5 Ups & 2 Downs For AEW Collision (Jan 13 - Results & Review)

1. Way, Way Too Competitive

AEW Collision Adam Page JD Drake
AEW

Having Adam Page in action on a Collision from Norfolk, Virginia was a smart move, with Page the ideal local hero babyface. However, having this former AEW World Champion need 11 minutes to beat JD Drake? Yeah, that doesn't quite work.

Page is a big-time player in AEW, a PPV headliner, someone who has been involved in several brutal wars against the toughest that AEW has to offer, and someone being once again inserted into the World Title picture. While your writer will always offer praise to JD Drake and thinks more should be done with both he and Anthony Henry, this contest was way, way too competitive.

To put things into context, Drake has never won a singles or tag team match on AEW television. Like, ever. So, for a former AEW World Champion to need 11 minutes to beat someone who's so far been presented as a loser and an afterthought, that feels a little unnecessary.

Hangman could've beaten JD in five minutes and nobody would've complained that Drake was short-changed, and it would've also made Page look more like a laser-focussed killer. Plus, that extra time could've been utilised elsewhere on the show, such as maybe giving Deonna Purrazzo a video package or promo time to fully introduce herself to the AEW audience and let them know what the Virtuosa is all about.

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Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.