AEW: Three New Matches Announced for May 11th Collision Show, Adam Copeland on Almost Signing with AEW in 2020, Rocky Romero Update

May 9, 2024

Three New Matches Announced for This Saturday’s AEW Collision Show

AEW recently announced three new matches for the card of this week’s AEW Collision show on May 11th at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The first new match announced was a TNT Championship match of Kyle O’Reilly vs. Adam Copeland (c).

The second new match announced was a tag team match of Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli & Bryan Danielson) vs. Top Flight (Darius & Dante Martin).

#AEWCollision THIS SATURDAY@RogersArena | Vancouver, BC
LIVE 8pm ET/7pm CT | @TBSNetwork #BCC vs @TopFlight612

BCC’s @bryandanielson & @ClaudioCSRO still seeking retribution for the Three Kings Christmas Casino Trios Royale, will take on #TopFlight at Collision LIVE on TBS! pic.twitter.com/aveJAEpZDT
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) May 9, 2024

The third new match announced was a singles match of “Dynamite Kid” Tommy Billington vs. Dax Harwood. Billington is the nephew of the late “Dynamite Kid” and will be making his official AEW debut appearance at this show.

This Saturday, 5/11@RogersArena Vancouver, BC
Saturday Night #AEWCollision
Live on TBS, 8pm ET/7pm CT

“Dynamite Kid” @Billingtons22 vs@DaxFTR

It’s a battle for the books:
FTR’s Dax Harwood collides vs Dynamite Kid Tommy Billington LIVE in Vancouver on a special TBS Saturday! pic.twitter.com/5XlspQclLX
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) May 9, 2024

Current card for May 11th AEW Collision show:

TNT Championship – Kyle O’Reilly vs. Adam Copeland (c)
Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli & Bryan Danielson) vs. Top Flight (Darius & Dante Martin)
“Dynamite Kid” Tommy Billington vs. Dax Harwood

Adam Copeland Comments on Almost Signing with AEW in 2020 Before His Return to WWE

A recent episode of the Insight with Chris Van Vliet podcast featured Adam Copeland as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Copeland’s thoughts about how “really close” he was to joining AEW before his decision to return to WWE instead in 2020.

“Really close (to signing with AEW instead of making 2020 return to WWE). We had great discussions… Yeah (this was late 2019).
So when I first started talking to AEW, I wasn’t yet cleared. We talk about it like the bosses of each video game level. But I still wasn’t cleared by company doctors, right? So, once all of those clearances started to come, I was like, ‘Oh, this is real now. Okay.’ So, before I did anything, I had to go kind of get the final clearance needed for either company. But I had negotiated with everybody. I was like, ‘Okay, here’s where I’m at, here’s what I’ve been told I can do,’ and started the process and then in going to WWE and sitting down with Vince (McMahon), he goes, ‘Well, it’s gotta happen here,’ and at that stage, I looked at the equity built and it felt like having to start over — especially having to start over after having been gone for nine years felt really daunting, if that makes sense. It felt like at least with WWE, that’s one thing off the table I don’t have to worry about. I can come back and walk into the history of this character, and I do feel like it needed to have happened there initially. I really do, if only for that Royal Rumble moment. Right before the pandemic hit and just feeling and experiencing that. I’m happy the way it turned out.”

Copeland also gave his thoughts about the future of his wrestling career.

“I mean, maybe. You never know, you never know (Copeland said in response to idea of him continuing to wrestle if presented with AEW contract extension). I mean, if I can keep performing at a level, but more importantly a level that I can feel proud of. I just don’t want to get to a point where I’m like really struggling and just, it’s like pulling teeth to get it done. I don’t want to do that and thankfully, because of my career, I’m at a point where I don’t have to do that. I’m doing this because I love it, and I also think, and I’ve talked to the girls about this and I’m hoping they see the work ethic and the work that I still put in to do this thing that I want to do even though I don’t have to do it. I’m hoping that they see that and it can rub off and they can pick up some lessons from that too. But, by the same token, I wanna be here for everything for them and I’ve been able to manage it and be around for the Shakespeare plays and be around to run drama club with Beth (Phoenix) and take Lyric to her audition tonight and I’m still able to be there for those things, I haven’t missed a birthday. So it’s just a matter of being able to balance both. So far, it’s possible.”

Transcript h/t: PostWrestling.com

Update on Rocky Romero’s AEW Front Office Job

As noted before, AEW hired New Japan Pro Wrestling talent and official Rocky Romero to an executive position in their company.

A recent episode of the Wrestling Observer Live show featured Romero as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Romero providing an update on his current front office job position in AEW.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s official. I’m Vice President here, for Show and Talent Coordination for AEW and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Pretty wild. Wild times.”

Romero also gave his thoughts about the criticisms over NJPW’s non-traditional handling of Jon Moxley’s IWGP World Heavyweight Championship reign.

“Definitely not the traditional way of doing things in New Japan at all. But, when you’ve got a talent like (Jon) Moxley who’s just a magnetic talent and somebody who, you know, his character and his personality is he’s the type of guy who’s not going to back down from anybody or anyone, you know? And especially as IWGP Champion. I mean, I think he wants to — his reign to be known as the guy who took the challenges when they came. So, I think it kind of fits, overall, the story and the story of who Moxley is and I know there were some people who were critical of the IWGP Title being defended that way but, I think that in the end, once the story is all done and it all kind of makes sense and worked together, I think people, you know, they jumped the gun kind of quickly instead of just sitting back and enjoying and seeing where it goes.”

Transcript h/t: PostWrestling.com