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 = Christian Cage’s AEW debut match against Frankie Kazarian was an absolute masterpiece! Not only did Cage look like he’d never been away from the ring, but Kazarian looked like a star on his level. A lot of hype was created for this match, but Cage and Kazarian smashed it out of the park.
The Arcade Anarchy match was a fantastic way to end the show, featuring numerous painful and memorable spots. The return of Trent was the icing on the cake, whilst Orange Cassidy and Chuck Taylor deserved their victory.
NXT = Cameron Grimes defeated Roderick Strong in a fun opener, signalling his intent to rise up the ladder on NXT. The Battle Royal match was actually entertaining, with Dexter Lumis and LA Knight using the match to show how strong they are. Overall, the match offerings were good this week on the yellow brand.
WINNER: AEW
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
AEW = Jade Cargill is slowly building up a solid reputation in AEW, and she built upon this with a scathing promo against Red Velvet. It hit all the right notes, which is exactly what she needs if she is to have a tilt at the AEW Women’s Championship.
NXT = NXT featured a number of strong vignettes and promos this week, but nothing was of standout quality.
WINNER: AEW
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
AEW = The Inner Circle returning to take out The Pinnacle was perfectly executed, creating a new sense of intrigue for how these two stables will co-exist. Chris Jericho ended the night on top, but it will be exciting to see what happens next week.
NXT = Io Shirai’s issues with Raquel Gonzalez boiled over this week, leading to a series of attacks and fights. Gonzalez slamming Shirai though a wall was a simply amazing visual, one which added so much importance to their NXT Women’s Championship match.
WINNER: NXT
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
AEW = Dynamite was perfectly paced this week, superbly combining stellar matches with impactful promos.
NXT = NXT was a strongly booked show, featuring solid pacing that made the show enjoyable to watch.
WINNER: AEW
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
AEW gains points for treating Christian Cage’s in ring debut with the respect it needed.
AEW also gains points for trying to give QT Marshall an interesting character. Hopefully his heel turn can be executed properly.
AEW gains even more points for the brutality on show between The Inner Circle and The Pinnacle.
AEW loses no points this week, as it was pretty much a perfect show.
NXT gains points for setting up the matches at NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver in such a strong manner.
NXT also gains points for the strong push that LA Knight is receiving, as he is completely exceeding my expectations.
NXT gains even more points for the Franky vignette, which hopefully turns out to be Taya Valkyrie.
NXT loses no points at all this week for showcasing such a strong show.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: AEW (+3 / -0) / NXT (+3 / -0)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = AEW
With a score of 6 to 4, AEW wins this week’s Wednesday Night War. Both shows were fantastic, but the near flawless presentation from Dynamite was enough to give AEW the win.
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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