed tag team match smartly laid the groundwork for Grand Slam Australia with real stakes and uncertainty.<\/p>\n<p>Where the show stumbled was less about philosophy and more about execution and intent. The women\u2019s tag main event deserved its position but didn\u2019t fully capitalize on it, while the International Title match highlighted the danger of strong wrestling without narrative weight.<\/p>\n<p><strong>WRESTLING HISTORY<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On this day in 2015, at London\u2019s SSE Wembley Arena, Kurt Angle forced Bobby Lashley to submit, capturing the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.<\/p>\n<p><strong>PODCAST PLUG<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Be sure to check out the Collision Caf\u00e9 I host with PWTorch\u2019s Amin Ajani, available exclusively to PWTorch VIP members (sign up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorchvipinfo.com\/\">HERE<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Did you know you can read an ad-free, silky-smooth-loading version of this website with a PWTorch VIP Membership? Also, unlock 35+ years of archives including nearly 2,000 PWTorch Weekly Newsletters dating back to the late 1980s, hundreds of retro radio shows from the 1990s, and two decades of podcasts including Post-PPV Roundtable Podcasts dating back to the mid-2000s. Plus, new VIP-exclusive articles and podcasts throughout the week, fully compatible with the native Apple Podcasts app.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorchvipinfo.com\/\">CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS ON VIP MEMBERSHIP<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wade Keller Post-show (1\/28) - AEW Dynamite w\/Keller &amp; Kuester\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ubVkIBhJhlo?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-3203267323\"><div id=\"pwtor-2846452766\"><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>To help you add context, my \u201cHits\u201d are ordered from best to worst. With that said, let\u2019s move into the high points of this week\u2019s episode, starting with the most significant moments. HITS TOMMASO CIAMPA\u2019S <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/02\/03\/aew-collision-hits-misses-1-31-ciampa-debuts-with-tnt-title-win-the-rascalz-arrive-hair-vs-hair-set-for-grand-slam-australia-womens-tag-titles-headline-the-show\/\" title=\"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (1\/31):\u00a0 Ciampa Debuts with TNT Title Win, The Rascalz Arrive, Hair vs. Hair Set for Grand Slam Australia, Women\u2019s Tag Titles Headline the show\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":211505,"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-211504","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\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-03-at-12.37.26-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211504","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=211504"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":211507,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/211504\/revisions\/211507"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/211505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=211504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=211504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=211504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}