WWE NXT vs AEW Dynamite: Who won the Wednesday Night Wars? (December 11th, 2019)

By Gary Cassidy
Modified Dec 13, 2019 02:30 IST
It's the Wednesday Night Wars!
It's the Wednesday Night Wars!

Last week, the 'Wednesday Night Wars' were closer than ever in terms of viewership figures, which put extra weight on the importance of this week's episodes of WWE NXT and AEW Dynamite.

With only 6,000 viewers between the shows, both WWE and AEW would have felt like it was all to play for this week - but who delivered the better show? Let's take a look back at both shows before I deliver my verdict.

WWE NXT

A new champion crowned - and that wasn't the only news!
A new champion crowned - and that wasn't the only news!

Last night's NXT kicked off with an absolute barnstormer of a match, as Lio Rush defended his NXT Cruserweight Championship against Angel Garza. Well, as most people expected, this was high octane, high intensity, nonstop action and set a pretty high bar for match of the night. Not only was a new champion crowned, but Garza would make the most of his opportunity and propose to his girlfriend who, of course, said yes - doubling Garza's cause for celebration!

Next up, Raul Mendoza would seek his revenge on Cameron Grimes after the latter stole Mendoza's chance to face Kushida last week - and vengeance would be delivered with a little help from the distraction of Kushida.

NXT UK star Travis Banks also showed the WWE Universe on the other side of the pond what he was made of as the 'Kiwi Buzzsaw' was involved in a very physical encounter with Jaxson Ryker!

The physicality of those matches, though, would be nothing compared to what was next, as more revenge was sought. Mia Yim looked to make amends for Dakota Kai's attack that removed her from the Women's WarGames Match a few weeks ago. Kai would pick up the win through nefarious means, but Yim wasn't taking the defeat lightly.

In what had to be one of the most insane moments of the night, Yim would attack her opponent after the bell, and drive Kai through a table from the tech area in an immensely brutal spot.

A match that would be entertaining, but still feel slightly like filler would be Breezango vs The Singh Brothers. It's always great to see all four of these guys on television, and all four are great talents - both in-ring and just as entertainers. Breezango picked up the win, but this wasn't the best match we'll ever see.

More women's action was up next, with the highly praised Bianca Belair against the up-and-coming Kayden Carter. Carter arguably should have won this one, as Belair doesn't really need the win, with the EST being stuck in limbo right now as a dominant talent on the outside of the title picture looking in. Entertaining, but - much like the previous tag team match - not immensely meaningful.

Well, if those matches weren't meaningful, the main event most definitely was with a shot at Adam Cole's NXT Championship up for grabs on next week's edition of NXT. This was ALWAYS going to be a classic. With the build of the last few weeks and the intertwining rivalries of everyone wanting a shot at the top prize, there was no way this match would be anything short of great - and it really was. You felt that Keith Lee was really the fan favorite here and the man with all the momentum, but recent NXT returnee Finn Balor would pick up the win and book his spot in next week's NXT Championship Match against Adam Cole!

AEW announced their next PPV last night!
AEW announced their next PPV last night!

AEW Dynamite

Last night's AEW Dynamite kicked off with a bang - almost literally - as Jon Moxley smashed the record for the quickest ever victory in AEW by defeating Alex Reynolds in 14 seconds to kick off the show, before Chris Jericho would interrupt his celebration, flanked by the Inner Circle. Jericho would offer Moxley a t-shirt, and a place in the group.

Next up was the much anticipated in-ring debut of Butcher and The Blade, who took on Cody and QT Marshall. While it was cool to see the former debut, this match wasn't a classic by any means, and the best part was undoubtedly the Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin interaction to end the match. Big Swole would make her dynamite debut, and do so in incredibly impressive fashion, getting an emphatic win over Emi Sakura. Yet again, this match wasn't a five-star encounter by any means, but Big Swole showed glimpses of a major star in the making.

Kenny Omega and Hangman Adam Page would take on Shawn Spears and Kip Sabian. This match was incredibly entertaining, but the real story came as the lights went out and Joey Janela stood over a tied up Tully Blanchard - and yet again, Kenny Omega showed just why he's one of the best wrestlers in the world. MJF would also cut an insanely good promo, thus keeping up AEW's reputation of having amazingly passionate promos.

Fan-favorite Luchasaurus would defeat Sammy Guevara in an entertaining encounter which saw Chris Jericho and Jake Hager remove Excalibur and Tony Schiavone from commentary, taking over themselves before rushing the ring. Arguably the pop of the night came as Jungle Boy pinned Jericho while Marko Stunt counted the three - perhaps foreshadowing next week's match.

Meanwhile, AEW would announce Revolution - their next pay-per-view taking place on February 29th at Chicago's Wintrust Arena.

The undoubted match of the night was the main event. The Young Bucks defeated Proud and Powerful in a 20-minute long Texas Street Fight that saw one Buck being stuck in a bin, while the other used a Dallas Cowboys hat to get the better of Santana and Ortiz - with the AEW EVPs taking home the win and booking their ticket to a Tag Team Championship shot next week.

So, which show was better?
So, which show was better?

Verdict

So, what's the verdict? Well, NXT and AEW seem to be trading blows right now. Two weeks ago, I chose NXT. Last week, AEW was the more entertaining show, and...

The pattern continues.

For me, NXT was undoubtedly the more entertaining show this week. AEW was by no means bad, but the first hour, following the Jon Moxley match, seemed pretty slow paced and disjointed in parts. The high points were undoubtedly MJF's promo, Kenny Omega and the main event, but there were quite a few lows. Meanwhile, NXT was a pretty fluid, solid show full of entertaining matches with much higher stakes.

Both shows were enjoyable, and I'm glad I get to watch both - but on tonight's performance, I'm most looking forward to NXT next week following a great show from start to finish.

The one thing I always say - what a time to be a wrestling fan. Wednesday nights are quickly becoming the most exciting day of the week, no matter if you support WWE, AEW, or both - and I really can't wait to see what happens on both of next week's shows, with some pretty incredible matches set for both episodes thus far!

Who do you think won the week? Let us know via the poll below!

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