Browsing: Takeshita

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

AEW COLLISION REPORT
OCTOBER 25, 2025 (recorded 10/29)
EDINBURG, TEX. AT BERT OGEN ARENA
AIRED LIVE ON TNT & HBOMAX
REPORT BY JOSHUA WHITE, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Commentators: Nigel McGuiness & Tony Schiavone

Ring Announcer: Arkady Aura

Attendance: WrestleTix reported that 3,030 tickets had been distributed; arena is set up for 3,278. The arena has a capacity of about 9,000 spectators for other events.

[HOUR ONE]

-The show started with a promo video based around the Day of the Dead, hyping the nightâ€s upcoming matches. As it ended the Collision intro played complete with Elton John to remind that Saturday night is, indeed, alright for fighting. Tony Schiavone welcomed everyone to the show as they cut to a wide shot of the crowd.

(1) KONOSUKE TAKESHITA & KAZUCHIKA OKADA vs. ANTHONY BOWENS & MAX CASTER

Takeshitaâ€s music played to bring out Takeshita, accompanied only by the IWGP title. Callis was on commentary, continuing to say that everything is good in the Don Callis Family. Okadaâ€s music played next to bring him out with the Unified title. The music that apparently belongs to Anthony Bowens played, to bring him out holding five framed magazines, one for each tool I suppose. Max Caster entered after him, only carrying the single copyright.

Bowens and Takeshita locked up ats the match started seven minutes into the show. Takeshita grabbed a wristlock, but Bowens countered it into a snapmare. Bowens celebrated and ate a chop. They went back and forth with chops until Takeshita hit a boot to the gut followed by a flying clothesline.

Okada nodded in approval and Takeshita raked Bowens†eyes. Bowens came back with a float-over DDT. Caster tagged in, and Takeshita caught him with a few punches to the gut. Caster ducked a clothesline, and Takeshita nearly hit Okada on the apron. Caster shoved Takeshita into Okada, knocking him off of the apron.

Takeshita rolled to the outside as Bowens and Caster had a meeting int eh ring. Bowens climbed to the top rope, but Caster beat him to the dive with a plancha over the top rope onto Takeshita and Okada on the outside. Caster and Bowens argued, allowing Okada and Takeshita to drop them on the outside.

Back in the ring, Okada tagged himself in and scoop slammed Caster. Okada climbed to the top rope and came down with a flying elbow drop. Okada set up for his pose, and instead of his normal gesture, he directed a middle finger to Takeshita. Caster rolled Okada up for a two count.

Takeshita entered and they took Caster down as a team. Takeshita set up for a splash onto Caster in the corner, but Okada pulled him out of the way. Okada dropped Caster with the air raid crash neckbreaker as Takeshita looked on. Okada made the cover, but Caster kicked out at two.

Okada and Takeshita had a stare down while Caster made the tag to Bowens. Bowens hit Takeshita with a dropkick that knocked him into Okada. Caster took both guys down with a series of strikes before hitting a unique double-armed neckbreaker across his knee on Takeshita. Bowens hit the ropes and ran into a flapjack from Okada as they went to commercial. [c]

Back from break, Bowens fired up and hit Okada with a few forearms and a boot. Okada stumbled into the tag to Takeshita. Takeshita went for a back suplex, but Bowens flipped off and Caster tagged himself in. Caster took Takeshita down with a Russian leg sweep and led the crowd in a clapping chat.

Caster got Okada onto his shoulders and slammed him down in a twisting firemanâ€s carry slam. Caster made the cover and Takeshita kicked out at two. Bowens entered and they went for a double team move, but Takeshita escaped. Takeshita hit Caster with a stunner, but Bowens hit him with a running knee.

Bowens made the cover, but Okada broke it up. Okada tagged himself in but ran into a cobra clutch neckbreaker from Bowens. Bowens climbed to the top rope, but Okada met him up there. Okada set up for a superplex, but Takeshita slid in underneath him and brought Bowens and Okada down with a powerbomb and superplex combination.

Takeshita knocked Caster out of the ring and then rolled out as well. Takeshita laid down on the outside, posing, as Okada and Bowens got to their feet in the ring. Bowens hit Okada with a few forearms. Okada reversed a whip and went for a dropkick, but Bowens held onto the ropes.

Bowens got Okada up onto his shoulder in an inverted torture rack and slammed him down to the mat. Bowens hooked the leg for a near-fall. Okada ducked a clothesline attempt and Bowens ran into a blue thunder bomb from Takeshita. Takeshita lined up a running knee, but Okada grabbed Bowens instead. Okada went for the Rainmaker, but Bowens ducked it. Okada nearly connected with Takeshita, but he ducked it as well.

Takeshita shoved Okada and Bowens hit Takeshita with a Famouser. Bowens ran into a dropkick from Okada. Okada set up for a rainmaker, but Boens ducked it and slammed him down with The Arrival. Bowens went for the pin, but Caster had made a blind tag.

Caster climbed up to the top rope looking for the Mic Drop elbow drop, as Bowens argued with him. Caster hopped off the top rope and he and Bowens shoved each other back and forth, leading to them trading punches until Bowens dropped Caster with the Mollywhop spinning forearm.

Okada nailed Bowens with the Rainmaker. Takeshita grabbed Caster, the legal man, and delivered the Raging Fire. Takeshita held on for the pin and got the win.

WINNERS: Takeshita & Okada in 13:00

(Whiteâ€s Take: This match was comprised of some very good wrestlers, so the actual action of the match was predictably good. The storyline between Takeshita and Okada has worked quite well so far, although this match was more of the same, with some near-hits and them not working well as a team. The Acclaimed reunions looks to be cancelled though, as they were getting along worse than their opponents. It may be the best for both of them, though.)

