Browsing: defends

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

AEW COLLISION REPORT
DECEMBER 6, 2025
COLUMBUS, OH. AT GALAXYCON AT THE GREATER COLUMBUS CONVENTION CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON TNT & HBO MAX
REPORT BY JOSHUA WHITE, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Commentators: Ian Riccaboni & Tony Schiavone & Nigel McGuinness

Ring Announcer: Arkady Aura

Attendance: WrestleTix had no official attendance number as the show took place as part of GalaxyCon. At a glance, Iâ€d guess it was less than a thousand.

[HOUR ONE]

-The show opened on the arena chanting “A-E-Dub†as Tony Schiavone welcomed everyone to the show.

(1) ORANGE CASSIDY vs. RODERICK STRONG – Continental Classic Tournament match (Blue League)

“Where Is My Mind†began to play, heralding the arrival of Orange Cassidy. They popped up the Blue League brackets, noting that Claudio Castagnoli was on top with six pints, while Cassidy remained at zero. As Cassidy climbed into the ring, they played audio of Renee noting that Cassidy has an injured back but is cleared to wrestle. Strongâ€s music played to bring him to the ring.

The bell rang and the match started four minutes into the hour. Strong wrestled Cassidy to the mat and grabbed a wristlock. Cassidy got his foot to the rope and they reset. Schiavone noted that Cassidy and Strong agreed to Conglomeration rules for the match, which amounts to no chops, much to Strongâ€s chagrin. Apparently, that wasnâ€t actually a thing, as Strong chopped Cassidy into the corner.

Cassidy came back with a side headlock takeover. Strong tried to escape, but Cassidy took him to the mat again with another headlock takeover. Strong got to his feet, but Cassidy took him back down with the headlock. Cassidy transitioned into a crucifix pin for a two count before taking Strong back down in the headlock.

Strong finally came back with a hard chop that caused Cassidy to roll out of the ring. Strong followed and delivered more chops at ringside. Strong dropped Cassidyâ€s back across the barricade. Back int eh ring, Strong nailed Cassidy with a backbreaker as they went to break. [c]

Back from break, Cassidy connected with a spinning DDT that left both men on the mat. Commentary said Strong delivered eight backbreakers during the break. Strong hit a few chops, which caused Cassidy to put his hands in his pockets. Strong tried to take advantage with a Stronghold, but Cassidy monkey flipped Strong out of it. Strong rolled to ringside where Cassidy connected with a dive.

Strong returned to the ring where Cassidy rammed him face first into the turnbuckle three times. Cassidy climbed to the top rope and went for a flying crossbody, but Strong caught him in midair and planted Cassidy with a powerslam. Cassidy came back with a slingshot DDT over the top rope into the ring.

Cassidy returned to the top rope, but strong met him there. Strong attempted a gutwrench superplex, but Cassidy elbowed his way out of it.  Strong adjusted and set Cassidy up for a backbreaker onto the top turnbuckle. Cassidy knocked Strong off the ropes and then landed a leaping DDT. Cassidy made the cover, but Strong kicked out at two.

Cassidy set up for an Orange Punch, but Strong countered it into a backbreaker. Strong followed up with a torture rack dropped into another backbreaker. Cassidy rolled Strong up for a two count, but Strong came back with a pair of forearm shots.

Strong set up for a suplex, but Cassidy countered it into a Stundog Millionaire. Cassidy went for another Orange Punch, but Strong caught him in midair. Strong lifted Cassidy into firemanâ€s carry and went for a gutbuster, but Cassidy landed on his feet. Cassidy cross Strongâ€s legs and folded him into a leverage pin for the three-count.

WINNER: Orange Cassidy in 13:00

-Cassidy sold her hurt back after the match as Strong was frustrated. They showed the Blue League standings, with Claudio on top with six points and Cassidy tying Moxley and Takeshita with three points.

(Whiteâ€s Take: God bless the Continental Classic for bringing stakes and story into Collisionâ€s typical lineup of good in-ring action. This one couldâ€ve gone either way which is part of what made it a fun match to open the show.)

-They cut to the announce desk, where Schiavone informed viewers that Darby Allinâ€s injury would keep him from finishing in the Continental Classic. Schiavone announced that “Jungle†Jack Perry would take his place in the tournament.

-Darby was standing by, pacing on the roof saying that he thought he was winning the war with the Death Riders, but apparently not since theyâ€re on the show day-in-day-out. Darby did some frustrated push ups and hit the wall before saying that he was scared for the first time in his life, when his legs went out during a his match with Kevin Knight. He said that the doctors are taking him out of the tournament, which he said is fine, “If you wanna save Darby from Darby, thatâ€s fine.†Darby said heâ€s never seen eye-to-eye with Perry, but hopes he wins the whole thing in Darbyâ€s place. He signed off by saying “As for Darby, I donâ€t know.â€

(Whiteâ€s Take: Darby not being able to go forward in the tournament is unfortunate. Despite his reckless style, Darby has always persevered, but I guess some of those stunts finally caught up with him. Itâ€s a shame, because the Continental Classic was an opportunity to remind people that Darby can have great matches without all the bells and whistles and flaming tables. Perry is a fine replacement, but overall offers less interesting storyline opportunities. Meanwhile, Darbyâ€s promo was a bit scattered, although he seemed to be channeling very real frustration.)

-The showed the Gold League standings, led by Kyle Fletcher.

-FTRâ€s music played to bring out FTR accompanied by Stokely. They threw to a replay of the Bang Bang Gang confronting FTR last week. Stokley grabbed a microphone as the crowd booed. He said that it was the greatest night of his life because FTR are the tag team champions. The boos faded into the crowd politely asking Stokely to shut up before fading back into boos. Stokely told Austin and Juice that they wanted them in the ring.

