We are back after 2 weeks off with our first Combat Sports style scorecard documenting the weekly winner of the Wednesday Night Wars of 2020. Wrestling Should Be Fun Boss Ross Casey is stepping in this week in our new revolving judge spot to join stalwarts JCH and Brum.
NXT leads 6-2 with 3 draws so far, and unlike AEW we don’t reset our scores at the end of the year. Let’s get to the action.
Rd1: 6 women promo plus tag vs Omega/Page/Private Party plus Pac
JCH:NXT kicked off its new year with Rhea Ripley, then we got your standard everyone comes out segment. It was alright the Rhea and Toni interactions were nice. KLR’s annoyance at being interrupted was funny and Candace not even having to say anything was good. The match was decent. Rhea’s dropkicks stand out as well as Io’s general awesomeness. On AEW there was a really nice tag match, also loved the ‘He’s not paying Private party $12’ on Page’s caption. Really enjoyed the tease between Page and Omega but not actually pulling the trigger. They got along for now. AEW takes the win.
AEW 10-9 NXT
Brum:“YOU DON’T EVEN GO HERE”. Top sass from Bianca Belair to kick off NXT. The pre-match shows off just how deep the NXT women’s division is. The match was solid too. On the AEW side, another decent match with more intrigue added to the Omega Pag stuff. Can’t separate these segments in terms of quality.
NXT 10-10 AEW.
Ross:The six-woman promo and resulting match were a mixed bag. It highlighted how strong the NXT women’s division is, but also why promos are not a big part of the NXT UK brand. Bianca Belair provided some great burns on the mic though, and the match itself was a lot of fun. Not that you would know it from the social media posts about this match – thankfully Toni was talked about for in-ring stuff on the weekend!
Of all the wrestlers that I am new to through AEW, Private Party have been my favourite, so I was happy to see them back on my TV screen last week. I always find face v face matches a little jarring as the crowd go quiet or chant both these guys and that was the case here.
However, the action was a slightly better standard than the NXT effort here in my opinion. Both matches were not only entertaining from a wrestling standpoint, but also the angles involved in them. Good start!
AEW 10-9 NXT
Rd 2: Imperium/Forgotten Sons vs Riho/Statlander plus shenanigans
JCH:I liked quite a lot of the Title match on AEW, I really enjoyed the reactions of Baker and Shida to the match and the attack. I didn’t mind the post-match angle either, however the fact that there was a mid-match attack that went on and the match just carried on bugged me. Despite both being heels, which I thought slightly hurt the NXT tag, the Sons and Imperium had a low-key banger here. New gear for Sons (And haircut for Cutler) and there was plenty of nice double teams and good striking which led to a really good TV match. Almost went 10-8, but that would be harsh on Riho and Statlander who were hurt by strange decision making.
NXT 10-9 AEW. NXT 19-19 AEW
Brum:Barthel & Aichner in the next match so this must be an easy NXT win right? Oh no, they are against The Forgotten Sons. Because Imperium are boss, they actually get a good match out of the Paint Dry Express.
As for AEW, we get Riho & Statlander, the two best things about the AEW women’s division so this must be an easy AEW win right? Oh no, the match is just all about the Nightmare Collective.
I’ve been giving the 3 spooky factions an easy ride as I’m holding on to them all uniting under Marty but I’m starting to lose hope now.
10-9 NXT (& The Forgotten Sons win a segment!!!). 20-19 NXT so far.
Ross:I absolutely love Imperium, and they had a great sprint against the Forgotten Sons here. Side note: Cutler is really good. I think Imperium may well be my pick to win the Dusty Rhodes Classic. Heard it here first.
In my opinion, the women’s match and shenanigans were nowhere near as bad as what Twitter had me believe and I found Brandi entertaining on commentary as a troll. We got the debut of a new Nightmare Collective character who looks cartoon fun and the shenanigans played a part in advancing the story.
A dead heat here, I really enjoyed both. A straightforward match and a shenanigan one. Variety is the spice of life! I will say that they aren’t doing much for babyface Riho with this booking. Whether that is purposeful or not in the long term, we will wait to find out!
AEW 10-10 NXT. AEW 20-19 NXT
Rd 3: Theory/Wylde. Vs Daniels/Guevara plus Penta plus Dark Order
JCH:Austin Theory was the recipient of the showcase squash on NXT. I like the way they do these matches with it not being just a quick one-sided beatdown but allows a bit of offence the other way to get the audience familiar with both wrestlers. More ridiculousness on AEW. Pentagon came out mid match to distract Daniels, then seconds later the Dark Order doing the same thing. I did like Grayson taking on about 6 people at once with no regard for his own body, but outside of that the shenanigans made me forget all about the match. Also, how many recruitment angles do you want to run at the same time. Sort it out.
NXT 10-9 AEW. NXT 29-28
Brum:Not a lot to say about the NXT match. I’m glad DJZ is being used as a jobber as not interested in seeing him higher up the card. Austin Theory has more upside than that song by The Gap Band.
