AEW Collision, Rampage Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights for Nov 25

Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage and recap of AEW Collision and Rampage on November 25.

Due to Rampage being pushed back a day, both shows were aired back-to-back, but they had some heavy competition with the WWE Survivor Series PPV taking place at the same time.

Saturday's show featured tons of action, including a few matches in the ongoing Continental Classic tournament.

We also saw Katsuyori Shibata defend the ROH Pure Championship against a former champion in his own right, Wheeler Yuta.

Let's take a look at what went down on Saturday night.

Rampage aired before Collision at an earlier time than usual. Hook came out to kick off the show with a match against Rocky Romero.

This was a great example of how AEW has skilled performers at all levels. Hook is still getting his career off the ground, but Romero is a journeyman who has won titles all over the world.

Romero put the youngster in his place a lot early in by countering his offense and using his veteran experience to outsmart him, but Hook didn't let him have all of the offense.

Even though it was clear Romero had the upper hand for more time, Hook's short bursts of offense kept him in the fight. Every time he would hit something, it looked explosive.

This combo was a good choice to put in the opening slot. Romero and Hook put on a fun performance that gave Hook more opportunities to sell for his opponent than ever before. After countering Rocky's finisher, Hook choked him out with Red Rum for the win.

Result: Hook defeated Rocky Romero

Grade: B

Notable Moments and Observations

• The way Nigel McGuinness managed to insult Taz and compliment Hook at the same time was truly an impressive display of British insult comedy. 
• Hook's crotch-lift suplex looked great. 
• Romero's vertical suplex on the apron was executed perfectly. Hook landed as squarely as possible. 
• It's a good thing the show cut to a commercial when it did because the spot when Romero tried to run Hook into the ring post didn't look so good. 

After losing the TBS title at Full Gear, Kris Statlander was looking to get back to her winning ways in a match against Diamante.

This was their first time meeting in a singles bout, but Diamante does hold a win over Statlander in a tag team match.

They started off with a simple lockup and exchange of holds. There was some aggression in how they were performing each move, but they kept things respectful until Diamante decided to be the first one to use a strike.

Mercedes Martinez came out to watch from the stage, but the momentary distraction didn't slow Stat down. She had the upper hand during the first half, but the second half was much more competitive.

They had a few moments of awkwardness, but as a whole, this was a solid outing that gave Diamante more time in the ring than she has had on AEW TV in a long time.

Statlander picked up the win and an assist from Willow Nightingale after the match when Martinez tried to attack. This looks like it will lead to a tag match.

Result: Kris Statlander defeated Diamante

Grade: B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Stat was looking much more serious than usual. She even looked angry, which is understandable after losing a title. 
• The Ric Flair energy drink ads on the stage are distracting. 
• Statlander is really good at acting with just her facial expressions. You can always tell how her character feels. 

Matt Taven and Mike Bennett gave a promo about Adam Cole and MJF before they took on two local talents in a quick match. The Kingdom won with what appeared to be almost no effort.

Result: The Kingdom defeated two jobbers

Grade: Incomplete

The main event of the Rampage hour of programming was the Pure Championship rematch between Shibata and Yuta.

Jerry Lynn, Jimmy Jacobs and Christopher Daniels served as the judges on the stage. After the announcer ran down the rules and made the introductions, the current and former pure champions locked up.

As expected, this felt much more personal than their previous encounter. Yuta wanted to prove that he had learned enough in the eight months since their match at Supercard of Honor to defeat The Wrestler.

Yuta ended up winning to reclaim the Pure Championship, but he had to resort to a low blow to do it. This helped keep Yuta looking like a heel and protected Shibata a bit. The offer of a disingenuous handshake before a second low blow and a DDT was a great way to end it.

Result: Wheeler Yuta defeated Katsuyori Shibata to win the Pure Championship

Grade: B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• We got a great video package for Daniel Garcia before this match. 
• There is something special about Shibata's music. It's so different from most wrestling themes. It sets him apart and really fits his whole vibe. 
• The way Yuta carries himself is completely different from a year ago. He has a new swagger and a lot more confidence. He's no longer just a good technician. He's an all-around performer now. 
• Yuta's suicide dive looked great. 

The Collision portion of the show began with Garcia and Castagnoli competing in a match for the blue bracket in the Continental Classic Tournament.

For Garcia, this was about more than just winning some points. He is someone a lot of fans feel should have been in the Blackpool Combat club, but he was put into the JAS instead and became a Sports Entertainer instead.

Now, Red Death is looking to prove he is more than just a funny dance. He wanted to show everyone that he is one of the best wrestlers in the world, and someone like Castagnoli gave him a chance to do that.

As expected, this was a fantastic display of technical ability from both men. The story they were telling was similar to Garcia vs. Shibata in that it was a veteran vs. a young talent, but they told their stories in totally different ways. Yuta wasn't the underdog, but Garcia was.

Garcia survived a lot, but he was unable to kick out after a powerbomb from the Swiss powerhouse.

Result: Claudio Castagnoli defeated Daniel Garcia

Grade: B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Castagnoli's counter to the guillotine was great. 
• The way Castagnoli swung Garcia into the barricade looked nasty. 

