Saturday night wrestling returns to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, as All Elite Wrestling presents another live edition of Collision from the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. With Blood and Guts approaching on November 4 and Full Gear following on November 14, AEW has several important rivalries developing, and tonight’s show features one of the most intriguing tag team matches of the week.
FTR and the Motor City Machine Guns meet in the second match of their Best-of-Five Series, Swerve Strickland returns to singles competition against Myron Reed, and Kris Statlander and Harley Cameron look for revenge against Megan Bayne and Lena Kross.
We’ll also hear from Jay White following Wednesday’s shocking alliance between the Bang Bang Gang and the Dogs, which left several members of the Death Riders and Conglomeration laid out.
Let’s take a look at tonight’s announced card.
Best-of-Five Series, Match Two: FTR vs. Motor City Machine Guns
Motor City Machine Guns lead the series 1–0.
Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler have some catching up to do.
Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin defeated FTR during the WrestleDream Tailgate Brawl, taking the early advantage in their Best-of-Five Series. Tonight, the two veteran teams meet again, with FTR looking to even the score before the series continues at Fright Night Dynamite.
And frankly, I can’t think of many better combinations for a series like this.
FTR have spent years establishing themselves as one of the premier traditional tag teams in professional wrestling, emphasizing teamwork, ring psychology, and the kind of old-school fundamentals that would have made them right at home in the territory days.
The Motor City Machine Guns have an equally impressive history, although their approach emphasizes speed, precision, and innovative double-team offense. Shelley and Sabin have been wrestling together for so long that they often seem to know what the other is thinking before a move even begins.
Both teams understand tag team wrestling, and that’s what makes this series so appealing.
If the Guns win tonight, they’ll take a commanding 2–0 lead and move within one victory of winning the series. If FTR win, we’re tied at one apiece, and the remaining matches become considerably more interesting.
Stinger’s View: This is easily my most anticipated match of the evening. Four excellent wrestlers, two established teams, and a rivalry that can be settled through actual wrestling rather than endless backstage attacks.
I like the Best-of-Five format here because it gives the teams an opportunity to tell a story across multiple matches. The challenge will be making each encounter feel different instead of simply repeating the same match five times.
I’d expect FTR to come into this one particularly aggressive. They can’t afford to fall behind 2–0, and I suspect Harwood and Wheeler will be determined to prove that the opening loss was an exception rather than the beginning of a trend.
Give these four enough time, and we could have another Match of the Week contender.
Swerve Strickland vs. Myron Reed
Swerve Strickland returns to singles competition tonight against Myron Reed of the Rascalz, looking to maintain his momentum following another successful week.
Swerve made short work of Tome Filip on Wednesday’s Dynamite before confronting Hangman Adam Page about another opportunity at the AEW World Trios Championship. The former AEW World Champion has made it clear that he’s not finished pursuing gold, and another singles victory would help keep him in the spotlight.
Myron Reed, meanwhile, has an opportunity to score one of the biggest victories of his AEW career.
Reed is an exciting young competitor whose speed and athleticism can make him a dangerous opponent, particularly against somebody who underestimates him. Unfortunately, Swerve isn’t known for taking his opponents lightly.
The contrast in styles should be interesting. Reed will likely attempt to use his quickness to keep Strickland off balance, while Swerve has the experience and physicality to control the match if he establishes his preferred pace.
Stinger’s View: I like Swerve Strickland, and I think he’s at his best when AEW gives him something meaningful to pursue.
Myron Reed is a talented opponent, but this feels like a match designed to keep Swerve looking dangerous while his larger storylines continue developing. That doesn’t necessarily make it a bad match, provided Reed gets an opportunity to demonstrate what he can do.
I’d be surprised if Swerve loses, but I’d also like to see Reed make him work for the victory.
Divine Dominion vs. Wrathlander
Megan Bayne & Lena Kross vs. Kris Statlander & Harley Cameron
The women’s tag team division takes center stage tonight as Divine Dominion battles Wrathlander in a match with implications for Full Gear.
Kris Statlander and Harley Cameron are scheduled to challenge Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor, collectively known as the Brawling Birds, for the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship at Full Gear.
Unfortunately, Megan Bayne and Lena Kross aren’t particularly interested in waiting patiently while somebody else gets a championship opportunity.