-Okada and Takeshita had a stare down after the match and Okada refused to raise his hands with Takeshita. Callis entered the ring to hold up both of their arms. [c]

-They returned from commercial backstage with Harley Cameron and Willow Nightingale. Harley asked what Mercedes and Athena have that they donâ€t. Willow noted they have a lot of titles. But, at least they have the ability to smile. Willow said they lose, theyâ€ll keep smiling, but Athena and Mercedes may not be able to handle losing. Harley closed by saying “you can take the babes out of the wrath, but you canâ€t take the wrath out of the babes.â€

-They showed a replay of Toni Storm losing her title. Toni voiced it over, asking “what would you do for love.†They showed Mina picking Toni up as Toni said not to fear the person in front of you but be afraid of the person beside her.

(2) MERCEDES MONE vs. OLYMPIA – CMLL Womenâ€s Championship match

-Kris Statlander made her entrance as Schiavone noted that sheâ€d be joining them on commentary. Olympia Made her entrance, flexing her way to the ring. Statlander seemed impressed. Mercedes entered, flanked by shirtless men holding her various titles.

The bell rang to start the match 32 minutes into the hour. Mercedes flexed, hopefully mocking Olympia. Mercedes slapped Olympia and went for a running headscissors, but Olympia blocked it. They traded rollups for two counts.

Mercedes leapfrogged Olympia only to get blasted by a should tackle on the rebound. Olympia hit Mercedes with a stalling headstand on the turnbuckle into a bronco buster in the corner. Olympia lifted Mercedes onto her shoulder and performed a few squats until Mercedes escaped.

Mercedes went to the top rope, but Olympia caught her, pressing Mercedes over her head, holding her with one hand, and then slamming her down. Olympia set Mercedes up for a suplex to the floor, but Mercedes blocked it and hit a series of knees to the face, knocking Olympia to the floor. Mercedes got a running start and connected with a meteora from the apron onto the floor as they went to break. [c]

Back from break, Olympia nailed Mercedes with a swinging sidewalk slam. Olympia made the cover, but Mercedes kicked out at two. Olympia landed a shotgun dropkick and then lifted her up into a stalling suplex. Mercedes countered it into a rollup but only got one.

Mercedes hit a back elbow and set Olympia p for the Money Maker, but Olympia slipped out. Olympia rolled Mercedes up with a schoolboy, but Mercedes kicked out. Olympia transitioned the school boy into a sitout powerbomb. Olympia held on for the pein, but Mercedes kicked out at the last second.

Mercedes planted Olympia with a tornado DDT off of the ropes. Mercedes went for the pin, but Olympia kicked out at two. Mercedes countered a suplex attempt with a double knee armbreaker. Mercedes locked Olympia into the Statement Maker in the center of the ring.

Olympia crawled for the ropes, but Mercedes transitioned the subsmission to the other side to block the rope break. Olympia rolled Mercedes into a pin that forced her to break the hold to kick out.

Olympia lifted Mercedes onto her back and performed a few squats before slamming her down into the mat. Olympia made the cover, but Mercedes kicked out at two. Mercedes rolled to the outside, but Olympia followed her out. Olympia got Mercedes onto her shoulders, but Mercedes escaped and rammed Olympia into Statlander at the commentary desk.

Mercedes and Statlander got into an argument at ringside, allowing Olympia to drag Mercedes back into the ring by the hair. Mercedes hit the ropes and brought Olympia down with a tornado armbar straight into the Statement Maker and Olympia tapped out quickly.

WINNER: Mercedes Mone in 11:00

(Whiteâ€s Take: Good match, lots of impressive power spots from Olympia, while a corernstone of Mercedes being a great in-ring talent is her selling. As an aside, Statlander sounded almost human on commentary, which is a vast improvement over her typical talking segments.)

-After the match, Statlander slid into the ring and Mercedes escaped up the aisle.

-They threw to a video highlighting the entirety of Dynamite, for the benefit of the six people that watch Collision but not Dynamite. [c]

-They returned from commercial with a segment after Dynamite. Renee asked the Young Bucks what it would take to get them back on track. Don Callis interrupted to tell them that he talked to Tony Khan, and set up a million dollar tag match for Full Gear. The Young Bucks, teaming with Josh Alexander against Jurassic Express and Kenny Omega.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Dynamite: CLICK HERE (or search “wade Keller†on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)

(3) NIXON NEWELL & MIRANDA ALIZE vs. MEGAN BAYNE (w/Penelope Ford) & MARINA SHAFFIR

Nixon Newell and Miranda Alize made the entrance to the ring. Megan Bayne entered, accompanied by the injured Penelope Ford. Jon Moxley was on guest commentary, putting over the concept of Shafir and Bayne as a tag team. Moxley went on to say that nobody wants to fight Marina as she made her entrance to the ring.

The bell rang to start the match 53 minutes into the hour. As Bayne and Shafir discussed something, Newell and Alize charged and blindside Bayne, knocking Shafir off of the apron in the process. Bayne shoved Alize off and whipped Newell into the corner.

Newell dodged Bayne in the corner and then her and Alize hit Bayne with running attacks in the corner. Shafir charged into the ring, but Newell lifted Alize up into a hurricanrana that took Shafir down. Newell jumped off of Alizeâ€s back and hit a double stomp on Shafir.

Newell and Alize hit a double thrust kick on Bayne. It looked like they wanted to celebrate with a kiss, but Bayne hit them from behind with a double German suplex on both women. Bayne tagged Shafir in and she hit Newell with a pair of roundhouses before slamming her down.

Bayne tagged in, grabbed Newell and drilled her with a running powerbomb as Shafir locked Alize into her Motherâ€s Milk submission hold. Bayne held on for the pin on Newll and got the victory.

WINNERS: Megan Bayne & Marina Shafir in 3:00

(Whiteâ€s Take: A predictably dominant performance from Bayne and Shafir. Moxley on commentary was nice, really putting over Marina as a dangerous entity.)

