Rate the Collision!: 7/15/2023

[Dub H]

Jul 15, 2023 23:59:42 GMT -5 Denny Zen is Cooking™ said:

8. It was a really good show, but I’m a little miffed that Ricky Starks had to act like a heel, cheat to win, then randomly be a douche to Jushin Liger for some reason. There was no reason he shouldn’t have just gotten the clean win and had Punk shake his hand after the match.

Broke: Punk turning heel against Stark as justified for weeks

Woke: Turn Starks heel to build sympathy for Punk.

Punk will likely get a clean win in the rematch

[humanoid33]

FTR/Bullet Club Gold was probably the best opener I’ve ever seen on a weekly wrestling show, just an amazing match. I also love how they got me twice with the Owen Hart tourney winners with Willow and then Ricky winning at the end, great stuff and both matches kept me entertained. I hope they don’t turn Starks heel, I actually enjoy him as a babyface. A 10 from me.

[King Devitt]

7. I appreciated the hell out of the storytelling/drama in the tag title match, but I didn't like that BCG lost. They were that close to the time limit, just let them end in a draw, build for the rematch, up the stakes again.
I dunno we'll see where it goes.

I would like to see the match with the commentary removed.
I turned the sound off and watched it silent for the last hour.
It wasn't horrible, but it took away from the match after awhile, and I know 100% of it is out of their hands.

So is Ruby the head of Bitchhalla now?
Starks won, nice callback, and very cool, but I hope that was a one time thing for the spirit of the tournament.
I don't need a heel Ricky Starks again right now.

Not sure I would watch this show again. Unless it's a match I HAVE to see (like tonight's 2 out of 3 Falls).
I just don't think I'm a Collider y'all.


Edit: Oh, I forgot to add that Juice Robinson is amazing to watch work. He gets his character 100%.

[Mid-Carder]

Ricky having to cheat to beat Punk is an absolutely terrible decision, it soured me on the rest of what was a fun show. Takes it down to a 6 from a 9 for me.

[daaave]

I don't mind Ricky cheating, if they did it less obvious. Maybe make it look like an instinctual grab as he was losing balance. You can tell a good story with that. But it was all a bit obvious especially with the sloppy execution and the bizarre Liger interaction. It's hard to not turn Starks after this now

[KME]

9 or 10.

Opener was an all time classic, don't really agree with the idea they should have done a draw, a 2 out of 3 falls is meant to be decisive and I don't think losing hurts BCG at all, especially since their leader looked near enough invincible.

Loved Willow and Starks winning too as both surprised me...a lot, and it's exactly what I think the tournament should have done this year, put over new young stars. The Ruby choking thing is eh to me, they can either finally have her big moment as a face which would be loads better anyway or have her win a title eventually rather than a tournament. Not really like the Outcasts needed it either, Toni is the World Champion and Saraya has never been pinned or tapped (granted she hasn't had many matches) so you need someone in their group who loses occasionally and they've had a ton of wins over Skye and Willow with that trend only starting to be reversed a bit now.

Ricky cheating to win and showing heel tendencies by snatching the trophy from Liger I have mixed feelings about, I don't think there's an immediate spot to push him as a big time face right now so a turn could be good and I don't think cheating to win against a multiple time world champion and probably the biggest star on the roster somehow lessens the achievement, that's still an enormous win for him against a guy who hardly ever loses, credit to Punk for doing the job when people were absolutely adamant he wouldn't be doing any such thing until he gets his world title shot. On the downside of the Starks thing I didn't love that it was him showing the heel tendencies in that particular match, anything that solidifies Punk as more of a face doesn't quite work for me. They're doing a good job with Punk though, a lot of feuds set up for him since his comeback with Starks, Joe, Jay White or MJF all conceivable as his next big one.

[firsttimelongtime]

I had it in the high 8s to round up to a 9.

Just a phenomenal show. Bookended by two high quality matches. I was convinced Punk would win so it was nice to be surprised. AEW is usually a bit too predictable so when they throw a curve ball it really elevates their shows.

[dbsot]

7. The tag match was really good, so it carried the show. Willow vs Ruby was ok, but they didn't seem to have chemistry. Maybe they were protecting Willows' injury. The main event was good right up until the finish. I am fine with Starks winning, but him going heel is the dumbest thing possible. Punk needed to go heel here or at least progress a story towards him turning. Instead Punk is now in feuds with two different heels and possibly a third with Starks. It is some John Cena style booking to force an over face to turn heel even while Punk is getting heavily booed weekly.

[Clawley Race]

Really good card and a great tribute to Bret Har...wait, what?

