WEDNESDAY NIGHT WAR:
AEW DYNAMITE vs. NXT
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
AEW = PAC defeated Chuck Taylor in an extremely fun match, with PAC once again looking strong. Taylor looked good in defeat, but the match was all about making PAC look strong, as this made his union with The Lucha Bros after the match feel more impactful.
The main event of Dynamite featured Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara against Jon Moxley and Darby Allin, however Moxley was taken out as the match began. This allowed Allin to star on his own, which gave the match a unique feel to it. The Judas Effect to end the match was well executed, although Allin's reputation was enhanced by his stellar showing.
NXT = Dakota Kai took on her despised enemy Tegan Nox in cage match, with the feisty Kiwi coming out victorious by the absolute skin off her teeth. Yes, the presence of Raquel Gonzalez ensured she had the upper hand, but she still had to take advantage of the situation to win. Nox came so close to winning, once again proving to the Full Sail faithful that she is a face character they can really get behind. This was a quality women's match, and one which used the stipulation of the cage well.
Velveteen Dream vs Roderick Strong was another match held inside a cage, with the stipulation's use fully justified due to the hatred these 2 share for each other. Strong won the match, however that was only half of the story as Dream sacrificed the win in order to destroy Adam Cole inside the cage without interference. This was again a high quality match, but the post match shenanigans ensured this segment came off really well.
WINNER: NXT
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
AEW = Jon Moxley opened the show this week with a passionate promo, only for Chris Jericho to come out and respond with a strong heel promo of his own. Jericho is a superb heel in AEW, and his threat to blind Moxley was a very cold way to start the show, whilst also delivering a gut punch that the feud needed. This was a superb way to open the show.
NXT = Finn Balor delivered a promo to announce he would be setting his sights on WALTER. This was well played out as Balor is a quality talker, and the promo came across as passionate for all the right reasons.
Johnny Gargano had a sit down interview with Mauro Ranallo, which expertly got over how much Gargano has changed, whilst also justifying his heel turn. NXT rarely provides multiple strong promos in a single show, but these 2 promos came across well.
WINNER: AEW
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
AEW = Jake Hager is now positioned as the next big threat to Jon Moxley, with Hager absolutely destroying Moxley to end this week's episode of Dynamite. Hager has been protected so far in AEW, and with the genuine threat he poses to Moxley, it is clear their upcoming feud will be fascinating to watch.
NXT = Velveteen Dream seemingly set himself up as Adam Cole's opponent at NXT TakeOver: Tampa Bay as he destroyed Cole after his cage match. This was an incredible segment, with Dream the subject of the crowd's enduring adulation. Dream looked really strong, which must surely set him up as the favourite to dethrone Cole.
WINNER: NXT
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
AEW = AEW was once again an amazing show. It has been many weeks since their last bad episode, however this week continued the momentum gained from AEW Revolution. There was not a single segment that failed this week, which is great to see.
NXT = This week's episode was a true return to form. NXT was faultless this week, however Chelsea Green is a wrestler who doesn't deserve the push she is receiving.
WINNER: AEW
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
AEW gains points for making Jake Hager look strong, as he can be a real asset for the company if used well.
AEW also gains points for continuing to build Darby Allin as wrestler fans can truly get behind. There is some real potential in Allin, especially with his connection to Jon Moxley.
AEW loses no points as there was not a single issue on the show.
NXT gains points for Velveteen Dream sacrificing his win against Roderick Strong in order to destroy Adam Cole. This highlighted just how important the NXT Championship is to him.
NXT loses no points as the show was faultless.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: AEW (+2 / -0) / NXT (+1 / -0)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = AEW
With a score of 4 to 3, AEW just about edges this week's Wednesday Night War. It was a return to form for NXT this week, however the consistency of Dynamite is too much to handle at the moment. This was an incredible night of wrestling, and I cannot wait for next week to see how storylines develop in both promotions.
That's my pick for the better show of the week, but how do YOU stand?
Which was better, Dynamite or NXT?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
0 comments: