The intense rivalry between FTR & Daniel Garcia and The House of Black came to a head Saturday night on AEW Collision in a six-man tag team elimination steel cage match.

That main event headlined a broadcast that also featured a dream bout between Bryan Danielson and New Japan Pro-Wrestling legend Yuji Nagata, tag team action featuring Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli, plus Serena Deeb's first match since 2022.

Who emerged victorious from the unforgiving confines of the steel cage in the main event?

Find out with this recap of the January 27 broadcast.

Match Card

Announced in advance of Saturday's show:

• Escape The Cage elimination match: FTR & Daniel Garcia vs. House of Black
• Bryan Danielson vs. Yuji Nagata
• Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli vs. Lee Moriarty and Shane Taylor
• AEW Continental Crown Championship Eliminator: Eddie Kingston vs. Willie Mack
• Serena Deeb in action
• AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy vs. Komander
• Mariah May vs. Lady Frost

Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli vs. Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty

Just 24 hours after Jon Moxley extended his hand in a sign of respect to Lee Moriarty, only to be jumped and beaten down by the young star and former Ring of Honor TV champion Shane Taylor, he was joined by Claudio Castagnoli for a tag team match against the heels.

A good, physical bout saw Moriarty nearly defeat Moxley after countering his trademark choke with a bridging pin. Instead, Blackpool Combat Club fought its way back into the match, and Moxley submitted Taylor for the win.

If nothing else, this was a showcase for Moriarty, who has flirted with BCC before and would make a perfect addition to the group. While that may not be the direction things are headed right now after he jumped Moxley on Rampage, it is something Tony Khan and the creative forces can revisit because it fits really well.

Inject a little TaigaStyle into Blackpool Combat Club.

Result

Moxley and Castagnoli defeated Taylor and Moriarty

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Moxley nursed an injured hand, allowing the heels to seize control by isolating Castagnoli.
• Castagnoli wore Taylor down with a barrage of clotheslines, sending him to the floor.
• Moriarty countered Moxley's bulldog choke, proving he learned something in his loss to the former world champion one night earlier.

AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy vs. Komander

Komander won a Four-Way match on Rampage to earn a shot at Orange Cassidy's AEW International Championship.

The match that resulted was...not as good as one may have expected.

Cassidy has proved an ability to have a quality match with wrestlers of varying styles and backgrounds, but this was a clash of styles that resulted in an exchange of moves and spots more than a cohesive contest.

The presence of Roderick Strong, Matt Taven and Mike Bennett at ringside not only continued to sell the story of the former challenging Cassidy for the international title but also set up the finish, which saw Komander wipe them out at ringside, only to eat the Orange Punch from the champ.

Some will like the match more than others, but it felt very much like a disjointed matchup.

Result

Cassidy defeated Komander to retain

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Strong, Bennett and Taven interrupted the proceedings, arriving at ringside entering the commercial break.
• Komander's awkward submission attempt gave way to a roll-up from Cassidy in a spot that did not work.
• The torque on Komander's hurricanrana to Cassidy was super-impressive.

Mariah May vs Lady Frost

Prior to the commercial, Daniel Garcia was found beaten down and bloodied by an unknown assailant.

"Daddy Magic" Matt Menard, vocal in his displeasure with Garcia turning his back on his former Jericho Appreciation Society teammates, found him.

Suspicious, eh?

Back in the arena, Mariah May squared off with Lady Frost.

The match was perfectly acceptable, with a few quality spots, but it had one significant issue: Frost shined more than May. So much so that fans openly chanted for her late. And while she was the babyface in the match, it was more in appreciation for her showing than because they wanted her to beat a villain.

May is talented, but this is one instance where a competitive match was not necessary. Give her fodder, let her beat up on them for a few minutes and pick up a mostly uncontested win.

Not everything has to be a back-and-forth battle and that was on full display here.

Result

May defeated Frost

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• "Timeless" Toni Storm scoffed at appearing in Bossier City, Lousiana, claiming, "I am not welcome in Bossier City. I had some race horses there that had to be put down." More fun stuff from the best character in All Elite Wrestling.
• A poor attempt at a "Suplex City" chant followed an exchange of German suplexes. "A" for effort, at least. 
• May's bump off of Frost's aforementioned suplex was fantastic.
• Chants of "Lady Frost" broke out, which was somewhat problematic based on the intent of this match.

Eddie Kingston vs. Willie Mack

In the arena, Ring of Honor, NJPW STRONG Openweight and AEW continental champion Eddie Kingston battled Willie Mack in a Proving Ground match in which a victory for the latter would put him in title contention.

A sprint of a bout saw Mack push Kingston with some impactful offense, but the American Triple Crown champion utilized his spinning back fist to score the victory.

More important than the match was the interaction after, which saw Bryan Danielson disrespectfully interrupt Kingston's celebration, blowing past him as if he was an afterthought.