-Renee ran down the participants in the upcoming womenâ€s Blood & Guts match. Thekla, Skye Blue, Julia Hart, Megan Bayne, Marina Shafir and Mercedes Mone make up one team. Jamie Hayter, Queen Aminata, Willow Nightingale, Harley Cameron, Toni Storm, and Kris Statlander comprise the other team.

(Whiteâ€s Take: This was an anticlimactic reveal. They couldâ€ve had a week or so of each side assembling their team. The original challenge was Jamie Hayter and Queen Aminata against The Triangle of Madness. Most of the women have been tangentially related the feud by way of random multi-woman tag matches, but the end result still seems like a random assortment of women, none of whom arenâ€t involved in a blood feud that would warrant such a violent match.)

(4) LA FACCION INGOBERNABLES (The Beast Mortos & Dralistico & Sammy Guevara) vs. THE CONGLOMERATION (Mark Briscoe & Komander & Roderick Strong w/Alex Abarhontes)

LFI made their entrance, Rush being noticeably absent from the group. Nigel noted how handsome Guevara is. The faux Saved By The Bell music played to bring out Komander, Alex Abarahontes, and Mark Briscoe. Roderick Strong begrudgingly made his way out with the group.

[HOUR TWO]

This match started at the top of the hour with Strong and Guevara in the ring. Guevara took Strong down with a fancy armdrag and kipped up to his feet. Strong met him with a hard chop and tagged in Komander.

Sammy dropped Komander with a spinning back kick and posed again. Guevara hit Komander with a snap suplex and tagged in Dralistico. Komander dodged Dralistico with a backflip, but Dralistico still caught him with a headscissor. They traded highly-athletic flips and leg trips leading the crowd to a “lucha†chant.

Briscoe and Mortos tagged in, while Sammy joined on commentary to talk about how impressive Dralistico is. Briscoe hit a back elbow, a series of punches and a flying forearm. Mortos came back with a reverse slingblade and a big back body drop. Mortos went for another backdrop, but Briscoe landed on his feet.

Briscoe hit some redneck kung fu, ending with big uppercut. Komander tagged in and took Mortos down with a strange headcsissor. Guevara tagged in, but Komander backdropped him to the floor. Komander climbed onto the opposite top rope, setting up for his signature rope-run. Mortos and Dralistico interfered, but Strong and Briscoe knocked them out of the ring and then hit a wrecking ball dropkick and suicide dive, respectively.

Komander springboarded into the ring but Guevara caught him with a jumping knee in midair. Mortos and Dralistico attacked Strong and Komander at ringside as they went to commercial. [c]

Back from break, Dralistico drilled Komander with a springboard into a Canadian destroyer. Dralistico made the cover, but Komander kicked out at two. Dralistico tried to follow up with a powerbomb, but Komander flipped through into a facebuster, leaving both me down/

Strong and Guevara tagged in at the same time. Strong hit a back body drop on Guevara and then knocked Mortos off of the apron. Strong landed a kick followed by a backbreaker into an Olympic slam on Guevara. Strong made the cover, but Guevara kicked out at two. Mortos charged in and dropped Strong with a headbutt.

Mortos held Strong in a backstabber as Dralistico came in with a double stomp onto Strong. Dralisitco went for the pin, but strong kicked out at two. Dralistico and Mortos set up for a double team move, but Strong escaped and tagged in Briscoe. Brsicoe hit both guys with strikes, dropping Dralistico with a dropkick and Mortos with an enzigrui.

Briscoe hit an exploder suplex on Dralistico as Guevara climbed to the top rope. Briscoe hit him with a rising chop sending Guevara tumbling to the floor with his teammates. Briscoe climbed to the top rope and nailed a twisting splash onto Mortos and Guevara, landing on his feet.

Back in the ring, Briscoe set up for a Jay Driller on Dralistico, but Mortos broke it up with a headbutt. Komander came in with a springboard into a poison rana that took Mortos out. Guevara dropped Komander with a high knee and Strong hit Guevara with a high knee as well. Dralistico connect with a springboard codebreaker. Dralistico went for a kick on Briscoe, but he ducked it and then drilled Dralistico with the Jay Driller. Briscoe went for the pin and got the win.

WINNERS: The Conglomeration in 13:00

(Whiteâ€s Take: Typical, chaotic, athletic multi-person match. Itâ€s a Collision staple, and this was a solid example of it. Presumably this at least gives the Conglomeration some momentum since theyâ€re heading into a completely unearned Blood & Guts match.)

-They showed a video of Hangmanâ€s elaborately planned attack on Samoa Joe from Dynamite. It looked a little smoother with the postproduction.

-Hook and Eddie Kingston were backstage after Dynamite. Someone off camera asked Hook why he tapped out so quickly. Hook explained that when youâ€re caught, youâ€re caught, live to fight another day. Kingston congratulated Joe and told the camera team to move along. [c]

-They returned from commercial with MxM TV making their entrance. Schiavone said “Oh, brother,†and itâ€s the most Iâ€ve ever agreed with Schiavone in my life. The members where dressed as “the sexiest people on the planet,†with Mansoor dressed as Johnny and Mason dressed as Taya, complete with bright yellow wig. Mansoor grabbed the microphone to say he has a treat for all the tricks., with the “MxM Casting Call.â€

(5) MXM TV (Johnny TV & Mason Madden & Mansoor w/Taya Valkyrie) vs. THE BANG BANG GANG (Juice Robinson & Austin Gunn & Ace Austin)

-The lights went out to bring Juice Robinson and Austin Gunn for the signature entrance. Ace Austin stood back and joined them when the lights came back on. The crowd chanted “Juice†and the match started 22 minutes into the hour with Johnny and Ace.

Mansoor and Madden charged into the ring, as did Juice and Gunn. Ace, Juice, Johnny, & Madden brawled to the floor while Gunn took down Mansoor in the ring. The crowd chanted “ace†as Ace entered the ring. Gunn backdropped his partner Ace over the top rope onto Madden and Mansoor.

