8 Ups & 4 Downs For AEW Collision (9 September)

1. The Obvious, Correct Winners

It was clearly obvious that Roderick Strong and Samoa Joe would win their respective matches to earn a potential shot at MJF's AEW World Title at Dynamite Grand Slam later this month, but obvious and predictable isn't always a bad thing.

Also, Strong vs. Darby Allin, and Joe vs. Penta El Zero Miedo were two cracking TV matches.

Yes, there was a mild grumble about Roddy not putting Darby away a little sooner, but the overall match was great, with Allin taking some utterly disgusting bumps, as per. In particular, Strong using the top turnbuckle to assist in a backbreaker resulted in his opponent taking a sick fall to the outside.

As for Joe vs. Penta, this was another fun contest, with one highlight seeing the Samoan Submission Machine do his famed 'walk away' spot as Penta dived through a table on the outside. Still, even in defeat, the former AEW Tag Team Champion was made to look strong, before ultimately falling victim to the Coquina Clutch.

Now, we have Roderick Strong vs. Samoa Joe on Wednesday's Dynamite, with the winner advancing to face MJF at Arthur Ashe Stadium one week later. Of course, both men have had their own issues with the Salt of the Earth lately, and it may even be that we see a triple-threat match - of four-way with Adam Cole? - by the time Grand Slam gets here.