AEW Christmas Collision Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights

AEW Christmas Collision Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights
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1Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet
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2Penelope Ford vs. Kris Statlander
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3Daniel Garcia vs. Shelton Benjamin
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4Mark Briscoe vs. Beast Mortos
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5Darby Allin vs. Claudio Castagnoli
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6The Final Word
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AEW Christmas Collision Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights

Chris Mueller
Dec 22, 2024

AEW Christmas Collision Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction and Highlights

Collision.
Collision.

Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of AEW Christmas Collision on December 21.

Here's a look at what AEW advertised for Saturday's show:

  • Darby Allin vs. Claudio Castagnoli
  • Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet
  • Mark Briscoe vs. Beast Mortos
  • Daniel Garcia vs. Shelton Benjamin
  • Penelope Ford vs. Kris Statlander

Let's take a look at everything that happened on this week's episode of Collision.

Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet

Collision.
Collision.

After we had a quick segment in the ring with the Costco guys, Ospreay made his way to the ring to take on Ricochet in another C2 matchup.

They didn't beat around the bush and got right to the flippy stuff. Ospreay seemed to have Ricochet's number and won the first few exchanges.

As expected, this was a high-flying encounter that showed why these men are considered two of the best aerial artists in the business, but it would be a lie to say this was as good as their previous match on the five-year anniversary of Dynamite.

That match felt like something special because it had been so long since they were in the ring together. This one didn't have the same stakes or the same level of hype behind it, but that is not the fault of the talent. It's up to the booker to make sure a match is anticipated.

All that being said, this would still be a show-stealing match any night of the week. It's almost unfair how easy it seems to be for them to put on a banger performance.

Ricochet nailed the Spirit Gun to get the win after Ospreay became distracted by the ref who had been knocked down.

Result: Ricochet defeated Ospreay

Grade: A-


Notable Moments and Observations

  • Ricochet was getting some boos during his entrance. He leaned into it during the match to get more heat. 
  • The way Ricochet caught Ospreay and dumped him on the top turnbuckle so he fell back onto his head was a cool spot. 
  • The crowd really let Ricochet have it after he almost missed a springboard. 

Penelope Ford vs. Kris Statlander

Collision.
Collision.

Adam Cole and MJF met for a face-to-face meeting with the ring surrounded by security. MJF reminded Cole of who turned on who during their initial storyline. After dozens of insults from both men, Cole finally attacked MJF.

Cole took out the security team before MJF kicked him below the belt. The Undisputed Kingdom drove MJF away as Cole recovered.

The next match saw Statlander take on Ford. This match came about after Stat prevented Ford and Harley Cameron from attacking Willow Nightingale on Rampage.

The Super Bad Girl was giving up a lot of size and power to Statlander, but she used some dirty tactics to make sure she was in control all throughout the commercial break.

This had some solid work from both women, but the crowd seemed to be dead unless something big was happening, so it hurt the momentum of the match a bit.

Stat and Ford worked hard to get the crowd behind them and made the last few minutes the best part of the whole match. The former TBS champion hit the Staturday Night Special for the pin and the win.

Result: Statlander defeated Ford

Grade: B-


Notable Moments and Observations

  • MJF wore a Hanukkah suit last week, and this week he wore Christmas colors. 
  • Kris Statlander called out Mercedes Mone for a match at Worlds End during a backstage segment. Mone came out to accept the challenge after the match. 
  • Stat's vertical suplex that Ford turned into a rear-naked choke and Stat turned back into a suplex was incredibly impressive. 
  • The backbend to avoid a clothesline spot only works if both people are moving at a certain speed. They went just a little too slow for it to look convincing. 

Daniel Garcia vs. Shelton Benjamin

Collision.
Collision.

The Costco Guys and Chris Jericho got into an argument, but Anthony Bowens came out to interrupt and defend the Costco Guys. Backstage, Toni Storm and Taya Valkyrie agreed to have a fight next week before we went back to the ring for Benjamin's entrance for his match against Garcia.

