AEW Collision recap & reactions (May 18, 2024): Elite blood money

Saturday night is alright for fighting. AEW Collision (May 18, 2024) emanated from Moda Center in Portland, OR. The show was a blitz of action with eight matches over two hours featuring the Elite putting money in the pocket of mercenaries to injure Bryan Danielson and FTR, Hook battling in the FTW Contender Series, and more.

AEW surged forward with a double-header of Collision and Rampage. This recap will cover the Collision episode. For the Rampage recap, click here.

On to Collision...

Elite blood money

The Elite didn’t make an appearance on Collision, however, their influence was felt in the form of blood money. Lance Archer and The Righteous accepted the bucks from the Young Bucks to hurt Bryan Danielson and FTR before they make it to Anarchy at the Arena at Double or Nothing on May 26 in Las Vegas, NV.

The main event came down to a chaotic finish. FTR hit the powerplex combo on Vincent. Dutch tried to save his partner on the pinfall, but he ended up splashing him instead. Cash Wheeler knocked Dutch out of the ring. Archer lifted Wheeler for the Blackout slam, but Danielson clobbered the Murderhawk Monster with a Busaiku Knee. Dutch returned for a DDT to Danielson. Wheeler did the same to Dutch. The closing sequence saw FTR use flips to win. Dax Harwood caught his partner and lent a helping hand for Wheeler to flip onto his feet, then they pounced for the Shatter Machine on Vincent to win.

After the match, the hooligans decided to earn their blood money. Archer and The Righteous bashed the heroes with chairs. Archer executed the Black Out slam to Wheeler on top of chair. Vincent landed a swanton onto a chair atop Harwood. Daniel Garcia ran in with some steel to make the save as the show concluded.

The trios match was a standard affair with an energetic finish. The bad guys weren’t overly vicious despite the Elite blood money, but they made good on that aspect with the post-match attack. I don’t think Danielson or FTR will be injured in story, but they were definitely tenderized with pain to give the Elite targets at Anarchy in the Arena. I like seeing Gracia squeeze into this story. He could be useful as a backup just in case. I’m curious to see if Garcia feels the wrath of the EVPs for butting in. What if they ban his dancing? The Bucks could justify it as swiveling hips not fit for family programming.

I spoke too soon about injuries. On Rampage, Danielson provided a medical update. FTR are down but not out of Anarchy in the Arena, however, they will be absent for Dynamite. Danielson will be there on Wednesday night, and he urged the Elite to take their shot. The American Dragon warned not to miss, because they won’t like the consequences.

It didn’t take long for the blood money to flow elsewhere. Sonjay Dutt made a monetary deal with the Bucks. It will be Danielson versus Satnam Singh on Dynamite. I love the idea of that spectacle.

FTW Contender Series

In an effort to make Hook earn his rematch, Chris Jericho concocted the FTW Contender Series. Three singles bouts took place on Collision with the winners advancing to Dynamite next week to determine Jericho’s challenger for the For The World Championship at Double or Nothing.

Three up, three down.

Hook defeated Johnny TV. Taya Valkyrie was in tow to cause distractions. Hook overcame Johnny’s athleticism with a series of suplexes. When Johnny had momentum, he missed the mark on Starship Pain. Hook pounced for the Redrum submission to win.

Hook looked sharp dismantling an opponent of Johnny’s caliber. If Taya wasn’t there, Hook might have steamrolled through the Mayor of Slamtown with ease. Jericho better be concerned that Hook is coming for him.

As Hook exited, he crossed paths with Katsuyori Shibata. The pals gave a pound of camaraderie. Whatever tension festered on Wednesday night appears to be relieved.

Katsuyori Shibata defeated Rocky Romero. The Wrestler and Azucar shared respect as friends behind the scenes. They engaged in a submission battle. Shibata applied a nasty knee bar to slow Romero. Shibata blasted a penalty kick, then he secured a figure-four. Romero tapped out with pain on top of pain.

Romero scored enough offense to look good, but this was Shibata’s show. He was never in serious danger of defeat, and his skills were on a higher level.

As Shibata exited, he crossed paths with Bryan Keith. The Bounty Hunter tipped his cap out of respect.

Bryan Keith defeated Boulder. Jacked Jameson ran his mouth insulting the city of Portland. Bronson tried to interfere, but that backfired. Keith took advantage for an over-the-top stunner to win.

There wasn’t much to this match. Keith had a little bit of trouble with the strongman’s strength, but he was too crafty for the meathead crew.

As expected, Hook, Shibata, and Keith will meet in the FTW contender three-way. It seems clear that Keith will eat the loss. The big question on my mind is if Hook and Shibata earn the win at the same time to create a conundrum for Jericho.

