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 = This week’s matches were good, however, they did not quite match the quality on offer from last week. The huge exception was Serena Deeb vs Tay Conti, which was a fabulous women’s match. Deeb proved she is arguably the best wrestler in the women’s division, whilst Conti continued to show how much she has developed since she left WWE.
The main event was a solid encounter, with Darby Allin surviving a physical onslaught from Brian Cage to retain his AEW TNT Championship. I didn’t appreciate the interference from Sting, no matter how small it actually was. Allin and Cage worked hard, but they couldn’t hold a candle to last week’s main event.
NXT = There was a heavy focus on the quarter finals of the Dusty Rhodes Classic, with each match coming across superbly. MSK made their debut in a frenetic match, defeating Isaiah Scott and Jake Atlas to progress. This was an amazing debut for MSK, highlighting the importance of winning the competition.
The Undisputed Era also progressed, and although the quality of this match was lower than that of MSK’s victory, it was still a great way to cap off a strong show.
WINNER: NXT
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
AEW = Britt Baker absolutely floundered on The Waiting Room, featuring a poor excuse of a promo segment. Reba was admittedly funny in her over the top mannerisms, but Baker struggled to create a compelling promo.
NXT = The Brand and Finn Balor engaged in a solid promo. Whilst not ground breaking, it was better than the offering from AEW.
WINNER: NXT
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
AEW = Britt Baker vs Thunder Rosa was suitably advanced, whilst Jade Cargill’s issues with Cody Rhodes were reignited. The big talking point of the show was Don Callis preferring The Good Brothers over The Young Bucks, with the AEW Tag Team Champions teasing leaving their new alliance with Kenny Omega. This was a solid storyline development, if not exactly groundbreaking.
NXT = Heavy emphasis was placed on the Dusty Rhodes Classic, therefore the level of storyline development was low this week. Xia Li continued to look strong, whilst all of the teams involved in the tournament put extra effort into looking like stars.
WINNER: AEW
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
AEW = Dynamite was well paced and scheduled in a logical manner. The show was fun, but the downgrade in quality from last week was clear.
NXT = NXT was a great night of wrestling, with the show coming across really well in terms of pacing and logical progression.
WINNER: NXT
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
AEW gains points for the Sammy Hagar reference. Is it a sign I’m old if I got that straight away?
AEW also gains points for John Silver fanboying over Hangman Adam Page. It was funny to see, which represents what the new Dark Order are all about.
AEW loses points for the train wreck that was The Waiting Room.
NXT gains points for highlighting the importance of the Dusty Rhodes Classic.
NXT also gains points for making MSK look like stars on their debut.
NXT doesn’t lose any points this week as it was an extremely solid and tight show.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: AEW (+2 / -1) / NXT (+2 / -0)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = NXT
With a score of 5 to 2, NXT wins this week’s Wednesday Night War. NXT was a more enjoyable show, whilst night 2 of New Year’s Smash failed to match the high level of night 1.
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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