WEDNESDAY NIGHT WAR:
AEW DYNAMITE vs. NXT
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
AEW = The match quality on Dynamite was superb this week, with Cody defending the AEW TNT Championship against Marq Quen in a phenomenal match. Quen’s talent was on full display, however he was unable to capture the title from Cody. Cody once again proved why his weekly challenge for the belt is one of the highlights of Dynamite.
Best Friends and Orange Cassidy vs Inner Circle was a great tag team match, which was only improved upon by Chris Jericho’s inane commentary. The match was full of surprises and quality wrestling, with Cassidy further reinforcing how much of an intriguing character he is.
NXT = NXT featured Adam Cole vs Dexter Lumis, which was a quality television match. Lumis was elevated by his performance, with his deranged personality coming across really well. Although Cole won, Lumis was elevated by the manner in which he nearly won, posing more of a threat to Cole than Velveteen Dream had posed recently.
Finn Balor defeated Cameron Grimes in a fun and competitive encounter, with Grimes coming so close to winning the contest. Balor’s overwhelming strength proved to be too much, but Grimes managed to put on a solid performance as he proved he deserves to hang with The Prince.
WINNER: AEW
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
AEW = Jon Moxley’s backstage promo was extremely passionate, with Moxley showing a fire which has been missing from his interactions over the past few weeks. Although it was a one sided promo, it suitably advanced his storyline with Brian Cage.
NXT = Adam Cole addressed Dexter Lumis in the ring as part of a very strong promo, highlighting the threat that Lumis poses. Cole performed extremely well on the microphone, whilst Roderick Strong’s paranoia added so much depth to the promo.
WINNER: NXT
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
AEW = Jon Moxley’s dominance of AEW appears to be over as Brian Cage well and truly had the upper hand over the AEW World Champion. His destruction of Moxley was shocking, emphasising just how dangerous he is.
Inner Circle continues to wreak havoc on Dynamite, with Chris Jericho instructing his troops to destroy anyone that gets in their way. The group has regained their dangerous streak, which makes for some extremely interesting television.
NXT = El Hijo Del Fantasma’s transformation into Santos Escobar was genuinely shocking, especially as he was flanked by Raul Mendoza and Joaquin Wilde. This makes him a force to be reckoned with, not only in the Cruiserweight division but NXT as a whole.
WINNER: AEW
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
AEW = Dynamite was a phenomenal show this week, with multiple strong matches and great storyline development. The pacing was great, with the show never dragging once.
NXT = NXT was an enjoyable show, with good pacing and a number of strong promos.
WINNER: AEW
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
AEW gains points for the overtures made towards Colt Cabana by Dark Order. It was interesting to see the mysterious group attempt to further bolster their ranks, with Cabana a potentially strong option to recruit.
AEW also gains points for the tense interaction between The Young Bucks and FTR, which hinted at a violent confrontation. The fact they didn’t engage in battle sustains the intrigue for their eventual encounter.
AEW loses points for Penelope Ford potentially being positioned as Hikaru Shida’s next challenger for her AEW Women’s Championship. Ford is a solid hand, but she needs to improve first before she takes on Shida.
NXT gains points for the Breezango interview, which was light hearted but interesting. It showed the fun side of the team, whilst evidencing how determined the team are to become NXT Tag Team Champions.
NXT also gains a point for the Dumb and Dumber reference during Robert Stone’s offer to Rhea Ripley.
NXT gains further points for the cryptic use of an hourglass by Scarlett, as it was a subtle hint that Karrion Kross is setting his sights on the NXT Championship.
NXT loses points for Dakota Kai not defeating Kacy Catanzaro as easily as she should have done. Kai is on another level to Catanzaro, which means she should be coming across as more dominant if she wants a tilt at the NXT Women’s Championship.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: AEW (+2 / -1) / NXT (+3 / -1)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = AEW
With a score of 4 to 3, AEW wins this week’s Wednesday Night War. Both shows were more than great watch, but AEW was more enjoyable by virtue of it's better match quality. NXT featured a shocking heel turn from El Hijo Del Fantasma, but it’s wasn’t enough to claim the win this week. Wednesday nights continue to be the best night of the week for wrestling, and in such testing times, it is refreshing to see something consistently deliver.
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!
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