6 Ups & 4 Downs For AEW Collision (Feb 10 - Results & Review)

1. The Tired Feeling Of Predictability

AEW Collision Mark Briscoe Brody King
AEW

Recent reports have suggested that the approach to AEW Collision is for established stars to face lesser-known names in a way that shines a smidge of spotlight on these lower-on-the-food-chain talents while also giving a W to the bigger name.

The problem is, AEW Collision has become an utterly predictable show. Yes, the in-ring action is usually good-to-great-to-excellent across the show's two hours, but Collision hasn't featured any real stakes or a sense of uncertainty about how things will go since the Continental Classic wrapped up.

If looking at this week's Collision card, only the Mark Briscoe vs. Brody King bout might have any even slight semblance of questions surrounding its result. And even then, AEW has positioned Briscoe as a spirited loser, as reflected by only two AEW singles wins in the past six months for Chicken; those coming against Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett. In a world so often filled with same-old, same-old, Mark Briscoe is a magnetically unique beast who stands from the pack and is such a phenomenal talent. Unfortunately, when you see someone lose time and again, you come to expect them to lose the next time they're in any match of note. In that regard, Brody was clearly expected to win here, and win he did.

Elsewhere, Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli, Daniel Garcia, Brian Cage, Deonna Purrazzo, Toni Storm, and Orange Cassidy were all ridiculously predictable picks to score victories. While the wrestling action is clearly infinitely better and more competitive, AEW Collision nowadays effectively has the feel of a classic WWF Superstars or WCW Worldwide when it comes to guessing who'll win each and every match.

Advertisement
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.