Somehow Find You and I Collide – Our Thoughts on AEW Collision

Howie Day’s got nothing on this.

In this week’s roundtable, the writers of The Wrestling Estate discuss the impending debut of AEW Collision after Warner Media Discovery made the announcement official this week.

Thoughts on AEW adding a second two-hour television show to its content lineup?

Steven Jackson

I think it’s a good thing for the amount of talent that AEW needs to showcase. However, much like WWE, it’s a lot of AEW to digest in one week, which can not only cause a burn out for fans, but the backstage personnel as well.

Curt Lemon

They would be much higher if AEW would add a second or third booker. Forget wrestling for a second, Tony Khan has enough on his plate. Add in Dynamite, add in Rampage and ROH and it’s simply too much for one person.

Tony also doesn’t have a bag of 20-30 years experience in the industry to generate new ideas based on things that worked and ideas or angles he has seen draw serious money. His only booking “skill” is with “surprises” and those have been letdowns lately.

Juan Batista

It will be an great addition for the company. It should allow dynamite to breath in the sense of not trying to cram everybody on one show. The quality of Dynamite should be more fluid now and Collision should get off to a good start. Collision shouldn’t have that feeling that it’s just what’s left over.

Russ Good

I’m definitely for AEW adding a second full show in Collision! I rarely watched AEW Dark, but I see their appeal from a developmental perspective. Clearly you see potential in those wrestlers, and getting them on camera is important to helping them progress in their careers. BUT having another two hours of prime time television for some of the biggest stars in the ever-expanding AEW roster will be more appealing to folks who matter more, like advertisers, Warner Bros., the actual Warner Bros., and their Warner sister, Dot.

I do wonder where Rampage fits into this, if it sticks around. Perhaps it evolves into the new Dark. Maybe it’s just considered neutral ground, with pre-taped matches from both Dynamite and Collision. On the other hand, maybe it becomes a place where stars from those opposing brands can meet up for a match, like Survivor Series was advertised to be, but weekly.

Actually, I just came up with that last option and I like it a lot. TK, you can have that one.

Jack Goodwillie

AEW adding content is ultimately not the issue. They have plenty of names under contract that need the reps, so the more content they can inject into the space the better. But that’s not what the conception of Collision is all about. We all know what it’s all about. It’s like a big fat elephant in the room.

Tony Khan can dodge questions from reporters all he wants, but it won’t change the fact that the two most influential entities in this company are at odds with one another. Moreover, he deliberately chose not to act when he had an opportunity to nip the situation in the bud. However, if the conception of this show ultimately leads to more opportunities for the company’s all-world talent that has been otherwise cast aside, I can’t hate that.

John Corrigan

The last thing pro wrestling needs is another Tony Khan-booked show. It’s highly unlikely I’ll watch anything except for the premiere, but hopefully, CM Punk indeed returns. 

Thoughts on the Saturday night timeslot?

Steven Jackson

Living in the UK, the Saturday night slot doesn’t affect me as it does for USA audiences. But, it’s a very challenging time to put any programming on, so it really needs to deliver. It’s an area which WWE hasn’t aired a show on for a long-time, and if the revamped ‘Saturday Night’s Main Event’ shows from the mid-2000s, it’s not going to be easy.

Curt Lemon

In the era of DVRs, and watch on demand content I don’t know that the date matters much. I also don’t know anyone who still has cable and would watch it live anyway. Most of my friends watch clips on YouTube if there is enough buzz around them.

Juan Batista

I like the Saturday show. It’s been an untapped market since WCW had there show. Impact back in the day had reruns of the Thursday program on Saturday night and WWE has left Saturday alone unless it’s a PPV. This is exciting having a high quality show on Saturday nights. The summer is a perfect time to launch the show as playoffs wrap up and hardly any opposition until college football starts.

Russ Good

The Saturday night timeslot on TNT is a rough one, to be sure. It may come as a shock to folks who don’t keep up with wrestling, but a lot of us have social lives (or wives who insist we have those) and Saturday night isn’t ideal for appointment television. However, the live-plus-three ratings used by people who care about that sort of thing might still turn out okay. After all, without the NFL, what are folks gonna watch while shaking off that hangover on Sunday morning?

