{"id":216710,"date":"2026-05-19T12:53:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T17:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=216710"},"modified":"2026-05-19T12:53:01","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T17:53:01","slug":"aew-collision-hits-misses-5-16-darby-survives-guevara-briscoe-calls-out-ciampa-red-velvet-vs-willow-for-the-tbs-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/05\/19\/aew-collision-hits-misses-5-16-darby-survives-guevara-briscoe-calls-out-ciampa-red-velvet-vs-willow-for-the-tbs-title\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (5\/16): Darby survives Guevara, Briscoe calls out Ciampa, Red Velvet vs. Willow for the TBS Title"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3188902308\" 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. Each review includes a historical tidbit and a final grade. 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>DARBY ALLIN VS. SAMMY GUEVARA EMBRACED CHAOS THE RIGHT WAY<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Darby Allin and Sammy Guevara have always had natural chemistry together because both wrestlers understand how to create danger without completely losing the structure of the match. This felt reckless in all the right ways while still maintaining escalation and purpose.<\/p>\n<p>The early aggression from Sammy immediately gave the match urgency. Once the fight spilled outside the ring, the crowd fully bought into the idea that neither guy was interested in \u201cwinning pretty.\u201d The ladder spot and missed 630 weren\u2019t just there for shock value, either. The damage and exhaustion actually mattered and became part of the story.<\/p>\n<p>Darby passing out while applying the hold was a tremendous visual and continued the identity of his title reign. He doesn\u2019t feel dominant as much as he feels impossible to kill. That distinction continues making his matches feel different from almost anyone else in the company.<\/p>\n<p>I also thought this was one of Sammy Guevara\u2019s stronger performances in quite some time. The more AEW leans into Sammy as a chaotic and emotionally unstable risk-taker instead of trying to present him as a straightforward babyface, the more compelling he becomes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RED VELVET CONTINUES TO FEEL MORE COMPLETE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>This was a really strong overall weekend for Red Velvet. Between Supercard of Honor and Collision, she came across like someone finally settling comfortably into her role and presentation instead of still trying to figure herself out on national television.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3689877457\" 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>More than anything, she just feels noticeably more confident and polished than she did even two years ago. The promos feel more natural, the in-ring pacing has improved, and AEW\/ROH has done a better job presenting her like someone who belongs in the bigger picture of the Women\u2019s Division rather than simply filling television time.<\/p>\n<p>Her current character work also feels much more defined. There\u2019s more edge, more personality, and a clearer understanding of who she is supposed to be on-screen.<\/p>\n<p>My biggest hope coming out of this weekend is that this momentum eventually translates into more consistent AEW television appearances because this version of Red Velvet feels far more complete than earlier stages of her run.<\/p>\n<p><strong>WILL OSPREAY CONTINUES TO FEEL LIKE A CENTERPIECE STAR<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>AEW has done a strong job lately, making Will Ospreay feel important beyond simply having great matches. The larger dynamic surrounding Jon Moxley, Samoa Joe, and the overall power struggle around the top of the card has added layers to Ospreay\u2019s presentation.<\/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-reunite-to-discuss-owen-hart-cup-brackets-build-for-world-title-vs-hair-match-more--72027834\">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\" title=\"All Elite Conversation Club - Dehnel &amp; Kanner reunite to discuss Owen Hart Cup brackets, build for World Title vs. Hair match, more\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=72027834&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>THE DIVINE DOMINION OPEN CHALLENGE NEVER FULLY CLICKED<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The idea behind Divine Dominion issuing an open challenge isn\u2019t bad on paper, but the segment never really reached the level of importance AEW likely wanted it to. Part of the issue is that the presentation still feels a little undefined compared to some of the stronger acts currently featured on Collision.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2320778657\" 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>The match itself was perfectly fine, but it lacked the energy or stakes needed to truly stand out on a show that otherwise had several stronger character-driven moments. Open challenges work best when either the challenger feels meaningful or the act of issuing the challenge already carries significant weight.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s talent there, and the group still has upside, but this ultimately felt more like television filler than a meaningful progression point.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>FINAL SCORE<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>HITS: 3<\/li>\n<li>MISSES: 1<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>FINAL THOUGHTS: <\/strong>This was another solid episode of Collision that continued AEW\u2019s recent momentum of making the weekly television product feel more focused and purposeful. Darby Allin\u2019s title reign remains one of the most physically compelling acts in the company because every defense feels increasingly unsustainable.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>WRESTLING HISTORY: <\/strong>On this day in 1999, \u201cStone Cold\u201d Steve Austin retained the WWF Championship against The Undertaker and Triple H in an Anything Goes Triple Threat Match at WWF No Mercy, a UK-exclusive pay-per-view held in Manchester, England.<\/p>\n<p><strong>PODCAST PLUG<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Be sure to check out the Collision Caf\u00e9 I host with PWTorch\u2019s Taylor Halley, available exclusively to PWTorch VIP members.<\/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 (5\/13) - AEW Dynamite w\/Keller &amp; Adams\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QAXTC_hT3ag?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-3472007201\"><div id=\"pwtor-973916166\"><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. Each review includes a historical tidbit and a final grade. With that said, let\u2019s move into the high points of this week\u2019s <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/05\/19\/aew-collision-hits-misses-5-16-darby-survives-guevara-briscoe-calls-out-ciampa-red-velvet-vs-willow-for-the-tbs-title\/\" title=\"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (5\/16): Darby survives Guevara, Briscoe calls out Ciampa, Red Velvet vs. Willow for the TBS Title\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":216711,"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-216710","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\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-19-at-12.49.35-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216710","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=216710"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216710\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":216712,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/216710\/revisions\/216712"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/216711"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=216710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=216710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=216710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}