:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72378727/Screenshot_2023_06_16_at_5.56.52_PM.0.png)
Here’s a place to check results and comment along with the premiere episode of AEW Collision, airing live tonight (June 17) at 8 pm ET on TNT.
AEW will be at the site of CM Punk’s debut with the company back in 2021, Chicago’s United Center, for Punk’s return to the company. He’ll be in action for the first time since All Out, teaming with FTR to take on Samoa Joe & Bullet Club Gold’s Jay White & Juice Robinson. He’ll also have some promo time to get a few things off his chest. We’ll also see Miro and Andrade return — both will be in action, with Andrade taking on House of Black’s Buddy Matthews. Plus, Luchasaurus will challenge Wardlow for the TNT title, Women’s champ Toni Storm & her Outcasts teammate Ruby Soho will face Skye Blue & Willow Nightingale in tag action, and more!
Come right back here at 8 pm ET when the Collision live blog kicks off once the show starts on TNT. It will be below this line here.
Enjoy the show!
AEW COLLISION RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR JUNE 17
Geno here. We’re doing it live.
Pyro to get the fans going.
Once the music dies down, the United Center is ringing out with loud CM Punk chants.
And they are paid off immediately in the form of “Cult of Personality” hitting the speakers.
Huge pop for the long awaited return.
Punk hits the stage with a freshly shaved head and a pair of shoes around his neck. He’s also carrying a red bag, walking to the ring slowly with a big smile on his face.
He’s basking in the response he’s getting, and they’re treating him like a returning hero.
Finally, his music cuts out and it’s time for him to speak. Before he does so, he takes the AEW logo off the microphone.
He opens by saying he’s tired of being nice. He’s been gone for a long time with an injury. But he’s back now and as long as he’s here, this is the professional wrestling business with grown ups. It’s never been a popularity contest.
Tonight, he wants to talk about the future, but first he has to talk about the past.
He wouldn’t have believed he could sell out a bunch of different arenas when he was a kid. He goes back to saying he’s tired of being nice. “Tell me when I’m telling lies.” Then he puts over the fans, saying he rode the backs of smart, passionate wrestling fans like everyone here tonight. “I love you for it. I love you because you love me. And you love me because I have never compromised. I have been unapologetic my entire career. I am me. And I couldn’t have done all this without all of you. But it seems there are some people that hate me for the same reasons you all love me. I understand that the sheer magnitude of me makes people uncomfortable.”
He calls himself the truth, and the truth is painful.
He tells fans to boo him, cheer him, love him, hate him but they all do it because they know he’s right. He says he’s been called “one bill Phil” because he’s the genuine article in a business filled with “counterfeit bucks.”
Pun intended, surely.
“The king is back, baby.”
He asks Chicago a question — “Why would I change?” He says he’ll always speak truth to power, always be himself, and never compromise. And there are people who think they are owed an apology. He says he’s grown older and wiser in his years and sometimes it’s better to be the bigger man. Then he says if anyone in there feels like they are owed an apology, he’s sorry they’re softer than the wrestlers they like.
“Tell me when I’m telling lies.”
They chant his name.
He said the last time he was here he held what was in the red bag in his hands and that’s because he earned it. It belongs to him until someone can pin him or submit him for it. Then he addresses the shoes around his neck, saying some obviously want him to hang ‘em up but there’s no one in the company who can fill those boots so he’ll keep going until that’s the case.
Mic drop.
He never did open the red bag. Kevin Kelly said obviously what’s in there is a prize more important than gold, and he’ll keep it until someone can beat him for it.
And off he went.
He tells the camera just before disappearing to the back “I didn’t come here to be a star — I AM a star.”
A video airs promoting the TNT title match we’re about to see.
Wardlow (c) vs. Luchasaurus
Collar and elbow tie up to start. A break, smashing into each other, dropkick from Wardlow sends Luchasaurus out to regroup with Christian, who spoke in his ear. Wardlow went out after them both, and really chased after Christian. They extended this until Luchasaurus could get the advantage and take control. He got some licks in. After a big kick, they cut to picture-in-picture and that unbearable Burger King commercial aired. Kill me. The best part is the work in the ring while in a break is hilariously slow and turned down.
Right when they come back from break, Wardlow makes his first comeback, squatting him all the way up on his shoulders and dropping him down. Wardlow got a few of his own licks in but it wasn’t long until that was cutoff and Luchasaurus went in for the kill. Wardlow ended up biting his fingers before they traded heavy shots. Christian tried to interrupt a powerbomb but to no avail. He grabbed a chair but, realizing he could do nothing with it without costing Luchasaurus, threw it to the ground. When Wardlow turned to finish Luchasaurus off, he popped up and hit the choke slam. Only got a two count out of it.
