It’s week 21 of the combat sports style scorecard directing the Wednesday Night Wars. Joining regulars (and upset cancelled holidayers) Brum and JCH for his monthly spot is Ross ‘The Boss’ Casey. AEW had their 4 week winning run snapped last week when a win would have brought them level at 8-8 overall. Instead its 9-7 to NXT with week 21 to come below.
Yet again Brum was a hero and took control of the segments whilst I had real life getting in the way, so yet again I am putting him first! Thanks Brum.
Form Guide:
Week 20 - NXT split decision
Week 19 - AEW unanimous decision.
Week 18 - AEW Majority decision.
Week 17 - AEW unanimous decision
Week 16 - AEW split decision.
R1) Cody/Ortiz + post-match VS Lee/Grimes + post-match
Brum: Good match to kick things off in NXT. I didn't like their segment last week (it was on the wrong side of a 10-8) but they delivered in the ring. The post match was fun and interested to see where it goes next week.
AEW opener was also decent but a shade less entertaining than its NXT counterpart. I'm also bummed by the Archer reveal. I loved the Jake segment last week (it was on the right side of a 10-8) and was really hoping his protégé would be Brodie Lee.
I know Archer had a great back end to 2019 (go watch his Ospreay match from the G1 if you haven't seen it) but I think he's in the top 10 least cool characters in wrestling. He looks like he still listens to nu-metal and is one of those wankers that reads self help books because he doesn't have the emotional intelligence to develop without the words of a snake oil salesman (though maybe that does fit with Roberts?).
I accept that I'm extrapolating a lot from a man's appearance but I'm definitely right. And I'm not giving a round to the Mudvayne version of Big Cass, even if he is with Jake.
NXT 10-9.
JCH: Cody and Ortiz was fine, I was not a fan of Archer just walking out with Jake in the crowd. Not a great follow up in my opinion. The post-match with Jericho killing Nick Jackson was good. I love a mouth bleeding after a garage door on the chest spot.
Keith Lee and Cameron Grimes was a better match and also had some good post match shenanigans. It was like the Emirates Stadium 2014 with Keith Lee as Andre Marriner, Damien Priest as Oxlade-Chamberlain and Dijakovic as the mistakenly identified Kieron Gibbs.
Last week in the group chat I was chastised (especially by Shafi) for giving a Lee/Grimes segment a draw with a Jake Roberts segment, well this week they take the full three points. Come at me BRO.
NXT 10-9 AEW
Ross: I sit on the side of James from last week, that Grimes is an expert at getting under the skin of wrestling fans and that certainly continued here. The fans continued to berate him and it made for a great atmosphere in the opener.
The match was good and the right man won. I loved the post-match angle, it didn't feel forced and I am interested to see where they go with it. In my opinion, Lee is ready to be a main-eventer and whilst some will be irked that the feud with Dijakovic must continue, I love the potential of a 4 way between these guys for the North American title and think either Grimes, Priest or Dijakovic can handle the belt well.
Over on the other side Ortiz and Cody had a good little match too, with plenty of story enhancement. I love Cody at the moment. A pure babyface - even throwing away his weight belt and not using it on his opponent, unlike natural heel Hogan.
The introduction of Archer was clever. He is an alpha but under Jake Roberts' tutelage, he was a menacing presence at ringside, not just a brute. With Jake, Archer will be a brute with psychology. Love it.
The match being won by submission and not the Cross Rhodes was a smart way to introduce the rules for Blood & Guts and I enjoyed the silliness of Nick Jackson being under a door.
I really enjoyed both openings here, but I just about edge it to AEW.
AEW 10-9 NXT.
R2) Nyla&Bea/Statlander&Shida VS Yim/Kai
Brum: I quite liked Kai and Yim. I wasn't too excited when I saw they were paired together again but it was a solid match. I'm hoping Yim is taken out of the ladder match so Kai can keep up her run of dishonestly sneaking into matches.
AEW tag match was alright too. I'm glad Nyla got the win and we didn't get the trope of someone pinning Nyla's partner to set up a title feud. With that said, the Bea attack was a bit odd. We've seen nothing of her and she's a really dislikable character so a 1 on 1 Nyla feud would be strange. They may just be layering the division though which isn't a bad thing.
10-10. NXT 20-19 so far.
JCH: Bloody hell, I’ll tell you who absolutely loves Bea Priestley. Jim Ross. He was super into her. As if she was 1999 Steve Austin. I quite liked both these matches. I love Shida. So was a little disappointed to see her title challenge seemingly gone already. Stone Cold Bea Pristley with the heel on heel violence at the end. I think i’ll give AEW the nod here. As it left me intrigued.
AEW 10-9 NXT. 19-19
Ross: My lord am I huge fan of Dakota Kai. She has been exceptional since turning heel and the added layer of Raquel Gonzalez has been an excellent addition to her. It is everything I hoped the pairing of Jinny and The Alpha Female would be.
This match was brilliantly entertaining, Yim got a hard fought win and enters the ladder match (remember how much fun her last one was) but the lasting impression was Gonzalez kicking ass again. I'm into it.
Now I am torn here. The wrestling was probably better over on AEW although Bea had a few missteps, but I felt that the NXT match accomplished more for the characters. Plus, the AEW fans chanted Holy Shida which doesn't fit the holy shit chant structure and gets a minus point.
