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 = Rey Fenix defeated Matt Jackson in an exhilarating opener, putting on an exciting and competitive display that set the tone for the rest of the show. Fenix once again underlined his credentials as one of the best wrestlers in the company, whilst Jackson was more than able to hold his own. The main event of the show was also an excellent encounter, with Scorpio Sky coming so close to capturing the AEW TNT Championship. Darby Allin sold the effects of his match at Revolution, whilst Sky used his defeat as the catalyst for his heel turn. All in all, this was a superb night of wrestling.
NXT = NXT featured some extremely strong matches this week. Io Shirai defended her NXT Women's Championship against Toni Storm, showing once again why she is the best wrestler in NXT. Storm put a good effort in, but she could not come close to defeating Shirai for the belt. It was telling, however, that the newly installed NXT Women's Tag Team Champions were defeated by Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart for the belts. Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez should not have been given the belts if they were only going to lose them less than an hour later. That issue aside, it was a fantastic match to build the reputation of the new belts.
WINNER: NXT
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
AEW = Penta El Zero Miedo gave a risky promo this week, informing Cody Rhodes that he should have focused on taking him out more at Revolution. This is the start of a feud that no doubt has the potential to be off the charts.
NXT = The show opened with the announcement from William Regal that NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver would be a two night show, whilst also announcing the creation of the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship. These announcements were handled well, but the most impactful promo was the short but sweet announcement from Io Shirai, in which she selected Raquel Gonzalez as her next opponent. Gonzalez informing her that she will regret her choice was extremely exciting, leaving a lasting impact.
WINNER: NXT
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
AEW = AEW signalled a seismic change of the landscape with MJF and his new faction taking out Inner Circle. Not only was this unexpected, but it also paves the way for Inner Circle to turn face and explore new storyline options. The attack was genuinely shocking, whilst also creating a sense of excitement that has been missing from a few of the recent Dynamite episodes.
NXT = Finn Balor defeated Adam Cole to retain his NXT Championship in a stellar match, however it was the post match actions that left quite an impression on me. Kyle O'Reilly returned to further his blood feud with Cole, whilst Balor accepted that Karrion Kross was his next oponent, acknowledging him as the show went off the air. This was simply fantastic storytelling, and I cannot wait to see how both feuds develop over the next few weeks.
WINNER: AEW
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
AEW = Dynamite was a well paced show, superbly mixing strong matches with terrific promos and storyline development, whilst the two hour runtime completely flew by. The impact of the show was also positively impacted upon by the show ending angle.
NXT = NXT was a fantastic show, feeling well and truly tight from start to finish. Each match and promo segment felt impactful, giving the show a very refereshing feeling.
WINNER: NXT
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
AEW gains points for Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston giving a fair reason for the response to the end of the Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch at Revolution. Kingston being open about why he reacted the way he did was actually positive to hear.
AEW also gains points for continuing to hype Britt Baker vs Thunder Rosa, which has genuinely been one of the few highlights of AEW's women's division in 2021.
AEW gains even more points for giving Christian Cage instant credibility with his interaction against Kenny Omega. I didn't realise that I wanted to see him against Omega, but now I can think of nothing else!
AEW loses points for having numerous interviews interrupted, which felt overused and unnecessary.
NXT gains points for ending the show in such an exciting fashion.
NXT also gains points for presenting the women's division as a really important entity within NXT.
NXT gains even more points for building up LA Knight's debut match as something to watch.
NXT loses no points this week.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: AEW (+3 / -1) / NXT (+3 / -0)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = NXT
With a score of 6 to 3, NXT wins this week's Wednesday Night War. Both shows were incredible, but the overwhelming excitement of this week's episode of NXT was enough to secure the win. Each show had an important and impactful end to their respective episodes, leaving fans excited for the storyline developments over the next few weeks. I absolutely love the war between Dynamite and NXT!
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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