9 Ups & 4 Downs From AEW Collision (July 1)

by Andrew Pollard

1. Multiple Story Threads

AEW Collision Samoa Joe Roderick Strong CM Punk
AEW

Coming out of AEW Collision, there are so many possibilities as to where AEW could take the action from here.

First and foremost, Samoa Joe and CM Punk will be renewing their legendary rivalry in the semi-finals of the Owen, and that in itself should be absolutely magical to witness. But given how Adam Cole ran to the ring to check on Roderick Strong after Joe's attack left Roddy needing medical assistance, that's nicely sowed the seed for Cole and Joe - who met in the final of last year's Owen - to do something down the line.

As for Roddy Strong, surely he'll have Samoa Joe - and maybe the ROH TV Title - in his sights whenever he's back in action. Should Tony Khan possibly be looking at taking the ROH TV Title off Joe in order to make him a regular part of Collision on a weekly basis, Strong would be a fantastic choice to dethrone the Samoan Submission Machine.

Elsewhere, Jay White made it crystal clear that he wants CM Punk, and CM Punk likewise made it clear that he wants Jay White. And could the AEW World Title that Punk never lost end up becoming fully reintroduced as part of this burgeoning rivalry?

This week's AEW Collision - and in particular, it's closing moments - has left wrestling fans with a whole lot of questions, and that's always a good thing. That's even before we make mention of potentially seeing CM Punk teaming with Adam Cole to take on Jay White and Samoa Joe - which is a match-up that sounds exceptional on paper.

Added to all of this, Christian Cage and Luchasaurus have their first challenger for the TNT Title, former teammates Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks will lock horns in the Owen, the Gunns are now officially a part of Bullet Club Gold, and Collision as a whole just feels like a weekly show with logic and sense at play across the majority of its two hours.

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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.