Kazuchika Okada successfully defended his Continental Championship against Tomohiro Ishii on Saturday night’s episode of AEW Collision: Maximum Carnage.
Okada used a low blow and a Rainmaker to defeat his former NJPW teammate and retain the title.
Okada has held the AEW Continental Championship for 304 days, winning it from Eddie Kingston on March 20, 2024.
You can check out some highlights from the match below:
The AEW Continental Championship is ON THE LINE as "The Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada defends his title against a former friend and familiar foe – Tomohiro Ishii!
Watch #AEWCollision on @tntdrama & @SportsOnMax@rainmakerXokada | #TomohiroIshii pic.twitter.com/VjIDyGdT0K
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 19, 2025
Ishii with a little taste of Okada's own medicine!
Watch #AEWCollision on @tntdrama & @SportsOnMax@rainmakerXokada | #TomohiroIshii pic.twitter.com/J2vinDaUYH
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 19, 2025
Nobody games the system like Okada!
Watch #AEWCollision on @tntdrama & @SportsOnMax@rainmakerXokada | #TomohiroIshii pic.twitter.com/IaBo01WuEZ
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 19, 2025
The Acclaimed have finally broken up, as Max Caster disbanded the group on Saturday night’s episode of AEW Collision.
Caster began the segment by inviting Anthony Bowens to the ring, accusing him of not acknowledging that Caster is “the best wrestler alive.”
Bowens expressed that he has sought to protect Caster and that they shared a close friendship, but Caster compelled him to lie about his identity.
Bowens labeled Caster as “arrogant” and “cocky” and accused him of undermining their team spirit.
Billy Gunn intervened in an attempt to mediate, but Caster accused him of exploiting the team’s success for personal gain.
Caster claimed that Gunn always centers attention on himself and pressured Bowens to pick a side between him and Gunn.
Ultimately, Bowens sided with Gunn, causing Caster to declare that he was leaving the Acclaimed, leading to their separation.
You can check out some highlights from the segment below:
Platinum Max has his own ideas with what's been wrong with The Acclaimed lately…
Watch #AEWCollision on @tntdrama & @SportsOnMax@PlatinumMax | @Bowens_Official pic.twitter.com/kDFRpmLhCI
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 19, 2025
Daddy Ass is in the building to sort things out
Watch #AEWCollision on @tntdrama & @SportsOnMax@PlatinumMax | @Bowens_Official | @RealBillyGunn pic.twitter.com/B4pT4SxI8M
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 19, 2025
Is this the END of The Acclaimed??
Watch #AEWCollision on @tntdrama & @SportsOnMax@PlatinumMax | @Bowens_Official | @RealBillyGunn pic.twitter.com/0awGq5tuic
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 19, 2025
In a post on BlueSky, AEW musician Mikey Rukus revealed that the upcoming AEW Stringside Acoustic EP is now complete. As of this writing, there’s no word on when it’ll be released.
Rukus wrote, “The AEW STRINGSIDE ACOUSTIC EP is complete. In 2 decades of writing, this is my first time ever recording/performing without distortion. To say I was apprehensive is an understatement. But this was a journey that lead me to peace within myself for a specific reason. I will share that story soon.”
Christopher Daniels wrestled what was believed to be his final match on this week’s episode of AEW Collision.
During this week’s show, Daniels faced off against Hangman Page in a Texas Death Match in a losing effort.
Following the match, AEW President Tony Khan took to Twitter to thank Daniels.
https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1880789057489510797
What a COUNTER by The Fallen Angel!
Watch #AEWCollision on @tntdrama & @SportsOnMax@facdaniels | #HangmanAdamPage pic.twitter.com/whswhAqnnP
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 19, 2025
Thank you Fallen Angel @facdaniels!
Saturday Night #AEWCollision now on both @tntdrama + @StreamOnMax
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) January 19, 2025
During a video that was posted on his official YouTube channel, Matt Cardona praised Chris Jericho for helping him during his career. He said,
“Chris, whether he knows it or not, he helped me out so many times in my career. A couple of examples, I was doing the one-legged tights for the ‘Woo Woo Woo’ Zack Ryder, because at the time, I wanted to be different from [Curt] Hawkins, different from Edge. I wanted to stand out and it worked. It really did. But one day, Chris pulled me aside, and I’m paraphrasing, [but he] basically said, like, ‘You’re too good to be doing this. It worked. But you gotta wear trunks to be taken more seriously.’ The next week, trunks. All because of what Chris said. Fast forward, a couple years later, I get fired from WWE,” he continued. “I had my AEW debut. I knew, ‘Okay, Zack Ryder is dead. He’s dead. It’s gonna be Matt Cardona,’ right? But I thought, ‘Okay, I can still, throw up the LI [Long Island hand gesture] right? I did that. I helped Cody [Rhodes]. I throw up the LI. Chris pulls me aside, he’s not mad at me, but he says, ‘You gotta get rid of that shit. Everything about Zack Ryder has to die.’ I’m like, ‘Well, Chris, I just put out a t-shirt that says ‘Strong Island, doing the LI.’ He’s like, ‘I don’t care.’ He was right. Like, it all had to die. Chris, he’s the master of evolution, everything he does, the reinvention, time and time again. He’s an inspiration. Now, I feel like I am, too.”
During the latest edition of her “Mone Mag” newsletter, Mercedes Mone commented on her travel issues getting back to the United States after taking part in Wrestle Dynasty. She wrote,
“My travel saga from hell! I was just coming off the high of Wrestle Dynasty in Japan—seriously, it was a dream! I didn’t want to leave, but alas, duty calls. I had to get back to the USA to wrestle on Dynamite, and that’s when my travel nightmare began.
So there I was, all packed up and ready to jet off. My flight was set to leave at 5 PM, bringing me back home by Monday morning. I rolled into the airport at 2 PM, ready to breeze through Japan’s legendary customs. But just as I settled into my seat, the captain said, “Uh, folks, we’ve got a little maintenance issue. We’ll be taking off in about 30 minutes.”
Well, 30 minutes turned into 4 hours of pure chaos on that plane! Imagine me pacing the aisle like I’m about to make a big entrance, listening to the flight attendants flip-flopping between “Please remain seated” and “Actually, everyone, we need you to deplane.”
Now, I’m no stranger to travel woes, but I had a hard deadline—school on Tuesday night! If I missed it, they would fail me. So, I was on a mission to get home!
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they tell us we need to switch planes. Cue the storm outside and my fellow passengers’ collective eruption of frustration. It’s like a scene from a movie—people were fuming! But honestly, I just wanted to yell, “Breathe, people! We’re all in this together!” But hey, I get it; no one likes being stuck, especially with a weather tantrum going on.
After another hour of waiting and a text —my flight was canceled! I called my travel agency, and they said, “We have ONE seat left.” I snagged that seat to Chicago, but my bags? Yeah, they were going to be fashionably stuck in Japan until the next flight to Orlando. But whatever, I was determined to get back to the US and make it to class and AEW Dynamite on time.
So, I hopped on that plane, and of course, we hit the worst turbulence ever! But finally, after what felt like a lifetime, I landed in Chicago late at night, only to be rebooked for a flight to Orlando the next day. After I let Tony (Khan) know about my travel struggles and not having my bags in time for TV, he graciously told me to rest. I’m so thankful because my body and mind needed it.
And guess what? I made it to class just in time. So, there you have it, folks—my travel saga. I may have faced a storm, missed my bags, and dealt with some cranky travelers, but nothing can keep me down!“