Jack Goodwillie

This is the biggest reason why I am apt to see through the conception of this show for what it really is. If the motivation behind AEW adding a second two-hour show was really about advancing storylines, creating chances for more talent and ultimately giving themselves more bites at the apple for making stars, then they would have rebranded the abandoned Rampage or angled for a Thursday night timeslot. It is a major ask of wrestling fans, many of which are also sports fans, to either turn away from already established marquee live television or nix their Saturday night plans to watch wrestling. The show will probably be most viewed live, muted at bars while the college football game gets played on the big TV.

Since AEW only needed the show as a means of keeping CM Punk and The Elite on separate trajectories, I’m sure there was no objection to the timeslot. Popping a positive television and bringing added visibility to the product is taking a backseat to Khan kicking the can down the road on The Elite’s issues with Punk. How many successful Saturday night wrestling shows have you heard of that weren’t aired in syndication? To me, this is the biggest tell of AEW’s real reason for creating Collision.

John Corrigan

I would never watch live on a Saturday night, but I’d record and catch up on Sunday morning. As a kid, though, Saturday night was prime wrasslin’ night with Velocity, Confidential, Excess, TNA Impact, and maybe Metal or Jakked. Pretty sure the first wrestling show I ever watched was ECW on a Saturday night after an episode of Street Sharks.

Does AEW need a brand split?

Steven Jackson

A brand split in AEW doesn’t make sense to me. AEW is meant to be an alternative to WWE, so having a brand split just copies what WWE are doing with their current product. First things first are making Collision a success with all the available talents at your disposal. Once you’ve done that, a brand split can be considered. But for me, I like AEW as one roster.

Curt Lemon

I’m not a fan of brand splits, however it might be required here. The roster is simply too bloated. Every single week (sometimes more than once) we hear about another signing. I can only think of 4-5 guys who have been let go from AEW from the start of the promotion.

I would rather see more focus on what they have that’s working and removing what is not, if that means a brand split so be it.

Juan Batista

As long as they don’t do what WWE has done it should be fine. Keep one World title and allow brand identity.

Russ Good

It feels inevitable that the brand will be split. Maybe that’s because of that nice man from Chicago, or just because the roster bloat is real and needs to be dealt with. Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to get a full, hard split – even just as a test run. If it doesn’t work, AEW doesn’t seem like they’re above admitting a “miss” and moving on. But getting more faces on TV doesn’t hurt, and if some fans’ favorites are split among the shows? Oh no, I guess they’ll just have to watch both.

I’m not sure where titles would fall into the mix. I would assume the main champs, and tag and trios teams, float to where their rivalries are. TBS and TNT belts could be defended on the “off” shows, either officially or just through creative booking, so there’s always a set of men’s and women’s champs on both programs. There are seven titles on AEW TV, not including Ring of Honor’s guest appearances, and the introduction of women’s tag championships isn’t out of the question. It’s not like there aren’t enough belts to go around.

Jack Goodwillie

I think it kind of needs to happen. If the same names end up popping up on both shows, then AEW is going to have the same problem it has always had, which is over-signing talent only to keep a significant crop of them on the sidelines for no reason. Regardless of the promotion’s motivations behind creating the show, however, it’s tough to deny that this is a golden opportunity for AEW to elevate some stars. For that to happen, there needs to be a brand split.

On another note, we already know for a fact that AEW wants to keep Punk and The Elite on separate shows. If a brand split applies to them and nobody else, then AEW is no better than WWE for explaining the reasoning behind this. Not only that, but it would further confirm what I have already beaten into the ground in the last two questions. By implementing a brand split to Dynamite and Collision, AEW has a chance to set the tone and hopefully set themselves up to write more compelling shows.

John Corrigan

I’m intrigued by a brand split based on Friends and Foes of CM Punk. I’d probably watch a Punk Friends show on a regular basis if he has a hand in booking. 

Advice for Tony Khan?

Steven Jackson

My advice for Tony Khan is this: utilize the talent you have effectively and successfully on this show. Look deep into your roster and see which singles stars, tag-teams and stables you can build stories from. Don’t use outside talents from NJPW or AAA to create “dream match” scenarios. Build this organically and show just how diverse the AEW roster actually is.

Curt Lemon

Hire someone new to give you ideas. Let them run with it. The show(s) are stale and you are hemorrhaging viewers with each passing week. Even if it’s just for six months, Khan should let someone take over so he can recharge his batteries and come back with a fresh approach. Look at Wembley, it was a fast sellout because it’s their first big event there. After fans see what is delivered, will they sell out again?