Speaking of bags of upside, here’s Sammy Guevara! Unfortunately, he’s against Daniels who I’ve watched wrestle at least 100 times and don’t need to see anymore. Soz lad. The match is OK but Spooky Team 2 turn up the segment after Spooky Team 1 so rinse, repeat. Totally different segments but no idea which was better.
10-10. 30-29 NXT so far.
Ross:OK then, folks. What is going on with Wylde’s new entrance attire? It is certainly attention grabbing, I will give it that! His match against Theory was little to write home about but gave them both exposure. If Theory isn’t a star by the end of 2020 something has gone wrong. What a boy. My wife saw him on screen for like five seconds and said ‘Ugh, he looks annoying.’ That my friends, is the it factor.
I love me some redemption and this Christopher Daniels story is right up my alley. He is a bonafide legend in the business and the fact he is getting this losing slump angle is perfect. His past also means that there are several ways that this can end up with a babyface title win all the way through to him causing a betrayal as the Fallen Angel. Intrigue. I’m in! Also, loved him hitting his moonsault.
AEW 10-9 NXT. AEW 30-28 NXT.
Rd 4: Undisputed Era/Gallus. Vs Rhodes/Lucha Bros
JCH:After watching this match I wondered why NXT booked 4 heel tag teams in the same
portion of the bracket, Ross informed me Gallus were Face. They struggled here; the crowd were into them less than BritWres twitter. AEW had a more interesting tag match, but I wish they would stop pinning Fenix. He is your best wrestler!!! Arn not allowing Cody to bow down to MJF was interesting as well. A rare in ring loss for KOR and Bobby, dragged down by Gallus.
AEW 10-9 NXT. 38-38.
Brum:I cannot believe the Forgotten Sons are wrestling twice tonight! Oh no, it’s just the equally boring Gallus. I’m sure Wolfgang is a nice bloke, but he drains the life out of me. Fortunately for them, they are against the best tag team of the last decade so it’s a good match.
Over on AEW, we get another good tag match. Dustin looked sharp considering this is his 5th decade of wrestling. I also like how Arn is getting involved. It seems almost certain that he’s going to turn on Cody (most likely in the MJF match) and I have no problem with that. AEW slightly edges this one.
10-9 AEW. 39-39 so far.
Ross:After months of watching NXT UK and not really getting the appeal of Gallus, I would like to put my name in the hat and say that in 2020, I AM GALLUS. Their face turn has seen them show so much more personality and their in-ring work now has 300% less nerve holds. Win/win. Unfortunately, Full Sail didn’t seem to care for them and that made a good match look and feel flat. FRG was missing tbh, he would have been well up for it.
Over on AEW, we saw an excellent little bout between the Rhodes Brothers with a feel-good moment for Dustin as he picked up the win (that’s actually four out of 5 of late for old Goldie). Another stalemate for me. Tag team wrestling for the win!
AEW 10-10 NXT. AEW 40-38 NXT
Rd 5: Balor/Gargano. Vs MJF/DDP
JCH:I thought MJF continued to be on good form here and the initial back and forth with DDP I enjoyed. However, I did not like DDP taking out the Butcher and Blade on his own, then MJF and Wardlow running at the sight of QT Marshall. Just batter him. It’s QT Marshall. Gargano and Balor was simple, effective and concise, setting up their match for Portland. They take the segment here.
NXT 10-9 AEW. 48-47 NXT
Brum:The Johnny-Balor promo segment was only a whisker over 4 minutes so was nice and concise but also delivered. Mixed reaction for Johnny at the start – hopefully that doesn’t continue. Over in AEW, MJF live tweeted whilst DDP was talking to him which is gold. Overall though, I thought the NXT promo was tighter & better.
10-9 NXT. 49-48 NXT so far.
Ross:The Balor and Gargano exchange was excellent. I though Gargano was awesome here and worthy of the Johnny Promo tag sarcastically given to him by Balor. A shame that the crowd chose to boo him quite a bit here…
Balor was captivating here too, and he is really shining as a heel in NXT. Their match at NXT Portland should be an absolute banger. Can’t wait!
On the other channel, MJF held the segment together with some sick promo work yet again whilst DDP shilled his business and gave out some Diamond Cutters. For me, this is not particularly intriguing and despite being in great yoga shape, DDP is too slow to be exciting in the ring at his age.
A win for NXT in this one!
NXT 10-9 AEW. AEW 49-48 NXT
Rd 6: Yim/Carter. Plus Chelsea Vs Jurassic Express/Best Friends
JCH:Another one of the sort of showcase squash matches on NXT, with Carter getting a chance to get a bit more over in the crowd. The post-match attack from Chelsea Green with some dude as her manager was intriguing. Look forward to seeing where it goes. On AEW was a fun 6 mammal match with a bit more than usual of Orange Cassidy in the ring. I’ve forgotten who won already, but the action was pretty good.