On cue, the lights went dark before their music played to bring out Juice Robinson and Austin Gunn. The crowd chanted “Guns up†before Cash interrupted. Cash said that the last time they beat FTR, would be the last time. He said theyâ€re living legends, while Austin is just the son of legend. Cash went on to say Austinâ€s greatest accomplishment is being Billyâ€s son, and Juiceâ€s is being Mr. Toni Storm. Dax took the microphone and said that the only time Austin and Juice are relevant is when theyâ€re against FTR. Dax held the tag title out and dared them to touch the belt.

Austin said that he is indeed the son of a half of famer, while Juice is the son of a carpenter. He went on to say Cash is the son of his first cousin and that Dax is just a son of a bitch. Austin said he wouldnâ€t play their weird title-touching fetish, telling FTR to make the tag title match official. Juice reminded everyone that they won $200,000, and they could by all the belts the want and touch them all night. Juice said heâ€s got a belt to hold his pants up and he doesnâ€t need another one; he needs a title. He said the next time they touch those titles; itâ€ll be when the ref hands it to them. He signed off with the “if youâ€re not down with that, we got two words for ya.†The crowd said, “guns up,†but Juice stared at Dax and said “And new.â€

(Whiteâ€s Take: Decent promos on both sides to bolster a very simple, but effective build to FTRâ€s first title defense.)

– Yuta, Garcia, and Marina were standing backstage. Marina said that “Greatness is not a moment, but a habit executed every single day.†She asked whoâ€s pushing Mark Briscoe like that. Yuta answered that Mark doesnâ€t have anyone. Garcia interrupted to say that Mark is one of the stupidest people he has ever met in his entire life. Garcia said the stupidest thing heâ€s done is putting his title on the line. Garcia said heâ€s bringing the TNT title home to the Death Riders. [c]

(2) CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI vs. MASCARA DORADA – Continental Classic Tournament match (Blue League)

Claudioâ€s music played as he descended an ominously lit set of stairs. He came out from the side of the entrance and walked to the ring as they shod a replay of Claudio and Moxley from Dynamite. Mascara Dorada made his entrance as the announcers claimed that Claudio has historically had issues with high-flyers. The bell rang to start the match 36 minutes into the show.

Dorada and Claudio wrestled to the mat. Dorada took Claudio down with an arm drag. Claudio landed a kick to the gut and dropped Dorada with a right hand. Claudio took Dorada to the mat with a headlock, but Dorada worked his way back to his feet.

Dorada shot Claudio off the ropes and leapt for a high-flying move, but Claudio caught him in midair and brought him down into a backbreaker. Claudio dropped Dorada with an overhand chop. Dorada dodged Claudio with a dazzling set of handsprings and flips before taking his hand and delivering low kicks.

Dorada ran to the ropes and took Claudio down with a springboard armdrag. Claudio rolled to ringside. Dorada got a running start and went for the dive, but Claudio met him in the ropes with a European uppercut. Claudio pressed Dorada above his head and dropped him cross the top of the guardrail. Claudio lifted Dorada over his head and did it again as they went to commercial. [c]

They returned from commercial as Claudio attempted to rip off Doradaâ€s mask. Dorada escaped with some kicks, but Claudio caught his foot, swung him around in the giant swing for two revolutions before tossing him across the mat. Claudio connected with a running European uppercut in the corner.

Dorada dodged a second attempt, and landed a thrust kick, leaving both men down. Dorada got to his feet but charged into a boot from Claudio. Dorada came back with a flipping armdrag from the rope followed by a running headcsissor. Claudio rolled out of the ring and then sidestepped a sliding dropkick from Dorada. Claudio aggressively rolled Dorada back into the ring and held his arm up in triumph. Dorada, with no wasted motion, dove over the top rope, snatched Claudio extended arm, and took him to the floor with a flying armdrag.

Claudio shoved  Dorada into the ring stairs and charged after him. Dorada stepped out of the way and Claudio ran into the stairs. Dorada charged at Claudio popped him up over his head. Dorada landed on the middle turnbuckle, flipped over Claudio and caught him with another armdrag.

Back in the ring, Dorada went for a victory roll that earned him a two count. Dorada climbed to the top rope as Claudio got to his feet. Dorada went for a crossbody, but Claudio caught him and nailed him with a backbreaker. Claudio made the cover, but Dorada kicked out at two. Claudio hit another running European uppercut in the corner and went for the cover, but Dorada kicked out at two.

Dorada connected with a thrust kick, but then ran into a clothesline that turned him inside out. Claudio made a weak cover that got a two count. Claudio ran into a boot from Dorada in the corner. Dorada went for a running hurricanrana, but Claudio blocked it and powered Dorada up onto his shoulders. Claudio climbed onto the middle turnbuckle, where Dorada elbowed his way out of Claudioâ€s grip. Dorada dropped to the apron, landed a kick and then took Claudio down with a twisting hurricanrana from the top rope.

Dorada climbed back to the top rope, but Claudio met him with a running uppercut. Claudio climbed up and went for a superplex. Dorada blocked it and shoved Claudio off, sending him crashing to the mat. Dorada stood up and executed a shooting star press that connected on Claudio. Dorada hooked the leg and got the win.

WINNER: Mascara Dorada in 12:00

(Whiteâ€s Take: A fun match from start to finish pitting Claudioâ€s strength and ruthlessness against Doradaâ€s agility and ingenuity. These kinds of upsets make the tournament format extra interesting. Bonus points for the announcers planting the seeds of Claudio struggling with luchadors.)