On Wednesday’s Dynamite, Divine Dominion joined the Sisters of Sin in attacking Wrathlander and the Brawling Birds, making it clear that the former champions remain determined to regain their place in the title picture.
Tonight, Statlander and Cameron have an opportunity to get some revenge.
Divine Dominion have a significant size and power advantage, particularly with Bayne’s imposing presence. Statlander can match that physicality better than most competitors, while Cameron brings a more unpredictable style to the partnership.
The outcome could have considerable implications for the championship picture. A victory for Wrathlander would strengthen their position heading toward Full Gear, while a Divine Dominion victory would give the former champions a compelling argument that they deserve another opportunity.
Stinger’s View: I’m glad AEW is giving the women’s tag team division an actual storyline involving multiple teams.
The championships should be something teams compete for, and I like that Divine Dominion haven’t simply disappeared from the picture after losing the titles.
Statlander and Cameron are an interesting pairing, and I think they have the potential to become a genuinely entertaining team. Statlander provides the power and credibility, while Cameron brings a personality that makes the combination stand out.
I just hope the match gets a decisive finish. With several teams involved in the rivalry, the temptation to have everybody interfere is probably going to be difficult for AEW to resist.
Jay White Addresses His Betrayal
Jay White has some explaining to do.
On Wednesday’s Dynamite, White teamed with Orange Cassidy to defeat Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta. For a brief moment, it appeared that the Switchblade was working alongside the Conglomeration against the Death Riders.
Then everything changed.
Later in the evening, White and the Bang Bang Gang revealed their alliance with the Dogs, attacking Cassidy and helping overwhelm several members of the Death Riders and Conglomeration.
The betrayal dramatically changed the balance of power between the factions, and tonight White is scheduled to address his actions.
Given White’s history, I wouldn’t expect a heartfelt apology.
The Switchblade has built much of his career around manipulation, opportunism, and making sure he’s positioned on the winning side of a conflict. His latest alliance appears to be another example of those instincts.
The question now is what the Bang Bang Gang and the Dogs intend to accomplish together, and how their new partnership will affect the approaching Blood and Guts event.
Stinger’s View: I enjoyed the betrayal on Dynamite, particularly because White had already teamed successfully with Orange Cassidy earlier in the show.
It made the eventual attack more effective, and White is exactly the sort of character who can make this kind of deception believable.
My only concern is that AEW has an awful lot of factions involved in overlapping rivalries right now. The Dogs, Bang Bang Gang, Death Riders, Conglomeration, and Don Callis Family are all creating problems for somebody.
At some point, somebody needs to explain who’s fighting whom and why.
Maybe Tony Khan can put together a chart.
Preferably one that doesn’t require a magnifying glass.
Stinger’s View: Tag Team Wrestling Takes the Spotlight
Tonight’s Collision has a relatively small advertised lineup, but there’s enough here to make the show interesting.
FTR against the Motor City Machine Guns is the obvious attraction. These are two outstanding tag teams with decades of experience between them, and the Best-of-Five Series gives their rivalry a structure that should make every victory matter. I’d much rather watch two excellent teams compete to establish who’s better than sit through another championship eliminator match where the champions have to lose before defending their titles.
The women’s tag team match also interests me. Divine Dominion and Wrathlander have a legitimate reason to fight, and the outcome could influence the championship picture heading toward Full Gear. That’s exactly the kind of development I want to see in a division that’s still establishing its identity.
Swerve Strickland against Myron Reed should provide some good action, although I suspect the outcome will be considerably less surprising than the tag team matches.
And Jay White’s explanation for Wednesday’s betrayal should be entertaining. White has the personality to make a promo segment worth watching, and I’m curious to see where this new alliance is heading.
With Blood and Guts less than two weeks away, AEW needs to start bringing its various faction rivalries into focus. There’s plenty of talent involved, but the storytelling needs to remain understandable.
Overall, this looks like a solid Saturday night of wrestling.
My most anticipated match: FTR vs. Motor City Machine Guns II.
AEW Collision airs tonight at 7 p.m. Central Time on TNT and HBO Max.
Until next time, this is Stinger, signing off from the rafters.
Making Internet Fun Again — One Three-Count at a Time!
