AEW Collision, Rampage Results: Winners, Live Grades, Reaction, Highlights of May 18 (2024)

Welcome to Bleacher Report's live coverage of AEW Collision and Rampage on May 18.

It's beginning to feel like Rampage being back on Friday's will feel strange when it happens because it has been combined with Dynamite or Collision for several weeks in 2024.

The lineup was packed this week. Here is a look at what AEW advertised for the show:

Let's take a look at what went down on Saturday's Collision and Rampage.

Will Ospreay and Shane Taylor were ready to fight when The Undisputed Kingdom came out to watch the action up close.

The Aerial Assassin exploded out of the corner with a running dropkick as soon as the bell rang. He stayed on Taylor with a few high-flying moves, but one big hit from the powerhouse put him on the mat.

Matt Taven, Mike Bennett and Anthony Ogogo all got involved as Aubrey Edwards struggled to keep the match under control. Taylor dominated through the break, but Ospreay began building momentum when we returned.

Taylor is one of those big guys who has surprising speed and agility, but his power and striking ability are his biggest assets. He played a great hurdle for Ospreay to overcome on his way toward an international title shot, but it would be nice to see him start accumulating some wins.

The Aerial Assassin showed off his strength when he powered Taylor up for his trademark spinning neckbreaker to score the win. He took out The Undisputed Kingdom before celebrating on the stage to end the segment.

Result: Ospreay defeated Taylor

Grade: B+

Notable Moments and Observations

Johnny TV may be a veteran, but he was the underdog this week because Hook has been more focused since losing the FTW title.

Taya Valkyrie was at ringside to support her husband and provide the occasional distraction, but it was never going to be enough.

Hook's win-loss record is still one of the best in AEW, so nobody expected him to lose a random match against Johnathan Television while he is in the midst of a feud with Chris Jericho.

This wasn't a very long bout, but it was as long as it needed to be. It was competitive enough to keep Johnny from looking like a jobber while allowing Hook to pick up another W. It may not be memorable, but it served its purpose.

Result: Hook defeated Johnny TV

Grade: C+

Notable Moments and Observations

Rocky Romero and Katsuyori Shibata came out for the next match as soon as Hook was gone. They shook hands as a sign of respect before locking up.

This was an interesting matchup because both men are highly decorated veterans who have worked together several times in NJPW, but it's been over eight years since they faced off.

Unsurprisingly, these two lauded performers put on a tough fight in this FTW Championship qualifying bout. Shibata picked up a submission victory to qualify for the No. 1 Contender match next week.

Romero wished him luck in his quest and shook his hand to end the match on good terms.

Result: Shibata defeated Romero

Grade: B

Notable Moments and Observations

The Bounty Hunter and Boulder competed for the third spot in the FTW title No. 1 Contender's match, but it was almost over before it got started.

Boulder attacked Keith before the bell, but The Bounty Hunter ended up winning in just a couple of minutes. This was short and uneventful, but it made Keith look good to beat the odds so decisively.

Result: Keith defeated Boulder

Grade: C-

Notable Moments and Observations

Kassidy and Cassidy came out for the next match after The Bang Bang Gang attacked Pac and left him down on the stage. Sadly, they were not competing to see who got to keep their last name in a Ladder match.

Both of these men are used to being the smaller man in the ring, so they took full advantage of having an opponent who was equally matched in almost every way.

They worked at a brisk pace but still took time to sell some big moments and moves. Trent Beretta showed up in the crowd and distracted OC so Kassidy could take control.

This was a fun sprint that paired up two guys who have been in AEW for a long time together without crossing paths too often.

Result: Cassidy defeated Kassidy

Grade: B

Notable Moments and Observations

Deeb was out after the break to take on Jay. Both of these women have been on a bit of a winning steak recently, but there was no doubt who would win before it even started.

The Professor took control immediately and almost won right away, but the former Dark Order member wasn't going down without a fight.

