Hi there! The ratings war between AEW & NXT is coming to a temporary end soon, and sadly this means our little series will likely be going on leave too. Last week, I said it was up in the air whether I’d be going ahead, so with the news of WWE having to pack things up in Florida.. I figured we might as well crack on with the 25th milestone edition of the Wednesday Night War! I hope you’re all keeping safe, and that we can soon get back to some form of normalcy.
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Wednesday Night War – Week #25
-AEW Dynamite-
Last week, Dynamite was strange because it went from having a great show a fortnight ago, to something I can only describe as average in the Wednesday Night War. Did they learn from their mistakes? And by taping many weeks in advance, does this mean AEW is likely to pick up many of WWE’s fans while they can’t produce anything? It’s an interesting question which I’m sure feels like a painful thorn in the side to the higher ups of WWE’s board of directors.
The Good
– We have wrestlers back at ringside! This is what sets Dynamite apart from the rest, because even with a select few standing around it already feels more lively. How else are you gonna’ get a “You Still Got It!” chant directed at Dustin Rhodes?
– Colt Cabana is a better pick for commentary than Cody, that should be obvious. Still missing Jim Ross and the team, but for their health I can endure for a while.
– Can Kenny Omega ever have a bad match? Some may not like the longer, ‘New Japan’ style matches Dynamite has, but that’s only because we’ve been brought up on WWE not being able to book anything longer than fifteen minutes. It’s refreshing to get some proper, lengthy matches on free television for a change.
– Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts always makes me stop whatever I’m doing and pay attention, like we’re about to learn something we’ll cherish for the rest of our lives. He does a great job at selling his client while making Cody out to be nothing but Brandi’s bitch; some would pay good money for that though.
– Ok, so last week’s Dark Order meeting didn’t instill me with much confidence, but this week’s was much better. He’s really selling the egomaniacal control freak character; which some will say is comparable to Vince McMahon and the way he lords over his empire. Speaking of which, I love how the Dark Order members are just numbers to him (8 & 9), and how he effectively ‘buries’ anyone who loses with a powerbomb.
– Vanguard 1 (version 2.0) is not only a spy, but he’s a thief dammit! And I’m sure Chris Jericho’s been binge watching The Simpsons while being stuck at home to want to ‘release the hounds’. This was hilarious and gives us hope the feud between him and Broken Matt Hardy will create many funny moments we can cherish years from now.
– I felt a little refreshed to hear The Young Bucks talking about their feelings and learning to cherish life, not wanting to take anything for granted because you never know what can happen with life. That’s a good lesson to learn for anyone.
– A pissed Jon Moxley is the only form of the champ I want to see. The second he relaxes and stops being pissed? Is the second I get frustrated and tune out. And it’s about time they gave Jake Hager some form of character building. It’s gonna’ be an interesting match, although we know Moxley will find a way to retain against a man who should be able to destroy him if it were an actual fight.
– The tag team main event was a lot of fun and I was really surprised that Shawn Spears picked up the biggest win of his AEW career so far. And Darby Allin smashing Cody in the face! Wow.. it sets up a possible clash between them in the semi-finals for the TNT Championship, so there could be a little foreshadowing? But it’s for the best. I hope Darby becomes the new champion because he deserves it on crowd reaction alone. Let him hold it for six months? Scratch that.. twelve months.
The Bad
– I’m not feeling the tag team between QT Marshall & Dustin Rhodes, but the good thing is that it gets Dustin some airtime without needing to slot him in to random singles matches. Brandi is there as well, so if anything it’s a marriage of convenience. Maybe the team will grow on me? I’m just not sold on QT Marshall. I can’t see them getting anywhere near winning tag team gold when there’s so many other, way more deserving teams.
– The AEW Women’s division isn’t inspiring as much as NXT’s at the moment. There’s still something which isn’t clicking, but I did like the look of Anna Jayy. At least it seems like Hikaru Shida is gradually getting over? They just need more character, there’s still so much we don’t know about these girls; other than Shida’s done borderline porn and enjoys cosplaying.
– I understand wanting to start Lance Archer off from the bottom, but did it have to be against Marko Stunt? And why did it take any longer than a minute to destroy him? This is AEW’s problem, in that sometimes they are afraid of squashing guys and are probably being too generous. Stunt never looked like hurting Archer in any way, which means beating him meant jack squat.
-WWE NXT–
NXT was pretty smooth last week, but they did have two weeks to prepare. Can they do it again? Can they keep up the quality in the midst of the temporary absence of the Wednesday Night War? Will TakeOver matches save their shows from mediocrity? Also, I wonder how many episodes WWE managed to tape in advance?