-They threw to a previously recorded segment featuring Tony Schaivone sitting down backstage with Harley Cameron, Willow Nightingale, Toni Storm, & Mina Shirakawa. They sat in front of the womenâ€s tag belts and Mina handed her opponents each a glass of champagne. Schiavone said theyâ€re four of the most beloved individuals on the roster. Toni Storm raised a glass to “four bitches with the itches that fight for all the riches.†Toni said thereâ€s a difference between being a tag team and living a tag team. She said that her and Mina have been through war and have loved each other through it all.

Willow said she supports them in their personal life, but ti has no bearing on what happens in the ring. Toni said that sheâ€s beaten both Willow and Harley, while neither can say the same about her. Harley said thereâ€s no denying their accomplishments, but they are ready to rewrite history. Harley said that he first three years have been more successful than Toni or Mina. Mina interrupted to remind everyone that theyâ€re fighting for the belts, and said theyâ€ll give them a fight to remember. Schiavone said heâ€d drink to that and they all raised their glasses. [c]

(Whiteâ€s Take: A fine segment to hopefully refocus the womenâ€s tag title tournament after the unfortunately unnecessary four-way on the PPV and the subsequently saddening semi-finals match on Sunday. To the surprise of no one, Toni Storm was the star, although everyone added a little.)

[HOUR TWO]

-Back from break, Schiavone was in the center of the ring to welcome Swerve Strickland to the ring. Swerveâ€s new music played, bringing Prince Nana out. Swerve eventually made his way to the ring as the announcers said that Swerveâ€s new song and entrance music will be available next Wednesday. Nana led a “whose house†chant as Swerve grabbed a microphone. Swerve said heâ€s been grinding to make himself biggest, baddest, most dangerous version of himself. He said itâ€s all for the world championship. Swerve said when he was champion it was simple: he said, meant it, and backed it up. Swerve called out Samoa Joe and reminded him that he beat him for the title to make history. Swerve expressed annoyance of having to cut through Opps Dojo people, Hobbs, Shibata, and Hook to get to Joe. He said that Joe will fall to the franchise of AEW. Swerve pivoted to “Hangman†Adam Page. He said they donâ€t see eye-to-eye and probably never would, but they have the greatest rivalry in the history of AEW. He then went on to say for one night, and one night only, heâ€ll team with Page to fight the Opps, but afterwards theyâ€ll have to have a serious conversation.

Swerve was interrupted by Josh Alexander, saying he couldnâ€t take it anymore. Alexander said Swerve is great, but AEW is no Don Callis†house. He said that since Swerve was gone, theyâ€ve had a chokehold on the company. Alexander said Swerve is after the title, but heâ€s not seeking revenge against the man who put him out, Okada. He also said he takes exception to Swerve thinking heâ€ll just get a title shot. Alexander ran down his recent accomplishments, such as beating Ospreay, injuring Ibushi, and earning one million dollars. Alexander eventually said he deserves a title shot. He proposed they fight each other to determine who deserves a shot at the title. Alexander implied the crowd, however, does not deserve the match. Swerve suggested they fight at Cardiff, which Alexander was fine with, being as itâ€s far away from Ohio.

Shibata came from nowhere and took Swerveâ€s previously injured leg out from behind. Swerve sold his leg as Shibata headed to the back and Alexander told him heâ€d see him next week.

(Whiteâ€s Take: Nice of Collision to get a focused segment featuring one of the companyâ€s top stars. Swerveâ€s promo was mostly good, although Iâ€ve always felt he performs better with someone to play off of. The content of the promo was welcome though, providing a mission statement of sorts, focusing on the world title, and addressing his tenuous association Hangman. Josh Alexander interrupting and Shibataâ€s sneak attack didnâ€t do much for me, but these are but speedbumps on the highway to Swerve reclaiming the gold. Alexander’s promo was fine, but he seems leagues beneath Swerve, despite his insistence to the contrary.)

-Lexy Nair was backstage with Mercedes Mone, who looked upset as Lexy brought up her loss the previous night on Final Battle. Mercedes cut her off and said she doesnâ€t want to talk about it and told Lexy to ask a better question. Lexy asked if her recent losses are weighing on her at all. Mercedes gathered herself and said sheâ€s the longest reigning TBS champion and the only thing weighing on her is her 12 titles. Mercedes told Leila Grey that there is a price to pay, when you mess with Mercedes Mone.

(3) MERCEDES MONE vs. LEILA GREY (w/Christopher Daniels) – TBS Championship match

Merecedes made her entrance as they threw to a video of Red Velvet defeating her for the ROH Womenâ€s Television title the night before. Leila Grey made her entrance along with Christopher Daniels as they showed a replay of Leila picking up a few victories on ROH.

The bell rang 12 minutes into the hour and Mercedes immediately blindsided Grey. Grey rolled to the outside where Mercedes hit her with a. sliding dropkick. Mercedes went for a meteora from the apron, but Grey sidestepped it and Mercedes hit Christopher Daniels instead. Grey hotshotted Mercedes across the top rope and delivered a series of strikes and shotgun dropkick. Grey made the cover, but only got two.

Grey hit a swinging neckbreaker and went for the pin again, but Mercedes kicked out at two again. Grey connected with an enziguri, but Mercedes came back with a back elbow. Mercedes grabbed Grey with her feet and rammed her head into the turnbuckle. Grey caught Mercedes with a kick and a rising knee in the corner.

