AEW Collision, Battle of the Belts VIII Results: Winners, Grades and Highlights
Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage and recap of AEW Collision on October 21.
FTR returned to action this week after Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler lost the tag titles to Big Bill and Ricky Starks a couple of weeks ago, but we also saw the new champions in action when they defended the belts against Wheeler Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli.
We also saw Eddie Kingston battle Jeff Jarrett with the stipulation stating if Double J won, Jay Lethal would get a shot at the ROH world title.
Andrade El Idolo took on Bryan Danielson, and Miro stepped into the ring with the one man who was foolish enough to be seen approaching CJ Perry about her managerial services, Action Andretti.
This week also saw AEW hold the eighth Battle of the Belts special immediately following Collision with the TBS, international and trios titles all on the line.
Let's take a look at everything that went down during Saturday's three-hour block of AEW television.
Bryan Danielson vs. Andrade El Idolo
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This week's Collision opened with Danielson making his way to the ring to take on El Idolo. These two had a couple of singles matches back in 2018 but have never had a singles bout in AEW before, so this was a first.
They started off slow with an exchange of hammerlocks and reversals to feel each other out, but El Idolo took control after taking a cheap shot.
These are two men who have just about perfected the technical aspect of professional wrestling, so they could have outshined most of the roster in their sleep if they wanted to. They paced themselves but kept upping the ante as time went on.
El Idolo had a bit of a size advantage, but The American Dragon's proficiency with submissions and strikes kept him from feeling like an underdog in most situations. They felt evenly matched, and at times, Andrade even seemed frustrated that Danielson was outsmarting him.
This was a fantastic showcase of their skills that left a lot of room to grow in future matches. After trading several different pinning combinations, Danielson finally kept El Idolo down for the three-count to score a clean victory. The American Dragon extended his hand as a sign of respect and El Idolo shook it.
The lights went out and when they came back on, Malakai Black was there to lay Danielson out with Black Mass.
Result: Bryan Danielson pinned Andrade El Idolo
Grade: A-
Notable Moments and Observations
- This week's show didn't open with the series of quick promos we usually get at the start of Collision.
- Nigel McGuinness referencing Zach Gowen was hilarious.
- The way Danielson turned El Idolo's own tranquilo trick against him was great.
- El Idolo's springboard dropkick looked really good.
- The way Andrade hit the split-leg moonsault made it look a lot more impactful than how RVD and Johnny TV hit it.
- The announcers pointed out some bruises on both men, including one on El Idolo's arm that looked pretty painful.
Skye Blue vs. Hollyhood Haley, Gunns vs. Outrunners
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The newer, angrier version of Skye Blue had a random match this week against a young woman named Hollyhood Haley, who was making her AEW debut. Blue made quick work of her and showed a lot more aggression than usual while doing it.
Haley got in a couple of strikes but ultimately ended up getting pinned by The Code Blue.
Result: Skye Blue pinned Hollyhood Haley
Grade: Incomplete
The next matchup featured Austin and Colten Gunn taking on The Outrunners. The Gunns may be second-generation talents, but their opponents were the ones harkening back to the style of the '80s and '90s with their hairstyles and gear.
Austin and Colten picked up an easy win in what felt like less than a minute. Having two squash matches in a row is certainly a choice.
Result: The Gunns defeated The Outrunners
Grade: Incomplete
Notable Moments and Observations
- The powerbomb Blue hit did not look very safe. It looked like she dropped Haley right on the back of her head and neck.
- The increased aggression from the Gunns has helped them go from being a joke to being a legitimate threat as a tag team. It has been a great transition to watch.
Eddie Kingston vs. Jeff Jarrett
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Legendary Memphis wrestling announcer Dave Brown joined the commentary team to cal the Memphis Street Fight between Kingston and Jarrett.
The Mad King didn't even bother bringing his titles with him because he knew the fight was going to start before he got to the ring, and he was correct.
Kingston had to fight not just Double J, but Satnam Singh, Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt also got involved since there were no disqualifications.
After they spent a long time fighting near the stage and aisle, they finally made it back to the ring. Kingston was able to get the upper hand for a while, but the number game caught up with him and Jarrett was able to get the dirtiest win of his career.
This match had some charm to it if you like that kind of chaos, but there was so much going on that it was hard to classify this as a wrestling match. Jarrett's win means Lethal gets a shot at the ROH title.
