On a huge night for both them and WWE, AEW put on one of their most star-studded episodes of AEW Collision.
With a “real world title” on the line in the main event of the show, as well as two championship matches in the undercard, it was one of the best Collision shows AEW have put on so far.
CM Punk headlined the show, attempting to avenge his loss to Ricky Starks in the Owen Hart Cup – with his Real World Championship on the line.
The belt – spray-painted with his signature “X” – was the AEW Championship belt that Punk won from Jon Moxley at All Out 2022, but was soon forced to give up due to suspension and injury.
Other matches on the AEW Collision card include FTR defending their AEW Tag Team title against the Big Bill and Brian Cage,as well as Kris Statlander putting her TBS Championship on the line.
In this article, we’ll analyze the star ratings for the August 5th, 2023 episode of AEW Collision, as awarded by Dave Meltzer.
We’ll also look at the user rating from Cagematch, as well as our own star rating here at Atletifo.
Let us know your favorite match in the comment section below the article!
FTR vs Big Bill & Brian Cage (AEW Tag Team Championship)
Opening the show on AEW Collision was the tag team title match, starting the show off with a bang.
FTR, fresh off a pair of fantastic defenses against Bullet Club Gold, and FTR & Adam Cole, they turned their attention to battle royal winners Big Bill and Brian Cage.
The champions tried their best to get the advantage against their opponent, but the sheer size and power of Bill & Cage was initially too much for them to bear.
Despite this, FTR managed to pick up the win by pin fall, before laying down the challenge on the Young Bucks for All In.
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating –
- Cagematch Rating –
- Atletifo Rating – 3 Stars
Kris Statlander vs Mercedes Martinez (TBS Championship)
In a decent women’s bout, Kris Statlander put her TBS Championship on the line against the new number one contender, Mercedes Martinez.
While fans have bemoaned the lack of storylines Statlander has been involved in since her title win over Jade Cargill, nobody can deny just how good she has been in the ring.
The TBS Champion helped Mercedes Martinez to one of her best matches in AEW, despite walking away with her title still around her waist.
After the match, Martinez jumped Statlander. Diamante came out, feigning the save for Statlander. Diamante quickly helped Martinez beat down Statlander, leading to Willow Nightingale coming out to make the actual save.
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating –
- Cagematch Rating –
- Atletifo Rating – 2 Stars
Samoa Joe vs Serpentico
In a match that is barely worth mentioning, Samoa Joe squashed Serpentico.
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating – N/A
- Cagematch Rating – N/A
- Atletifo Rating – N/A
House of Black (c) vs. Action Andretti, Darius Martin & Lee Johnson
The “House Rule” chosen by the challengers was to ban Julie Hart from ringside – sensible, yet boring, which is not what you’d expect from three high-flyers.
As most trios matches go, it was fast-paced and full of action, putting on the match fans have come to expect from Malakai Black and friends.
As expected, the House of Black won the match and retained their titles in what was a great match.
After the bout, it was announced that the House of Black would defend their titles the following week against CMFTR (CM Punk and FTR).
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating –
- Cagematch Rating –
- Atletifo Rating – 3.5 Stars
Jay White vs. Metalik
In a match that was announced just hours before AEW Collision went on air, former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White took on Lucha Libre star Metalik on the show.
It was a surprising back-and-forth affair, with Metalik get much more offense than I would have expected.
However, the might of Jay White and “The Bang Bang Gang” was too much, and he quickly dispatched Metalik in impressive fashion.
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating –
- Cagematch Rating –
- Atletifo Rating – 1.5 Stars
CM Punk vs Ricky Starks (Real World Championship) – Ricky Steamboat as Special Guest Referee
Putting his Real World Championship on the line against Ricky Starks, CM Punk continued his streak of fantastic matches on AEW Collision.
- Dave Meltzer Star Rating –
- Cagematch Rating –
- Atletifo Rating –