Killswitch, fka Luchasaurus, took on The Boys in a handicap match that was as one-sided as it was short. The masked man made quick work of the twins. He broke a folding chair when he chokeslammed one of the twins onto it after the match, but Adam Copeland arrived to prevent him from doing more damage.

Copeland hit him with two Con-chair-tos and a curb stomp. The match was shorter than the post-match attack, but it got Copeland to pop the crowd, so it served its purpose. Copeland gave a backstage promo after the break.

Result: Killswitch defeated The Boys

Grade: Incomplete

The House of Black was in action as Buddy Matthews and Malakai Black took on the team of Gravity and Komander.

The high-flyers had a few opportunities to show off their skills, but for the most part, this was a dominant performance by House of Black.

Both Black and Matthews were clearly frustrated after losing at Full Gear, so it felt like they were being extra vicious when they could have easily won this match in much less time.

This won't be remembered in a week, but it did a good job setting HOB back on the right path following a few losses by everyone but Julia Hart. This bout lasted longer than it needed to, but not in a bad way.

Black and Murphy picked up a solid but predictable victory. Giving HOB a more decisive win might have made more sense, but giving the crowd a better match is never going to get a complaint.

Result: House of Black defeated Komander and Gravity

Grade: B

Notable Moments and Observations

• The chokeslam Killswitch hit on the apron was brutal. Dalton Castle probably could have caught him but he was nowhere to be seen. 
• Every member of House of Black has a great entrance. The group's visual presentation is the best in all of AEW. 
• Gravity, Komander and some of these other luchadors in AEW could use some character development. Being a high-flyer isn't a personality. 
• The way Matthews sent Gravity into Black's knee did not go as planned.

Lady Frost got a big opportunity this week when she got a shot at the TBS Championship that was won by Julia Hart at Full Gear.

Hart was overpowered at first, but she quickly showed Frost that she was not to be overlooked. Both women got in some stiff shots early on, but Frost's gymnastic ability helped her steal the spotlight a bit.

A couple of spots ended up looking sloppy due to a lack of experience working together, but most of what we got was decent. Hart won to retain her title.

Result: Julia Hart defeated Lady Frost

Grade: C

Notable Moments and Observations

• It's always nice to see Lady Frost on AEW TV. She is an underrated talent. 
• Hart continues to add little things to her entrance to make it feel different every couple of weeks. 
• The HOB rule for this match was that there were no countouts, so they fought outside the ring for a long time. 

Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler were in action this week against Vincent and Dutch. Lance Archer and Jake Roberts were nowhere to be seen, so this was an even two-on-two matchup.

Dutch put up more of a fight than Vincent, but before the break, this bout was all FTR. The Righteous began to make a comeback during the picture-in-picture part of the match, but FTR made a comeback when the show returned, so the majority of what we saw without commercials showed FTR dominating.

It was great to see The Righteous getting more time on TV, but AEW needs to be more consistent with them. Where is Stu Grayson? Where are Archer and Roberts? Does The Righteous even have an agenda right now?

After a fun but basic tag team contest, FTR scored the win with the Shatter Machine. Matthews and Black came through the crowd but did not attack. They just taunted FTR.

Result: FTR defeated The Righteous

Grade: C+

Notable Moments and Observations

• The crowd gave The Righteous almost no reaction, which is a shame because they are a great duo. 
• The announcers addressed how Dante Martin's return promo was interrupted twice by commercials. They said it would be shown again. 

It was Lee vs. Lee this week when Keith Lee took on Philly native, Lee Moriarty. With Moriarty being Shayne Taylor's current associate, he and The Limitless One have a built-in feud.

This was a battle of two completely different styles. Moriarty favors speed, strikes and submissions while Keith is a powerhouse who is capable of occasional feats of agility.

They put on a fun clash that allowed both men to use their respective arsenals to give us some entertaining spots. Moriarty getting a babyface reaction from his hometown crowd was nice to see, but he did a good job making it clear he was still a heel who just appreciated the love.

Keith hit a huge slam to score the win by pinfall, but his real feud is with Taylor. Let's hope AEW follows up on that soon.

Result: Keith Lee defeated Lee Moriarty

Grade: C+

Notable Moments and Observations

• Keith's jumping kick looked good. 
• Keith powering Moriarty up with one arm was a cool moment. 

The main event of the show saw Brody King take on Eddie Kingston in another match in the ongoing Continental Classic tournament.

The House of Black had already picked up two wins on the show, so King was looking to make it a hat trick. Kingston, however, was fighting to keep the titles he worked so hard to earn.

This is one of those matches people use the gif of Big E saying "Big meaty men slapping meat" to describe. It was brutal, hard-hitting and highly entertaining. Both of these guys are as physical as it gets, so seeing them fight each other is always going to be a treat.

They filled the last 20 minutes of the show with a lot of action that had the crowd cheering left and right. After putting each other through hell, Kingston succumbed to a huge powerbomb from King.

Result: Brody King defeated Eddie Kingston

Grade: A-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Kingston had on a Roberto Clemente jersey during his entrance. 
• It's easy to forget how big Kingston is until you see him next to a beast like King. 
• King's cannonball does not look fun for the other person. Not at all. 
• The contest of chops was awesome.