AEW Collision

''AEW Collision'', also known as ''Saturday Collision'' or simply ''Collision'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It airs live every Saturday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time on TNT, with some exceptions. The show premiered on June 17, 2023, and is positioned as their second main program behind '' Wednesday Night Dynamite'', and third overall weekly program with '' Friday Night Rampage'', which focuses on younger wrestlers in the company.

The show is AEW's second weekly professional wrestling program to currently air on TNT after ''Rampage'' (2021–present) and their third overall on TNT after ''Rampage'' and ''Dynamite'', which aired on TNT from 2019 to 2021 before moving to TBS. This subsequently makes it the fourth overall wrestling show in general to air on TNT, after ''Dynamite'', ''Rampage'', and the former World Championship Wrestling's (WCW) ''Monday Nitro'' (1995–2001), as well as the first Saturday night program on a Turner-owned network since the final episode of ''WCW Saturday Night'' on June 24, 2000.

History

On February 15, 2023, the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) filed to trademark the name "Collision", hinting at a possible new in-ring television series in addition to their other programs, ''AEW Dynamite'' on TBS and ''AEW Rampage'' on TNT. Another trademark for the name was filed on April 28, leading to the belief that this would be the name of an upcoming Saturday TV show.

On May 17, 2023, AEW and broadcast partner Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) announced a third weekly television show titled ''AEW Collision'' to air live on TNT as a two-hour show on Saturdays starting June 17, 2023, at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). This is AEW's second weekly professional wrestling program to currently air on TNT after ''Rampage'' and fourth overall wrestling show in general to air on TNT after ''Rampage'', ''Dynamite'' (which aired on TNT from October 2019 to December 2021), and the former World Championship Wrestling's (WCW) ''Monday Nitro'' (which aired on TNT from September 1995 to March 2001) and the first wrestling show on the Saturday night timeslot to air on a Turner-owned network since the end of ''WCW Saturday Night'' on August 19, 2000. It was also revealed that AEW's sister promotion, Ring of Honor (ROH), would move its tapings for '' ROH Honor Club TV'' to coincide with ''Collision'', with ROH's show being taped after the live broadcast of ''Collision''.

In preparation for the debut of ''Collision'', AEW's YouTube programs, ''AEW Dark'' and '' AEW Dark: Elevation'', were canceled. This was due to an amended deal with WBD, in which all of AEW's programs would air exclusively on their channels. It was also reported that ''Rampage'' would begin showcasing younger AEW wrestlers and unsigned independent wrestlers, essentially becoming what ''Dark'' and ''Elevation'' were for the company.

Prior to the official announcement of ''Collision'', there had been speculation that the inaugural episode would be held at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. It was also speculated that it would feature the return of CM Punk, as the United Center is where Punk had made his AEW debut for the second episode of ''Rampage'' in August 2021. Since September 2022, Punk had been inactive due to both an injury and also a suspension as a result of the legitimate backstage altercation that occurred during the All Out post-event media scrum. Following the announcement of ''Collision'', however, it was reported that there were still issues regarding Punk's return to the company, with WBD denying his involvement with the show, but on May 24, 2023, it was reported that the issues had been settled. AEW president Tony Khan then confirmed that the first episode would be held at the United Center, and feature the return of Punk to the company. Although Punk was brought back to be the centerpiece of the show, he would be released that September after another legitimate backstage altercation that occurred at All In London.

In speaking with the media on May 25 in promotion for AEW's Double or Nothing pay-per-view (PPV) that weekend, Khan clarified that ''Collision'' was not part of a new or extended deal with WBD, and instead, it was added on to their current contract, with AEW receiving a monetary increase from WBD for the show. Khan also confirmed that WBD reached out to AEW with the opportunity for another show, and that it was WBD's Chief Executive Officer David Zaslav's idea for there to be more AEW content on TNT. It had also been speculated that with the addition of ''Collision'', AEW would do some form of a roster split, similar to WWE's brand extension, in which half of the roster would perform exclusively on ''Dynamite'' while the other half would exclusively appear on ''Collision''. In an appearance on the ''Barstool Rasslin podcast on June 13, Khan said that there would not be a hard split where wrestlers would exclusively appear on only one program. Instead, he said some wrestlers would be featured exclusively on certain shows for a certain period of time, but there could be opportunities for storylines to cross between ''Dynamite'' and ''Collision''. He also confirmed that all AEW champions would continue to appear on all AEW programming.

On June 16, a day before ''Collision''s debut, Khan confirmed that the show's commentary team would consist of Kevin Kelly and Nigel McGuinness, with Jim Ross occasionally sitting in on main events. On October 14, Tony Schiavone was confirmed to join the commentary team. This remained until March 8, 2024, when Kelly's AEW contract was terminated.

Beginning with the August 5, 2023, episode, ''Collision'' airs against WWE's monthly pay-per-views, which are typically held on Saturdays at 8 p.m ET, starting with SummerSlam. Additionally, due to AEW's pay-per-view Full Gear being held on Saturday, November 18, 2023, that weekend's episode of ''Collision'' was instead held the night before on Friday, November 17 at 8 p.m. ET, which put it head-to-head against WWE's Friday night program, ''SmackDown''.

On occasion, AEW has not taped episodes of ''Collision'' due to scheduling conflicts. For example, as a result of AEW's PPV event, Worlds End, being held during ''Collision'' Saturday night time slot on December 30, 2023, ''Collision'' was not held that week. An episode of ''Collision'' will also not be held on March 23, 2024, due to the NCAA March Madness coverage occurring that night.

Special episodes

Roster

The wrestlers featured on ''AEW Collision'' take part in scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers are portrayed as heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that build tension and culminate in a wrestling match.

Commentators

Ring announcers

Backstage interview

See also

*List of professional wrestling television series

Notes

References

External links

*
*

{{authority control

Collision
2023 American television series debuts
American live television series
American professional wrestling television series
American English-language television shows
TNT (American TV network) original programming