Hi folks! Yesterday, we saw yet another great night of wrestling in the 4th week of the Wednesday Night War. What am I enjoying about this so far? Is there’s really not much to criticize. It may seem like I’ve been playing on the fence somewhat, but I assure you that is not the case.
Wednesday Night War – Week #4
AEW Dynamite
We’re getting through the tag team tournament nicely and the card is loaded. Also the main event is Pac vs. Jon Moxley.
The Good
- The one consistent thing about Dynamite is its great curtain jerkers. And The Lucha Brothers always deliver the goods no matter who they work with. Luckily they were up against two young bucks (Private Party) who wouldn’t slow them down, and them going to the final is the right choice here; I’m predicting they’ll become the first AEW World Tag Team Champions.
- While some were not as excited by the second tag match, the crowd got really into it after The Inner Circle made their presence known. And I didn’t think it was a bad idea having Jericho (& co.) come out mid-match as it gave ’em heat for drawing attention away from the wrestling. The Dark Order is the kind of team that will grow on people, and they are certainly not there to be flashy with crazy spots; although their gimmick needs development. SCU are pretty over, and luckily they have not been hurt by Daniels’ absence.
- I felt like Joey Janela needed to prove why he has a job, and the last couple of weeks has proven he belongs. Janela’s got exceptional chemistry with Kenny Omega, and a repeat of their Dark match is just what the doctor ordered. This topped off an amazing first hour of wrestling.
- A third tag match? Well, it goes to show how much depth AEW has in their division. I don’t think we needed to see Best Friends vs. Young Bucks this week, but it certainly helped to get the Bucks back in to winning ways. It’s all to set up Bucks vs. Ortiz & Santana at Full Gear; which we know will be a slobberknocker.
- I didn’t know who Jamie Hayter is, but I sure do now. Yes, some of her heel mannerisms might have been over the top, but it’s better than having none at all. One of the best female wrestlers on the roster if AEW decide to sign her. She will improve incredibly if given time to flourish .. and I ain’t being biased because she’s English either.
- The whole Inner Circle vs. Cody, Dustin, MJF and DDP segment. Kevin Nash tried to critique it .. but it’s very nitpicky and I do not accept his sentiments. A very fun segment, and hopefully something we see more of.
The Bad
- Britt Baker still struggles to impress. And in her hometown, it seemed like the crowd was booing when the match wouldn’t end. Perhaps they cared more for the main event than supporting the hometown girl? Either way, she’s been featured a lot and has only enjoyed a decent reception in ‘Brittsburgh’.
- While I approved of the time limit draw in the main event, I didn’t enjoy the snail’s pace. With Justin Roberts announcing the intervals, you’d figure Pac would pick it up and show more urgency. But he stood around looking at his downed opponent for long periods, and they waited til what .. the last two minutes to pick it up? They needed to show it a few minutes earlier to stress the importance of the end looming. The match wasn’t as great as I hoped, but at least it did the job of continuing the feud on to Full Gear. At least it didn’t end with crazy hijinx like every other Dynamite main event so far.
- More a confusing point than bad, but Brandi Rhodes’ finger point of doom .. what was that about??
- Cody needs to get the “other company” (WWE) out of his mouth prompto, before everyone thinks he’s bitter.
WWE NXT
After beating AEW last week in the Wednesday Night War (imo), did NXT continue its momentum in to this show? Looking at the scheduled main event, I knew it would tear the house down.
The Good
- Big fan of Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair, so it was nice seeing them start. The match could’ve been better, but at least it stamps in the fact that Ripley is Baszler’s next challenger.
- Matt Riddle vs. Cameron Grimes .. wow! Knew it was going to be great and they certainly delivered. Grimes gained a ton from this, despite taking his first loss.
- I was more into The Forgotten Sons match this week, although it’s kinda dumb they were beaten by a randomly thrown together team. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott is clearly a future star, which is what NXT is all about.
- Missed part of the Garza vs. Gallagher match, but Lio did a great job of putting Garza over; he needed this after losing to Ciampa last week. It’s kinda sad to see Gallagher lost in the shuffle though. I first saw Garza in Impact Wrestling, and knew from that moment he would follow in the footsteps of his uncle Héctor Garza and Eddie Guerrero.
- The main event! What can I say? It was awesome and gave Strong a huge win. The Finn Balor turn was one of the best I have ever seen in NXT, and it sets up a whole new range of opponents for him to work with. Gargano vs. Balor is bound to be a match of the year candidate, and I can’t wait to see how Finn changes his image now he’s turned his back on everyone. Also, we have to ask if he has joined The Undisputed Era? Or is he going it alone and choosing not to get in their way?
The Bad
- After Baszler refused Tegan Nox’s title challenge last week, we get a match with the new duo of Nox & Dakota Kai against her minions (who are still green as grass). I guess officials wanted a match with Asuka & Kairi Sane, but is this all they have? Can’t they have done more to earn this opportunity? Nitpicky stuff I know, but I had to find something to slot in here.
The Winner
After watching the fourth Wednesday Night War episodes, this is one of the toughest things to decide for multiple reasons. Firstly, I think AEW won the first hour with no question. So much happened in that first hour that NXT couldn’t really compete outside of Riddle vs. Grimes. Secondly, I think NXT had possibly match of the night in their main event, while Pac & Moxley plodded along to what many predicted would end in a draw.
What is a concern to me is the women’s divisions of both shows. They’re struggling because many of the talents still need a year or two to get established and find what works for them. AEW could really do with a Tessa Blanchard type to carry things, but she’s still signed with Impact Wrestling. So while it’s commendable to feature the women on each show, it seems they are not drawing as much as they possibly could be.
The fact that WWE can bring in talents like Finn Balor, Asuka and Kairi Sane, makes the transition for the next generation a little easier. AEW has to rely on former WWE guys to get new stars over, and sometimes they can be too generous (like Jericho needing Hager to help him beat a tied up Darby Allin); although fans would soon complain if they were clearly getting preferential treatment.
How can I pick a winner here? It’s giving me a headache. The quality of positives for AEW outweighed NXT’s (minus the main event) .. but there’s nothing bad I can say about NXT. Honestly, I think AEW was winning by a hair til Finn Balor’s moment. The way he did it totally turned things on its head and made me question whether I could side one way or the other. However, I’m going to be brave by saying NXT won by the tiniest of margins. NXT was better planned out and got better over time, unlike Dynamite. Both shows were great, and it took way too long to come to a decision. Thanks for reading guys! See you next week for the milestone fifth installment.
Wednesday Night War – WWE NXT vs AEW Dynamite
