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Last weekend, All Elite Wrestling's premier event, Double or Nothing lived up to the hype. It was a smash success. Afterward, many fans wondered how WWE would respond. Raw and SmackDown's typical lethargic presentation didn't inspire much confidence that Vince McMahon's titan would start changing its ways. The initiative would be left, as usual, to NXT.
NXT TakeOver: XXV opened with an assurance that it was "the true alternative" out there. The target of the barb was obvious.
With rumors swirling that AEW's show on TNT will land on Wednesdays instead of Tuesdays this coming fall, it appears likely (as of now) that Triple H's brainchild will go head to head with AEW for viewership. The announcement of NXT UK TakeOver: Cardiff, to take place on the same day as All Out, made that very clear. In this sense, NXT is acting as the vanguard of WWE.
So how did the two do against one another in their first battle? Let's compare and contrast the two shows in a few crucial areas.
Production
Double or Nothing had a better stage. The poker chips were a nice aesthetic which hammered home the theme of the show. WWE just doesn't do stuff like that anymore (unless it comes in the form of putting objects everywhere to hammer home a gimmick PPV), even with NXT. The dual entrance tunnels was also a nice touch.
Nevertheless, if there's one thing WWE is consistently great on, it's in video production. The promos that aired at TakeOver to introduce the matches were better than at Double or Nothing.
There's also the matter of the embarrassing bell ring in the Joshi match, which was actually preceded by a video flub introducing the wrong person.
AEW will get better at producing shows with time, but this is an area WWE is still clearly ahead on.
Box score:
TakeOver - 1
Double or Nothing - 0
Atmosphere
Both shows had highly intense crowds. The fans were into it nearly from beginning to end. Double or Nothing had the more prestigious venue with the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas, which helped it feel like the place to be compared to TakeOver. On the flip side, TakeOver was served by a shorter, more concise run time, where Double or Nothing felt like it went on an hour too long.
Nevertheless, for reasons we'll get into later, Double or Nothing kept fans engaged throughout the entire night. There was a novelty factor that TakeOver, despite its beloved status, just couldn't produce. TakeOver delivered in all the ways its known for, but Double or Nothing had the element of surprise.
Overall, it's really hard to call this one. The atmosphere of both shows was incredible. So I'm going to call it even. What do you think?
Box score:
TakeOver - 2
Double or Nothing - 1
Wrestling
While it was my opinion that no individual match at TakeOver: XXV could quite match the combination of action and storytelling that Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes delivered at Double or Nothing, there was no doubt that TakeOver was the stronger wrestling show. Matt Riddle vs. Roderick Strong blew away Double or Nothing's pre-show and first matches and the show didn't look back from there. Even the worst match on the night, Shayna Baszler vs. Io Shirai, showed up the two women's matches on the Double or Nothing card.
Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole, of course, delivered a classic main event that easily exceeded Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho. Kenny might well be the best wrestler in the world, but there's no doubt that he had to slow down for his opponent, and that hurt the action.
If you want a few solid hours of action-packed wrestling, TakeOver is the show that you should watch.
Box score:
TakeOver XXV - 3
Double or Nothing - 1
Spectacle
A professional wrestling event isn't just about the actual wrestling, though. Spectacle is important. Vince McMahon knew that well when he set up the first WrestleMania in 1985.
As far as spectacle goes, Double or Nothing easily exceeded TakeOver: XXV, and it wasn't just because of the novelty factor. Cody vs. Dustin was a moment that will define both of their careers. The former Goldust probably had his biggest moment ever at the ripe age of 50.
Aside from that, there was the shock appearance of Awesome Kong in the women's match, which got the place buzzing, but that was just a preview of things to come.
The biggest story was the AEW debut of Jon Moxley. The former Dean Ambrose caused the place to come unglued and he laid out both Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega to end the show on the highest note possible.
Box score:
TakeOver: XXV - 3
Double or Nothing - 2
So, TakeOver XXV comes away with the victory, but it was by no means a landslide. With more experience in producing shows, AEW is only going to get better still.
If NXT feels the need to step up its game to compete with AEW, we can only expect even better times ahead. We can only hope the main roster actually follows suit.
