6 Ups & 3 Downs For AEW Collision (June 1 - Results & Review)

4. Well Worked Filler

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Johnny TV just about lands on the Ups side of this article.

Given how Johnny's last AEW outing saw him lose to HOOK in barely three minutes, did this match really need to go nearly 12 minutes? And given where both men are on the food chain, did Johnny really need to be in control for so much of the contest? The answer to both of those questions is clearly a definitive no.

Still, this was a well worked match between two veterans, with the ring work itself warranting a mild Up as, to the surprise of nobody, Claudio picked up the win. Castagnoli did, well, Castagnoli things, using his bionic mix of freakish power, smooth-as-silk transitions, and precision striking to impress, and it's fair to say this is the best Johnny TV has looked in a long time when it comes to AEW. Again though, did Johnny really need to look so good here? Likely not.

That said, Johnny rolled back the years as he launched a flurry of high-flying attacks on Claudio once Taya Valkyrie interference allowed TV/Morrison/Nitro/IMPACT/Mundo/Retro, Etc, etc to take control. Going back to the well once too often saw a second attempt at interference backfire, as Castagnoli hit the big swing and then a clothesline for the 1-2-3.

Clear filler, and TV time that could've been better used, but fine wrestling just about drags this one over the line.