6 Ups & 1 Down For AEW Collision (Feb 3 - Results & Review)

5. An Excellent AEW Showcase For Hechicero

While he was in action on Rampage on Friday, does an eight-man tag match on that barely-watched Friday night show really count? Not particularly. Either way, Hechicero was perfectly spotlighted on this week's Collision.

Of course, it always helps when your dance partner is Bryan Danielson, but don't let that take anything away from Hechicero, for he excelled against Danielson and let the AEW audience know exactly what he's all about.

Billed as the greatest technical wrestler in Mexico, the CMLL man was matched up against the greatest technical wrestler in AEW. For those not too familiar with Hechicero, the utilisation of him here was masterful. By going toe-to-toe with - and at times getting the better of - the American Dragon, that's an immediate shot of credibility.

Much like Eddie Kingston in Collision's opener, Bryan Danielson was extremely giving here. Obviously Bryan Keith and Hechicero are two vastly different talents in terms of their status in the game, but whereas Kingston made the Bounty Hunter feel like he belongs in AEW, Danielson giving up so much of the match made Hechicero feel like a huge deal; a presentation befitting one of the biggest names in modern Mexican wrestling.

It's something that's rarely seen - which is why it was so impactful to watch - but Hechicero managed to out-wrestle Bryan, reversing Danielson's holds, applying submissions in a smoother, more impressive way than the Blackpool Combat Club veteran. To attempt to list those holds and moves would be utterly redundant here, for there was just so much going on, such was the pace of the contest. And in terms of pace, this bout was ideal, with Hechicero at times running rings around his opponent, but Danielson tactically slowing the luchador down when he could.

While Bryan Danielson was victorious here, the bigger story wasn't so much that he beat Hechicero, but more that Danielson survived Hechicero; Bryan reversing the Alchemist with a cradle for the 1-2-3. Post-match, a Hechicero attack was halted by Claudio Castagnoli making the save, with the brewing rivalry between BCC and CMLL continuing to simmer.

Also, as per the norm for a Danielson match, Nigel McGuinness - as he is on all matches, period, to be fair - was exceptional, continuing to sow those seeds for one more match against Bryan down the line. One particular highlight was McGuinness lambasting Danielson for using a surfboard, then immediately lavishing praise on Hechicero for breaking that hold and locking in his own surfboard.

Let's just say, All In 2024 can't get here soon enough...

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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, 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 dayjob, his role as the 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, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.