AEW Collision Results, Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights After All In

Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of AEW Collision on July 19.

This was the first episode of Collision after All In, but Dynamite did a lot of heavy lifting addressing what happened, so Collision was able to spend some time building up Forbidden Door on August 24.

Here's a look at what AEW advertised for this week's show:

—Taya Valkyrie vs. Alex Windsor
—Megan Bayne vs. Tay Melo
—Ricochet vs. AR Fox
—Rush vs. Katsuyori Shibata
—The Gunns vs. Cru vs. Big Bill and Bryan Keith vs. Gates of Agony

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

Your New TNT Champion

Etsuo Hara/Getty Images

Collision opened with Tony Schiavone in the ring to welcome Dustin Rhodes for his first interview as the new TNT champion. He said he wished his dad was with him and told the crowd that his dad always gave him the advice "Keep steppin'."

Don Callis and Kyle Fletcher came out to complain about how Fletcher was scheduled for a singles bout for the title before Adam Cole's injury. Rhodes said Fletcher is an impressive athlete and spoke about how many times he has come up short fighting for the TNT title but never made excuses.

Callis took the mic and said he has a lot of respect for Rhodes. He called him a legend, a great wrestler and a better man, and he even said he would hold a place for him in his group.

He then made the mistake of badmouthing the Rhodes family, which led to Dustin and Fletcher brawling until the champ sent the young man out of the ring.

AEW usually opens with a match, so promos and interviews kicking off the show feel different than they would if it happened every week. This felt like an important moment for Rhodes and it did a good job getting his feud with Fletcher going.

Grade: B

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Notable Moments and Observations

—If you had told us 10 years ago that Dustin Rhodes would be holding three titles on TV, we would have called you crazy. It's great to see how he has been able to maintain a high level of performance after all this time.
—Rhodes wrestling three matches in less than 24 hours would be impressive for anyone of any age.

Ricochet vs. AR Fox

Two of AEW's most celebrated high-flyers fought this week when Fox battled Ricochet.

Ricochet tried to show off at first, but Fox was more aggressive since he was looking for revenge after he was taken out by The Gates of Agony recently.

Once Ricochet regained the upper hand, he began trying to embarrass Fox, which ended up backfiring when Fox slapped his bald head numerous times.

With both of these men being known for their high-flying ability, it was almost surprising how much they held back on those kinds of moves. They didn't try to make this a spot fest, which actually helped make it feel like a more well-rounded match.

Toa Liona interfered before the commercial break, but the Connecticut native made a big comeback as we returned. After Ricochet scored the win, The Gates of Agony threw Fox out of the ring.

Result: Ricochet defeated Fox

Grade: B+

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Notable Moments and Observations

—The announcers noted that Fox has won $150,000 in prize money in matches, which is more than any other wrestler in AEW.
—The way Liona slammed Fox on the apron looked a little awkward. If Fox had just kept holding onto the top rope, he would have been fine.
—It shouldn't be as funny as it is to see Ricochet get slapped in the head.
—The way Fox spiked Ricochet for a near-fall was awesome.
—Colt Cabana was on commentary.

Megan Bayne vs. Tay Melo

The Death Riders showed up and attacked Cabana on commentary. They used a chain to choke him and bust him open while Jon Moxley said they were giving the crowd what they wanted. He hung Cabana with the chain the same way Adam Page did to him to win the world title.

The next match featured Melo taking on Bayne in her first singles match since 2022, and Anna Jay and Penelope Ford were banned from ringside to keep it fair.

Bayne had the power advantage, but Melo is no slouch. Her martial arts background helped her even the odds.

This was a physical and competitive match that helped Melo remind everyone that she is a very capable competitor even after being gone for so long.

Other than a couple of awkward moments when moves looked a little slow, this was a solid performance that showcased one of AEW's newer stars. A running powerbomb scored Bayne the pin and the victory.

Result: Bayne defeated Melo

Grade: B-

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Notable Moments and Observations

—Kris Statlander gave an interview and had another weird moment with The Death Riders backstage.
—Melo has a different energy since she returned. She seems more confident and looks like she is always having a good time.
—It looked like Melo wanted to do one of those over the top rope submissions but Bayne thought it was meant to bring her out of the ring.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Alex Windsor

Mansoor, Mason Madden and Johnny TV carried Valkyrie to the ring for her match against Windsor, who was making her Collision debut.

Both women looked like they had something to prove, so they were bringing a lot of energy and aggression to their performances.

Valkyrie seemed to have the upper hand in the first half, but Windsor ended up winning with a Sharpshooter in a quick but decent match.

Athena appeared after the match and bragged about winning the Casino Gauntlet. She mocked Toni Storm, who showed up and dared her to sign her contract and face her for the title right then and there.

The segment ended with Storm driving Athena away and posing in the balcony.