Result: Jeff Jarrett pinned Eddie Kingston
Grade: C+
Notable Moments and Observations
- The backdrop Kingston hit on the ramp looked really painful.
- Being covered in any condiment has to be an unpleasant experience when trying to wrestle.
Miro vs. Action Andretti
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Perry was at ringside to watch the match between her husband, Miro, and the man who approached her last week, Andretti.
The young high-flyer knew he was outmatched in size and power, so he tried to rely on his speed and agility to keep Miro off balance. It worked for a few moments, but the Bulgarian powerhouse eventually got his hands on him and grounded him with one stiff strike.
Perry tried to hide her smile as she watched her husband destroy her prospective client. This could have been a completely one-sided affair and nobody would have batted an eye, but Andretti got in a surprising amount of offense to make this a much more competitive bout.
The story might have benefitted more from Miro getting an easy victory, but having a good back-and-forth contest is never a bad thing. If anything, this made Andretti look good even in defeat.
Miro got the submission win with his version of the camel clutch. Perry applauded her husband's win but he did little to acknowledge her. Miro looked down on Andretti almost with a look of respect for his efforts before making his way to the back.
This was a solid performance from both competitors, but the story they are trying to tell is a little confusing because nobody seems to know how to react to it.
Result: Miro submitted Action Andretti to win
Grade: B
Notable Moments and Observations
- Andretti's flip to counter a hip toss was nice.
- It was nice to see Miro getting to enjoy the crowd supporting him. He rarely plays to the crowd but getting to work as a character without a clear heel or babyface alignment gives him the ability to do that.
- Miro is really underrated when it comes to selling for smaller guys. He always makes his opponents look like they have a chance to win even when they don't.
FTR vs. Darian Thangston and Bad Thad Brown
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Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler were in the ring ready to face two local talents named Bad Thad Brown and Darian Thangston, but the lights went out after a few moments.
When they came back on, Black was standing in the ring. The lights dropped a second time and came back to reveal Brody King and Buddy Matthews standing next to him. They attacked FTR and then left the ring.
There wasn't really a match to grade or a result to record with this segment, but it's clear The House of Black has its sights set on multiple targets. This could get interesting.
Result: No Contest
Grade: Incomplete
Big Bill and Ricky Starks vs. Wheeler Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli (AEW Tag Titles)
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The main event of the Collision portion of Saturday's programming was the AEW tag title bout between the champions, Big Bill Starks, and the challengers, Yuta and Castagnoli.
Starks decided to get in a little warmup before the match by running around the ring before he finally locked up with Yuta and began trading holds and counters.
Unlike Bill and Starks' title bout against FTR, this was a competitive fight between two teams with more similarities than meet the eye. Yuta and Castagnoli have a similar dynamic to Starks and Bill due to the difference in their size and their individual styles of wrestling.
These similarities allowed for some interesting matchups. Starks and Yuta were evenly matched, but whenever one was facing off against the powerhouse from the other team, they became the underdog. When Bill and Castagnoli were in the ring together, the seven-foot champion's size seemed to be neutralized by the Swiss Superman's ridiculous strength.
For the third time in one night, the House of Black ruined a match by getting involved. Black distracted the ref while Matthews and King attacked the BCC, allowing the champions to pin them and retain the AEW tag titles.
Establishing HOB as a force to be reckoned with is great, but having them involved in half of the matches on the show might have been a bit much. FTR and Danielson joined the fight but were unable to get the upper hand until Jon Moxley came through the crowd to help his BCC brothers and FTR.
Result: Ricky Starks and Big Bill defeated Wheeler Yuta and Claudio Castagnoli
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
- Starks has really started showing more ego as his heel turn has progressed. The little things he does during his entrance are totally different from how he did them as a babyface.
- Only Castagnoli can make simple moves like a corner clothesline and an uppercut seem exciting.
- Castagnoli walking across the top rope to mock Starks was a fun spot.
Orange Cassidy vs. John Silver
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The first match on the Battle of the Belts special was the International Championship bout between Cassidy and Silver. This was booked after Silver won a triple thread on Rampage against Kip Sabian and Brother Zay.
Silver took control right away and started showing off his power by throwing the champion from corner to corner.
These are two men who can work comfortably at a fast pace, but their biggest strength is their ability to generate laughs with comedy spots. Even though they did that a few times in this match, they didn't overdo it to make this feel too gimmicky.
