7 Ups & 3 Downs For AEW Collision (16 September)

6. Fun, Frantic Opener

AEW Collision Ricky Starks Bryan Danielson
AEW

Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli have long been amongst the greatest wrestlers on the planet, and the Ricky Starks and Big Bill partnership has been a highlight of AEW programming in recent weeks. So, Bryan & Claudio vs. Starks & Bill looked like a great match-up on paper.

Man, did this match not disappoint.

All four put in some great work here, with the bout moving along at an electric pace, bar some early moments where the heels were getting heat on Danielson. Big Bill continues to shine as the powerhouse monster, Collision really does continue to feel like Starks' show in so many ways, and the two are already so fluid as a tag team unit after just a few weeks. Plus, this villainous duo were also brilliant in their mocking of the American Dragon and his old "Yes!" chants.

Of course, Danielson and Castagnoli obviously were on point throughout this contest, whether on offense or defence, and the finish came after Starks hit a low blow and the Roshambo to get the 1-2-3 over Bryan.

With that, Absolute becomes the only person other than Jon Moxley to pin both CM Punk and Bryan Danielson in AEW.

To add further spice to the rise of Pretty Ricky, the Stroke Daddy would later challenge Danielson to a Texas Death Match next week on Collision. Is it maybe a little too soon after the pair's strap match at All Out two weeks ago? Possibly. Either way, the match itself will be great.

Oh, and fair play to that fan in the crowd during this tag match. They were certainly all in on Ricky Starks...

Bonus points for the panicked, disoriented Starks amazingly doing his trademark pose during a Big Swing from Claudio:

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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 day job, 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/Saints, Jamie Hayter, 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. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.