Hi folks! We’re already in to the 8th week of the Wednesday Night War. This week is arguably the most important thus far, due to WWE throwing everything at the show to build up Survivor Series. I’m sure we’re eagerly awaiting the numbers for the TV ratings, to see if the Raw/SD talent drew enough to make NXT win over AEW.
Wednesday Night War – Week #8
AEW Dynamite
After moving ahead last week, can AEW keep up its momentum while WWE is doing everything in their power to kill this ‘marathon’ before it can get going?
The Good
- Fenix vs. Nick Jackson got AEW back in to the routine of opening the night with an exciting wrestling match. Seeing Nick Jackson on his own was fresh and proved to me he doesn’t always need his brother by his side.
- Britt Baker losing to the superior wrestler. Honestly I feel like they tried pushing her too much too soon, and luckily Shida is likely to be Riho’s next opponent. Still a long way to go for Baker and the women’s division, but she didn’t suck and worked through a possible broken nose.
- Billy Gunn showed his star power and charisma in the Dynamite Dozen battle royal. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see him have fun with Sonny Kiss, but perhaps that will be reserved for another episode. It’s like a match made in heaven. Also Orange Cassidy is sheer entertainment.
- Moving Kenny Omega backwards to where his struggles began is smart, logical booking. Pac hasn’t exactly been doing great either, so I’m looking forward to them having an extended program. Also Kenny benches some serious weight.. wow.
- Everything about Le Champion speaking with a French accent. His inability to apologize. Jake Hager trying his damn hardest not to corpse (Send For The Man!). Also Scorpio Sky getting in Jericho’s face after he & SCU manipulated Y2J in to giving him a title shot next week; this is how you make new stars!
- Anything with Luchasaurus is a win. Dude’s a freaking star and there’s so much more to do with him.
- Private Party vs. P&P is always gonna’ be a good match and it led to the return of Dustin Rhodes; who got a heartwarming reception from the crowd.
- Even in defeat, Darby Allin’s career went up another level last night. The whole body bag routine, the way he took it to Moxley. Kudos to Moxley for making Darby look awesome, this is exactly what AEW needs to do if it wants to survive.
- I almost forgot about The Dark Order commercial.. I’m officially part of them now. Bring The Dark Order in to your life.
The Bad
- Really wanted to see an actual winner to the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal, but I guess MJF needs more heat… so it’s acceptable.
- Chris Jericho doing all kinds of funny things backstage with Peter Avalon and Jungle Boy, but anyone watching via split screen on TNT couldn’t hear a single word.
WWE NXT
It’s about time the Raw & SmackDown talent took NXT seriously, as I’ve hoped for this kind of episode the past two weeks. So many surprises, but was it enough to claim superiority for the first time?
The Good
- You could tell we were in for a good night when Becky Lynch opens and Rhea Ripley interrupts, leading to a dream match. This could’ve been saved for TakeOver or another PPV, but instead we got this encounter on free television.
- Had no idea I wanted to see Riddle vs. Ricochet, but this is the beauty of having three full rosters. Cesaro and Nakamura looked so good as invaders too, although it was soon interrupted by Roderick Strong. Finn Balor vs. Matt Riddle could end up being one of the best fights of the night at TakeOver if they’re able to keep up the same level of intensity.
- Undisputed Era vs. Revival is a tag team enthusiast’s wet dream. Two of the greatest teams in the world going one-on-one was an unexpected pleasure.
- Giving the NXT UK Women’s Champion some spotlight this week with a win over Dakota Kai. Speaking of which, why does Kai keep getting booked when she always loses?
- I was a little critical of having dangerous spots in the women’s ladder match last week, and I stand by it for the men’s too; but Dijakovic seemed more ready to take these spots (than Mia Yim) and is probably alright.
- Was not expecting Seth Rollins to end the show, nor some of the other interactions.
- WWE finally hyped up Survivor Series on NXT this week, rather than focusing on TakeOver: Wargames. It’s gonna’ be one hell of a week for some of these NXT superstars.
The Bad
- Viking Raiders vs. Forgotten Sons was slotted in to fill time, but otherwise I was left wondering why they didn’t interfere in the other tag match instead.
- Not criticizing the extreme use of Raw/Smackdown talent, but it did seem like there were tons of interference during or after every match.
Both shows were awesome this week, with hardly anything to be critical about. AEW had its moments, but NXT did too. We had some good wrestling on both shows, and in one way or the other they ended in brutality and carnage. As it was the go home show for NXT TakeOver: Wargames and Survivor Series, naturally there was so much going on. It was difficult for AEW to match the level of urgency and intensity, yet they still managed to get close.
The Winner
In this Wednesday Night War, does NXT win because they used so many Raw/Smackdown talents? Or does it lose because they felt the need to bring so many to boost the rating? What’s gonna’ happen when NXT goes back to normal and everyone returns to their brands? It was logical to have an invasion, because without it.. NXT would’ve been forgotten and not taken seriously leading in to Survivor Series. So I get why it had to be done, but could it have been better? I’m not sure. There’s more to come on SmackDown, so if anything they’re leaving the biggest moments for then.
How do I pick one when they both nailed it? I guess it depends on how much we like seeing Raw & SmackDown talents return to NXT (at least 90% of ’em went through there), versus alternative entertainment. With that said, if I absolutely have to choose, I’d probably pick NXT by the tip of Triple H’s nose; although I think Dynamite was really good too. I don’t want to do AEW any disservice here… because they deserve praise for this episode, but WWE turned everything up to 10 and brought an army chock-full of star power. If NXT still can’t beat AEW in the ratings with all that? We’ll be forced to admit NXT is a draw in its own right, and making it another ‘main roster’ show has undermined what makes it unique. Thanks for reading!
Credit for the display Wednesday Night War image goes to WDesigns.
Wednesday Night War – WWE NXT vs AEW Dynamite
