WEDNESDAY NIGHT WAR:
AEW DYNAMITE vs. NXT
FACTOR 1: MATCHES
AEW = The match quality on Dynamite this week was great, with FTR and SCU putting on a superb tag team contest. Both teams were on their A game, with FTR in particular showing just why they are a shrewd acquisition by AEW.
Wardlow vs Luchasaurus was a strong match with numerous near falls. Wardlow had arguably his best performance in an AEW ring, whilst Luchasaurus once again underlined how skilled he is as a worker.
NXT = NXT was main evented by Keith Lee defending his NXT North American Championship against Finn Balor and Johnny Gargano, with all three men putting on a wrestling clinic. It may not have been NXT TakeOver good, but it was still a great offering for television.
Santos Escobar defeated Jake Atlas in a superb match, whilst Cameron Grimes vs Damien Priest was surprisingly competitive. Most of the matches this week were solid efforts, although Dexter Lumis vs Roderick Strong was underwhelming due to focusing on their storyline issues.
WINNER: AEW
FACTOR 2: PROMOS
AEW = The AEW TNT Championship press conference was pure gold, with Arn Anderson putting in a solid promo performance. The entire segment made Cody’s entourage look strong, whilst reinforcing how important the fledging title is.
NXT = The Undisputed Era once again attempted therapy with Roderick Strong, however this segment was not as entertaining as last week’s offering.
WINNER: AEW
FACTOR 3: STORYLINES
AEW = Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy had an arena wide battle, with Cassidy surprisingly coming out on top. Cassidy showed Le Champion just how dangerous he is, with their segment coming across as one of the most entertaining Dynamite segments in months.
NXT = NXT was light on storyline development this week, although they did hint at a feud between Dakota Kai and Io Shirai, with Kai claiming Shirai is in her crosshairs. All she needs to do is win next week’s fatal 4 way match against Mia Yim, Tegan Nox and Candice LeRae to book it in.
It was also entertaining to see Robert Stone continue to court Rhea Ripley, with Ripley refusing to join the Robert Stone brand.
WINNER: AEW
FACTOR 4: SCHEDULING / PACING
AEW = AEW put on a solid episode of Dynamite, with the show being well paced yet again. The match quality was good whilst storylines were suitably advanced.
NXT = NXT was a great episode this week, with the main event delivering big time. There wasn’t a single bad match, whilst the show was well paced and logically booked.
WINNER: AEW
EXTRA CREDIT BONUS ROUND!!!
AEW gains points for Britt Baker’s own personal Pope mobile. Her character has become so insufferable that she is highly entertaining, therefore it was great to see her suffer again and be drowned in garbage.
AEW loses points for Red Velvet losing so quickly. It makes sense for Hikaru Shida to win quickly, but this came at the expense of Velvet’s credibility.
NXT gains points for Rhea Ripley dumping Robert Stone into a dumpster. It was stupid, but strangely entertaining.
NXT also gains points for developing Damien Priest into a truly watchable wrestler.
NXT loses points for being decidedly light on storyline progression this week, as there was a lot more that could have been explored this week.
POINT ADJUSTMENTS: AEW (+1 / -1) / NXT (+2 / -1)
THIS WEEK'S WINNER = AEW
With a score of 4 to 1, AEW wins this week’s Wednesday Night War. Both shows were fun to watch, however Dynamite beat out NXT in every single category. Both shows were entertaining, but AEW was more entertaining by a clear margin.
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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