[SneakMan]

FTR vs BCG was a legit fantastic match but man was the ending deflating. Kings of the Black Throne squash was good if only because I got to see Malakai wrestle again. Willow vs Ruby was fine and I’m hyped Willow won, though Ruby is a total choke artist now. Starks vs Punk was also fine but I hate that Starks turned heel and I especially hate that he’s probably gonna be feuding with Edgelord Cena.

7/10 overall, best Collision episode yet but still some fundamental problems.

[Billie Gein]

This was a 9/10 for me, super fun to watch and talk bollocks in the live thread. FTR and BCG, unbelievable, one of the best tag matches I've ever seen, I wish BCG won but FTR are just incredible and deserving champions. The second hour was more of a mixed bag, Ruby and Willow was okay and they did a solid job considering what they had to follow, Punk and Starks was solid too although I would have preferred a clean finish.

[Mr Mario Mario]

I’m gonna say a solid 8/soft 9

I loved the FTR vs Bullet Club Gold match though ending was deflating as another poster said

Willow vs Ruby was good and I liked Willow winning

Ricky vs Punk. I liked Ricky winning but him apparently beginning to turn heel Im less happy about

[clifford]

I have to go 9/10 on this on this one.

That tag match was fantastic- I have a few nitpicks about it; the opening portion of the match was very slow cause of the time they were going for and the 'hey, we're in an epic here' moments that FTR love to do in their big matches are eye-roll inducing, but my god, when this match was on, there hasn't been a better straight up tag match in wrestling this year. And they kept the crowd 100% invested in it right to the end, which is something of itself. Shout out to Ian and Nigel on commentary who I thought did a great job. Nigel's 'OH MY GOD THAT IS GENIUS AND I HATE IT' line at the finish was amazing.

Rest of the show was like a comedown for me after the first hour, but I liked who they went with for both Owen winners.

[Fade is a CodyCryBaby]

Meltzer’s saying the majority of the tag match was called in the ring, which - if true, got-damn, them boys need to be leading a seminar.

[Hypnosis]

Jul 17, 2023 12:29:47 GMT -5 Fade is a CodyCryBaby said:

Meltzer’s saying the majority of the tag match was called in the ring, which - if true, got-damn, them boys need to be leading a seminar.

Juice teaching a seminar with that voice of his would have the entire room laughing in an instant.

[The Ichi]

This was my first Collision. Amazing opener but could have shaved 10 minutes off. Everything else was decent. The Starks turn smells of Cena "a face getting too over? Turn him heel!" booking though. Booking Punk as Cena is...a choice.

7/10

[The Ichi]

Jul 16, 2023 9:03:45 GMT -5 Clawley Race said:

Really good card and a great tribute to Bret Har...wait, what?

Bret is my fav of all time but I swear he was brought up more than his brother who the tournament is supposed to honor.

[Harry The Arrow was Wrong!]

Great show but hated the finish to the main event. Especially if it's turning Ricky heel over Punk. That would be ludicrous.

[Hypnosis]

Jul 17, 2023 13:23:03 GMT -5 The Ichi said:

This was my first Collision. Amazing opener but could have shaved 10 minutes off. Everything else was decent. The Starks turn smells of Cena "a face getting too over? Turn him heel!" booking though. Booking Punk as Cena is...a choice.

7/10

It's funny how that promo Punk cut on Cena about becoming the Yankees could now apply to Punk himself.

[Bo Rida]

Jul 17, 2023 6:08:48 GMT -5 clifford said:

I have a few nitpicks about it; the opening portion of the match was very slow cause of the time they were going for and the 'hey, we're in an epic here' moments that FTR love to do in their big matches are eye-roll inducing,

Glad someone else said it. They were going for the epic match feel before they earned it, I thought I'd missed them say they were going to a break. It was a great 30 minutes match stretched to near 60.
If you do everything on half speed you give viewers time to question things and they left logic holes everywhere, why is Juice still down, why isn't the ref counting them out and most of all why are FTR wrestling with more urgency than the challengers? You have to best the kayfabe best team in the world twice within an hour when most teams can't manage once and you're stalling?

It's all just a pastiche of the old school style Collision seems to wants to emulate without the reasoning why they did it that way back then.
The whole point of tag wrestling was the heels cheat behind the refs back but White targets the eyes in front of the ref. Twice. Ruby uses tactics to engineer an eye attack later but looks stupid as a result, why bother when the ref won't do anything? That was a singles match too, not doing it with the advantages a tag match provides is lazy.

Punk and Starkz did much the same, oversell early match moves then no-sell a late double spear. Compare it to how Danielson, ZSJ or Timothy Thatcher use early match holds. On the surface it's similar but there's so much more logic to what they do.

I'll watch any style but if they really want to follow their heroes get Jake, Arn, JR and anyone else to help them do it properly.