Grey went for a running bulldog, but Mercedes pushed her off and hit Grey with a grounded meteora. Mercedes hooked the leg, but grey kicked out at two. Mercedes was in control as as they went to commercial. [c]

Back from commercial, Mercedes missed double knees in the corner and Grey took advantage with a pair of lariats and a slingblade.  Grey hit Mercedes in the corner with a running knee, but seemed to have maybe hurt her own knee in the process. Grey delivered a running bulldog on Mercedes. Mercedes caught Grey with a crucifix pin, but Grey kicked out at two. Mercedes transitioned directly into the Statement Maker and Grey tapped out.

WINNER: Mercedes Mone in 6:00

-Mercedes held onto the submission after the bell until Christopher Daniels slid in to break it up. Daniels checked on Grey and Mercedes hit him with a low blow. Mercedes walked to the commentary desk and stole Schiavone headset to let everyone know that sheâ€s the greatest TBS champion of all time.

(Whiteâ€s Take: Not sure if Grey was ready for this spot. She seemed to be moving a bit slowly and tentatively, actively thinking about her spots. It doesnâ€t help that she appears to have been hurt. Not sure if they rushed to the finish and/or improvised the after-match stuff to fill time.)

-Eddie Kingston was backstage, saying heâ€s been doing this for 25 years. He told Samoa Joe that he canâ€t get into his head. Kingston said that he cares too much about wrestling and AEW. Kingston was worried about the direction some young wrestlers are going. He said that Joe is the best wrestler in the world, and the title proves it. Kingston said he wants change to improve the culture. He said he wants to win the title to show the younger guys that they can win by doing it the right way, the way AEW is supposed to be. [c]

-They returned from, break as Ian Ricconi reported that something was going on backstage. They went backstage where The Triangle of Madness were beating down a group of unknown female competitors. Thekla held one of them as Skye Blue and Julia Hart hit her with a double superkick. They faced the camera, saying “Sisters of Sin, we come for the win.†Thekla signed off with a “See you in Cardiff, bitches.â€

(4) RICOCHET (w/Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) vs. ACE AUSTIN – National Championship match

Ricochet made his entrance alongside GoA as they showed a replay of Ricochet beating Dalton Castle the night before at ROH Final Battle. Ace Austin made his entrance as they showed a replay of Austin picking up a win of his own on ROH. The bell rang to start the match 29 minutes into the second hour.

Ace took Ricochet down with a headlock. Ace and Ricochet traded athletic dodges before Ace took Ricochet down again with another headlock. Ace rolled Ricochet up for a quick two count. Ricochet retreated to ringside in frustration. Ricochet reentered and Ace landed a quick combination of strikes before taking Ricochet down with a leg trip followed by a magistral cradle for a two count.

Ace connected with a. dropkick and Ricochet rolled out of the ring to regroup. Ricochet grabbed the ring bell hammer and slid into the ring. Ricochet wrestled with the referee, who eventually took the hammer from him. The distraction allowed Kaun to grab Aceâ€s foot and Ricochet to hit him from behind. Ricochet hit Ace with a suicide dive as they cut to commercial. [c]

Back from break, Ace struggled out of a headlock with body strikes. Ricochet went for a running dropkick in the corner, but Ace ducked out of the way, leaving Ricochet to crash and burn. Ace hit Ricochet with a short arm clothesline followed be a knee lift and Russian leg sweep. Ace landed a leg drop and a running clothesline in the corner into a flurry of clotheslines.

Ricochet distracted the ref as Toa Liona attempted to attack Ace on the apron. Ace, however, athletically dodged his attacks and hit Ricochet with a springboard crossbody. Ace planted Ricochet with a sitout powerbomb into the pin, but Ricochet kicked out at two.

Ace set up for The Fold, but Ricochet retreated to the corner. Ricochet rolled Ace up for a two count and then landed a dropkick. Ricochet executed a running shooting star press and held on for the pin, but Ace kicked out at two.

Ricochet called for the Spirit Gun as Ace struggled to his knees. Ricochet charged, but Ace ducked the Spirit Gun. Ace went for a backslide, but Ricochet turned it around into a suplex attempt that Ace countered into an inside cradle for a two count. Ricochet went for another suplex, but Ace countered it and lifted Ricochet up onto the top turnbuckle. Ace nailed Ricocert with a superplex all the way from the top rope.

Ace followed up with his signature leg-trapped head stomp, The House of Cards. Ace went for the pin, but Ricochet kicked out at two. Ace set up for The Fold again, but Ricochet pulled the referee in between them. As the ref ducked out of the way, Ricochet went for a low blow, but Ace caught his foot. Ricochet flipped out of it and hit a running lariat. Ricochet planted Ace with the Vertigo and held on for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Ricochet in 10:00

(Whiteâ€s Take: This was a pretty good match, although the mere existence of the National title brings it down a notch. Ace Austin could have a promising future on the roster and Ricochet is doing some of the best work of his career.)

-After the match, FTR hit the ring and beat down Ace Austin. Austin Gunn and Juice Robison charged the ring and FTR met them with fists. Dax and Cash both tried to hit Juice and Austin with the tag titles, but they simultaneously ducked and hit stereo punch combinations. FTR rolled out of the ring, leaving the tag titles. The Bang Bang Gang tossed the titles out of the ring to FTR. [c]

(5) JON MOXLEY vs. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA – Continental Classic tournament match (Blue League)

Moxleyâ€s music played, and he passed Marina backstage before making his way through the crowd and to the ring. Takeshita made his entrance as Schiavone noted that Takeshita has never lost a singles match on Collision. The bell rang and the match start 48 minutes into the second hour.