Ace slid back into the ring where he rolled Johnny up with a magistral cradle for a two count. Ace landed a dropkick followed by a vertical suplex. Ace made the cover and Johnny kicked out at two. Johnny came back with a rake of the eyes. Mansoor tagged and they attempted a double back suplex, but Ace flipped out, landed on his and dove to make the tag to Juice.

Juice charged in and dropped Johnny and Mansoor with elbows to the head. He caught Mansoorâ€s boot and flipped him onto the mat and then caught Johnny with leg lariat. Juice drilled Johnny with the Juice Is Loose.

Juice charged Mansoor in the corner, but he dodged hima dn set Juice up for the ten count punches. Mansoor stopped to highlight his punches, “six, seven,†allowing Juice to lift him up and nail him with a running powerbomb. Juice went for the pin, but Madden broke it up.

Madden hit Ace with a kick and then tried to double DDT on Ace and Gunn, but Juice broke it up with a hard left hand, allowing Ace and Gunn to execute a double team suplex on Madden. Austin threw Maddenâ€s wig out of the ring and then nailed Mansoor with a Famouser. Ace charged and hit Mansoor with The Fold for good measure. Juice made the cover and got the three count.

WINNERS: The Bang Bang Gang in 4:00

(Whiteâ€s Take: This is a much worse version of Max Casterâ€s open challenge. At least it has been faces coming out to embarrass the annoying heels in the last few weeks.)

-The Bang Bang Gang celebrated in the ring, lifting Ace Austin onto their shoulders as they went to commercial. [c]

-The showed a video highlighting Bandido and Mascara Dorada, including a lot of footage from CMLL and some from AEW.

(6) BANDIDO vs. MASCARA DORADA – ROH World Championship match

Mascara Dorada made his entrance with Alex Abrahontes, who had changed clothes to match Dorada. Bandido entered in a white mariachi get-up, with his chest painted in with bones for Dios de la Muerto. This match got the whole big match introduction with the ring announcer.

The bell rang to start the match 35 minutes into the hour as they shook hands in the center of the ring. Bandido got a wristlock, but Dorada escaped with a flop into a wristlock of his own. Bandido escaped and went for a back suplex, but Dorada flipped into his feet.

Dorada captured Bandido with an abdominal stretch, but Bandido escaped. Dorada dropped Bandido with a drop toe hold and then set him up into the Romero special. Bandido freed his arms, and lifted himself vertically with his legs, enabling him to basically step right out of the hold.

Bandido flipped Dorada over and put Dorada into a Romero special as well. Dorada attempted to escape the hold in the same fashion, but Bandido grabbed him by the neck and rolled backwards. The rolled over and Bandido lifted Dorada right back up into the Romero special. Dorada managed to escape in the same way, although not as smoothy as Bandido.

Dorada took Bandido down with an armdrag before Bandido went for a snapmare, which successfully flipped Dorada over, but he landed on his feet. Both men hit the ropes into handsprings, landing facing each other in the center of the ring.

Dorada went for a kick, but Bandido caught his foot and flipped him onto the apron. Bandido charged, but Dorada dodged him. Bandido rolled to ringside as Dorada hit the opposite rope. Dorada went over the top rope as Bandido slid into the ring, but Dorada flipped over the top rope, hitting the apron with his hands and landing on his feet. Bandido came through the ropes with a suicide dive, but Dorada sidestepped him and slung him from the air into the barricade. Bandido clutched his shoulder as they went to commercial. [c]

Back from breaker, Dorada hit a running kick on Bandido in the corner. Dorada dropped Bandido with a spinning back elbow and went for the pin, but Bandido kicked out at two. They traded open hand chops until Dorada whipped Bandido into the corner. Dorada charged into a boot and Bandido followed up with a tornillo from the middle rope.

Bandido lifted Dorada up into a gorilla press and held him with one arm for a moment before slamming him down to the mat. Bandido hit a kick that knocked Dorada to ringside Bandido went for a baseball slide, but Dorada dodged it. Bandido managed to lift Dorada up and drop him face first into the apron.

Bandido slid into the ring, hit the opposite ropes and nailed Dorada with a suicide dive, both men crashed into the commentary table. Back int eh ring, Bandido went for a frog splash, but Dorada rolled out of the way. Bandido landed on his feet and caught a charging Dorada with a monkey flip. Bandido returned to the top rope and this time nailed the frog splash. Bandido went for the pin, but Dorada kicked out at two.

Dorada dodged Bandido in the corner, lifted him onto the turnbuckle and delivered a kick to his back. Dorada flipped Bandido off of the turnbuckle, planting him face first into the mat. Dorada followed up with a satellite DDT. Dorada made the cover, but Bandido kicked out at two.

Bandido rolled to the apron and Dorada caught him with a kick. Dorada attempted to suplex Bandido into the ring, but Bandido dragged Dorada out to the apron instead. Dorada hit a forearm but then ran into a pump kick. Dorada charged again and Bandido popped Dorada up into the air and caught him with a cutter coming down, off of the apron, onto the floor. Both men were down on the outside and the crowd chanted “holy shit†as they went to commercial. [c]

Back from break, Bandido missed a running kick and then missed a splash in the corner, allowing Dorada to deliver a springboard crossbody. Dorada charged and Bandido popped him up. Dorada landed on his feet, stood on Bandidoâ€s shoulders for a moment and back flipped off before taking Bandido down with a headscissor.

Bandido rolled to the outside and Dorada performed a tornillo over the top rope onto Bandido on the outside. Dorada climbed onto the second rope on the outside as Bandido stumbled to his feet. Dorada executed a shooting star press onto a standing Bandido.

Back in the ring, Dorada climbed to the top rope as Bandido got to his feet. Dorada flew off of the top rope and caught Bandido into a crucifix driver. Dorada made the cover, but Bandido kicked out at two.