It intensified the dislike the babyface has for The American Dragon while also suggesting that the issues between them are far from settled, despite Kingston's victory at Worlds End.

Result

Kingston defeated Mack

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Swerve Strickland selected "Hangman" Adam Page's opponent for Wednesday's Dealer's Choice: Gates of Agony's Toa Liona.
• The look on Kingston's face as Danielson made his entrance was that of a man trying desperately not to lose his cool, knowing full well that is what his rival wants.

Yuji Nagata vs. Bryan Danielson

From the moment Bryan Danielson vs. Yuji Nagata was announced for Saturday's show, there had been noticeable excitement.

Both are among the most respected pro wrestlers in the world and, while there will be some who overrate the match and tout it as a TV classic, it mostly lived up to expectations.

It was a hard-hitting, physically violent contest that saw Danielson target the left knee of his opponent while Nagata punished the left arm of The American Dragon.

Both tried submitting the other, but it was ultimately the Busaiku Knee that put Nagata down and earned Danielson the victory.

A great match that continued the heel's legendary run of in-ring quality, and it also saw Kingston sit in on commentary and talk up the feud with Danielson.

Result

Danielson defeated Nagata by pinfall

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

• On commentary, Kingston said he could throw everything away by snapping at any time and beating down Danielson.
• Nagata is 55 years old and out here having physical matches like this.
• Danielson countered Nagata's crossface with a knee bar, working on the left limb he had targeted throughout the match.

Serena Deeb vs. Robyn Renegade

Serena Deeb returned to the ring for the first time since 2022, battling Robyn Renegade in singles competition.

The Professor systematically picked her opponent apart, delivering the Detox and tapping her out with the Serenity Lock.

This was exactly the sort of thing AEW does not do enough of. It was a showcase for Deeb that did not overstay its welcome or risk putting too much shine on the other competitor. It was concise, did exactly what it set out to and wrapped up with plenty of fan excitement and energy in Deeb's direction.

Her post-match promo benefited from that energy and was very good, laying out her motivations and the championship aspirations she carries with her.

The preceding match between Danielson and Nagata was great in a vacuum, but this may have been the best segment on the show.

Result

Deeb defeated Renegade

Grade

A+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Backstage, Mark Briscoe offered to join FTR for the night's main event following the sneak attack on Daniel Garcia. 
• "She used to have a Masters, now she has a PhD," Nigel McGuinness said of Deeb.
• Deeb and the crowd were fired up, which helped energize what was essentially an enhancement match.
• "I'm here to put the 'wrestling' back in All Elite Wrestling," Deeb said before expressing her desire to be champion.
• "This isn't just what I do, this is who I am."

Escape the Cage Elimination Match

The winning team would be the one to have all three members escape the cage.

Moments after The House of Black attacked FTR and Mark Briscoe prior to the start of their Escape the Cage Elimination match, an injured Daniel Garcia joined Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler in their battle with Malakai Black, Brody King and Buddy Matthews.

The match, hampered by the silly escape rules, was still a great example of masterful storytelling within the context of a physical battle. There was the united front of House of Black dominating early, only for their control of the bout to diminish as they exited the cage.

Not even Julia Hart's misting of Garcia was enough to preserve the win as the resilient competitor further enhanced his young star.

The finish saw a recovered Briscoe slam the cage door on Black's head, allowing Garcia to hit the floor and win the match.

A match with this many moving pieces can prove problematic from a booking perspective but this was well-executed and put the spotlight on Garcia, who has been at the center of renewed creative efforts of late.

Result

FTR and Garcia defeated The House of Black

Order of escape: King and Harwood, Wheeler, Matthews, Garcia for the win)

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

• King hurled Briscoe off the stage and through a table, essentially ending his brief stint in the match.
• Garcia marched to the ring, his head bandaged, hellbent on joining FTR and competing in the match.
• Wheeler launched himself off the top of the cage, wiping out the competition.
• A furious exchange left all six men lying as chants of "FTR" rose through the arena.
• Wheeler took another big bump, falling off the cage and through a table in a moment that actually benefited his team's attempt to win.
• Garcia threw Black into the cage, which sent Murphy crashing through another table on the floor.
• Hart blinded Garcia with black mist.

Overall Grade

When faced with pay-per-view competition in the form of WWE's Royal Rumble, AEW put together a card featuring names its fanbase loves and respects, with two matches that would have been right at home on a PPV.

Danielson vs. Nagata was a masterclass in in-ring physicality, while the main event featured great action and some well-booked drama that culminated in another big win for Garcia.

Was it a perfect show? Not by any means. Will fans remember most of what went down? Probably not much beyond next Saturday, but there was some quality action and the return of Serena Deeb was handled as well as anything Tony Khan has booked over the last year.

That makes for a solid thumbs-up.

Grade: B+