AEW Collision Match Review: 31 October 2023
Who will take the win in this world championship clash?
Broadcast from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, this week brought the chance for Kenny Omega to keep his winning streak alive as the longest reigning AEW world champion, as well as the chance for MJF to surpass him as the new top dog. Omega has long been an icon of the wrestling world, so for the ‘fresh blood’ MJF to come up against him was bound to be an interesting watch. The match that followed definitely delivered in technique, entertainment, and a show of endurance.
The two wrestlers go way back, with Omega almost acting as a mentor for MJF in his early days. The drive in both of them was clear; they were both passionate about securing the win as well as showing their talent as professionals. It was great to see such incredible support from the crowd for this, knowing that last time I watched an event based in Connecticut the crowd was nowhere near as pumped.
Image courtesy of All Elite Wrestling
At the beginning of the match, there was nothing but super clean form, with sharp technique showed by both MJF and Omega. Both of them were taking the occasion seriously, with MJF still showing off his usual comedic side, but far more focussed and serious than usual. It was cool to see. There was so much aerial work especially done in this match, including a Snapdragon Suplex, Terminator Dive, and a first-time jump over the top rope from MJF. The most shocking aerial move was when Omega powerbombed MJF off the apron and onto the table below, which wiped out both wrestlers for at least a minute and left MJF getting seen to by the doctor.
Image courtesy of All Elite Wrestling
A few other impressive moves included MJF’s amusing Kangaroo Kick, Omega dropping MJF onto the fan barrier, and MJF’s Panama Sunrise delivery to Omega.
Image courtesy of All Elite Wrestling
The common theme in the match was awesome potential moves being intercepted. Omega attempted the One Winged Angel multiple times, only to have MJF get out of it each time. Both MJF and Omega took hits, kicks, and flips in response to their attempt pin the other as a finisher. This definitely kept me on the edge of my seat, and I could only imagine what this must have been like to watch live.
Image courtesy of All Elite Wrestling
Towards the end of the match, both wrestlers were showing major signs of fatigue. They were clearly exhausted and battered, so it must have taken all of their strength to attempt to deliver winning moves. It was at this point that MJF shouted out “this one is for you, Adam”, which was a dedication to his teammate Adam Cole, who is currently injured with a broken ankle. It was clear that MJF was fighting for two, and in the end this extra motivation brought him the win.
MJF took the opportunity during his victor’s speech to acknowledge the impact that Omega has had on him. He recalled a time in his early wrestling career when Omega watched his match and took the time to talk to him afterwards, which inspired him to keep going in pursuit of his dreams. He then offered Omega the chance to speak and say goodbye to the crowd, at which point he helped Omega up too. Omega then mentioned how stoked he was to hand over his title to MJF, almost as if he was happy with his protege overtaking him. It was an awesome show of sportsmanship from the both of them.
With Omega’s blessing in hand, MJF has a big fight on his hands to get the championship belt back from Jay White when they meet next week. There will be other chances after that, like Full Gear in late November, but that will mean a long wait for MJF.
This sort of match is why I got into AEW in the first place. It was a battle between two really talented wrestlers who brought their A-game, and put on a show that I couldn’t look away from. It would be awesome to see more of this quality moving forward!
I give this match 5 out of 5 stars:
