Even for All Elite Wrestling, a company that prides itself on having a roster full of people wanting to put on five-star classics every single night, this match is a lot. Don’t get me wrong, it’s very good and is one of the most entertaining matches in “Collision” history, but it does reach a point where you have to throw your hands up and say to Omega and Friedman “I’m full guys, please, no more.”
Considering what had been going on in AEW at the time with CM Punk getting fired, Bryan Danielson getting injured basically as soon as he returned from a broken arm, and Adam Cole’s exploding ankle ruining the entire “Devil” storyline, this was a welcome shot in the arm for the company. Kenny Omega arrives looking like a megastar despite feeling like the polar opposite (diverticulitis would take its toll two months later), MJF gets a huge response from the live crowd who are fully locked in for this one, and even though Friedman is technically a babyface at this time, he has to play the heel when he’s in there with Omega.
That actually plays into the match’s advantage as MJF has always wrestled better when playing the heel. He struts around, he pokes Omega in the eye, he goes for a sportsmanlike handshake knowing full well he wants to kick Omega in the groin, it’s the classic MJF playbook. However, because he is getting cheered like crazy, it forces Omega to try even harder to get the crowd behind him, and when he’s wrestling the type of match that wouldn’t look out of place in an NJPW main event, he is also dipping deep into his bag of tricks.
There are some surprises, particularly from MJF who sort of hits a Fosbury Flop in the early going (he basically attacks the apron more than Omega), and busts out a Poisonrana to get out of the One-Winged Angel. This forces Omega to bring out some more power-based offense like hitting a Powerbomb on the barricade, and through a table on the outside which was incredibly satisfying because a good table break in wrestling is one of the best visuals in all of entertainment.
By the end of things, both men are exhausted and still going for the big bombs, but it does run out of steam when Don Callis, with all the subtlety of a strobe light with Tourette’s, runs down to try and distract Omega. This is something I think we could have all done without, but it doesn’t take too much away from things. Does it need to be 30 minutes? Probably not as there are a few moments throughout that could have been chopped off, but in the end, this is a very fun match, MJF breaks Omega’s record, and delivers one of the best matches of his first AEW Men’s World Championship reign.
