AEW: Greatest Collision episode ever? I was there originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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Quite possibly the greatest episode of AEW Collision took place from Cedar Rapids, Iowa and the Alliant Energy Powerhouse Arena on Saturday, March 28. And this writer just so happened to be there.
My youngest son and I have become regular followers of both AEW, WWE and as much pro wrestling as we can take in since COVID. It was one of the first live forms of entertainment to return following the pandemic, providing an incredible bonding experience for us.
Since that time, we have attended several live shows for both promotions - and even have plans for a more local event in the coming weeks to see.
So when Tony Khan and AEW announced they were coming to Iowa, we just had to find a way there.
Here is a bit of my first-hand take on the event as a whole along with complete results.
Things started off with a bit of a twist
As any good show has, a twist is oftentimes needed, and we had ours.
The tickets we purchased were in a very unique spot on the Ticketmaster map. They appeared to be just off where timekeeper and the ring announcer sit. That is typically used for ring crew, but since they were on sale we made the purchase.
When we were allowed in, we found out that the tickets should not be have been sold and they would be relocating us. Thankfully, Andrew, in charge of the situation, was incredibly accommodating and made for an exciting night.
First, he found us two open seats that were in the front row as no one had showed up yet. We were right there as close as you could be for the opening match, which saw the Divine Dominion, the reigning women's tag team champions Megan Bayne and Lena Cross, defend vs. former champions the Babes of Wrath, which are Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron.
It was a very physical, back-and-forth contest that would set the tone for the night. Just like we are seeing in WWE with Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes and CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns, crowds are getting behind who they like - regardless if they are a heel or a face.
And this was just that, as the crowd cheers on both teams until Bayne put it away and pinned Cameron.
The action continued to heat up the crowd
From there, Myron Reed of The Rascalz picked up a win over Johnny TV, former John Morrison of WWE fame, followed by the arrival of the Death Riders.
Jon Moxley is as popular as anybody on the AEW or WWE roster as this moment. And even though the Death Riders are heels, you cannot but help cheer Moxley on. He is a fighting champion and a fighter's fighter, showing up for work whenever the company asks.
Moxley and Daniel Garcia got the pin over Private Party. Even in defeat, Moxley and Garcia helped Private Party's team of Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen look very, very strong.
The next match was a quick squash by Mina Shirakawa and the Brawling Birds - Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor. The match set the stage for an appearance by reigning women's champion Thekla and the Sisters of Sin, as a trios contest was announced between the two for next week.
"Psycho Killer" scores another big victory
Former WWE superstar Tommaso Ciampa, the "Psycho Killer," made his way to the ring next to a loud and strong ovation. Again, Ciampa turned heel a few weeks back when he attacked Mark Briscoe, but the crowd - my son and I included - still love him.
In fact, when Ciampa was announced for being on the card, we let out a large "YES" that could be heard from blocks away.
Ciampa and Ace Austin put on a show, trading blows and power moves until Ciampa earned the win. We also got a tease for me between Ciampa and the Bang Bang Gang with a staredown between him and Juice Robinson.
Before the main event, several promos aired along with a surprise for the two of us with TNT champion Kyle Fletcher in action. If you have never witnessed Fletcher compete, he is an incredible athlete.
Paired up with Mark Davis, the two scored a win over the other two members of The Rascalz in Zachary Wentz and Dezmond Xavier. Again, as was the trend throughout, great back-and-forth wrestling with all four members hitting big moves.
Kazuchika Okada shows why he is one of the best in the world
In the main event, which was announced just a day before, AEW International champion "The Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada went move-for-move with Kevin Knight, one-third of the AEW Trios champions.
Okada played to the crowd who, again, cheered just as much as they booed. The thing about this is fans are catching on more and more to who is doing the work and who deserves the cheers, and not just clapping for the face and booing the heel.
It makes for entertaining and exciting crowd support, and really makes live viewing that much more enjoyable.
Knight, who has been red-hot with great matches over the past month-plus, almost hit an incredible finish, flying over halfway across the ring for his UFO splash before Okada got the knees up.
And while we were denied seeing Okada land his finisher, The Rainmaker, he did escape with the title on a rollup with the assistance of the ropes.
Going home happy
Following all of that action over the course of two-plus hours with a pair of dark matches thrown in - one that featured the son of wrestling legend Sting - we were treated to Ring of Honor.
Needless to say, it was worth the drive from our hometown to Cedar Rapids, as everyone went home happy. Including a 10-year-old that was gifted a pair of match-worn sunglasses by the tag team of The Outrunners and a souvenir bag.