{"id":221312,"date":"2026-08-24T11:12:43","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T16:12:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=221312"},"modified":"2026-08-24T11:12:43","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T16:12:43","slug":"aew-collision-hits-misses-8-22-claudio-and-oreilly-advance-to-continental-challenge-cup-semi-finals-bang-bang-gang-answer-stps-open-challenge-willow-retains-against-maya-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/08\/24\/aew-collision-hits-misses-8-22-claudio-and-oreilly-advance-to-continental-challenge-cup-semi-finals-bang-bang-gang-answer-stps-open-challenge-willow-retains-against-maya-more\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (8\/22): Claudio and O\u2019Reilly advance to Continental Challenge Cup semi-finals, Bang Bang Gang answer STP\u2019s open challenge, Willow retains against Maya, more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3580309527\" 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 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.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>HITS<\/h2>\n<p><strong>OSPREAY-OMEGA VIDEO PACKAGE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>AEW did an excellent job putting together the video package on the history between Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega. Going back to their time in PWG, through New Japan, and now AEW showed how long their paths have been connected. It wasn\u2019t just a collection of highlights. The package explained how their relationship went from mutual respect to resentment and why this match has become so personal.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NIGEL MCGUINNESS AND WILL OSPREAY<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I hadn\u2019t thought about the possibility of Nigel McGuinness and Will Ospreay interacting before All In, but this was really well done. These types of filmed backstage interactions can sometimes feel staged, but this sounded exactly like how these two would speak to each other. I loved how Will put over Nigel\u2019s chances in the Continental Challenge Cup, while Nigel made it clear that Will needs to beat Kenny Omega at Wembley. It also made me wonder if this could be the beginning of a friendship, especially if Will needs friends against the Death Riders down the road.<\/p>\n<p><strong>CONTINENTAL CHALLENGE CUP SEMIFINAL DRAW<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Continental Challenge Cup semifinal draw gave us two interesting matches for Dynamite, but it was the Death Riders\u2019 reaction that stood out to me. Wheeler Yuta complained about Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli having to face each other until Moxley told him to shut up. Claudio responding with \u201cSucks for who?\u201d was even better. In one short segment, AEW showed the difference between all three personalities without forcing tension that wasn\u2019t there. Kyle O\u2019Reilly facing Nigel McGuinness in Glasgow also gives the other semifinal a natural story after O\u2019Reilly had to beat two of his closest friends to advance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>CONTINUED PRESENTATION OF NICK WAYNE<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-4135823815\" 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>Nick Wayne went to war with Bandido at Death Before Dishonor and then wrestled again the following night on Collision. That performance could have easily been forgotten in the shuffle, especially in an era when \u201cbanger fatigue\u201d is a real thing. Instead, AEW has kept Wayne on television over the last few weeks and continued giving him meaningful moments. That is not easy with the amount of talent on this roster. Wayne getting the victory before Tommaso Ciampa shoved him down after the match also gave AEW another direction to explore with him.<\/p>\n<p><strong>DEPTH \u00a0OF THE\u00a0TRIOS DIVISION<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m still skeptical about how long AEW can keep this momentum going, and I\u2019m not sure the trios division would be the best way to introduce Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods if they debut. Still, AEW is showing how much depth the division has built. The Dogs, The Demand, and the Bang Bang Gang are all circling the current champions, The Good, The Bad &amp; The Ugly. The division suddenly has several credible teams and different directions AEW can take coming out of All In.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\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-aew-dynamite-including-omega-turns-up-the-heat-against-ospreay--74538222\">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 talk AEW Dynamite including Omega turns up the heat against Ospreay\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=74538222&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\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>MISSES<\/h2>\n<p><strong>MAYA WORLD\u2019S LACK OF ALL IN DIRECTION<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Maya World had a good main event with Willow Nightingale, but she still doesn\u2019t have an opponent for All In. The lack of direction for the TBS Title this close to the show is disappointing. I worry this ends with a random interaction on the go-home Dynamite followed by a match graphic. Maya and AEW\u2019s creative team are capable of giving the title something better than that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>MOTOR CITY MACHINE GUNS LOSE MOMENTUM<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>AEW rolled out the red carpet for the Motor City Machine Guns when they debuted in Detroit, but there has been very little meaningful follow-up since then. They appeared in one backstage promo, but three weeks later, they still haven\u2019t wrestled and aren\u2019t advertised for All In. Unless one of them is injured or AEW has something bigger planned after Wembley, it feels like a lack of focus. You only get one opportunity to capitalize on a debut, and some of the excitement surrounding theirs has already started to fade.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2166079797\" 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<hr \/>\n<p><strong>FINAL SCORE<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>HITS: 5<\/li>\n<li>MISSES: 2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>FINAL THOUGHTS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>With All In eight days away, Collision did a good job filling in some of the details before Wembley. The Ospreay-Omega video package was the highlight for me, while the Continental Challenge Cup continues to give the show a purpose.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>WRESTLING HISTORY<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>On this day in 2015 \u2013 NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn took place at Barclays Center. Bayley defeated Sasha Banks to win the NXT Women\u2019s Championship in a match that remains one of the most celebrated women\u2019s matches in WWE history.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wade Keller Post-show (8\/19) - AEW Dynamite w\/Keller &amp; Kuester\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/I9dbvIfFsak?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-1767965238\"><div id=\"pwtor-1873240549\"><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 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. HITS OSPREAY-OMEGA VIDEO PACKAGE AEW did an excellent job putting <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/08\/24\/aew-collision-hits-misses-8-22-claudio-and-oreilly-advance-to-continental-challenge-cup-semi-finals-bang-bang-gang-answer-stps-open-challenge-willow-retains-against-maya-more\/\" title=\"AEW COLLISION HITS &#038; MISSES (8\/22): Claudio and O\u2019Reilly advance to Continental Challenge Cup semi-finals, Bang Bang Gang answer STP\u2019s open challenge, Willow retains against Maya, more\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":221315,"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_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,28,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-221312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists_hitsandmisses","category-specialists"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/08\/Screenshot-2026-08-24-at-11.10.52-AM.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221312","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=221312"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":221316,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221312\/revisions\/221316"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/221315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}