Hi everyone! We’re in to the 11th week of the Wednesday Night War. WWE NXT looks to fire back after narrowly losing out in the ratings last week, while AEW Dynamite wants to maintain an upwards trend; as we head toward the New Years in the Wednesday Night War.
Wednesday Night War – Week #11
AEW Dynamite
It was so close in the ratings last week, but can AEW Dynamite do it one more time?
The Good
– Jericho’s promo and invitation to Moxley was nicely executed (even though it referenced their WWE feud heavily). It makes sense for Le Champion to ask him to join the Inner Circle, and it gives us some teases leading in to Revolution.
– Plugging Pro Wrestling Guerilla? Wow, that’s neat. Many fans don’t know about The Young Bucks’ past and what they’re capable of.
– Think they did a good job introducing TB3 (that’s my adopted name for The Blade, The Butcher, The Bunny), and even more surprised by the QT Marshall chant. Darby Allin getting Cody off the floor was a nice touch as well.. like he was telling his boss to move forward and not show disappointment.
– Ok, so The Dark Order’s recruiting jobbers now? This is great stuff. They could become the biggest stable in wrestling thanks to this amazing ad campaign.
– Big Swole definitely has potential. It’s probably too early to saw how much, but she’s got the ring skills to carry herself for a while. Making her in to a sellable character is the next step.
– Loving the new attitude from Hangman Page! Don’t let Kenny take all the glory. I still think they need to do more with Shawn Spears, but hopefully they find him a decent tag team partner soon. Also Penelope Ford’s hurricanrana was a thing of beauty!
– Jericho & Hager kicking Excalibur and Tony Schiavone off the table and saying Jim Ross is the only guy that matters. The commentary was actually pretty fun, even from Hager. The following match was alright, although it was bound to end with a brawl so Jungle Boy can get some offense in on Le Champion.
– They needed a bit more time for the main event, but regardless.. it was a worthy main event filled with table spots and other crazy things. Apparently Nick worked through it with the flu, so kudos to him for going the extra mile!
The Bad
– Still finding it necessary to directly or indirectly mention WWE, comes across as a grand waste of time. You don’t see WWE advertising AEW on purpose (and when they do it by accident, they regret it).
– Brandi Rhodes was better this week because it was pre-recorded. But she didn’t say anything more than what’s already been said, and I guess we got to see her rub a bald man’s head? It’s kinda similar to The Dark Order with its dark undertones, except in a way which does not instill confidence.
WWE NXT
After what I called a “flawless” show last week (despite losing in the ratings), could WWE NXT keep the momentum flowing with another excellent outing?
The Good
– Angel Garza vs. Lio Rush was the best match and moment of the week (on any show, even SmackDown which has yet to air)! This may be my favourite buildup to a Cruiserweight title match in the history of WWE. Also, Garza proposing to his girlfriend immediately afterwards added so much to an already amazing moment. I applaud Garza, Rush, and everyone involved with this rivalry.
– Raul Mendoza absolutely deserved to get his own back on Cameron Grimes after what happened last week, and it looks like Grimes is set to feud with Kushida for a while.
– Although I’m still yet to be a fan of Travis Banks, it made a nice change to see him and especially Jaxson Ryker get some time to show their skills. Didn’t like the result though.
– Dakota Kai needed the win over Mia Yim pretty badly, but what happened after is what fans will remember. Kai seemed to hit her head pretty hard on the table they didn’t go through, so I hope she’s alright and has no concussion.
– The main event was excellent and easily PPV quality on free television. I was rooting for Lee, but was expecting one of the others to pick up the win. It makes sense for Balor to get the nod here, because he talked a HUGE game upon his return to NXT, so his words would’ve been empty had they not pushed him quickly. It’s possible WWE wants to get Adam Cole on the main roster for 2020, which makes next week’s title match intriguing.
The Bad
– A few throwaway matches this week, with either little meaning or no promise of continued rivalries. Breezango vs. The Singh’s felt like a waste of time for Breezango, while Bianca Belair predictably triumphed over Kayden Williams. Honestly, the best things about this show happened at the start and end (with Mia Yim putting Kai through the table the only exception).
The Winner
Before I saw the rating, I was calling this a draw. And after seeing the rating, I say the same.. although I really wish both shows hadn’t lost viewership. The winners of the Wednesday Night War are the fans, but the trend is troubling in the way both shows are seeing a slow, steady decline in viewership. The appeal of this war is not as prominent as it was, and it’s gonna’ take a lot to get this rivalry back on track.
I’d say there’s not been enough shockers lately. Clearly there’s been good shows all around, but there’s a lack of surprises and storylines we can seriously sink our teeth in to. AEW is trying so hard to make new stars, while NXT’s getting on with who they have. There’s no PPVs for a while, so this could be why it feels like not much is happening. There’s a lack of urgency because they need to save the best stuff for when they’re closer to PPV. Luckily for us, officials of both companies realized the importance of the December 18th episode; so next week is likely to be of PPV quality.
And with it being a draw, my personal tally is up to 4-4-3. It remains a stalemate for anyone who can enjoy wrestling shows evenly, while the diehard loyalists will probably be more frustrated with the declining viewership. Let’s hope next week’s episodes see a significant rise before we take a break for Christmas. Thanks for reading guys! See you next week for the 12th edition of Wednesday Night War.
Wednesday Night War – WWE NXT vs AEW Dynamite