The crowd chanted “Holy shit†as Moxley and Takeshita locked up. Moxley shoved Takeshita, who didnâ€t back down, earning a pair of middle fingers from Moxley. Thet wrestled to the mat where Takeshita put Moxley into a headscissor. Moxley escaped and Takeshita transitioned into a side headlock. Moxley reversed into his own headlock and Takeshita shot him off the ropes. The met int eh middle with a shoulder block, neither man giving an inch.

Takeshita landed a boot to the face followed by a flying clothesline. Takeshita went for a suplex, Moxley flipped out and landed on his feet, but seemingly hurt his ankle. Takeshita wasted no time, sliding the outside of the ring and stretching Moxleyâ€s ankle against the ring post. Takeshita hit Moxley with a series of forearms on the outside and then slammed his foot into the barricade. Back in the ring, Takeshita took Moxley down with a dragon screw that seemed to focus on the ankle. Moxley clutched his ankle in the corner as they went to break. [c]

They returned from commercial as Takeshita kicked Moxley in the foot and then stretched his ankle in the ropes. Takeshita hit the ropes and charged, but Moxley caught him with a forearm. Moxley attempted to suplex Takeshita from the apron to the outside, but Takeshita landed on the apron and landed a kick.

Moxley hit Takeshita with a dropkick to the leg and then drilled him with a big stomp on the apron. Takeshita collapsed to the outside of the ring and Moxley recovered in the ring. Takeshita rolled into the ring and Moxley hit him with a back suplex. Takeshita came back with a German suplex. Takeshita and Moxley charged and hit each other with double clotheslines that left both men down.

They got to their feet and traded forearm shots in the center of the ring. The continued to brawl with left and rights. Takeshita hit the ropes and went for a clothesline, but Moxley ducked it and connected with a big lariat on Takeshita. Moxley went for a sleeper hold, but Takeshita countered it into a blue thunder bomb attempt, which Moxley countered into a rolling armbar attempt, but Takeshita locked his hands to block it. Moxley snatched Takeshitaâ€s foot and locked in an ankle lock. Takeshita struggled and crawled, eventually making his way to the rope to break the hold.

Takeshita rolled onto the apron where Moxley set up for a piledriver, but Takeshita backdropped him instead. Moxley hit the apron and got to his feet at ringside as Takeshita tried to hit the ropes, but instead collapsed due to the damage to his ankle.

Moxley rolled into the ring to take advantage, but Takeshita got to his feet and connected with a. forearm that knocked Moxley back out of the ring. Takeshita hit the opposite ropes and nailed Moxley with a flipping dive to the outside. The crowd chanted “this is awesome†as Takeshita cleared off the announce table.

Moxley charged and Takeshita lifted him up into a blue thunder bomb, slamming him down against corner of the announce table, which collapsed under Moxleyâ€s weigh. The ref started the count and Moxley struggled, crawling to the ring, barely rolling in at nine. Takeshita was waiting on the top rope and executed a frog splash on Moxley as soon as he rolled in. Takeshita hooked the leg, but Moxley kicked out at two.

Moxley caught Takeshita will a roll up for a two count and then a sudden cutter out of nowhere. Moxley went for a piledriver, but Takeshita swept Moxleyâ€s leg out and crushed his ankle. Moxley struggled to get back to his feet and Takeshita spun around for a discus forearm, but Moxley caught him with a sudden forearm shot of his own.

Moxley flipped Takeshita off, prompting him to charge right into a sudden double-arm DDT. Moxley hooked the leg and the ref counted to two before Takeshita just barely got his foot onto the rope for the break. Moxley hit a running clothesline on Takeshita in the corner and then a running boot that knocked Takeshita to the mat.

Takeshita was fired up and got right back to his feet where Moxley met him with a. stiff forearm and a combination of jabs. Moxley hit the ropes and charged Takeshita, but his ankle gave out on him. Moxley fell to his knee and Takeshita nailed him with a running knee. As Moxley struggled to get back up, Takeshita lowered his knee pad and then drilled Moxley with a second running knee. Takeshita lifted Moxley up and then planted him with the Raging Fire. Takeshita held on for the pin and got the win.

WINNER: Konosuke Takeshita in 17:00

(Whiteâ€s Take: Itâ€s shocking that a match of this caliber would even take place of Collision. I know the Continental Classic forces some pretty meaty match-ups, but these two could legitimately headline a PPV in the near future. And, to that end, Moxley and Takeshita delivered a PPV-quality performance. It was a hard-hitting affair spiced with mat work and ring psychology. Another match that could have went either way, a draw seemed likely as they crossed over 17-minute threshold. Moxleyâ€s ability to have such good regular matches makes his deathmatch fixation all the more annoying. Strong signature win for Takeshita as he prepares to defend the NJPW title at their biggest show of the year.)

-They showed the updating standings for the Blue League quickly before signing off, as they were several minutes past the top of the hour.

FINAL THOUGHTS: This was a delightful episode of Collision. We can give a lot of credit to the Continental Classic for bringing solid matches, but Collision was never hurting for that. What this week delivered was star power, matches with stakes, and storyline developments. We had Swerveâ€s first big promo following his return, world title challenger Eddie Kingston addressing the champion, good build for the tag titles, Darby being replaced for Jack Perry in the tournament, all on top of the good-to-great matches in the Continental Classic. Taking into account a general lack of nonsense and irritants, and you have a show which is likely better than this weekâ€s Dynamite. As an aside, Ian Riccaboni is mostly good. He didn’t add much, but would be welcome as a replacement for Schiavone.

Source link

Joe Root insisted England worked as hard as they could to be ready for the day-night Ashes Test, despite missing five chances on the second day at the Gabba.

The tourists face an uphill task to stay in the match and the series after Australia closed on 378-6 – 44 runs ahead.

Four of the chances England missed came in the night session under the floodlights in Brisbane.