Result: Windsor defeated Valkyrie

Grade: C+

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Notable Moments and Observations

—Windsor had a brief promo while Valkyrie was making her entrance.
—Jackets with one arm cut off are for The Winter Soldier and pro wrestlers only.
—Valkyrie has clearly been hitting the gym.
—It was unplanned but the way little feathers flew off Valkyrie's boots when she was hit with a neckbreaker was funny.

$200K Fatal 4-Way Tag Match

Action Andretti and Lio Rush, Liona and Kaun, Big Bill and Bryan Keith, and Colten and Austin Gunn competed in a four-way tag match for a $200K prize this week.

Only two men were legal at once, so Austin and Rush started the match. With so many people involved, the match had to move quickly so everyone had a chance to get in the ring and hit their moves.

The first few minutes was just a series of different faceoffs between combinations of opponents. It didn't slow down until Big Bill tagged in and the crowd took a moment to chant his name.

All eight men started brawling as the show went to a break. Things were back to normal once we returned, but it didn't take long for everything to break down again.

This was a fun bit of mayhem that showcased a handful of teams who all deserve some attention. The Gates of Agony won with a little help from Ricochet to win the $200K

Result: The Gates of Agony won

Grade: B

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Notable Moments and Observations

—Having cash prizes is a good way to add stakes to a match without needing a title. It's surprising it took AEW this long to embrace the concept.
—The moment with the ref not knowing who was legal was a fun way to get a big fight going. It's one of the few times when it felt justified for everyone to get into the ring and argue.
—Big Bill has gotten a lot more popular since Chris Jericho took a hiatus.
—Rush taking a shot at Bill and then immediately regretting it was a funny moment.

Max Caster Open Challenge

Max Caster was out for another open challenge. The Chicago fans were on board with chanting for him, but he ridiculed their efforts.

Kyle O'Reilly answered the challenge, much to Caster's dismay. In order to run down the clock a bit, Caster made KOR chase him around the ring. Roderick Strong tripped Caster to allow O'Reilly to catch up and take him down.

KOR scored a quick win in just over two minutes. This was a quick, fun moment for the crowd, but it wasn't much of a TV match.

Result: O'Reilly defeated Caster

Grade: C-

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Notable Moments and Observations

—The Chicago crowd loved chanting for Caster.
—O'Reilly had a ton of circular bruises on his back from cupping therapy.

Rush vs. Katsuyori Shibata

Rush had Dralistico and The Beast Mortos accompany him but they did not stay at ringside as he battled Shibata, who did not have his fellow trios champs at ringside either.

The match started with both men throwing rights and lefts as soon as they made contact. The strikes continued with an exchange of stiff chops.

These are two guys who are known for their hard-hitting offense and ability to absorb a lot of damage. It was a lot of fun to see their different styles mesh to put on a good fight for the Chicago crowd.

Shibata put up a good fight, but Rush ended up getting the win. He and the rest of LFI made it clear they want a shot at the trios titles, which brought out Powerhouse Hobbs with a chair to send them running.

Result: Rush defeated Shibata

Grade: B

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Notable Moments and Observations

—Shibata isn't the biggest guy but for some reason, he is convincing when he no-sells strikes.
—Shibata and Rush both has very bruised chests after their chop sequence.
—AEW needs to do more with LFI. The announcers always act like they are an important group but it never feels like they win any big matches.

Bandido, JetSpeed and Mascara Dorada vs. The Don Callis Family

This week's main event was a big eight-man tag match with Bandido, Mike Bailey, Kevin Knight and Mascara Dorada taking on Lance Archer, Hechicero, Rocky Romero and Josh Alexander.

This followed the same pattern that a lot of AEW eight-man matches have. Quick tags allowed everyone to have some time in the ring, and different combinations of opponents fought to keep things as fresh as possible.

The big downside to a match with this many people that moves this quickly is that it feels like nobody ever has enough time to sell a big spot properly or take the time to set up moves without it feeling contrived.

That being said, this was still a fun exhibition featuring eight wrestlers who each have their own unique style. We saw powerhouses, technicians, high-flyers, strikers and everything in between.

The babyface team won, but Hechicero was eyeing the ROH world title after the match, so he may end up being Bandido's next challenger.

Result: Dorada, Bandido, Bailey and Knight won

Grade: B

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Notable Moments and Observations

—Bailey and Knight had matching gear, so it looks like they will be a tag team for at least a little while.
—Dorada is always impressive when he shows up in AEW.
—Knight's springboard moonsault was a thing of beauty.

The Final Word

As a whole, this week's Collision was right down the middle. It had some highs, some lows, and some stuff that was decent but forgettable.

Rhodes opening the show with a passionate promo was the right call. The crowd was fully behind him and gave him great reactions throughout the segment.

Seeing the women's division continue to get more opportunities is great and it's what will allow AEW to properly feature all of the existing roster as well as new faces like Bayne, Thekla and Windsor.

The four-way tag match was a lot of fun, but the best thing on the show was Rush vs. Shibata. They beat each other black and blue and gave the crowd a great show. It might have made a better main event than what we got, but it would have shined anywhere on the card.

Grade: B-