AEW recorded the highly anticipated February 22nd edition of AEW Collision from the Arizona Financial Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona on February 19th. Brody King defeated Max Caster in singles competition. Mariah May attacked AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm and dragged her out to the stage. She hit Storm with a Storm Zero on the ramp. May then put Storm in the spotlight and said they should be stars together. She challenged Storm to have a Hollywood-style ending at AEW Revolution. In an AEW World Trios Championship match, the Death Riders (PAC, Wheeler Yuta, & Claudio Castagnoli) successfully defended their titles against Daniel Garcia, Cool Hand Ang, and Daddy Magic. After the match, Undisputed Kingdom (Adam Cole, Roderick Strong, and Kyle O’Reilly) ran out to make the save before Cope attacked PAC.
Returning to action for the first time since WrestleDream, Hologram takes on The Beast Mortos. Their last encounter was a luchador-inspired 2-out-of-3 falls match. Facing each other in three other matches (singles, tag, and three-way), there’s plenty at stake for both men beyond a winner’s purse. Tensions between Beast Mortos and his returning La Facción Ingobernable stablemates of Dralistico and Rush is clear. Mortos finished the Continental Classic with a poor record. Rush may be considering if Mortos, despite his size and ability, is a weak link. Momentum is vital in wrestling and can mean the difference for the part man, part bull, part lawyer’s future.
Competing mainly on Collision, Hologram’s excellent performance may have flown under the radar for some in 2024. However, in his handful of performances before injury, Hologram earned his flowers. Against a foil like Mortos is where the young former Aramis will soar. The Murder Machines (Brian Cage & Lance Archer) defeated local talent. After their victory, they called out The Hurt Syndicate (MVP, Bobby Lashley, and Shelton Benjamin), who came out in response. Gabe Kidd defeated The Butcher. In the main event, Chris Jericho successfully defended the ROH World Championship against Bandido. This concluded the tapings.