Dorada hit an overhand chop that echoed throughout the arena. Dorada charged, and Bandido popped him up into the air and caught him with a knee to the face. Bandido followed up with a running knee and went for the pin, but Dorada kicked out at two.

Bandido lifted Dorada onto his shoulders, and twisted him off into a knee strike, but Dorada blocked it. Bandido went for a swinging DDT, but Dorada caught him, and powered him up for a vertical suplex. Bandido came back with a pop-up, flipping powerbomb. Both men charged and went for a running kick at the same time, both connecting and crashing to the mat.

The crowd chanted†fight forever†as they both got to their feet. Dorada rolled out of a attack in the corner and then took Bandido down with a spinning armdrag from the second rope. Dorada went for the pin with magistral cradle, but Bandido kicked out at two. Dorada rolled Bandido into another pin attempt, but Bandido kicked out at two again.

Dorada lifted Bandido onto his shoulder and slammed him down onto the mat. Dorada climbed to the top rope, lifted his hands into the air, and then went for a shooting star press. Bandido got his knees up and Dorada crashed into them. Bandido transitioned into a pin for a two count.

Dorada pulled himself to his feet with the help of the ropes, leaving him in position or the 21 Plex. Bandido went for it, but Dorada shrugged him off and Bandido flipped onto the apron. Bandido rammed Doradaâ€s head into the turnbuckle and climbed to the top rope, but Dorada swept out his feet and then delivered a rising kick to the head.

With bandido sitting on the top rope, Dorada charged from the opposite turnbuckle, climbed onto the ropes, stood on Bandidoâ€s shoulders, and attempted to fall into a hurricanrana, but Bandido caught him and powered him up for a powerbomb attempt. However, Dorada countered it into a hurricanrana, and the rolled from the turnbuckle to the mat and Bandido rolled all the way through into a pin, and Dorada kicked out at two.

Bandido lifted Dorada into a torture rack and spun him off into a knee lift. Dorada collapse into the ropes and Bandido connected with the 21 Plex. Bandido couldnâ€t hold onto the bridge with his injured shoulder, but folded Dorada up with his good arm into the pin and got the win.

WINNER: Bandido in 22:00 to retain the ROH World title

(Whiteâ€s Take: Mascara Dorada has been a standout from the crossover with CMLL, while Bandido refuses to have anything but fantastic matches. So, needless to say, I had high expectation for this match. And yet, it still surpassed those expectations. Anyone who isnâ€t predisposed to dislike lucha style and/or complain about “flippy guys†should go out of their way to see this one.)

-Bandido helped Dorada to his feet as Schiavone ran down some upcoming matches for Dynamite. Bandido posed with the ROH title and the AEW tag title as they signed off.

FINAL THOUGHTS: If we accept that Collision is a place for good wrestling and incremental storyline advancement, this was a very good episode. Anyone who appreciates work rate and the lucha style should go out of their way to see the main event. Meanwhile, those who bristle at the idea of an ROH title being defended against a CMLL guy on AEW television will likely be less impressed. Mercedes and Olympia had the standard good match with an obvious winner. Otherwise, typical Collision matches of good quality and little consequence. The reveal of the participants in the womenâ€s Blood & Guts is newsworthy and there was a slight advancement in the Okada and Takeshita saga.

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

NJPW HIROSHI TANAHASHI ~ FINAL HOMECOMING REPORT
NOVEMBER 2, 2025
GIFU, JAPAN AT GIFU MEMORIAL CENTER GYMNASIUM
AIRED LIVE ON NJPW WORLD
REPORT BY MAURICIO POMARES, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Commentators: Chris Charlton, Walker Stewart

(1) BOLTIN OLEG & SHOMA KATO & TATSUYA MATSUMOTO vs. KATSUYA MURASHIMA & MASATORA YASUDA & ZANE JAY

Oleg blocked a suplex from Jay with one of his own and crushed him with a big splash, setting him up for the Verdict and  the win.

WINNERS: Boltin Oleg & Shoma Kato & Tatsuya Matsumoto at 9:19

(2) HIROMU TAKAHASHI & GEDO & DAIKI NAGAI vs. TMDK (Kosei Fujita & Robbie Eagles & Hartley Jackson)

Fujita and Eagles took care of Hiromu and Gedo with stereo moonsaults off the apron while Jackson knocked Nagai out with a lariat and the Jagged Edge.

WINNERS: TMDK at 9:20

(3) EL DESPERADO & KUUKAI & TIGER MASK & YAMATO vs. DRAGON DIA & RYUSUKE TAGUCHI & KUSHIDA & YUKI YOSHIOKA

Tiger planted Taguchi with an avalanche Butterfly suplex for a nearfall, but Taguchi immediately picked one arm and leg to shock him with a pinning combination.

WINNERS: Dragon Dia & Ryusuke Taguchi & Kushida & Yuki Yoshioka at 7:56

(4) YOH & MASTER WATO & SHOTA UMINO & YUYA UEMURA & TORU YANO vs. HOUSE OF TORTURE (Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Dick Togo & EVIL & Ren Narita & Yujiro Takahashi)

Wato knocked Evil into the referee with a dropkick, allowing Kanemaur to blind him with whiskey mist. Evil clobbered Wato with his title belt and Togo got the pinfall for the win.

WINNERS: House of Torture at 6:17

– After the match, Evil said that Yoh, Master Wato and Toru Yano didnâ€t deserve to hold NEVER Openweight belts. Evil posed with two belts and prepared to attack Yano with one, but Aaron Wolf showed up to make the save and put him down with a judo throw.

(Pomares†Analysis: A set up for a future six-man tag title match at a Road show, but most importantly New Japan keeps on hyping up the arrival of Aaron Wolf. I donâ€t know how well heâ€ll do, but itâ€s nice to see New Japan seemingly commit to pushing a younger guy.)

