9 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Collision (July 8)
2. The Main Event Felt Massive
AEW absolutely could've done more on last week's Dynamite to hype Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk here, but the way this match was handled on Collision was masterfully done.
From the pre-titles promos, to Punk's show-opening verbiage, to the commentary team, to the video packages detailing their battles in Ring of Honor, Collision made Joe vs. Punk feel huge. If you were a fan from the classic ROH days, all of this fantastically whet your appetite for these two rivals locking horns once again. Should you have no knowledge of their ROH wars, Collision nicely set the table for what you should expect.
At times, many wrestling shows have a main event that's just, well, there; a main event solely because it's in the main event spot. With Samoa Joe vs. CM Punk, AEW made you realise that this was in the main event spot due to it being a massive deal, featuring two old gunslingers drawing their weapons one more time, in a tournament that carried a boatload of prestige and was vitally important to both men.
In terms of hyping up a match, this week's AEW Collision did a magnificent job.