Juan Batista

Don’t pay attention to Eric Bishoff and people like him. I will also say take advice from Kevin Nash from a production standpoint.

Russ Good

It’s hard to not just say, “Look Tony, don’t go all Rampage on the new show and forget to actually book it.” But that’s not necessarily true, as some decent stuff shows up on the Friday show from time to time. Consistently putting a good show together, one that can compete with and be compared to Dynamite, isn’t going to be easy.

Maybe bring on some help? I hear that Freddie Prinze, Jr. guy is pretty affable, and I bet he’d be willing to lend a hand. Or former WWE writer Kazeem Famuyide, if you can pry him away from Bill Simmons and company. Anyone with experience could help lighten the creative load that Khan shoulders week to week.

Jack Goodwillie

One word: delegate. Like Curt said, Khan is incredibly spread thin within his wrestling endeavors, and that’s before you consider his obligations to other ventures like Fulham FC and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Not to mention, the constant want to throw matches together for five-star ratings is not a booking style that is going to be for everybody. It’s just not. That’s not a knock, it’s the truth. When I have shown people wrestling matches for the first time, they seem to be more interested in Hulk Hogan vs. Mr. McMahon than say, Kenny Okada vs. Kazuchika Omega at Dominion. Again, not a knock. I enjoy both matches. But a great movie can make a fan out of almost anyone.

For the record, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported on Thursday that Bryan Danielson would be helping out with booking Collision. To what extent he’ll be helping out is unknown. Khan did recently hire Will Washington to “help out” on some of these shows, whatever that means. That said, if that’s the braintrust on Saturday nights, I would take that over Khan booking solo any day. He has already produced the hits, so a fresh vision would appear to be the way to go. If it were up to me, I’d leave the book to both Punk and The Elite on separate shows. Higher cumulative television ratings after a year stays, loser leaves AEW.

Just like in the old Smackdown vs. Raw games. Then we can really get a look at how Punk is “trying to run his business.”

John Corrigan

Give someone else the pencil! It doesn’t even have to be Punk. Just let someone else give it a shot. 

Will CM Punk and The Elite ever do business in AEW?

Steven Jackson

By this point, I’m tired of the whole CM Punk and Elite saga. I rarely get aeriated but the CM Punk situation really angered me. I want the wrestlers that are in AEW to make the business work, and The Elite should support them in that journey. If you go back to promoting and booking CM Punk, you’re making a huge mistake.

Curt Lemon

I would bet anything Punk would do it, I have serious doubts about some of the Elite. At the end of the day, it shouldn’t even be THEIR choice. It should be up to Khan, but somehow, I don’t think he will put his foot down.

Juan Batista

If Tony Khan gave The Elite an ultimatum to simmer down or strip them of any remaining EVP power then yes.

If not, CM Punk has a list longer than the Elite to work with.

Russ Good

Look, I’m probably one of the biggest CM Punk apologists out there. I’ve run into the man several times growing up in the Chicagoland area. I went to a Colorado film festival to see Girl on the Third Floor. My wife surprised me with our vacation ending with a detour to AEW Revolution to see Punk compete in one of the best matches of his career, the dog collar match against MJF. Still, even I am getting a little tired of this story.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Jacksons are children. They come off as nice guys – and I’m sure they are! – As a man around the same age as Punk I could easily see how that level of energy can come off as irritating or exhausting to be around. Even so, clearly they must be doing some level of business if Punker is willing to come back to AEW, assuming that’s actually the case. I don’t know if we’ll ever see them in the ring together again, but that’s probably okay. The last thing we need is a clunky or spiteful match that results in another year of accusations and fans being forced to pick a side in an argument none of us have any real stake in. And to the people who insist it has to happen because if it doesn’t, they’re leaving money on the table? Money isn’t everything, kids.

If it was, I’d still be fixing cars while being miserable.

Jack Goodwillie

I want to say yes. But I can’t get there. The fact that things escalated to the point these two factions can’t even co-exist on the same show anymore, necessitating the creation of another show despite the owner of the company unapologetically neglecting the second night of wrestling he already had tells me things are past the point of no return.

That was a word salad, no doubt. But I do believe the window has closed on Punk and The Elite ever maintaining a professional working relationship.

John Corrigan

Eventually, Punk and Omega will do business because Punk is a professional who loves money.

About Author

Jack Goodwillie

See author's posts