8 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Collision (June 17)

Ups...

8. The Presentation

Many were pondering what exactly AEW Collision would look and feel like. And on that front, AEW has done a great job with the overall identity of its new Saturday night show.

Visually, Collision does very much feel like a familiar AEW show, but it has enough uniqueness to make it not merely be a Dynamite or Rampage clone. The red ropes and the logo-emblazed ring apron work well, and the most impressive element of the entire setup is the fantastic stage design, with a giant screen either side of where the wrestlers emerge from as they make their way to the ring.

Away from the look of Collision, there was a sense of intrigue to see how the commentary team would line up. With it announced over the weekend that Jim Ross, Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness would be on the call, that trio was largely just a double-act in reality.

Handling most of the heavy lifting, Kelly and McGuinness - who of course are no strangers to one another due to their time in ROH - were fantastic. For JR, he was extremely hoarse when he joined the announce table for the show's main event, and Ross himself has since tweeted how he's going to step away "to heal" - with Collision coming shortly after Jim had a fall at the end of last week.

Speaking of "announce table", it was also great to see the commentary booth at ringside, rather than be up by the stage. A small change, but a welcome one that likewise helps to make AEW Collision feel different to other AEW programming.

Yes, there was the odd flub - Kevin Kelly butchering Andrade El Idolo's name several times, ring announcer Dasha Gonzalez announcing Buddy Murphy instead of Buddy Matthews - but AEW Collision has a brilliant overall vibe to it.