Welcome to WrestlePurists’ Coverage of the July 8th Episode of AEW Collision.
CM Punk Promo:
CM Punk says this is the biggest match of his life. He talks about his history with Samoa Joe. He starts a Owen Hart chant and the fans oblige. He says nobody would be there if it weren’t for Owen. He touches the Owen Hart trophy and says he is going to pour his heart out and leave everything in the ring, win or lose, for everyone there, and for Owen.
After the promo, we get a video package highlighting the Samoa Joe/CM Punk rivalry.
Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Semifinals – Ricky Starks Defeats Powerhouse Hobbs:
Before the match begins, we get a brief recap on the history between these two men, highlighted by the time Hobbs helped Starks win the FTW title.
This match was brutal. Hobbs really put a beating on Starks throughout, at times, tossing him around like a rag doll. Hobbs had the match won but QT had the official distracted. When Hobbs got in QT’s face, it allowed Starks to hit the spear and win the match by pinfall.
After the match QT apologizes to Hobbs but he pushed him over and hit a spinebuster on Aaron Solo. Harley Cameron comes in and finally calms down Hobbs and saves QT Marshall.
Miro Promo:
Miro says that he has nothing left to covet. That he must walk the righteous path and that he must be what his God was not. He says he senses a battle coming, and it is the one everyone has been waiting for.
Willow Nightingale Backstage Interview:
Tony Schiavone asks Willow about her injury that led to her match with Athena being cancelled. Athena quickly interrupts. She blames Willow for ruining her Collision debut. She accuses Willow of faking the injury to get out of the match. Willow says that she will get prepared for this Friday. Athena doubts that Willow will get ever get cleared for their match let alone beat her.
After the match we are shown a brief video package on the upcoming Blood and Guts PPV.
Julia Hart Defeats Bambi Hall
Julia Hart wins in a squash match with her “Hartless” submission.
Malakai Black Promo:
Malakai cuts a promo only like he can on Andrade El Idolo. He says that Andrade has allowed his mask to control who he has become. He says that Andrade will never be able to let go of the mask. He then says that he will show Andrade his ways and that he will show the world how truly great Andrade is.
Andrade El Idolo Backstage Interview:
Andrade offers a rebuttal to Malakai Black. He says he doesn’t hide behind his mask. He says he is a business man and calls Malakai a coward. He says the mask is everything to him and that it represents his country and people, and that when he takes his mask off, its time to fight and its time to win.
Eliminator Tag Team Title Match – Bullet Club Gold (Jay White & Juice Robinson) Defeat FTR
This was an excellent tag team match. Holy smokes. Robinson and White dominated early, specifically over Cash. Eventually, Dax gets the hot tag and turns things around leading to a couple of pretty stiff bumps. These guys really brought it tonight. After some fantastic back and forth, the match eventually ends with Robinson pinning Dax to secure the title match for next week.
After the match, we get a video package hyping next week’s TNT Championship Match between Luchasaurus and Shawn Spears.
FTR Backstage Interview
FTR is getting interviewed by Schiovani before being quickly interrupted by Juice and Jay White. They say that they are the tag team of the night and they are the team that should be getting interviewed. They challenge FTR to a 2 out of 3 falls match next week at “Battle of the Belts VII” for the AEW Tag Team Titles. FTR accepts.
Scorpio Sky Defeats Action Andretti:
This was a solid match. Scorpio hits the TKO and gets the pinfall victory. After the match, he shakes Andretti’s hand and helps him off the mat.
Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Semifinals: CM Punk Defeats Samoa Joe:
As expected, both Punk and Joe really laid it in tonight, working stiff throughout. This was a classic wrestling match with Punk getting his first victory over Joe with an old school roll-up. Punk moves onto the finals to face Ricky Starks next week.
After the match Joe shakes Punk’s hand but then puts him into a sleeper hold before leaving him laid out in the middle of the ring. Joe grabs a chair, but FTR comes down to the ring. Starks comes out and stares down Punk from the entrance ramp.
Final Thoughts
Another great show. Really well paced with some great wrestling and solid promo work. Next week should be a fantastic “Battle of The Belts VII!”