The Good
– Velveteen Dream vs. Bobby Fish is a fresh match up which I never knew I wanted. Dream was overselling a touch, but they put on an entertaining opener and it feels like it’s only a matter of time til Dream gets what he wants from Adam Cole.
– This new tag team is like an Indian version of Authors Of Pain, but taller and perhaps more menacing. I hope they can work and have chemistry, because the new manager can sell and that’s half the battle done.
– I’ve always had a thing for Dexter Lumis fka Samuel Shaw, and no.. not in a creepy stalker way. Although he definitely gives that vibe, which I’m not sure is something that will ever get over in wrestling? But if there’s any man who could do it? It’s Lumis with those piercing eyes. And he’s a good worker too, methodical and unique. Does he ever blink? And also, I hope he teams up with Killer Kross as it would make sense.
– Some great action from the women, showing their overall depth outside the big guns of Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair and Io Shirai. There’s a lot of talent and Shotzi Blackheart was put over a treat. I’m still iffy on Shotzi because I’m struggling to see past that one news report of her.. but hopefully it will pass soon. She’s a really good worker, having improved a ton the past year. When Dakota Kai entered last, it was pretty obvious she’d win though.
– Joaquin Wilde keeps on losing, but being kidnapped too easily by a bunch of luchadors has to be good for his career, right? Right!? Raul Mendoza and Wilde will become part of .. The Lucha Order? They will get numbers and be ordered around by an egomaniac who hates yawning, sneezing and mat based wrestling? Can’t wait. All their members must be able to fly and do a tope suicida every match. At least Wilde is being given something? Which is better than nothing.
– You can’t go wrong with a main event featuring Keith Lee, Dominick Dijakovic and Damien Priest. Little sad we couldn’t get this in front of an audience, but the fan inside me was still marking out over some of the insane displays of athleticism. Maybe we need a 305 Live show? The result was predictable, but everyone won from this triple threat. The war isn’t over between these men for the North American Championship, and it remains one of the shows biggest draws.
The Bad
– As a big fan of Xia Li, it feels like NXT is borderline burying her at this point. And I’m not sure why, because she’s an amazing talent with plenty of charisma. It’s nice she’s getting airtime, but I would have loved to see her included in the ladder match. Goes to show how competitive the women’s division is in NXT.
– Speaking of burials.. wow Sam Roberts, talk about throwing Kushida under the bus. So let me get this straight.. this guy is meant to be doing commentary right? He’s meant to be getting these guys over, right? So what in the blue hell is he doing to Kushida? Why would you say “Meh, this guy isn’t doing it for me”, if he’s been given literally nothing to work with since he got to NXT?
He’s had some great matches, but everyone knows you need to build the guy up as a character first. I respect the fact you have to earn your spot in WWE. However, much like Hideo Itami (& Shinsuke Nakamura to a lesser extent), WWE has no idea how to book Japanese talent. The Kabuki Warriors might be the most successful exports in the history of the company just because they’re allowed to speak their own language. It baffles me how badly WWE treats its Japanese talent; why bother signing them if you aren’t going to maximize their potential? Just so New Japan can’t have them? Or is it because AEW would’ve picked ’em up instead?
We know WWE has good ties with New Japan, so signing Kushida to me.. feels like they only did so because AEW showed interest. Now they’re regretting it and having Roberts talk him down like he’s had any choice in what he’s allowed to do on screen. He’s a wrestler! Treat him like one and with more respect, as he can run circles around most of WWE’s talent on any given brand.
Conclusion
Well, well, well. Some might remember Joel Gertner (of ECW fame) saying that. And I do so because I’m not sure who won this week in the Wednesday Night War. It’s 50/50, because while NXT didn’t have as many negatives, AEW had slightly more positives. NXT sported a better main event, but AEW featured more matches. There’s also more moments to enjoy on Dynamite, along with some questionable booking. Whichever way you look at it, like I’ve said for the past two weeks.. comparing these shows feels almost negligible. Neither are capable of dishing out their best products for obvious reasons; and we can’t gauge an audience to get a good read of what’s working and what isn’t.
All we can go from is what I enjoyed the most, and in this case it’s too 50/50 to put a finger on one and declare it the winner. This leaves my personal tally at 10-9-6 in AEW’s favour, but it can still go either way as this series has proved time and time again. The ratings have declined as well, which tells me fans are tuning out either because a) they are in protest out of fear for the wrestler’s & staff’s health, b) they don’t care for empty arena shows, or c) the shows simply aren’t as good as they used to be. It’s not like they have any competition, so that certainly isn’t the reason. See you next week!? Hopefully. Stay safe everyone and thanks for reading.
Wednesday Night War – WWE NXT vs AEW Dynamite
