WEDNESDAY NIGHT WAR:
AEW DYNAMITE vs. NXT
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
AEW = AEW had a focus on tag team wrestling this week as multiple strong tag team matches took place. The Young Bucks appeared more serious as they put away Private Party and SCU to set up a match at All Out with Jurassic Express. Santana and Ortiz also put on a great match against Best Friends, with the hatred on show adding to the quality of the match. Santana and Ortiz stole the victory, which will no doubt extend their feud.
Jon Moxley took on MJF's lawyer this week in what can only be described as a joke match. Mark Sterling was used simply to make fans laugh as Moxley teased him, before snapping and ending the match quickly with a Paradigm Shift. This was entertaining, although it did lead to a great post match beat down by MJF.
NXT = NXT dedicated half of this week's show to the Ironman match for the NXT Championship. It was 60 minutes of the best wrestling on NXT television, highlighting how talented each of the involved wrestlers are. Finn Balor and Adam Cole were flawless during the match, whilst the match finish was creative, although not universally accepted as positive. I cannot understate just how fun this match was.
WINNER: NXT
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
AEW = MJF gave a threatening promo against his lawyer to explain how he doesn't like anyone getting in the way of his goals. The aggression he showed here was great to see as it made the segment feel realistic and compelling. It also helped that his lawyer provided a funny promo later on in the night before his match with Jon Moxley.
NXT = Tegan Nox shared a personal and passionate promo about how she and Candice LeRae were like sisters, that is until LeRae turned on her. Nox came across well here, expressing enough emotion to make her seem suitably sympathetic.
WINNER: AEW
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
AEW = AEW built towards All Out by focusing on their top two feuds. Jon Moxley vs MJF and Chris Jericho vs Orange Cassidy featured physical interactions, with both faces bleeding to highlight the violence level in each feud. This set both matches up well for All Out.
NXT = NXT eschewed storylines for the focus on the Ironman match, however some storyline development still occurred. Tegan Nox shared her distrust of Candice LeRae, whilst Rhea Ripley challenged Mercedes Martinez to a cage match.
WINNER: AEW
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
AEW = Dynamite was a good go home show for All Out, but it could have been better. There was no urgency to the show, which was a shame as better pacing would have benefitted the show.
NXT = NXT was a fun show, although the flat ending to the Ironman match was very divisive. The match action was great, which allowed for the show to benefit from the different pacing.
WINNER: NXT
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
AEW gains points for using blood to make their top feuds seem important. It is vital, however, that this is not overused going forward.
AEW loses points for various production issues. The sound was affected during some segments, which unfortunately had a negative impact on some promos.
NXT gains points for putting on such a strong main event. The match quality never relented, with all four men putting on a solid performance.
NXT also gains points for highlighting how Finn Balor and Adam Cole are the top stars of the brand. This means their imminent feud will be fascinating to watch, whilst Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa will be freed up to focus on new feuds and opportunities.
NXT loses points for the finish to the main event, as it left a number of fans pissed. The expectation is that after 60 minutes, there would have been a definitive winner.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: AEW (+1 / -1) / NXT (+2 / -1)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = NXT
With a score of 3 to 2, NXT wins this week's Wednesday Night War. NXT was a great show as it focused on a match which truly delivered, however AEW wasn't as tight as it usually is. Audio issues and a lack of real direction made the show feel less exciting than NXT, although Dynamite remains better viewing than Raw or SmackDown.
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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