Let’s jam through the rest of Collision.

Will Ospreay defeated Shane Taylor. Anthony Ogogo was ringside, and Roderick Strong was flanked by the Kingdom to join commentary. Ospreay started strong with aerial offense, then Taylor got big air of his own on a leapfrog to turn the tide. Outside, Taylor flapped his gums at the Kingdom. Ospreay took advantage to shove the big man into the ROH tag champs, then he threw a glass of water in Strong’s face. Ogogo was creeping on the side to blast Ospreay with a punch to the bread basket.

As the match progressed, Taylor used his power catching a springboard cutter to counter for a spinning piledriver. Taylor climbed the corner, and that was his downfall. Ospreay unloaded kicks, then he lifted Taylor off the turnbuckles for a Storm Breaker to win. Afterward, the Kingdom tried to attack Ospreay, but he laid them out on a dive.

Solid match between two studs. Taylor thrived with power, and Ospreay excelled in the air. This was a strong effort from Taylor to show he’s capable of reaching that upper level despite frequently losing. Ospreay’s strength on the closing maneuver was damn impressive. Ospreay didn’t fool around with the Tiger Driver ‘91 drama. Since it’s part of the story, we need an explanation. I’m curious if he had doubts about executing the move on such a large man or if he is making way over that mental hurdle until the title fight with Strong.

Orange Cassidy defeated Isiah Kassidy. Finesse turned to aggression when Trent Beretta strolled to his front row seat. Kassidy had the edge down the stretch after a Silly String off the referee’s back and a swanton, but that wasn’t enough to finish Cassidy. OC sandbagged then exploded for a Beach Break to win. Afterward, Trent was interviewed about how he believes that he is a better wrestler than Cassidy. He challenged OC to a straight up wrestling match at the PPV. Cassidy attacked Trent like a sociopath. Don Callis was watching backstage and liked what he saw.

Very good match. The activity transitioned well as intensity increased through the fight. The Silly String spot with the ref with executed with creativity. Kassidy looked like a dork losing in that manner, and Cassidy looked like a genius with his tactics to set up the winning move.

Serena Deeb defeated Anna Jay. Deeb aggressively targeted Jay’s knee. Jay put up a tough effort to make it competitive. She even almost snatched victory with the Queen Slayer choke. As Deeb was getting cocky on elbow drops to the knee, Jay grabbed her neck for the submission. The Professor rolled the position over to escape, and she went back to work. Her strategy paid off with a single-leg crab to win. Afterward, Toni Storm wore the Deeb’s Dojo flag as a towel to taunt her PPV opponent.

Deeb handled business in impressive fashion. Jay’s Queen Slayer was effective in adding a little bit of drama. The moment came unexpectedly, so it grabbed my attention.

Nick Wayne defeated Jack Cartwheel. Backstage prior to the bout, we were informed that Wayne will wrestle Swerve Strickland on Dynamite. Wayne spoke to Christian Cage about growing from a boy to a man. He believes he can beat Swerve on his own. The patriarch gave a fatherly smile at his son growing up.

Wayne met Cartwheel for a match. Cartwheel lived up to his name with cartwheels, but he crashed on the floor when Wayne dodged a cartwheel dive over the ropes. Wayne seized control with a springboard cutter. Instead of making the pin, he sent a message to taunt Swerve. Wayne closed with the House Call kick.

I was hoping for a hot clash of young guns blazing athleticism, however, this encounter was more to service the larger Swerve story. It was basically a throwaway match with each wrestler shining a few flashy moves to make an impression. Wayne received the rub to build toward his showdown with Swerve.

Notes: Jon Moxley addressed his PPV match against Konosuke Takeshita. The Alpha is a blue chipper trying to put a notch on his belt. Well, Moxley plays for blood. Claudio Castagnoli was tired of cutting promos. He proves himself in the ring. Nobody will make a name off the Blackpool Combat Club.

PAC brooded in the red light district. He couldn’t care less about Jay White’s threats. PAC hasn’t felt anything in weeks. He dared the Bang Bang Gang to make him care.

Switchblade took that suggestion to heart. Later in the show, Bullet Club Gold revealed the Bastard’s body knocked out cold on stage.

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Stud of the Show: Hook

The cold-hearted handsome devil made mincemeat out of Johnny TV.

Match of the Night: Orange Cassidy vs. Isiah Kassidy

Slickness and quickness for a rowdy affair. I wasn’t expecting this to be the standout match, so applause to Cassidy and Kassidy.

Grade: B-

Fine action all around. This episode felt more like a house show with loose story elements in an effort to pump up meaning for the matches.

Share your thoughts about Collision. How do you rate it? What were your favorite moments from the show?