Garcia went right after Benjamin but quickly found himself being lifted off the ground. The former collegiate standout rag-dolled the TNT champion all over the ring.

In the first few minutes, Benjamin dominated every second of the match. Every time Garcia tried to fight back, Shelton would just smile and hit him harder.

Garcia's short bursts of offense kept the crowd on his side, but most of this was a display of physical dominance from Benjamin. Much to his chagrin, Garcia rolled him up for the pin and the win out of nowhere to earn three more points in the C2.

MVP and Bobby Lashley came out to attack the winner, but Mark Briscoe came out with a chair. As a team of security tried to hold him back, Swerve Strickland came out of nowhere to hit a Swerve Stomp on Lashley.

Result: Garcia defeated Benjamin

Grade: B+


Notable Moments and Observations

  • Something about seeing Garcia with purple trunks and bright red boots felt wrong. 
  • Ever since he got to AEW, Benjamin seems to be a bit stiffer with his strikes. It makes him look a lot more dangerous. 
  • The way Benjamin escaped the Sharpshooter and transitioned into his own hold was great. 

Mark Briscoe vs. Beast Mortos

The Beast Mortos.
The Beast Mortos.

Briscoe stayed at ringside after the big brawl because his match with Mortos in the C2 was up next.

Mortos was already mathematically eliminated from the tournament, but he was looking to spoil Briscoe's potential comeback story by stealing three points away from him.

This was a hard-fought match with a lot of stiff strikes and rough takedowns. The crowd was having a great time and Briscoe was egging them on by teasing the use of a steel chair.

This was a solid bout that probably lasted a little longer than necessary, but you will rarely hear us complain about a match getting more time.

Briscoe won with a Jay Driller to earn three more points in the C2.

Result: Briscoe defeated Mortos

Grade: B-


Notable Moments and Observations

  • Mortos looks like he has been losing weight. He used to be much bulkier. 
  • Nigel McGuinness continues to be the prettiest commentator in the business. It's hilarious. 
  • Briscoe landed right on his feet after flipping over the top rope. 

Darby Allin vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Collision.
Collision.

Mariah May and Thunder Rosa got into a fight backstage that spilled out into the arena to hype their upcoming world title bout.

After a break, Allin came out for the main event to take on Castagnoli in another C2 Gold League match.

The Swiss Superman took control right away, but Allin was able to jump off the top of the entranceway to take him down. Both men looked shaken up after the impact.

Castagnoli swung Allin around dozens of times, dropped him across the barricade a few times, and did everything else he could think of to inflict damage.

Both men gave us the kind of performance we expect from them. Castagnoli was a dominant powerhouse who seemed almost unbeatable and Allin allowed his body to be put through the wringer as he always does. In some ways, they were perfect opponents for one another because their styles complement each other in surprising ways.

After being unable to win clean, Castagnoli resorted to using a pair of brass knuckles to knock out Allin and get the win. Ospreay showed up to make sure Castagnoli did not continue to attack Allin after the match was over.

Result: Castagnoli defeated Allin

Grade: B+


Notable Moments and Observations

  • How Allin hasn't injured himself more is a real mystery. He does things that look like they would injure any normal person and never seems to suffer any consequences. 
  • You can always tell Castagnoli enjoys working with smaller guys he can manhandle. 
  • The way Allin hit the apron when Castagnoli slammed him over the top rope looked nasty. 

The Final Word

Collision.
Collision.

Saturday's Collision gave us four more matches in the Continental Classic and a few storyline developments leading into next weekend's Worlds End PPV.

All five matches from the show were good in different ways, but Ricochet and Ospreay put on the most entertaining performance of the night in the opening bout.

Allin and Castagnoli had a fun main event, but the match that will fly under the radar and deserves to be seen is Benjamin vs. Garcia.

Benjamin has been on fire since arriving in AEW and has produced some of his best matches in years. Even though he lost to Garcia, The Gold Standard looked great.

This was a solid episode from top to bottom, but a hot crowd in the Hammerstein Ballroom helped make it more entertaining.

Grade: B

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