Welcome to another edition of Wednesday Night War from Smark Out Moment, where we compare this week's episodes of AEW Dynamite and WWE NXT and determine which one of the two was the better show.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT WAR:
AEW DYNAMITE vs. NXT
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
AEW = Each and every match was of top quality this week, with the show featuring a strong mix of high flying action, hard hitting fighting, and intriguing in ring psychology. The opening match was yet another fine example of the quality available to AEW's tag team division, as The Young Bucks and SCU imposed themselves on TH2 and The Acclaimed. SCU in particular looked great, which helps to make their stipulation of disbanding when they next lose feel important and impactful.
Kenny Omega defended his AEW World Championship against Rey Fenix in a match which promised to be off the hook, and this is exactly what happened. Omega successfully retained the title, but Fenix looked like an absolute star in defeat. Not only was this a fantastic match, but Fenix felt like a star on the same level as his brother, Penta El Zero Miedo. This was a solid and enjoyable end to the show, adding to the prestige of the title.
NXT = Karrion Kross imposed himself on Damien Priest to open the show, with both men engaging in a fantastic and hard hitting contest. Kross looked to be back to his very best, whilst Priest once again showed that he is one of the very best wrestlers in NXT. Should he be promoted to the main roster soon, he would be doing so with his head held high.
The main event of the night was Finn Balor defending his NXT Championship against Kyle O'Reilly, which was, as expected, an incredible contest. Both men worked hard, reprising the violence of their previous match. Balor was victorious, but O'Reilly once again came so close to reaching the top of the NXT mountain. From here, it is clear that whoever defeats The Prince will be a made man for years.
WINNER: AEW
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
AEW = Frankie Kazarian gave a short but passionate promo about how he and Christopher Daniels will disband the next time they lose as a team, however they would have no problems doing so once they have challenged The Young Bucks for the AEW Tag Team Championship. Jon Moxley also gave a strong promo in which he stated he won't complain about losing the AEW World Championship, however he will get even with Kenny Omega.
NXT = A Mercedes Martinez vignette was used to great effect to highlight how she doesn't want accolades such as 'Superstar of the Year', but rather, she wants the NXT Women's Championship. This was a highly effective way to advance her feud with Io Shirai.
WINNER: NXT
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
AEW = Dynamite was short on storyline development this week due to the nature of New Year's Smash, but the feud between Darby Allin and Team Taz continued, with Allin being supported by Sting. Taz gets angrier every week, which is actually a sight to behold. My interest has been kept high throughout this feud, and it only seems to get better and more personal each week.
The true highlight of this week's episode, however, was the reunion of Kenny Omega, The Good Brothers, and The Young Bucks. By throwing up the Too Sweet sign, they ushered in a new era of potential dominance, whilst also signalling the true start of the war between AEW and Impact Wrestling.
NXT = In defeating Rhea Ripley, Raquel Gonzalez continued her organic push towards the NXT Women's Championship. She has gotten over with fans due to her hard work and solid wrestling, and in defeating Ripley this week, she made good on her promise to be a serious threat within NXT's women's division.
WINNER: AEW
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
AEW = New Year's Smash was a strong event which felt like a mini pay-per-view. All matches were of a high quality, with promos and storyline advancement adding to the quality of the show. It was well paced, which made it a delight to watch.
NXT = New Year's Evil was a fantastic show, mixing solid wrestling with good promos and storyline development. Similar to Dynamite, this week's show felt like a true mini pay-per-view, which only improved the quality of the wrestling on offer.
WINNER: AEW
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
AEW gains points for providing Rey Fenix with yet another star making performance.
AEW also gains points for continuing to use Sting to support Darby Allin. Both are moody assholes who operate as lone wolves, therefore it is great to see them allign in such a mysterious manner.
AEW loses points for Snoop Dogg's appearance. It made no sense, and just came off as hokey. I also feel his appearance would have been better suited to WWE, such is his relationship with Sasha Banks. Here, it just did not come off well at all.
NXT gains points for the manner in which Santos Escobar successfully defended his NXT Cruiserweight Championship, which continues to be elevated as one of the best titles under the WWE umbrella.
NXT also gains points for showing multiple matches without commercial interruption. This helped to make the show feel important.
NXT also gains points for announcing the first ever women's Dusty Rhodes Classic next week, which is a great way to entice fans to tune in.
NXT loses points for Austin Theory's slapstick. It just doesn't do anything for me.
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 incredible, but it was AEW which was the tighter show overall. NXT worked really hard to match the quality of Dynamite this week, and in all honesty, it is the fans that are the ultimate winners. Wednesday night remains the best night for wrestling!
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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