Wardlow went for a power slam but could only get Luchasaurus up so far. Then he went to the top rope and hit a Swanton. The straps came down. Christian once again teased getting in the ring, drawing Wardlow’s attention. He backed away quick, but that was just an opening to distract the referee, where Christian used some camera equipment to lay Wardlow out. Luchasaurus jumped all over it.
Luchasaurus def. Christian via pinfall to win the TNT championship
Christian took the title himself and went to the middle rope to hold it up in celebration. Luchasaurus had him up on his shoulders soon after to celebrate together. Christian walked out holding the title.
QT Marshall and Powerhouse Hobbs interviewed backstage.
Marshall says Hobbs will win the Owen Hart tournament. Hobbs gets to speak briefly and pretty much just says the same thing, and that’s it’s his time to shine.
Buddy Matthews vs. Andrade El Idolo
Time for another return, as commentary notes this is the 2023 debut of Andrade.
They go back and forth to start, trading offense while feeling each other out. Equal footing. Off to the outside and Julia Hart teasing messing with Andrade’s mask. He demands she leave it alone, and the distraction doesn’t even end up helping Matthews, who gets taken out with a dive after a cartwheel. Matthews made a comeback with a meteora and they went to commercial, where both were checked on by medical personnel. Andrade was favoring his shoulder on the left side while Matthews was having issues with his knee. They eventually told the medical personnel to pound sand and went back to throwing punches. And then the picture-in-picture went away in favor of full commercials.
Once back, Matthews is in control but Andrade quickly came back by targeting the knee. They went back and forth. Matthews tried a powerbomb from the top but the knee gave out. Andrade responded with a big elbow. Matthews came back from that with a dropkick for a two count. Crowd got hot as hell for it with a “this is awesome” chant while they sold.
Matthews tried a submission but Andrade pushed him off and then locked in the Figure Four leglock. Andrade bridged up — shout out to his wife — and Matthews tapped.
Andrade El Idolo def. Buddy Matthews via submission
Andrade tried to help Matthews up in a show of respect but Buddy pushed him off. Then Andrade offered his hand for a shake but just as Buddy approached him, the lights went out. When they came up, Brody King and Malakai Black were in the ring. King laid him out with a clothesline. Black leaned over him and said something but it wasn’t clear.
Tony Nese and Smart Mark Sterling in the ring.
Nese mentions he’s a personal trainer and he can’t sit in the back another minute when he sees a crowd full of the “fattest and most disgusting trash that Chicago has to offer.” They boo him. “I know, boo, you’re fat.” He says he’s decided to shut Collision down and instead he’s going to lead a group training session.
“Put that deep dish down, we all know New York is better.”
Damn.
He starts leading a stretch when he’s interrupted by The Redeemer.
Miro is back.
Big pop.
Miro vs. Tony Nese
Chicago very into Miro. Nese runs away at first, then finds an opening for a chop that Miro completely no sells. Nese runs again but Miro gets his hands on him and drops in the corner to stomp a mudhole and walk it dry. The beating continued with a nod to Sheamus with 10 Beats of the Bodhran. Nese got out using the top rope to drop down and back Miro off, but back in the ring Miro just dropped him again. Smart Mark hopped the apron for a distraction and got punched out. Nese used the distraction to get some offense in but again Miro no sold him and threw him around. Then he kicked him in the head, locked in the camel clutch, and got the win.
Miro def. Tony Nese via submission
A promo package for CM Punk, who said he never left he just got injured. Still things to do and he’s going to finish them.
He’s the main event tonight in a six-man tag team match.
Women’s tag team action up next.
The Outcasts vs. Willow Nightingale & Skye Blue
Willow was out wearing the belt she won in New Japan for beating Mercedes Mone, who was named on the broadcast. Before the match could start, Toni Storm and Ruby Soho attacked Willow & Skye while they were playing to the crowd. On the outside, both Storm and Soho took a slap to the face from Blue’s mom.
They finally made it to the ring and got the match started proper. Soho was in control when they went to picture-in-picture to show the Insidious Red Door trailer for the 878th time. July 7 can’t get here soon enough. Not to see it, but to end this promotional onslaught. Meanwhile, Soho and Storm were firmly in control, putting the boots to Nightingale.
As per usual, the return from commercial coincided with a hot tag to Blue, who came in like a house afire running over Ruby and then Toni. The baddies came out ahead of another exchange and Storm locked Blue in a submission that Skye had to crawl across the ring to get a rope break to get out of. That got the crowd going once more. Then Willow got taken out but Blue tagged in. She was almost taken out with the spray can but Willow made the save to direct the spray into Soho’s eyes. The babyfaces teamed up take Storm out, and then Soho, who ate the pin.
Willow Nightingale & Skye Blue def. The Outcasts
Ricky Starks promo where he says he’s officially declaring for the Owen Hart tournament. He’s going to be the next big thing and use a win to catapult him to the top.
A promo for Jeff Jarrett vs. Mark Briscoe in a Concession Stand Brawl. Jarrett said they put that match on the map. “Mark, I play the long game and The Last Outlaw never loses the long game. Mark, I’m kicking your ass.”
Sure.
Tony Schiavone in the ring to introduce Daddy Ass and The Acclaimed.
Max Caster’s rap was, as per usual, pretty good. He said tomorrow is a holiday and everyone needs to make sure to wish Daddy Ass a happy Father’s Day.
Scissor me.
Schiavone told Daddy Ass he looks marvelous decked out in a pink scissors outfit. Anthony Bowens made sure to say that they’ll be appearing on Dynamite and also on Collision. Party on Wednesday and party on the weekend. They also wanted to make history tonight with the first scissor on Collision and in the city that scissoring was born. So they did it.
They event got Schiavone involved, and he was very excited to scissor in the middle of the ring.
Main event time.
CM Punk & FTR vs. Samoa Joe & Jay White & Juice Robinson
Punk and the boys were wearing “CMFTR” jackets. They look cool. Crowd instantly chanted for Punk once the music died down. Then, once it actually got going, they chanted “CMFTR” and a good time was had by all. Dax Harwood started the match off with White. They went back-and-forth with chops and physical offense, with Dax coming out on top until a tag was made to Robinson. That also quickly brought Cash Wheeler into the match for the first time. He had a similar back-and-forth until they took Robinson to the corner for a tag team up for a big spot. Punk tagged in finally and instantly went for the GTS. Juice got out of it and went to the corner, where Joe tagged himself in.
A big staredown and some jawing between the two while the crowd chanted “holy shit.” Commentary called back to their history in Ring of Honor. Joe had Punk in the corner and hit him with some HARD chops. Punk responded with one of his own and Joe just stared at him, so he jumped a headlock to go into the picture-in-picture portion of the match.
Back from commercial and the heels were in control. Dax took a beating from all three of his foes until finally countering Robinson enough to crawl over to his duo to tag out. Wheeler ran wild and then it was time for yet another commercial break.
Back from commercial and, wouldn’t you know it, the heels were back in control. Robinson was working over Wheeler, who was desperately trying to get to the corner to get a fresh man in. He just couldn’t get there, until finally he was just able to get his fingertips on Punk’s for a hot tag. Punk looked pretty damn smooth, considering he’s been out for all this time. Neckbreaker after neckbreaker, going corner to corner with knees for Juice & Jay.
He called for another GTS, this one on White. Again, he wasn’t able to get it, this time because Switchblade raked his eyes to avoid it. Punk kicked him in the head and then went up top for the Flying Elbow but got knocked off and racked his nuts. Uranage from White only got two but the heels were back in the driver’s seat. Punk did enough to get another tag, where FTR could team up for some Power & Glory before Punk finally hit his Flying Elbow. Dax threw Cash out and into Samoa Joe but in the ring bodies were flying everywhere to ensure Punk couldn’t pin White.
By the end of the melee, Joe was tagging in to square up with Punk one-on-one. They traded punches. Punk was getting the better of it when White and Robinson hopped in to break that up. FTR ran in to even the odds and get them back out, giving Punk the chance to square up once again. He took control and went for another GTS but Joe, too, countered, except he locked in the sleeper. FTR tried to get in to help but they were both being held off by Juice & Jay. Finally, Wheeler broke free with a DDT to Robinson and then a dive through White, which allowed Dax to get Joe off Punk. Once he did, Joe tagged in Juice, who tried to take Punk out but FTR was back in with Shatter Machine. Punk followed up with the GTS and that was all she wrote.
CM Punk & FTR def. Juice Robinson & Jay White & Samoa Joe via pinfall
They gave the main event a full half hour and they paid it off with a burner of a six-man. They promoted Dynamite next Wednesday as the babyfaces celebrated in the ring.
End.
Loading comments...