England rarely play pink-ball Tests – this is their eighth, compared to Australia’s 15th. Whereas Australia annually include a day-night Test in their schedule, England have played only one since their last visit to this country four years ago.

After losing the first Test inside two days, England opted not to send any of their XI from Perth to a day-night England Lions game against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra.

Ben Stokes’ side instead had five training session in Brisbane, two of which were under floodlights.

“We worked as hard as we could,” said England batter Root. “We did a huge amount of catching and making sure we utilised those two sessions under lights well.

“Sometimes the catches just don’t stick. You’ve got to keep applying yourself and wanting the ball so you’re ready when that next opportunity comes. That’s one of the nuances of the game and this pink-ball Test match.”

However, former England captain Michael Vaughan told the Test Match Special podcast no amount of fielding drills can replicate match practice.

“I would have done things completely differently,” said Vaughan, who led England to victory in the 2005 Ashes. “What I saw today was a team that looked jaded.

“These fielding drills – they’re fantastic, but you know the ball is coming to you. In a game, you have no clue when it is coming to you and it is completely different.

“The art of taking chances is concentration. If you’re not out there on a regular basis practising for many hours, when that chance comes you have to be concentrating to take that opportunity. The only way you get good at that is by training the brain to do it.”

When this point was raised with Root, he countered: “It’s never going to be perfect. All you can do is give yourself the best possible chance and I think we’ve done that.

“In the lead-up to this game we’ve got used to conditions, we’ve got used to the heat, we got used to the surfaces. We’ve caught under lights, we’ve caught in daylight and tried to catch in twilight as well.

“We’re not perfect, we’re all human and we’re going to make mistakes.”

Source link

Carlos Silva says TNA taking a few weeks off was just a smart business decision. Itâ€s also one he still stands behind.

TNA President Carlos Silva spoke with WrestleZone about the promotionâ€s new media rights deal with AMC. During the conversation, Silva was asked about the decision to take four weeks off after TNAâ€s huge Bound For Glory pay-per-view, which saw Mike Santana finally win the TNA World Championship.

Instead of continuing the storylines and keeping its momentum, TNA didnâ€t air a new episode for several weeks. Two of those weeks featured a look back at Bound For Glory, and the company also brought Open Fight Night back. However, the lack of completely new shows didnâ€t sit well with many fans.

Silva explained the decision behind going on hiatus, sharing that it came down to making the right business decision for TNA.

Carlos Silva says TNA made a business decision, and it was the right one

“I donâ€t know that there was any grand master plan behind it. I mean, as you work through schedules every year and you work through the difficulties in arenas and finding venues, getting everyone to the right cities, it just didnâ€t fall into the right cadence to make a great business decision for all of us at TNA to go to a place that didnâ€t make sense,†Carlos Silva explained.

“Weâ€re having a lot of success; we had content that had actually been put in the can around some of these tapings. So, we made a business decision—and it was the right decision—to not go and do a ‘bad†deal in maybe an arena that didnâ€t work out for us,†Silva continued. “So, these are the things that happen when youâ€re in the live business. Youâ€ve got to make these decisions, sometimes on the fly, and I think it ended up being a fine decision.â€

He credited the production team in Nashville for putting the shows that did air together, reiterating that it was the best decision for TNA to make.

“I know the fans were definitely grousing and jumping on us. But then, I think the [production] team down in Nashville with Eric Thompkins did a great job of putting some great shows together that got us through that break and got us back to the live events. So, these things happen sometimes. I think it was still the right decision.â€

Read More: CM Punk Was Warned Against Wearing Tribute Gear For WWE Legend On TVÂ

Source link

Paul Heyman seemingly shoved a young fan when the kid tried to grab him just after WWE Survivor Series: WarGames was in the books.

This issue became a topic of conversation in wrestling town after the recently concluded PLE. Although his fair share of detractors felt that the Hall of Famer had taken it, CJ Perry (fka Lana) felt otherwise.

Perry was one of Paul Heyman’s favorites. When the veteran took over WWE’s creative for Monday Night RAW around 2019, he was a huge supporter of Lana. Heyman put her in a storyline with her husband, Rusev, and Bobby Lashley in a love triangle that gave all of them significant television time.

On TMZ Sports’ Inside The Ring, CJ Perry called The Oracle her “spirit animal,” confessing her obsession with the legendary manager. She believes Heyman knew that there were cameras, and only used it to further heel it up. Perry does not feel he went too far, and further added that she loved his character work.

I don’t think he went too far. I think it’s okay,” CJ Perry said. “So, I laughed hysterically, and then I was like, ‘Wait, can you push kids?’ All these things were going through my head. […] If a fan jumps in [and you touch them], you can get sued. So, I was concerned, but then Paul Heyman is my spirit animal, I’m obsessed with him, and he does no wrong. Obviously, he’s a genius. He has calculated all of this. I’m sure he knew there was a camera. There are cameras everywhere. So, he’s going to take every moment to grab the brass ring and be as heel as possible.”

CJ Perry Called Paul Heyman Shoving The Kid At WWE Survivor Series: WarGames “Iconic”

Despite what a section of the fans thinks, Paul Heyman shoving the kid will forever be iconic, believes CJ Perry, as the young one will look back to this moment many years later and feel special for it. She also speculated that the kid had a VIP pass and they had already met at the Meet & Greet.

The incident happened after Paul Heyman’s team prevailed inside WarGames, thanks to the involvement of a mystery assailant who took out CM Punk, allowing Bron Breakker to score the pinfall victory over The Best in the World for his team.