(5) BULLET CLUB (Clark Connors & Yuto-Ice & Oskar) & SHINGO TAKAGI vs. UNITED EMPIRE (Templario & Jakob Austin Young & Callum Newman & The Great-O-Khan)

Connors put Newman down with a snap powerslam while Yuto beat Young with a jab and a running knee strike.

WINNERS: Bullet Club at 12:14

– After the match, Callum Newman attacked Yuto-Ice, starting a brawl between United Empire and Bullet Club, until referees and the Young Lions were able to separate them.

(Pomares†Analysis: United Empire has been somewhat of a mess over the past year or so, but itâ€s clear New Japan sees something in Callum Newman. I wouldnâ€t be surprised if Newman goes on to have a deep run on World Tag League or challenges for the tag titles at one of the Road shows alongside O-Khan.)

(6) BULLET CLUB WAR DOGS (Taiji Ishimori & Robbie X) vs. HOUSE OF TORTURE (Douki & Sho) – Super Junior Tag League Finals Match

Sho and Douki tried to blindside Ishimori and Robbie, but were quickly thrown out of the ring. Ishimori and Robbie drove Sho and Douki into rows of chairs in the crowd. Back in the ring, Bullet Club crushed Sho with a tag team wheelbarrow splash for a two count. Douki swept Ishimori off his feet, allowing Sho to pull him crotch-first into the ring post. House of Torture drove Robbie into the ring post and pressed his crotch into while pulling Ishimoriâ€s legs. Sho tossed Ishimori into a bunch of chairs while Douki snailed Robbie with an umbrella.

Back in the ring, Douki hit Ishimori with a double stomp and distracted the referee, allowing Sho to blast him with a chair shot for a two count. Sho and Douki dropped Ishimori with a double gutbuster before stretching all of his limbs at the same time. Ishimori caught Sho off-guard with a handspring enzuigiri, reaching Robbie for the hot tag. Robbie clocked Sho with a chop and took him down with a dropkick. Robbie knocked Sho off the apron with handspring kicks and rammed him into the guardrail with a suicide dive. Douki tried to Irish-whip Robbie into the ring post, only for Robbie to do a backflip using it and land on him.Â

Back in the ring, Robbie put Sho down with a rolling senton and a standing moonsault for a two count. Robbie cracked Sho with an enzuigiri and Ishimori planted him with a sliding German suplex. Robbie crushed Sho with a running Shooting Star Press and Ishimori got a nearfall with a jackknife pinfall. Sho drove Robbie and Ishimori into each other and held onto the referee, allowing Douki to nail Ishimori with a chair shot to the back. Sho and Douki put Ishimori down with a sunset flip powerbomb and trapped him in the Darkness Stretch. Ishimori barely managed to reach the ropes, only for Sho to distract the referee, allowing Douki to pull him back to the middle of the ring.

Robbie broke the hold and managed to take Sho and Douki down with a double Pele kick. Douki blocked a handspring cutter and a deadlift powerbomb before catching Robbie with an uppercut. Robbie blasted Douki with a kick to the hamstring and a cyclone kick to the head. The War Dogs hit Douki with an inverted Lung Blower and the X Express, only for Sho to pull the referee out. Sho blocked a handspring move from Robbie by clobbering him with his wrench. Ishimori took Sho out with a jumping knee and took Douki down with a sleeper slam.Â

Ishimori put Douki in the Bone Lock, until Douki countered it with a crucifix pinfall for a two count. Before Douki could react, Ishimori drove him into the referee and nailed him with a low blow. Ishimori blocked a black mirror shot and clobbered Sho with it. Robbie took care of Sho with a top turnbuckle Sky Twister while Ishimori trapped Douki in the Bone Lock. Douki blocked the Bloody Cross and blinded Ishimori with red mist before beating him with a low blow and a roll-up.

WINNERS: House of Torture at 15:11 (***1/4)

(Pomares†Analysis: As much as I enjoyed the in-ring work in this, watching House of Torture steamroll the entire tournament feels incredibly unsatisfying. A very frustrating end to a tournament I usually enjoy. I donâ€t know what the plan is for WrestleKingdom, but based on what theyâ€ve done with the Junior division, I canâ€t be excited for anything they do with either of the titles.)

(7) YOTA TSUJI vs. HIROSHI TANAHASHI – IWGP Global Heavyweight Championship

Tsuji put Tanahashi in a headlock, until Tanahashi reversed it into a double leg lock. Tsuji cornered Tanahashi, only for Tanahashi to catch him with a back elbow and a corkscrew crossbody. Tanahashi tried to hype up the crowd, only for Tsuji to nail him with a dropkick to the back. Tsuji put Tanahashi in a bodyscissors lock before transitioning it into a Camel Clutch. Tsuji dropped Tanahashi with a bodyslam and crushed him with a big splash for a two count. Tanahashi managed to take Tsuji down with a bodyslam, followed by a diving somersault senton. Tsuji avoided a sling blade and put Tanahashi down with a flatliner.

Tsuji trapped Tanahashi in a Boston Crab, until he was able to reach the ropes. Tanahashi withstood a barrage of chops, avoided Marlow Crash and hit Tsuji with a dragon screw. They traded numerous forearm strikes, until Tsuji collapsed into the ropes. Tsuji clobbered Tanahashi with a massive chop to the chest, only for Tanahashi to respond with Twist-and-Shout and a sling blade. Tsuji stopped Tanahashi atop the turnbuckle with a jumping knee and planted him with a superplex for a nearfall. Before Tanahashi could react, Tsuji trapped him in a Boston Crab.

Tsuji stopped Tanahashi from reaching the ropes and laid him out with a German suplex. Tanahashi blocked the Gene Blaster with a dropkick to the knee and put him down with a double wrist-clutch German suplex for a nearfall. Tsuji countered a sling blade with one of his own for a two count. Tsuji missed a diving splash, allowing Tanahashi to shut him down with a Gene Blaster. Tanahashi crushed Tsuji with High Fly Flow to the back before climbing the top turnbuckle again.