Anyone who has been paying attention knows Deeb is one of the best technicians in the world, so seeing Jay hold her own and put on a good performance is a big indicator of how much she has improved over the past year.

This ended up being longer than expected, which allowed them to exceed expectations. Luther showed up and stole Deeb's flag but it didn't distract her from winning with the Serenity Lock.

Toni Storm came out and stripped down behind the flag as Mariah May and Luther held it up. Deeb chased them away to end the segment.

Result: Deeb defeated Jay

Grade: B-

Notable Moments and Observations

We got a quick video package about Wayne before he came to the ring to take on Cartwheel.

Wayne rushed him and hit a kick to the face to get things started, but Cartwheel lived up to his name by using a few rolls to avoid more attacks.

The 18-year-old avoided a moonsault and Cartwheel crashed and burned. Even though he had it won, Wayne decided to send a message by using Swerve Strickland's finisher to get the pin.

Result: Wayne defeated Cartwheel

Grade: C+

Notable Moments and Observations

Danielson teamed up with Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood to take on Archer, Vincent and Dutch in the main event of the Collision portion of the show.

This was kind of an odd choice to put in this spot. The outcome was obvious and even though Danielson and FTR are part of the same storyline right now, there is no feud with Archer and The Righteous.

This was booked to give the babyfaces a victory to show they can work together before they compete in Anarchy in the Arena.

This was as frenetic and physical as you would expect with these six men involved. FTR got the win with a Shatter Machine on Vincent to end an enjoyable trios bout. The losers took out their frustrations on the winners with a post-match attack.

Result: Danielson and FTR defeated Archer and The Righteous

Grade: B+

Notable Moments and Observations

O'Reilly and Moriarty were in action in the first match from the Rampage portion of the show. Ogogo was at ringside, but Taylor was still recovering from his match.

These are two hard-hitting technicians, but KOR came into this with several years more experience to give him a bit of an advantage.

They worked a slow and methodical pace for the first several minutes so they could build up momentum over time.

This was a clinic that made both men look tough, but KOR was the victor with an armbar submission.

Result: O'Reilly defeated Moriarty

Grade: A-

Notable Moments and Observations

Rush was in action against a local talent this week, so we all knew this would be quick. El Toro Blanco won in less than a minute. He kept attacking his opponent after it was over just to have some fun.

Result: Rush won

Grade: Incomplete

The Virtuosa was looking to continue her winning ways this week in a match with Robyn from The Renegade Twins.

This was another match that was very predictable, and with the crowd beginning to show signs of being tired, it felt quieter in the arena.

They had plenty of time to work, but something was missing. It never felt like they got out of second gear, so the ending felt anticlimactic. Thunder Rosa saved Robyn from a post-match beating.

Result: Purrazzo defeated Renegade

Grade: C

Notable Moments and Observations

The Rampage main event was a singles bout between Cage and Bowens, two men who are known more for their trios and tag bouts in AEW.

Cage may be one of the most powerful men in AEW, but Bowens is no slouch. These two wasted no time going from 0-60. They had just over 10 minutes to work, so they were trying to pack as much into the match as possible.

In a somewhat surprising outcome, The Machine ended up scoring the win to end the show. This was a solid performance and hopefully AEW has a plan for Cage now that he is no longer in Swerve Strickland's shadow.

Result: Cage defeated Bowens

Grade: B-

Notable Moments and Observations

Combining Rampage with Collision for several weeks has given us a three-hour block of AEW every week. Whether that is a good thing or not will vary person to person.

WWE Raw can sometimes feel like a chore to get through every week, and the same can sometimes be said about AEW with these longer shows.

However, there was a lot packed into Saturday's show, including a few standout matches.

Moriarty vs. O'Reilly was the best bout from a technical standpoint, but Ospreay vs. Taylor may have been the most entertaining. FTR and Danielson put on a good fight with Archer and The Righteous, and Romero and Shibata showed everyone why they are so respected in this business.

This was a strong week for in-ring competition, but it's going to be nice when Rampage finally goes back to its Friday time slot.

Grade: B-