7 Ups & 2 Downs For AEW Collision (June 8 - Results & Review)

Ups...

7. Excellent Opener

AEW Collision FTR Wheeler Yuta Claudio Castagnoli
AEW

FTR have long been the best tag team on the planet, Claudio Castagnoli is just a freak of nature in the best possible way, and Wheeler Yuta is someone already so good but still with so much potential for growth. As such, there was a pretty good chance FTR vs. Claudio & Yuta would be decent.

This was an excellent opener, with all four men on fine form, whether that was on the offensive or when it came to selling. In particular, it was great to see Wheeler Yuta back in action for just the second time in nearly five months and looking so good.

The action here was too much to break down from move to move, with the two tandems maximising the 20 minutes they were afforded. While clearly two babyface teams, the moments of aggression between the competitors gave a nice edge to proceedings, with Yuta again shining in those moments where he, at times literally, butted heads with Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood.

One story thread at play through so much of this match, was FTR constantly stopping Castagnoli from hitting his patented big swing, and likewise Dax and Cash weren't able to hit the Shatter Machine at a couple of points. And on that big swing topic, when it did come into play, there was an excellent sequence where Yuta saved Claudio from the Shatter Machine, with the Swiss star immediately trapping Cash in the swing and Yuta eventually hitting a low dropkick on the revolving FTR man.

There was the glorious PowerPlex, there were dueling Sharpshooters, there was a successful Shatter Machine for a nice nearfall, and there was a lovely looking Rings of Saturn by Claudio on Cash as the match came to a close as a time limit draw.

For most people watching, it became clear that this was going to go the distance as a draw from the moment Bobby Cruise announced there was one minute left. While such draws can at times be frustrating or feel like a cheap, lazy way to handle your booking, this one did actually serve a purpose in putting more heat on The Young Bucks - who sent Brandon Cutler out to shut down any hopes of five more minutes - and also making FTR and BCC look like badass fighting babyfaces who want to do battle until there's a winner.

Cutler ate the big swing-dropkick combo into the Shatter Machine, with the tease that FTR and BCC will run this back again in the future. A fantastic match, a fantastic way to open the show, and a smart way to advance things with The Elite.

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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.