Tanahashi caught Tsuji with Aces High, but missed a second High Fly Flow. Tsuji immediately took Tanahashi out with a Gene Blaster, but was too exhausted to go for a pinfall. Tanahashi slapped Tsuji, only for Tsuji to lay him out with a single headbutt. Tanahashi countered the Gene Blaster with an inside cradle and planted him with a firemanâ€s carry slam. Tsuji blocked the High Fly Flow with his knees and beat Tanahashi with a Gene Blaster.

WINNER: Yota Tsuji at 20:05 (Still IWGP Global Heavyweight Champion) (****)

(Pomares†Analysis: A strong follow-up to their clash during the G1 and a worthy final title opportunity for Tanahashi. While I wish Tsuji had already reached a world title run, at least Iâ€m happy that New Japan is confident booking him as one of the final major matches Tanahashi ever has.)

– After the match, Yota Tsuji said that he would surpass all Hiroshi Tanahashi has accomplished before giving him the mic. Tanahashi put over Tsujiâ€s performance and thanked the Gifu crowd for one last time. As Tanahashi and Tsuji stood tall, Yuto-Ice showed up to confront Tanahashi. Yuto said that it took him a lot of time to be ready and officially challenged him to a single match on next weekâ€s Road show in Anjo. Tanahashi accepted the challenge, making the match official for next Saturday.

(Pomares†Analysis: Very emotional moment for Tanahashi and Tsuji, as we are just over two months away from the end of Tanahashiâ€s career. Pleasantly surprised by Yuto-Iceâ€s challenge, as he has shown a lot of promise since his return from excursion and itâ€s genuinely cool to see him take part in Tanahashiâ€s retirement tour.)

(8) KONOSUKE TAKESHITA vs. HIROOKI GOTO – IWGP World Heavyweight Championship

Goto pushed Takeshita to the ropes, only for Takeshita to push him back and blast him with a chop to the chest. Goto knocked Takeshita off his feet with a chop and hit him with a hip toss, followed by a shoulder tackle. Takeshita tried to go for a suplex over the ropes, but Goto blocked it and pulled him to the apron. Takeshita put Goto down with a DDT on the apron, followed by a draping DDT on the floor. Before Goto could react, Takeshita Irish-whipped him into the guardrail and cracked him with a boot to the face. Back in the ring, Takeshita put Goto in a facelock, until he reached the ropes.

Takeshita pummeled Goto with a series of knees to the head, until Goto responded with chops to the chest. Takeshita planted Gotoâ€s arm into the mat with a bulldog twice before putting him in a double wrist lock. Goto blocked a Blue Thunderbomb and knocked Takeshita away, setting him up for a lariat. Goto nailed Takeshita with Muramasa and dropped him with a back suplex for a two count. Takeshita cracked Goto with a forearm strike and a back elbow before laying him out with a Xploder. Takeshita knocked Goto off the apron with a big boot and crashed into him with a Tope con Hilo.

Back in the ring, Takeshita blasted Goto with the Takeshita Line, only for Goto to retaliate him with a vertical suplex. Goto attacked Takeshita with a corner clothesline, but Takeshita responded with a big boot and a Blue Thunderbomb for a nearfall. They exchanged several forearm strikes, until Takeshita collapsed off his feet. Takeshita managed to get up and continue the strike exchange. Takeshita landed on his feet off a German suplex and caught Goto with another boot to the face, but Goto shut him down with Ushigoroshi. Goto nailed Takeshita with a reverse GTR and turned him inside out with a lariat. Takeshita managed to knock Goto off his feet and snap his neck, setting him up for the chickenwing sleeper.Â

Takeshita sat Goto atop the turnbuckle and clocked him with a jumping knee. Goto blocked a superplex and planted him with Kaiten for a close nearfall. Goto kicked Takeshitaâ€s chest and put him down with GTW, but he kicked out at two. Takeshita blocked GTR and dropped him with the Bastard Driver, followed by a wheelbarrow German suplex. Goto immediately fired up and went for a lariat, only for Takeshita to turn him inside out with one of his own. They blocked Raging Fire and GTR, until Goto was able to connect with GTR. Goto struggled to make the pinfall, allowing Takeshita to kick out at two.

Takeshita blocked GTR with a poison rana and shocked him with a Power Drive Knee for a close nearfall. Takeshita immediately dropped Goto with a Last Ride powerbomb, but he still managed to kick out. Goto blocked a Power Drive Knee and ducked a lariat to blast Takeshita with one of his own. Goto flattened Takeshita Shouten Kai for yet another nearfall. Takeshita tried to go for a forearm shot, only for Goto to crack him with a headbutt and a strike to the back of the head. Takeshita blocked GTR with a forearm strike to the head and a pump knee, setting him up for Raging Fire and the win.

WINNER: Konosuke Takeshita at 24:21 (Still IWGP World Heavyweight Champion) (****1/2)

(Pomares Analysis: An outstanding main event to seemingly make Takeshitaâ€s spot in the world title match at WrestleKingdom official. Takeshitaâ€s title win has received a mixed reaction to say the least, but if this is the in-ring prowess we get as a result, I canâ€t complain too much.)

– After the match, Konosuke Takeshita shook Hirooki Gotoâ€s hand and made it clear that they still had a score to settle. Takeshita said that he would defend the title at WrestleKingdom and dared someone to step up to him. Yota Tsuji showed up to officially challenge Takeshita to a World Heavyweight title bout on the Tokyo Dome. Takeshita accepted the challenge, as long as Tsuji put his belt on the line.

(Pomares Analysis: Very happy to see Yota Tsuji being positioned as the top contender for the world title for WrestleKingdom. Not the biggest fan of doing a title vs title match, but Iâ€ll take it if it means New Japan finally pulls the trigger on Tsuji.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: Final Homecoming was your average New Japan finals show with a bunch of undercard tag matches to give one final showing to all the guys in the tournament. I liked the work in the Junior Tag League finals, but I canâ€t honestly recommend a match so filled with House of Torture shenanigans and that ending. Thankfully both title matches delivered in spades and already brought some light into the plans for WrestleKingdom. Not a great final to the tag league, however you should still give the top two matches a watch.

