AEW Collision Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights from Aug. 5

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Saturday night was far from the first time a man claiming to be the real world champion competed in a ring in Greenville, South Carolina, but it was the first time CM Punk did so.

The Best in the World defended his version of the title against Ricky Starks in the main event of Collision, a match weeks in the making.

The bout headlined a broadcast that also featured two other championship clashes, as well as the latest from The Acclaimed.

Find out what went down, if any titles switched hands and how it affects All Elite Wrestling's road to All In on August 27 with this recap of the show.

Announced in advance for Saturday's show were:

• Real World Championship: CM Punk (c) vs. Ricky Starks (Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat as guest referee)
• AEW World Tag Team Championship: FTR (c) vs. Brian Cage and Big Bill
• TBS Championship: Kris Statlander (c) vs. Mercedes Martinez
• The Acclaimed promo

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

FTR continued their superb run as AEW World Tag Team champions Saturday, defeating Brian Cage and Big Bill in a high-energy opener in which they absorbed the power and ferocity of the opposition and capitalized on a miscommunication to deliver the Shatter Machine for the win.

The challengers continued to look like a powerhouse tandem right out of the 1980s while FTR was less Midnight Express, and more Rockers as they exploded back into the match with great babyface fire and had the crowd eating out of the palms of their hands.

As high a note as the match started the show on, it was the post-match challenge to The Young Bucks by the champions for a match at All In at the historic Wembley Stadium. It is an enormous match, with history to pull from and genuine interest from fans.

It is a battle between two top teams with plenty of credibility based on their accomplishments and a showdown that instantly enhances that pay-per-view card.

Result

FTR defeated Bill and Cage to retain

Grade

B+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Cage continuously paying tribute to his mentor, the late Chris Kanyon with his "nobody betta" catchphrase is always a nice touch. Kanyon is one of the great, unsung talents of the last 25 years, and keeping his memory alive is a great move.
• Greenville was very much FTR country, greeting the tag champs with a thunderous ovation upon their entrance. Wheeler embraced his mother at ringside, too. 
• The champions did a great job of putting over the size and strength advantage of their opponents. Cage and Bill have established some great tag team chemistry and are a throwback to teams like The Powers of Pain, who would easily bowl over smaller opponents.
• Wheeler's mom slapped the taste out of Bill, drawing a pop from both the fans and the commentary team.
• Bill was really animated here, feeding off the crowd's energy and taunting them. It was nice to see him let some of his personality show rather than being the one-dimensional big man, even if that is a role he fills quite well.
• Cage's ability to deliver a somersault plancha from the ring to the floor, wiping out Harwood and Wheeler, will never stop being awe-inspiring. Especially considering his size.

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Kris Statlander withstood a focused attack by Mercedes Martinez to retain the TBS Championship, outwrestling her by scoring a late rollup for the win.

The match was good, physical and Statlander's babyface fire kept the fans invested. The post-match developments, including a heel turn from Diamante and apparently alignment with Mercedes as they beat down the champion appeared to ensure the feud continued while the arrival of Willow Nightingale hinted at a tag team match.

If Collision is destined to be the setting for fresh faces, character and storytelling development, and extended in-ring action, then this writer is all for it.

Martinez, Diamante and Statlander are too good not to be on television while any opportunity to see the delightful Willow is a welcome one.

Result

Statlander defeated Martinez

Grade

B

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Ian Riccaboni, arguably the most underrated announcer in the game, made a killer Oasis/Wonderwall reference in regards to Statlander following up her successful first outing against Taya Valkyrie and trying to do even better against Martinez.
• Martinez really is great and one day, when we write the history of women's wrestling, she has earned recognition for her efforts to legitimize it as part of the independent scene and the upstart SHIMMER promotion during the 2000s.
• Statlander is a great, fiery babyface. She outwrestled Martinez, rolling her up to score the hard-fought victory. 
• Diamante hit the ring after the match, seemingly to make the save for Statlander during a post-match beatdown, only to betray her and join Martinez in her two-on-one assault. Nightingale made the save, chasing the heels off as the Ring of Honor and AEW women's divisions crossed streams.

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

During a backstage interview with Tony Schiavone, Toni Storm questioned whether she was still a star following her Dynamite main event loss to Hikaru Shida. No longer the women's world champion, she questioned what it meant for her, then stormed off the set.

In the ring, Samoa Joe won the quickest match in Collision history, tapping Serpentico out with the Coquina Clutch.

Afterward, he expressed his desire to battle CM Punk at Wembley Stadium on August 27 at All In, citing an unsatisfactory conclusion to their previous match on Collision.

Such a match, if accepted by Punk, would join FTR vs. The Young Bucks (not official) and Adam Cole vs. MJF for the AEW World Championship on what is quickly becoming a must-see card.

