AEW books three title matches for Collision’s head-to-head with WWE SummerSlam

There are several reasons fans & observers were skeptical about AEW & TNT launching a Saturday night wrestling show. The big ones were that people often have plans other than watching television on weekend nights, and that college (and for a few weeks, pro) football will provide competition for almost half the year.

But there was also the fact that that Saturday show — which we now know as Collision — would air at the same time as a WWE premium live event once every month or so.

Money in the Bank, the first PLE of the Collision era, didn’t go head-to-head with AEW because it was held in the United Kingdom and aired live in the United States, meaning it was on in the afternoon & early evening before Collision started. No such luck with SummerSlam this weekend, however. That Aug. 5 show is happening in Detroit, and will have an 8pm ET start — just like Collision.

AEW isn’t backing down from the fight, though. CM Punk will defend his “Real” World championship against Ricky Starks on Saturday night, with the legendary Ricky Steamboat as “Special Outside Enforcer”. And that’s just one of three title matches set for the Aug. 5 Collision:

• Mercedes Martinez will challenge Kris Statlander for the TBS championship in a match set-up when Statlander came to Kiera Hogan’s aid in the aftermath of Hogan’s loss to Statlander on last Saturday’s show.
• FTR will defend their AEW Tag belts for the third time in the past month, this time against the winners of Rampage’s latest Battle Royal — Big Bill & Brian Cage.

It’s not necessarily a loaded card. There’s little chance Statlander or FTR lose, and they’ve just begun telling the story of Punk’s unrecognized strap. But it should be enough to keep the faithful tuned in, and to give folks who aren’t watching live because of SummerSlam (or any other a reason) incentive to DVR the episode or watch it on-demand.