You can contact me at mauriciopomares@gmail.com, on Twitter @PomiWrestling or on BlueSky @pomiwrestling.bsky.social

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AEW/Lee South

AEW star and current IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita is a mainstay on AEW programming, and has been widely regarded by fans as one of the best pure athletes in the world since signing a full-time deal with All Elite Wrestling in late 2022. “The Alpha” immediately caught the attention of fans around the world through his matches with the likes of Hangman Page, Jon Moxley, and Claudio Castagnoli during his first few months on television, but his actual debut came in Daily’s Place in 2021. During a recent appearance on “Busted Open Radio,” AEW President Tony Khan opened up about Takeshita’s debut for the company, and revealed the man who recommended “The Alpha” to him.”

“With Takeshita, it was Kenny Omega who first came to me and said ‘I really believe in Takeshita and if you give him an opportunity here, I think you’re really going to like him,’ and boy was Kenny right. Kenny is a wrestling genius himself, and I was just talking to Kenny about this the other night because Kenny and I flew home together after WrestleDream back to Florida, and we were talking on the flight back and I am very grateful to Kenny because when he brought that kid here, he was on to something.”

Khan even went as far as to compare Takeshita to WWE Hall of Famer Barry Windham as he saw a big, tall kid who could glide effortlessly through the ring, while also being extremely crisp with everything that he did. Now that he has been in AEW for a number of years and surrounded himself with the right people, Khan believes that Takeshita has had such good mentorship that he can reach even greater heights than the ones he has already reached.

Please credit “Busted Open Radio” when using quotes from this article, and give a H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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Brodido defeated Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita at WrestleDream on Saturday to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championships.

Brodido won after Bandido hit Kazuchika Okada with the 21-Plex. Some highlights from the match are below.

On the Title Tuesday edition of Dynamite on Oct. 7, Okada and Takeshita faced Brody King and Bandido in a tag team bout that featured a unique, championship-based stipulation.

If Okada and Takeshita were to win, they would earn an AEW tag title shot at WrestleDream, but if Brodido were to win, the wrestler who got the winning fall would receive an opportunity at Okada’s Unified Championship at WrestleDream.

Okada and Takeshita, who are both members of the Don Callis Family, have had a great deal of tension between them in recent weeks, and that carried over to the Title Tuesday match.

Despite not being on the same page, The Rainmaker and The Alpha were victorious when Okada tagged himself in and executed his Rainmaker clothesline for the win.

Although Brodido fell to Okada and Takeshita on Dynamite, they entered WrestleDream in a much better place than their opponents due to their willingness to work together.

King and Bandido teamed up in a traditional tag team match for the first time in July, and less than two months later, they found themselves atop the AEW tag team division.

At Forbidden Door, Brodido won a three-way tag team match over the Hurt Business and JetSpeed to win the AEW World Tag Team Championships in their first title opportunity.

Brodido went on to retain the titles in a four-team ladder match at All Out, but the match against Okada and Takeshita represented the biggest challenge of their reign by far.

Even so, Brodido rose to the occasion to retain against Okada and Takeshita, perhaps driving an even bigger wedge between the Don Callis Family members in the process.

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New IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita plans to be in Japan whenever it’s necessary to fulfill his duties.

Takeshita — the 2025 G1 Climax winner — dethroned Zack Sabre Jr. for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship at King of Pro Wrestling earlier this week. Holding NJPW’s top prize might add some responsibilities to his plate, but Takeshita isn’t worried about handling them.

“I’m triple contracted, but not exclusive,” Takeshita said in his first press conference as champion. “We can move things around and I can be on any tour I’m called for.”

AEW, NJPW, and DDT Pro Wrestling are the three promotions that Takeshita has contracts with. His priority has been AEW since signing with the company three years ago. Representing NJPW as champion worldwide is something that Takeshita plans on doing during his reign.

“There are people worldwide, not just Japan, that want to see the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion,” Takeshita said.

At AEW WrestleDream this Saturday, Takeshita & Kazuchika Okada will challenge Bandido & Brody King for the AEW Tag Team titles. Takeshita looks to be in the middle of a storyline where he’s splitting away from the Don Callis Family.

The first IWGP World Heavyweight Championship defense for Takeshita will be against Hirooki Goto at an NJPW event on November 2.

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Konosuke Takeshita has become the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion for the first time after defeating Zack Sabre Jr in the main event of NJPW King of Pro-Wrestling.

The match ended with Takeshita connecting with the Powerdrive Knee to score the victory and claim the top prize in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Sabre Jrâ€s reign came to a close at 106 days, during which he managed to record two successful defenses before being toppled by Takeshita. The new championâ€s rise has been rapid, capped off by his G1 Climax victory earlier this year. Rather than waiting to use his guaranteed title shot at Wrestle Kingdom 20, Takeshita made the bold decision to cash it in at King of Pro-Wrestling — a move that paid off in a big way.

After the match, Takeshita acknowledged that some fans were not thrilled to see him as champion, but he made it clear he was ready for any challenger. Hirooki Goto stepped up immediately to confront him, claiming the next shot at the gold. Takeshita, however, questioned why younger stars were not stepping forward, challenging the next generation to prove themselves against him.

With Takeshita now holding the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, NJPW enters a new era. The question remains whether Goto will be the one to test him first, or if a younger name will seize the opportunity Takeshita is demanding.

Do you think Konosuke Takeshitaâ€s first reign as IWGP World Heavyweight Champion will be a long one, or is someone already lining up to take the belt from him? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)… AEW COLLISION REPORTSEPTEMBER 13, 2025 (recorded 11/9)PHILADELPHIA,…