Result

Joe defeated Serpentico

Grade

A for all of it

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Storm was great in her promo. She was clearly affected by her high-profile loss of the AEW and showed it. Conspicuous in their absences were Saraya and Toni Storm, perhaps hinting at the end of The Outcasts.
• When Joe is in badass mode, he is one of the most captivating guys on the roster.

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

The House of Black earned another successful defense of their AEW World Trios Championship Saturday as Malakai Black, Brody King and Buddy Matthews defeated "Big Shotty" Lee Johnson, Action Andretti and Darius Martin.

The match was every bit as energetic as one would assume given the talent, particularly at the finish. The champions cut off one last attempt at a comeback to retain the gold and set up a showdown with CM Punk and FTR on next week's show, as announced by Riccaboni on commentary after the match.

Another impressive showing for a House of Black finally building momentum, this perfectly set the stage for what will be a dream match of sorts between two of the most prominent and high-powered trios in all of AEW on next week's show.

Result

The House of Black defeated Johnson, Andretti and Martin

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• The babyfaces chose, as their hand-picked stipulation, for Julia Hart to be barred from ringside. It did not help matters as the champions remained relentless and dominant through the commercial break.
• It was nice to see Johnson back on television in a fairly high-profile spot.
• The House of Black will remain over with fans as long as Black and Murphy are able to rock an opponent with a single knee strike and King is able to throw his body at them to secure the win. The sudden impact of both makes for a hell of an exclamation point on the end of a dominant win.

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Jay White returned to Collision this week, defeating Metalik in a match that served as little more than a means of heating "Switchblade" back up following the tag team title match loss to FTR.

No longer burdened by the Lucha House Party nonsense from his previous promotion, Metalik was able to showcase some of his skills but ultimately, White put him down with the Blade Runner and got both he and Bullet Club Gold back on track.

The faction remains one of the centerpieces of the Collision brand and it will be interesting to see which direction White, Juice Robinson and the Gunns head as All In and All Out approach.

As of now, it is not readily apparent.

Result

White defeated Metalik

Grade

C+

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Austin and Colten Gunn joined Riccaboni and Nigel McGuinness on commentary.
• Riccobani recalled the history between the competitors, including their time spent living together in Japan. He is a wealth of knowledge and little tidbits like that add to the overall viewing experience.
• "How do you know that? You're a nerd. You're a nerd. Wasn't Metalik a band in the 80s? What song did they sing?" Austin asked. "For Whom the Bell Tolls," Colten responded in a fun bit.
• Robinson toting around the Jay White cardboard cutout is hilarious.

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

CM Punk retained the so-called "REAL" World Championship in the main event of Saturday's Collision, defeating Ricky Starks in a pay-per-view-quality match that saw guest enforcer Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat preventing the challenger from cheating.

The match was further evidence that Starks is a genuine main event guy, not just of the future but of the here and now. He has repeatedly proven an ability to hang with top stars across AEW and this one was no different. The timing was good, he was where he needed to be at every turn.

The post-match assault of Steamboat earned him legitimate heel heat and turned the crowd completely in Punk's favor, the first time that happened all night.

The actions of Starks suggest the feud with Punk will continue in some form or fashion and that is hardly a bad thing, especially as Tony Khan and Co. position him as one of the faces of this new Saturday night brand.

Result

Punk defeated Starks

Grade

A

Top Moments and Takeaways

• Jim Ross joined Riccaboni and McGuinness on commentary while Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat entered the arena to serve as the enforcer for the night's main event.
• Starks has taken the opportunity that comes with the increased television time he has enjoyed on Collision and run with it. He looks and feels every bit like the main eventer many have believed he could be.
• With Steamboat as the enforcer, you knew there would be a referee bump that necessitated his involvement. He prevented Starks from cheating, setting up a rollup victory for Punk.
• The post-match attack of Steamboat by Starks put him over as a sore loser and legitimate heel after weeks of fans resisting the turn. 

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Collision is still growing and evolving, but it is developing into one of the best wrestling shows on television.

It takes the in-ring action seriously, builds feuds logically and does not overthink them or get too cute with their execution. Punk, FTR, Bullet Club Gold and Starks are the clear centerpieces of the show while House of Black has carved out a nice spot for themselves on the show, too.

In between the matches involving those stars, we saw some really great stuff out of Christian Cage, who sent his daughter packing after she dared ask to hold "his" TNT Championship, and Toni Storm, whose title loss has her questioning what her purpose is.

The overarching story of Punk having so many different rivals and competitors gunning for him, be it Starks, Samoa Joe, or The House of Black, is a quality creative tool that acknowledges that he is the featured star but also elevates everyone else he shares the screen with.

This is a more focused watch than Dynamite has been over the last year or two, with better pacing and tighter production.

This week's show was just another in a string of excellent episodes from a company who may have found its groove on Saturday nights. At least creatively.

Grade: B+