WEDNESDAY NIGHT WAR:
AEW DYNAMITE vs. NXT
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
AEW = AEW presented night 1 of Fyter Fest this week, with Cody defending the AEW TNT Championship against a hungry Jake Hager. The match was better than I anticipated, with the finish coming off well. Hager put on a better performance here than we have seen for quite some time, whilst Cody once again highlighted why he has a death grip over the title.
Hangman Page and Kenny Omega vs Best Friends for the AEW Tag Team Championship was a great way to main event the show, with both teams putting on a fabulous performance. The match was frenetic, whilst making it appear as though Best Friends had a chance to win. Page and Omega retaining was a great result, especially as their interaction with FTR to close the show was intriguing.
NXT = NXT presented night 1 of The Great American Bash this week, with the show kicking off with the elimination match to determine the number one contender to Io Shirai’s NXT Women’s Championship. Each elimination made sense, whilst there was a clear urgency to win the match at the end between Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox. Nox’s victory was surprising, but it added to the overall solid quality of the match.
The Great American Bash was headlined by Io Shirai vs Sasha Banks in a true dream match. This was a fabulous match in which both Shirai and Banks poured their hearts out through their in ring work. Shirai pinned Banks following a Moonsault to give her even more credibility. This was a quality match that deservedly main evented the show.
WINNER: NXT
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
AEW = MJF delivered a strong promo to open the show, highlighting how he is used by AEW to win the ratings war. It was short and sweet whilst underlining how inflated MJF’s ego is.
Taz also delivered a strong promo, highlighting how Jon Moxley has the chicken shits rather than COVID-19. This was a fun way to extend the feud for an extra week.
NXT = Santos Escobar delivered a strong promo whilst being flanked by El Legado del Fantasma, only to be interrupted by a returning Drake Maverick. This was a great segment as Breezango came out to support Maverick, setting up a match between the six men next week.
WINNER: AEW
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
AEW = Dynamite was low on storyline progression this week due to the presentation of the first night of Fyter Fest, but Jon Moxley vs Brian Cage was highlighted with a video package to garner interest. This was expanded upon with Taz’s promo against Moxley.
NXT = NXT was low on storyline progression this week due to the presentation of the first night of The Great American Bash. El Legado del Fantasma vs Drake Maverick and Breezango was set up for next week, whilst Isiah Scott vs Johnny Gargano was teased.
WINNER: AEW
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
AEW = Night 1 of Fyter Fest was an exciting show, with multiple strong matches taking place. The match quality was as high as it has ever been, although the show would have been better paced with another promo or storyline segment.
NXT = Night 1 of The Great American Bash was a thrilling show which highlighted some solid matches in addition to building some new stars. The visual presentation of the show was also a sight to behold.
WINNER: NXT
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
AEW gains points for Chris Jericho's commentary. His heel commentary works so well in AEW, and once again it was a highlight of the show.
AEW also gains points for addressing the Jon Moxley situation well. It was clear he would struggle to defend his AEW World Championship next week, therefore the storyline reason for his absence actually made the feud more interesting.
AEW loses points for the video package to establish how much trouble Jon Moxley will have in hitting a Death Rider on Brian Cage. It didn’t seem realistic at all, therefore the segment had no real impact whatsoever. Moxley vs Cage was redeemed later on in the night by Taz’s strong promo.
NXT gains points for providing Tegan Nox with an opportunity to become the number one contender to Io Shirai’s NXT Women’s Championship. It had been previously hinted that Dakota Kai would win, but Nox feels fresh.
NXT also gains points for building up Timothy Thatcher as a dangerous machine. His ruthless style in the ring may not be to everyone’s liking, but he is truly coming across as a force to be reckoned with in NXT.
NXT loses no points as it was a near perfect show. NXT certainly contributed to the positive legacy of The Great American Bash.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: AEW (+2 / -1) / NXT (+2 / -0)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = NXT
With a score of 4 to 3, NXT wins this week’s Wednesday Night War. Both shows were incredible, coming across as typical pay-per-view quality shows. Night 1 of The Great American Bash was an overall better show than the first night of Fyter Fest, however there was not much in it. I cannot wait to see how strong next week’s shows will be!
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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