Hi folks! Yesterday we saw another great night of wrestling in the 2nd week of the Wednesday Night War. Having watched AEW Dynamite live, I found a way to see WWE NXT not so long after. In the lead up, I wrote a preview about how important this episode was for AEW Dynamite; especially after WWE screwed things up at Hell in a Cell.
AEW Dynamite
After delivering the goods last week, many fans tuned in to see if AEW could keep the momentum flowing. Suffice it to say, they offered us a full match card and we were still intrigued. Could they capitalize on the moment?
The Good
- Once again, a hot opening match introduces us to the show. While many would’ve predicted The Young Bucks going over, they did the right thing by putting over the younger, unknown team of the Private Party. AEW has done good so far by not favouring The Elite too much in the booking.
- Chris Jericho’s introductory segment for his new faction “The Inner Circle” came across exceptionally well. And we got an hilarious moment when Jericho shot down the “We The People!” chants by saying it’s a stupid idea from a creative which is dead and buried.
- While Jim Ross sounded a little lost sometimes, commentary and production improved from the previous week.
- Darby Allin was the right man to become #1 contender between him and Havoc, but that’s all I can say.
- The women’s tag team match was alright, and set up a title match between Britt Baker and champion Riho next week. We also got to see Bea Priestley and Sakura make their debuts, so I guess they succeeded .. although it could’ve been better.
- I liked the Jon Moxley and Shawn Spears match for Pac’s commentary; and even more so for its aftermath. Kenny Omega teasing a hardcore fight with barbed wire weapons, turned into Moxley walking away after Pac wanted to help out with Omega. It’s pretty clear that Pac deserves a title shot over Darby Allin, so it was sweet that they had him point out the injustice.
- “The Natural” Dustin Rhodes showed everyone (who didn’t see his match with Cody at Double Or Nothing) that he still has it. Another good main event, although the interference can be a good or bad thing depending on what you want from your wrestling. I enjoy it so long as it helps to build towards a main program on PPV. MJF got a monster pop at the end! It was majestic.
- Darby Allin using a skateboard to attack Jericho. Wow, you won’t see that anywhere else.
The Bad
- Not many bad points to note. I guess the Jimmy Havoc vs. Darby Allin match was the weakest on the card?
- Too many suicide dives, which isn’t an issue only plaguing AEW .. as it’s become commonplace everywhere.
- Still waiting to see what’s special about Hangman Page, other than he hangs around with The Elite and reminds Tony Schiavone of Barry Windham.
WWE NXT
After last week’s epic show, I was left wondering if WWE would go above and beyond to match it a week later. Are they feeling the pressure of the Wednesday Night War?
The Good
- The first match was quite good with an unexpected ending and post-match respect.
- Rhea Ripley is the future of NXT. She’s pretty over and has all the tools to replace Shayna Baszler as the dominant NXT Women’s Champion.
- Isaiah “Swerve” Scott looked like a million bucks against Roderick Strong. Of course it had to end with some interference, but that’s the Undisputed Era for you.
- Velveteen Dream and Tomasso Ciampa’s promos have carried the brand many times, and again they did not disappoint. “Daddy’s Home!”
- Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic rubber match announced for next week, with some added back story. Nice!
- WALTER vs. KUSHIDA was the main reason to watch; a PPV quality contest given away for free. Probably match of the night, although the crowd reaction for Private Party vs. Young Bucks was electric (& louder).
The Bad
- How exactly did Lio Rush earn a title shot? And how come he’s suddenly being respected when we know he was in the dog house only a couple of months ago? Drew Gulak worked his backside off for months to carry 205 Live as its champion, but it’s looking like WWE doesn’t care and prefers Lio Rush carry the cruiserweight division on NXT.
- Breezango vs. Forgotten Sons was an afterthought. I like their new entrance and the way the Forgotten Sons got the match, but otherwise it passed us by.
- Having followed Cameron Grimes (Trevor Lee) since his Impact Wrestling days .. I know what he’s capable of, but squashing jobbers shouldn’t be his thing. I wasn’t really interested in Killian Dain beating up Boa either; he needed to target someone more important.
- Didn’t need to see Roderick Strong’s ‘leaked’ nudes that we all saw on the internet weeks ago.
- I do like Bianca Belair in several ways, but her post match promo sounded awkward and she had nothing new to share. Love her confidence in general, but she needed to show some frustration, knowing that she’ll be lost in the mix if she can’t beat Rhea Ripley.
The Winner
Unlike last week’s Wednesday Night War (when I chose the fans), I do have a preference this time around. Please know that I am not showing bias as I am a big fan of both brands and want them to excel. The more they push each other, the better they become and the more we enjoy. With that said, I believe AEW improved, while NXT couldn’t match their surprises from last week. NXT probably should have had Finn Balor on again, or at least held off on Tomasso Ciampa’s return til this week’s show. Honestly though .. AEW didn’t win by a landslide. Both shows were great in their own ways, but I think AEW won by the tip of Triple H’s nose.
And I know there’s going to be some who will call for my head on this one, but I’m standing by it. When AEW sucks I will point it out and share my disappointment. But the fact is that neither show was terrible this week, and it was refreshing after the debacle that was Hell in a Cell. The primary goal for AEW should be to keep itself above the 1m mark and increase viewership, while NXT wants to return to the 1m mark and match AEW. The coming months are going to be intriguing, as we’ll find out if AEW can expand its operation and debut talent who have yet to appear.
NXT however, enjoyed many years as WWE’s best “wrestling” product; but they never had any outside pressure to perform. When the talent can work naturally again (it sometimes feels like they’re trying too hard), we should get the best out of the black-and-gold brand. Looking forward to Keith Lee vs. Dominick Dijakovic again next week, as they always put on a great match. As for AEW Dynamite, we don’t know what to expect and it’s still got the fresh “out of the shop” feel; which favours them for another few weeks. It’s a great time to be a wrestling fan! And before I go, which show do you think came out on top? Thank you for reading.
Wednesday Night War – WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Viewership for 10/9/19