Interestingly, in a rare moment, Heyman broke character during an interview with Stephanie McMahon, where he disclosed a life-changing Make-A-Wish story of his that also featured his oldest WWE client, Brock Lesnar.

If you use quotes from this article, please credit TMZ’s Inside The Ring and give a H/T to ITR Wrestling for the transcription.

Source link

File Pic: Ravichandran Ashwin and Gautam Gambhir NEW DELHI: Former India off-spinner R Ashwin has come out strongly in defence of head coach Gautam Gambhir after Indiaâ€s 0-2 home Test series defeat to South Africa, warning against what he called a growing urge to “find someone to blame†after big losses. India were comprehensively beaten in the two-Test series, culminating in a record 408-run defeat in Guwahati, triggering heavy criticism of Gambhirâ€s plans and his strategy of backing all-rounders, which some believe has unsettled the teamâ€s balance.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!However, Ashwin dismissed calls for the coachâ€s removal, saying Gambhir — whose contract runs till 2027 — should not be made the fall guy. “Why are we doing this? Itâ€s a sport. Managing a team cannot be that easy. And yes, he is hurting too. We must understand that. It might feel nice to get someone sacked, but thatâ€s not how it should be,†Ashwin said on his YouTube show Ash ki Baat.

Gautam Gambhir fiery press conference: On whitewash, Rishabh Pant shot, pitch and more

He added that mistakes were inevitable but did not justify a witch-hunt. “Gautam is not my relative. I could also point out 10 mistakes. Yes, mistakes happen… but when they cost you, they become expensive. Anybody can make them.â€With Indiaâ€s formidable home record taking a hit, Ashwin acknowledged the need to seek accountability but insisted that the spotlight must not solely be on the coach. “We want to ask for responsibility. Itâ€s easy, because in Indian cricket thereâ€s a lot to gain and a lot of money involved. So many people are ready to take the job. But a coach cannot pick up the bat and go out to play.â€

Poll

Who do you believe should be held accountable for India’s Test series defeat?

Ashwin stressed that players, not just the management, must own the failure. “Put yourself in the coachâ€s position. You may say a player needs continuity and that thereâ€s been rotation — fine, agreed. But the skill to play and perform is the playerâ€s responsibility.â€The former off-spinner said he had “not seen enough responsibility taken by enough players†to justify blaming Gambhir. “Decision-making can always be better, no doubt. But I personally donâ€t like this individual attack, because we always look for someone to blame.â€

Source link

David Moyes said he likes his ­players “fighting each other†after Idrissa Gueye was sent off in the 13th minute for slapping his teammate Michael Keane in Evertonâ€s 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday.

The victory was a first at Old Trafford in the Premier League for the visitors since 2013. After Gueyeâ€s red card, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hallâ€s 29th-minute strike proved the winner as United lost for a first time in the competition at home after an opponent was reduced to 10 men.

Gueyeâ€s marching orders came after he approached Keane, was pushed away, and then slapped the defender on the cheek, causing the referee, Tony Harrington, to send him off for violent conduct. Gueye later apologised to his teammates.

Moyes said: “I like my players fighting each other, if someone didnâ€t do the right action. If you want that toughness and resilience to get a result, you want someone to act on it.

“If nothing happened [no red card], I donâ€t think anyone in the stadium would have been surprised. I thought the referee could have taken a bit longer to think about it. I was told that [by] the rules of the game that if you slap your own player, you could be in trouble.

“Iâ€m disappointed we got the sending off. But weâ€ve all been footballers, we get angry with our teammates. Heâ€s apologised for the sending off, heâ€s praised the players and thanked them for it and apologised.â€

Defeat ended Unitedâ€s five-game unbeaten run. Ruben Amorim ­echoed Moyesâ€s sentiment. The head coach said: “Fighting is not a bad thing. Fighting doesnâ€t mean that they donâ€t like each other. Fighting is that you lose the ball [so] I will fight you because we will suffer a goal. That was how I felt when I watched. And I donâ€t agree with the sending off.â€

United remain on 18 points, two behind Crystal Palace in fifth place, which may again be enough to seal a Champions League place.

skip past newsletter promotion

Sign up to Football Daily

Kick off your evenings with the Guardian’s take on the world of football

Privacy Notice:Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

after newsletter promotion

Amorim said: “I know at which point we are at the moment. I have that feeling during this [unbeaten] run. I always talk about that – we are not there, not even near the point that we should be to fight for the best positions in the league. We have a lot to do and we need to be perfect to win games. We were not perfect today.â€

Matheus Cunhaâ€s head injury ruled him out of the game.

Source link

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

SHOW SUMMARY:In this week’s 5 Yrs Ago Flashback episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show (11-25-2020), PWTorch editor Wade Keller was joined by Pro Wrestling Torch columnist and host of the “Wrestling Night in America†PWTorch Dailycast Greg Parks to analyze AEW Dynamite with live callers and emails. They discussed the build-up for Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega next week and thoughts on the latest steps Omega has taken to define his heel character, Hikaru Shida defends against Anna Jay, Chris Jericho & Jake Hager vs. SCU, Top Flight vs. TH2, Rey Fenix & Pac vs. The Butcher & The Blade, a Taz-Cody angle, Hangman Page vs. John Silver, and more.

FREE VERSION:AUDIO LINK

AD-FREE VIP VERSION:ÂVIP AUDIO LINK

NOT VIP? NO PROBLEM… CLICK HERE FOR VIP SIGN UP INFO

OTHER LINKS…

Or support us on Patreon…

–

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel…

–

–

Emails…

wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com

kellerwade@gmail.com

pwtorch@gmail.com

Source link

Draymond Green defends Nick Young after Kenyon Martin’s 2018 NBA title critiques originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Former NBA guard Nick Young was only on the Warriors for one season, but he helped Golden State win its third title in four years in 2018.