In fact, Silver and Cassidy almost looked like they wanted this to be less about the usual comedy stuff and more about them being good wrestlers. They had some impressive sequences mixed into a fun title match.
Even Alex Reynolds hitting Cassidy with the title belt wasn't enough to keep him down for the pin. After weathering the storm, OC hit the Orange Punch to get the win and retain his title.
Result: Orange Cassidy pinned John Silver
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
- Showing highlights from their Full Gear 2020 match before this one was a good idea. It helped establish a bit of history even though this match was only made official 24 hours earlier.
- The delayed superplex was a great spot. Holding a grown man above your head is hard enough, but doing it while standing on a rope has to make it exponentially harder.
- Silver has some lethal kicks. It would be fun to see him and Danielson have a few more singles matches where they can just unload on each other.
Samoa Joe vs. Tony Nese
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Tony Nese ended up getting a somewhat random opportunity at Samoa Joe's ROH TV title in the second match on the BOTB card.
This match lasted about a minute and saw Joe retain his title with a Muscle Buster. This was another squash match in a three-hour block that had already had a few.
Result: Samoa Joe squashed Tony Nese
Grade: Incomplete
Notable Moments and Observations
- Joe's post-match promo about MJF was short and sweet. He's great at saying everything he needs to say with as few words as possible.
Kris Statlander vs. Willow Nightingale
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Willow Nightingale had a chance to win gold when she took on Kris Statlander for the TBS Championship in the next match.
Both of these women pride themselves on their power, but Nightingale had Statlander a little outclassed in that department, so she scored the first takedown after an initial struggle.
Statlander has had a string of good matches since winning the TBS title and this one was no different. She and Nightingale were able to go a little harder than either of them could against a smaller opponent most of the time.
Statlander won with a 450 but as Willow went to shake her hand, Blue came in and tried to convince her not to. Willow shook her hand anyway, but Blue looked unhappy about this decision.
Result: Kris Statlander pinned Willow Nightingale
Grade: B+
Notable Moments and Observations
- Willow's Death Valley driver from the middle rope looked great.
- Smiling as she choked Statlander made Willow look kind of evil for a second.
The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass vs. Daniel Garcia, Daddy Magic and Cool Hand Ang
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The main event of Battle of the Belts was a Trios Championship match with Max Caster, Anthony Bowens and Daddy Ass defending the titles against Daniel Garcia, Matt Menard and Angelo Parker.
Caster and Garcia started the match with a simple lockup and an exchange of waistlocks and counters. Anna Jay looked on from ringside as Garcia got out of a headscissor and almost started to dance. Daddy Magic stopped him and reminded him that he promised to stop dancing during matches. Even Anna got into the ring to talk some sense into him.
Bowens got the ref to eject her from ringside for getting in the ring, so the former JAS members no longer had her as an advantage from an early point in the match.
As expected, The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass added another successful title defense to their record when Caster pinned Garcia. This was fun, but it felt like AEW should have put one of the other bouts in this spot.
Result: The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass defeated Daniel Garcia, Daddy Magic and Cool Hand Ang
Grade: B-
Notable Moments and Observations
- Cool Hand Ang and Ruby Soho had a funny interaction backstage during Collision.
- Before the match, there was a four-way scissor party with Grizz, the mascot for the Memphis Grizzlies.
- It was surprising that Jake Hager wasn't at ringside considering how much he wanted them to get their act together on Dynamite.
- The Memphis crowd seemed especially excited to see Billy Gunn.
The Final Word
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This week's Collision having the Battle of the Belts special as an extra hour made it feel like a slightly bigger show than usual, but something about it kept it from feeling as important as it should have.
Promotion for Battle of the Belts leading up to Saturday was minimal, so a lot of fans might have been surprised to find out it was even happening when they tuned into Collision.
Other than the three squash matches and the bout with FTR that never happened, we got a handful of fun matches to keep us entertained, but one stood out above the rest.
The fight between Danielson and El Idolo outshined everything else on the card. It was the most technically proficient and the most exciting contest of the night. OC vs. Silver and Statlander vs. Nightingale were also worth taking the time to watch.
It appears as it HOB has multiple targets in mind with BCC and FTR being in its crosshairs this week, but with Julia Hart also clearly having an impact on Blue, House of Black might be about to become one of the most important groups in AEW.
Grade: B
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