Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of AEW Collision on November 2.
Here is a look at what AEW advertised for Saturday's show:
- Mariah May vs. Anna Jay (AEW Women's Championship)
- Thunder Rosa vs. Harley Cameron (Day of the Dead match)
- Kyle Fletcher vs. Komander
- Jon Moxley appears on the show
Let's take a look at everything that happened on this week's episode of Collision.
Thunder Rosa vs. Harley Cameron
Collision opened with several babyfaces in the ring while the stage was occupied by heels. Tony Schiavone welcomed Private Party out to celebrate winning the tag titles. This was a nice moment for Private Party but the segment ended kind of abruptly.
The first match of the night was a Day of the Dead match between Rosa and Cameron, who did not have Saraya by her side this time. This was essentially a No DQ bout.
Cameron went right after La Mera Mera with a series of strikes, but Rosa no-sold it and took control. She began to incorporate some of the weapons and props at ringside to dish out damage.
This match was a series of sequences and spots that felt somewhat disconnected but allowed both women to make good use of the stipulation.
While some of this was fun, a few moments stood out as either awkward or slow. Rosa set up a table to use as a ramp so she could hit a dropkick to Cameron while she was in a garbage can. She made the cover and got the win to kick off a match that was more fun than it was good.
Result: Rosa defeated Cameron
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
- This segment highlighted how many great tag teams AEW has and how the division has been booked in a less-than-stellar way for quite some time.
- Rosa's gear, face paint and entrance were awesome.
- Cameron had some people in the crowd cheering for her. She has earned a lot of fans in a short time.
Kyle Fletcher vs. Komander
The next match saw Fletcher take on Komander. Alex Abrahantes was at ringside but Don Callis was nowhere to be seen.
Fletcher pulled off his pants to reveal new trunks beneath, and he used the pants as a distraction so he could hit Komander while he was blinded.
Other than a couple of flurries of offense, this match was all about making Fletcher look like a beast, and it accomplished that goal.
The Protostar and high-flyer fought through a break and it gave Komander a chance to get in a little more offense before the inevitable conclusion.
After countering a moonsault with a pair of boots to the face, Fletcher hit a high-angle powerbomb for a close two-count.
This match started out decent and continued to get better. The second half blew the first half out of the water for both excitement and athleticism. They upped the ante with each spot until they were doing things that didn't seem physically possible for most humans.
After a few close calls, Fletcher obliterated Komander with a brainbuster on the top turnbuckle for the win. Mark Davis came out to get in Fletcher's face when he refused to stop attacking Komander. Fletcher walked away from his former partner to end the segment.
Result: Fletcher defeated Komander
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Fletcher's entrance jackets get more and more ornate as time goes on.
- Komander has some of the best dropkicks in AEW.
- Fletcher kicking Abrahantes got him some decent heat.
- Komander's springboard moonsault to the floor was awesome.
- The way Komander sold Fletcher's moonsault counter looked great.
Brian Cage and Lance Archer vs. Local Talents, Pac vs. Action Andretti
Two local talents had the unfortunate task of taking on Brian Cage and Lance Archer in a tag team match. As expected, the powerhouses won with ease to continue building momentum as a duo. The Undisputed Kingdom chased them off with chairs when they kept going after their fallen opponents.
Result: Cage and Archer won
Grade: Incomplete
Moxley came out and gave a promo from the crowd with Wheeler Yuta and Marina Shafir. Action Andretti came to the ring looking for a fight but was attacked from behind by Pac.
A ref showed up and this turned into an impromptu match. Pac dominated through a commercial break and into the next segment.
AA began to build up a head of steam with a series of moves, but all it did was delay the inevitable. Shafir interfered while Yuta distracted the ref, giving Pac the opening he needed to gain the upper hand and pick up the win. This was short but it had some enjoyable action.
Orange Cassidy came out and addressed Moxley and his crew from the crowd. He said Mox is just using Yuta and he wants to prove it to him.
Result: Pac defeated Andretti
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Cage's superplex from the apron looked great.
- One of the jobbers let out a funny scream when Cage and Archer powerbombed him.
- Getting an unannounced match is rare in AEW. The whole card is usually announced before a show begins.
Lio Rush vs. Ariya Daivari
Lio Rush was looking to regain some lost momentum, so he was aggressive right out of the gate during his match against Ariya Daivari.
Top Flight and The Premier Athletes watched from ringside as Rush controlled most of the action while Daivari would get in occasional bits of offense.
Rush scored the win with a frog splash to end a short but definitive victory.
Result: Rush defeated Daivari
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
- Rush took out Mark Sterling with a nice suicide dive.
Roderick Strong vs. Shane Taylor
Strong was back on the show for the third time this week for his match against Taylor. Both men had their respective stables with them at ringside.
Taylor had a significant size and power advantage, so he made sure to use it every chance he had. We went to a break with Roddy trying to recover from a shoulderbreaker.
We returned to see Strong having a tough time picking Taylor up for a backbreaker, which is his main source of offense.
Strong picked up the win with a brutal knee strike. Taylor tried to kick out but was a split second too late. This wasn't very long but it was long enough to do what it needed to do and give Strong a hard-fought win.
Result: Strong defeated Taylor
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Taylor's entrance was quick. Maybe AEW was running behind and they were told to rush it.
- Strong shaved off his stache. It must signify his transition back to being a babyface.
- The possibility of a babyface Matt Taven is so weird.
Mariah May vs. Anna Jay
The AEW Women's World Championship was on the line in the main event as May took on Jay. Before the match, a quick video played to hype Mina Shirakawa's return to AEW.
May backed her challenger to the corner and slapped her, so Jay responded in kind. The Glamour began to assert her dominance as the show cut to a break.
This match played out as expected. The former member of The Dark Order made a good challenger for May as she continues to establish her reign, but the outcome was predictable.
Even if some people had a sliver of hope, nobody expected Jay to leave with the title, so when May eventually won, it was exactly what we all expected.
Result: May defeated Jay
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- The way Jay carries herself is so different than it was a year ago. She has so much more confidence in her abilities.
- May fought out of the Queenslayer after quite some time in the hold. She almost won the same way Cody Rhodes defeated Gunther at Crown Jewel earlier in the day.
The Final Word
This week's episode of Collision felt more spontaneous than most AEW shows due to a few matches not being announced ahead of time, but that was the only notable thing about it.
Komander and Fletcher stole the show and didn't even let anyone else get close to matching the level of excitement they reached in their encounter.
Both women's matches had their moments, and the segment with Cassidy and Moxley helped push their story forward, but nothing from this week's episode could be considered must-see or time-sensitive.
If you only take the time to watch one match from start to finish, make it Fletcher vs. Komander. It was easily the best performance all night.
Grade: C+
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