AEW Collision Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights from July 1

Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage and recap of AEW Collision on July 1.

The third episode of AEW's newest show was stacked with several big singles matches, including a couple that were part of the Owen Hart Cup Tournament.

Kris Statlander put the TBS title on the line against Lady Frost, Ricky Starks battled Juice Robinson, and Dustin Rhodes took on Powerhouse Hobbs.

However, the most anticipated bout was Roderick Strong vs. Samoa Joe. CM Punk was on commentary since he'll face the winner in the next round of the Owen Hart tourney.

Let's take a look at what happened on Saturday's episode of Collision.

MJF vs. Ethan Page

MJF made his in-ring Collision debut this week against a local talent. He won the match in less than a minute with a submission.

It might make sense for a heel like MJF to want the easiest matches they can get, but it feels like a waste of time to book the world champion in a squash. Thankfully, that was not all that was planned.

The AEW champion offered to defend the title against anyone from Hamilton who stepped through the curtain. This brought out Ethan Page to take the place of another jobber who was heading to the ring.

All Ego ripped into MJF until he agreed to the match. The bell rang and it got underway. Page avoided a charging MJF and stomped him into the mat. He almost hit Ego's Edge, but MJF countered and clipped his knee.

Page got a great reaction and delivered a fantastic promo, but he wasn't going to win and we all knew it before the match started. They fought through the break and into the next segment, forcing MJF to work most of the first quarter of the show.

This helped make him look good, but ultimately, MJF picked up the win. This was a decent match but nothing to write home about. The promo was the real meat of this segment.

Winner: MJF

Grade: C+

---

Notable Momenta and Observations

• Hopefully, the guy who only walked halfway down the ramp got paid. 
• Page gave a great promo. The crowd was eating it up. 

Dustin Rhodes vs. Powerhouse Hobbs, Miro vs. Anthony Henry

AEW

Collision.

The second match of the night was an Owen Hart Cup Tournament bout between Rhodes and Hobbs. QT Marshall and Harley Cameron were by Hobb's side, but thankfully, Cameron didn't sing for his entrance.

As soon as they locked up, Hobbs asserted his dominance by forcing Rhodes to the corner. The Natural slapped him to show he wasn't intimidated.

This was a slow and methodical match. Rhodes had a quick burst of offense here and there, but this bout was all about showing how dominant Hobbs can be. They picked up the pace toward the end to make it more entertaining in the second half.

After a cheap shot from Marshall, Hobbs was able to hit a spinebuster to get the pin and the win.

Winner: Powerhouse Hobbs

Grade: B-

The next matchup was between Miro and Anthony Henry of The Workhorsemen. As expected The Redeemer bulldozed over Henry like he was a first-year rookie. This was the squashiest of squash matches.

Winner: Miro

Grade: Incomplete

---

Notable Moments and Observations

• Rhodes' face paint looked awesome this week. 
• It's cool that Rhodes is in this because he is one of the few people on the roster who actually shared a locker room with Owen. 
• Hobbs countering the powerslam only for Dustin to turn it into the Cross Rhodes was a great spot. 
• The Code Red from Rhodes was a little precarious. It's a good thing nobody got hurt. 

Juice Robinson vs. Ricky Starks

AEW

Collision,

The second Owen Hart Tournament match of the night saw Robinson take on Starks, but before that could happen, Bullet Club Gold had an in-ring segment. Tony Schiavone revealed the rest of Bullet Club was banned from ringside.

Starks was in a quick backstage segment with Punk and FTR before heading to the ring. The announcers made sure to remind us that Starks won their previous encounter.

Dueling chants broke out in the crowd as they locked up and traded wristlocks. Both men had their supporters, but The Absolute One definitely had the lion's share of fans.

These two have complementary styles, so they were able to work together to create a fun match that allowed both of them to have moments of dominance.

Starks was fighting with a knee injury for about half the match, but he pulled out the win to advance to the next round of the tournament. The rest of BCG tried to attack him after the match, but FTR and CM Punk made the save.

Winner: Ricky Starks

Grade: B

---

Notable Moments and Observations

• There has been some debate about The Gunns being in Bullet Club Gold, but there is no more doubt. They were wearing the shirts and Jay White officially inducted them into the group. 
• Everyone has known at least one person who seems like they could snap at any second. That is Robinson's whole vibe. 
• The way Starks tripped and fell into the middle rope looked brutal. It was hard to tell if that was planned or a mistake. 
• Starks has a great tornado DDT. 

Kris Statlander vs. Lady Frost

AEW

Collision.

The TBS Championship was on the line this week when Statlander defended the belt against ROH regular, Lady Frost.

Both of these women pride themselves on their power, so there were some tests of strength for both competitors.

The first half of this match felt slow compared to the pace we have seen both of them work before. Frost wasn't using the acrobatics she is known for, so it felt like she was holding back for some reason.

The challenger began to build some momentum after the commercial break by utilizing some of her speed and agility, but it was too little too late. Statlander retained her title with a move Nigel McGuinness called Saturday Night Fever.

Winner: Kris Statlander

Grade: C+

---

Notable Moments and Observations

• Frost has such a great presentation. The entrance music, tron video and that big fur coat all create a cool scene. 
• During the break, Statlander had to reset a vertical suplex when she couldn't balance Frost in her arms. 

Roderick Strong vs. Samoa Joe

AEW

Collision.

The main event of this week's show was the first time Samoa Joe and Strong have met in a singles match in more than 17 years. To make things even more personal, CM Punk was sitting with the commentary team for this match.

They locked up and Joe immediately wrenched Strong's arm with a wristlock. Strong reversed the hold and forced Joe to grab the ropes to force a break.

You could tell this was a fight between two men who knew each other well but hadn't been in the same ring in quite some time. They had great chemistry and knew how to make themselves and each other look good at the same time.

This match was just as competitive as you would expect. Both guys were treating this like the most important match of the night because in a lot of ways, it was. After a great fight, Joe made Strong pass out to a submission to score the win.

Punk and Joe had a staredown to end the show. They will meet in the semifinals of the Owen Hart Cup Tournament at some point in the near future.

Winner: Samoa Joe

Grade: A-

---

Notable Moments and Observations

• Andrade El Idolo had a backstage segment before the match where The House of Black taunted him from a TV. 
• There is something very villainous about wearing a Blackhawks shirt in Canada. 
• Strong was 3-0 in AEW heading into this bout, so Joe handed him his first defeat. 
• Punk added a lot to commentary for this match. He knows both men so well. 
• Strong being able to get Joe up for a backbreaker was a seriously impressive display of power. 

The Final Word

This week's episode of Collision seemed like the first sign that everyone was settling into the pattern of having a third weekly show.

Most of the matches were good, we got some storyline developments, and we even got a surprise AEW world title match to open the show.

Unfortunately, this show was pre-taped and had to follow WWE's Money in the Bank PPV, so we might see a dip in the ratings this week due to fans having enough wrestling on Saturday afternoon and catching up through spoiler reports instead.

Strong and Joe definitely put on the best match, but Starks and Robinson definitely held their own. Canada is always a great place for pro wrestling because the crowd is usually hot, so that helped keep the energy high.

Grade: B