AEW 10-10 NXT. 58-57 NXT
Brum:In NXT, Mia Yim had a wrestling match. Though the bigger news is Robbie E is now a manager & his first client is Chelsea Green! This felt like such a throwback (in a good way). As much as I liked that debut, AEW gets the win as its match was far better.
10-9 AEW. 58-58 so far.
Ross:The women’s match on NXT was a bit throwaway if I am honest, with the crowd showing even less interest in it than they did for Gallus. However, I did really enjoy the introduction of Chelsea Green and her new manager, the former Robbie E. I am racking my brains at who would be best for this new stable and I am excited by the possibilities. I do kind of wish they had Stokely in this role, though. The AEW six man was wrestling at its most fun, so I can’t give that any less than 10. STALEMATE!
NXT 10-10 AEW. AEW 59-58 NXT
Rd 7: 4 way. Vs Moxley/Inner Circle
JCH:I was loving the twist of Moxley joining the inner circle. I thought it was a great turn and his non-monetary reasons for it made sense. No-one saw it coming and it could have led to a nice 2 man power trip kind of vibe before MOX was ready to either usurp Jericho or turn on him when he had him at his weakest. Instead he turned 5 minutes later which disappointed me. I enjoyed the segment outside of that part though. The performances were all very good. It was blown out of the water for me by the 4 way on NXT as the Keith Lee hype train continues to gather steam. I thought the guys played there parts really well here. Lee and Dijakovic calling back to their previous encounters, Priest trying to prove he can hang with the big lads and Grimes knowing he has to be opportunistic and picking his moments .Lee using Priest as a weapon was great and they did another great cinematographic shot of Lee rising in to the middle of Priest and Dijakovic. Hopefully they don’t do that every time Lee is in a match, but I’ve loved the two uses of it so far,
NXT 10-9 AEW. 68-66 NXT
Brum:Keith Lee is a goddamn megastar. Great 4-way main event in NXT. I wasn’t entirely sure how these 4 would gel but it appears I’m an idiot as it was brilliant. AEW also had a fantastic final segment. You could see it coming a mile off, but wrestling doesn’t always need to be a surprise. This would be a clear win most weeks but sorry Mox, NXT got my juices flowing more.
10-9 NXT. 68-67 NXT so far.
Ross:In terms of the main events, it is hard to truly compare as AEW went with a swerve in-ring promo and NXT went with a frantic 4 way, which are very different things. I always say that wrestling is more than just wrestling and usually, the Moxley finish here would have been enough to win this, but the 4 way was easily the best in-ring content on NXT and wins out here. Keith Lee 4 North American Champ!
NXT 10-9 AEW. 68-68.
Rd 8: Ciampa package, Riddle interview, Shelley announcement, Dusty Classic Vids vs Sabian Promo/Poffo interview
JCH:Easy win for NXT this week, giving all the tag teams time to talk, announcing a Time Splitters reunion. A really nice Ciampa package and the incredible Riddle promo. The Pete Dunne impression probably would have won this on its own.
NXT 10-9 AEW.
Brum:Easy win for NXT on the bonus package segment. Ciampa was the highlight but the Riddle segment was funny and effective. Oh and TIME SPLITTERS ARE BACK BITCHEZ. I can’t give this more than a 10-9 though as it’s essentially auxiliary.
10-9 NXT.
Ross:I absolutely loved the Kip Sabian promo and I love me some Lanny Poffo, but there was never going to be an AEW win here as they were up against possibly my favourite promo of all time over on NXT. The Matt Riddle mic time was incredible, and I love him very much.
NXT 10-9 AEW
Overall
JCH:I didn’t think this was a blow away NXT, but the build-up of frustration with a number of the AEW angles hurt it for me.
NXT 78-75 AEW
Brum:Another win for NXT. AEW still has a lot going for it but it had too many dud segments tonight. NXT keeps doing what they do well. If it’s not broken, why fix it?
NXT 78-76 AEW
Ross:
NXT 78-77 AEW
Winner by Unanimous Decision - NXT
After not having a unanimous decision for the first 8 weeks, we get our 3rd in 4 shows as NXT begins 2020 the same way it ended 2019 with a clean sweep on the judge’s scorecard.
AEW has it all to do now If it’s to come back.
OVERALL SCORECARDS
NXT - 7 (by split decision - 3, by majority decision - 2, by unanimous decision - 2)
Draw -3 (2 majority draws, 1 split draw)
AEW - 2 (by majority decision - 1, by unanimous decision -1)
INDIVIDUAL SCORECARDS:
JCH: NXT - 8; Draw - 2 AEW - 2
Brum: NXT - 4; Draw - 4; AEW - 4
Matt C: NXT - 4; Draw - 1; AEW – 4
Ross: NXT - 3; Draw - 0; AEW - 0
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