Advertisement

And though Young often gets some flak on the “Gilâ€s Arena†podcast for his role on that team, Draymond Green wants to make it clear that Young was a key contributor during the Warriors†title run that year.

In Fridayâ€s episode of “The Draymond Green Show,†the Golden State forward issued a rebuttal to clips heâ€s seen featuring former NBA players Kenyon Martin and Rashad McCants, during which they antagonize Young. Green already had responded to Martinâ€s shots directed at Green himself earlier in the same podcast.

“But one thing I want to share with Kenyon Martin and Rashad McCants,†Green explained, “you know, a couple of guys who try to attack Nick Young about his NBA championship, is this. I know you guys donâ€t understand what it means to win an NBA championship. And because of that, you guys attack Nick Young because yâ€all donâ€t know what it takes. So, Iâ€m going to share with you all non-champions what it takes to win an NBA championship.â€

In his 15-year NBA career, Martin reached the NBA Finals twice with the New Jersey Nets but fell short in both attempts. McCants, meanwhile, failed to reach the playoffs during his four-year career.

Advertisement

“So, in an NBA championship, you have your guys who have to deliver on a roster,†Green continued. “Me, Steph [Curry] and Klay [Thompson], we had to deliver. You had to. And then you have all your guys who play a role. What role players do in the NBA playoffs en route to NBA championships … what I like to call them is swing players, as opposed to role players. I like to call them swing players.

“What do I mean by swing players? Your job as a role player throughout an NBA championship run is — itâ€s easier said than done, but the concept is simple. Your job is to swing one series. And what I mean by that is, you be the piece in one series that swings the series, because we know what Steph is going to do. We know what Klay is going to do. We know what Draymond is going to do. We know what theyâ€re going to bring to the floor. We need one player that weâ€re not necessarily expecting to do X to swing the series.â€

Green went on to highlight Young as the swing player who helped push Golden State over the top in a hard-fought Western Conference Finals that season; the Warriors needed seven games to defeat the Houston Rockets before sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

“And so when you go look at our championship run that Nick Young was a part of, Nick Young was the swing player in the Houston series,†Green said. “In Games 6 and 7, Nick Young was one of the primary defenders on James Harden. Nick Young hit big threes. He swung the series for us. Guess what? Job done. When you talk about winning a championship, he swung the series. Thatâ€s his job as a role player to swing one series. He did that.

Advertisement

“So when you guys try to say, ‘His championship doesnâ€t matter, he rode, he just got a ring.†No, he didnâ€t. What he did was swing a series, but because you guys never won a championship, you donâ€t quite understand that concept.â€

As expected, Green didnâ€t pull any punches in his comments defending his former teammate. But as a four-time NBA champion himself, itâ€s hard to argue with anything he said.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Source link

Gary Gershoff/Getty Images

Tony Khan has reasoned why AEW needed to add more titles, pointing to the company’s growth as a major factor.

Khan recently announced the addition of another title, the National Championship, a decision that’s been criticized by the likes of Bully Ray and Nic Nemeth. In the AEW Full Gear media call, Khan explained why it was necessary for him to make that decision.

“I think it’s important to look at the content that any wrestling promotion is producing and what the model for the business of that company is. For AEW, the revenue is primarily driven from TV and pay-per-view, and we produce many hours of TV and pay-per-view. We also produce a lot of live events, and we produce over a hundred shows per year and several hours per week. This is different than the beginning of AEW because at the beginning of AEW, we only had two hours of television, and I had no association whatsoever with Ring of Honor and certainly was not the owner and promoter of that company,” he said.

Khan argued that he hasn’t added more titles to ROH, barring the two women’s titles – Women’s World Television Championship and Women’s Pure Championship, which he has done to grow the women’s division of the brand. While discussing AEW, he said that the company has grown and changed since it began, noting that AEW now produces far more content, which he said made adding more titles necessary.

“With ROH, I did inherit their championships and have expanded the women’s championships in ROH,” Khan stated. “In AEW, the company has changed and we’ve added Collision, which is a hugely important part of the AEW weekly TV, and the lifeblood of the company is the AEW Warner Brothers partnership of which Collision is a huge part, and we’re a company now that produces twice as many hours of TV and twice as many pay-per-views as we did when we started. “

He pointed to AEW being incredibly successful now and how the promotion’s TV rights are currently far higher than what it was even last year.

Source link

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Back in September, WWE made one of its biggest announcements in recent memory, and it was one many fans didn’t take too kindly to. It was revealed that the company would be taking “The Showcase of the Immortals,” WrestleMania 43 to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2027, and WWE is reportedly getting a “mindblowing” amount of money to take the show to the country. The announcement was made official in a press conference, one headed by Paul “Triple H” Levesque, alongside Turki Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia. On a recent episode of his “Kliq This” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash defended the Chief Content Officer from the heat he was getting over the announcement.

“Paul was getting heat for them going to Saudi Arabia and it’s like, let’s make sure the people understand my friend’s job, he’s the head of creative,” Nash explained. “He’s not the business guy that picks the f****** venues. That’s not his job. It’s above his paygrade.”

WWE entered into a partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia back when former chairman Vince McMahon was still at the helm of the company, including creative. The deal began in 2014 when WWE started to host events in both Riyadh and Jeddah. Levesque took over creative duties, including the booking of shows in Saudi Arabia, from McMahon in July 2022.

“You can put a ring anywhere. You’re booking the action that goes on in the ring. You’re booking for the event,” Nash said, putting it plainly.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “Kliq This” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Source link