WWE NXT vs AEW Dynamite: Who Won the Wrestling Wars?
This past Wednesday marked the start of something new in the
world of professional wrestling. A new era, a new war, new times. With WWE’s NXT
going head to head with the debut of AEW’s weekly show it was an eventful night
taking part in a historic and jam-packed wrestling week. Now, while both shows
delivered to an incredible standard when you take an in-depth look just which company
truly won the first round of wrestling wars? WWE or AEW?
The Opening
Starting with NXT and the opening really was something
special. The WWE wasted no time grabbing the attention of fans and making an impact when Adam Cole defended his NXT Championship against Matt Riddle. A must
contest this was a bout between two of the company’s biggest names and boy did
they deliver! The matchup between the pair was just as good as expected with
the contest a sure standout of the evening and the year! This was a match that
could have main evented any wrestling show however, the decision to book this
as the opening match was a very smart move on the WWE’s behalf. It left fans
captivated straight away, set the bar and sent a very clear message. No time
was wasted, and they went straight to providing one heck of a wrestling match
that had fans glued to their screens and up on their feet!
Over in AEW the opening contest was simply brilliant but
also very important. The contest between Sammy Guevara and Cody Rhodes really
did have meaning. It told a basic story of veteran vs up and comer and the
young Guevara showcased his cocky and arrogant attitude from the get-go. This
was an exciting match full of close calls, great spots, and simple but effective
storytelling. It was a smart move to open the show with a match that puts over
a young star despite the loss and sets the bar extremely high for the rest of
evening.
Surprises
The biggest surprise of the evening defiantly, in my opinion, came from the return of Finn Balor. Making his NXT comeback this was a decision
I didn’t see coming at all and never could have predicted. Balor’s surprise
return to the black and gold brand confronting Adam Cole made for a truly epic
standout moment of the evening and again sent a clear message! With Balor once
again apart of the NXT roster the plot really does thicken! The competition is
even hotter, there are an array of must-see matches involving the former
champion and the landscape has changed massively with this major former
Universal Champ standing tall in NXT.
Keeping on the theme of NXT surprise returns and my for sure
favourite moment of the entire night came from Tommaso Ciampa’s shock return
closing the show and standing toe to toe with Adam Cole. Now, if you know me you
know that I am a huge Ciampa fan and this unexpected comeback had me screaming
at my laptop screen at three am with no shame! Another huge surprise the WWE
pulled off amazingly well. Let these shock returns be something the WWE use in
the future for it really does work. The company proved last night they can pull
off surprises well and leave fans genuinely legitimately stunned!
We had tw brilliant surprises this week on AEW Dynamite when
Jon Moxley made an appearance and attacked Kenny Omega. This was again one of
my favourite moments of the entire evening and I did mark out for Moxley at a
very late time here in the UK. This brawl was fantastic and I honestly cannot wait to see more of this feud! The second surprise came from Jake Hagers debut for AEW when he took out everyone in sight! A clear dominant force in AEW he is sure to make a huge impact and have an interesting position on the roster.
Young Stars Making an Impact
One of the most interesting moments of the evening saw both
MJF and Velveteen Dream cut a promo at what I believe was the exact same time which
really did speak volumes. Both brands have their young up and coming stars and
twenty-three and twenty-four MJF and the Dream truly are the future of pro
wrestling and the strong characters are sure to be standouts for both
companies and important factors.
The Women’s Division
The women’s division work over in NXT was very strong this
week. Mia Yim and Io Shairi put on one of my favourite matches of the night
proving they are both most certainly future champions in their own right. The
exciting bout was a brilliant showing for both women and the action delivered
left me and everyone else watching genuinely hooked! Amazing work. We also saw
Shayna Baszler defend her NXT Women’s Championship against Candice LeRae in
what was again a brilliant match up! Far better than I ever could have expected
to this be, this bout stood out as one of Baszler’s best matches as champ and
highlighted how far she has come. The WWE was smart when booking their women’s
division this week over on NXT. This is where they have the edge and they
proved and took advantage of that.
The women’s division in AEW is something that evidently needs
working and neds more focus and time but we are extremely new to things here so
lets not give the company too much stick on this! Now, last night we saw the
first AEW Women’s champion crowned and the contest between Nyla Rose and Rhio
made for a great match up. Both women are incredibly different in the ring and the contest really did leave
fans completely hooked on their feet. They had the time they deserved to compete
and the company proved there is amazing work coming from their women’s division
so watch this space! Riho not only walked away champion but she has become a
true fan favourite and won the hearts of fans everywhere!
Developing Storylines
Both shows really did spend some time developing new and
fresh storylines/angles for the coming weeks. Over in NXT Damien Priest set his
sights on Pete Dunne in what is sure to be a huge rivalry delivering its fare
share of epic encounters. Its also great to see Priest finally involved in a
storyline and it will be very exciting to see more of him and his move set.
Over in AEW, it was vital to focus on creating new storylines
and we saw that kick-starting when Chris Jericho attacked Cody Rhodes. An inevitable
rivalry promising some great work in the coming weeks. Keep your eyes on this
growing feud between what looks to be Jericho’s first major opponent and challenger
for the AEW championship.
The Main Event
The main event for NXT this week was great. The Street Profits
truly showcased how far they have come and there is no denying how brilliant
and true all-round talents the pair are. Did it feel like a main event? That’s something
I’m unsure of still. The match was excellent and had everything you could ask
for and I can completely see why it was booked to close the show. Its rounded
things up perfectly and tied in with the opening incredibly well. Again, what
this done more than anything was show that the WWE can indeed make a show make
sense and tie together well and while we did see this on the main roster shows
NXT provides weekly content that draws you in and makes sense!
The AEW main event was equally as exciting and again focused
on that tag team element of pro wrestling. We had to major single stars in Jericho
and Omega in the ring along with tag team standouts The Young Bucks and former
IMPACT stars LAX. Now, AEW really did shake things up here. We didn't actually see all too much of actual wrestling due to the appearance of Moxley and then of Jake but what this main event did was set the tone for AEW. It ended the night on a major high and genuinely left fans desperate for more unable to wait for the next week and that right there is how you pull off an epic wrestling show!
Its clear both NXT and AEW Dynamite where amazing shows with
both companies providing fantastic shows full of amazing wrestling. Now, while
Hangman Page and Pac’s one on one encounter was a true highlight and one of my
favourite matches of the week so far I have to be honest and say that
personally, this time around I did enjoy NXT that tad bit more. This came down
to the surprise returns of the likes of Ciampa and Balor but also the standard
of the women’s competition and the opening match up which in my opinion was the
best match of both shows. What was clear was the fact the WWE Were trying very
hard to prove a point and bring in those ratings.
Over in AEW they really did focus on their unique elements. There
was a great focus on young up and coming talent, I loved the feel of wins and
loses meaning something the feeling of a new era ran throughout the night. Now the
overall standard of wrestling was raised extremely high last night with these
two shows going head to head and competition aside this really is a great time
to be a wrestling fan!
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