6 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (7 June - Review)

Downs...

3. The Collision Main Event Announcement

Collision Main Event
AEW

Measured against the curve that is the First Dance, the Second Coming is nowhere near as fascinating or exciting.

Tony Khan announced that CM Punk and FTR will take on Jay White, Juice Robinson and Samoa Joe in the main event of the inaugural Collision. On the night, the match could be awesome. Punk/Joe nostalgia will be fun, and they'll doubtlessly do a great job of milking the "Holy sh*t!" chant before they even touch. A Punk/White interaction feels like an unfathomable dream pairing in spite of Jay's stuttering launch in AEW.

It isn't tremendously exciting. It isn't absolutely must-see. It doesn't feel like it was worth waiting 10 months for, nor does it feel like a grand apologetic gesture for the cloud that has lingered over the promotion since Brawl Out.

Punk and Joe will make you want to see the inevitable singles match. There's still time for Joe to cut a promo and heat it up.

But right now, it manifests everything that was feared ahead of the show: it's Punk teaming with his mates against a handful of people willing to wrestle him.

Collision is a bittersweet compromise of a show, and this match proves it: it simply isn't as electrifying or as believable as the prospect of Punk working any of the countless people he doesn't get along with. Who's to blame for the fact that this isn't happening?

That is still up for debate, and the prospect of that debate raging on is tedious.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!