Therefore I am scoring this one to bae.
NXT 10-9 AEW. 19-19.
R3) MJF&BBB/Jurassic Express VS Kushida/Mendoza
Brum: Mendoza and KUSHIDA's seminar on making the most of a sub 4 minute match was a delight. Glad that KUSHIDA is still doing stuff. Hopefully he gets something meatier post Mania season.
Fine 6 man over in AEW though sloppy in parts. The Jurassic Express 6 man matches work well as all 3 men are good hot tags but in totally different ways. This was one of their weaker outings though. Still enjoyable but nothing more.
NXT 10-9. NXT 30-28 so far.
JCH: KUSHIDA is the best. He’s so good. Smashing these little matches. Fair play to Mendoza for being a strong dance partner. I like Luchasaurus, I like Jungle Boy, I think Marko Stunt is a bit shit. Match was fine, but my main memory is Marko Stunt is annoying and there was a terrible late break up of a 3 count. KUSHIDA wins.
NXT 10-9 AEW. 29-28 NXT
Ross: What to do about KUSHIDA? He is bloody brilliant, but at the moment he feels massively lost. The are certainly not holding back in terms of production - his entrance is cool and his wrestling remains crisp as fuck, but he's not really sinking his teeth into anything at the moment. Hoping they find the spot for him soon. The match was good and the finish was lovely, however.
The ref count screw-up aside, the AEW six man tag was loads of clusterfuck fun and MJF winning over Marko Stunt was perfect for his character. Got to give it to AEW in this one.
AEW 10-9 NXT. 29-28 AEW.
R4) Death Triangle/Janela & PP VS Nox/Purazzo
Brum: Nox and Purazzo also did OK with a short match but no where near KUSHIDA and Mendoza. Purazzo's arm bars naturally make matches more exciting as they look brutal.
With that said, easy win for AEW with the first match for Death Triangle. My only criticism of the match was the execution of their new mad finisher. It was a great visual but did they get the mechanics right? Something looked awry.
AEW 10-9. NXT 39-38 so far.
JCH: A win for Teagan. Go Teagan! The NXT women’s mid card is being built well and long may it continue. Sadly for Tegan and Deonna today they are up against the Death Triangle. 2 of the top 10 wrestlers in the world (possibly top 5) and an absolute charisma machine in Pentagon. They could have been wrestling 3 brooms and had a decent chance at the win. Here they had actual humans who were in the match so its a win for AEW
AEW 10-9 NXT. 38-38
Ross: This was the first time in the NXT show that I started to get a bit fidgety and I must apologise to both Nox and Purazzo, because I really like them both. The match was short and solid, but failed to keep my attention much.
This one is an easy win for AEW, with the biggest margin of the week so far for me. Big fan of five of the wrestlers in this wild six man, the right grappler took the pinfall.
AEW 10-8 NXT. 39-36 AEW
R5) Mox interview VS Rhea/Charlotte promo
Brum: People have split opinions on the NXT crowd but I thought they were great in this segment. It's surprisingly rare when wrestling promotions manage to book simple "I can't wait for this match as I want annoying heel to get beat up" stories well, but NXT have nailed this one so far.
It's far too early to say this with any conviction, but Champ Mox isn't warming to me. Tonight wasn't as egregious as his arse-kissery of the fans last week, but it also wasn't as hot as when he was a challenger. Maybe things will ramp up when he gets a new title challenger.
NXT 10-9. NXT 49-47 so far.
JCH:I cannot remember what MOX said. So it didn’t have much of an impression on me. Was it about how it was all for us? Or something about the inner circle? Oh yeah it was the sit-down with J.R. He was watching the landscape unfold or something. Whatevs. Rhea and Charlotte had a full crowd behind their local hero. NXT is the only brand that has any sort of fan loyalty and they helped with this segment.
NXT 10-9 AEW. 48-47 NXT
Ross: I am really excited for Rhea v Charlotte. They have done a good job of keeping them apart for the most part so far, so to see Charlotte stood over Rhea here was a refershing change of pace. Flair was really good on the mic and handled the baying crowd to perfection. I may be an idiot, but I can't call who wins this one. Hype!
If anyone saw Moxley's Broken Skull Session, they will know that sit-down interviews are not his forte. This was fine, but seeing him in a lovely firelit room, covered in gold and wearing a watch just looked and felt wrong. Stick him outside the arena trying to get in!
NXT 10-9 AEW. 48-46 AEW
R6) Jericho&Sammy/Dustin&Page VS Broserweights/UE + Dream pre-match
Brum: I liked the Dream stuff. If you look at the practical logic involved, does it totally hold up? No. Am I willing to suspend my disbelief? Yes. Cracking match to follow too. 4 bloody good wrestlers doing bloody good wrestling. The Guerrero shenanigans were fun too. Only criticism is the new Broserweights mash up music. It's absolutely horrible. Way worse than the Kabuki Warriors. I don't know if this is new but I've not noticed it before.
Not a lot to say about the AEW main apart from Dustin as the mystery tag partner was very underwhelming. If you're going to do that, don't announce it as a mystery partner. Match was alright but not a touch on the NXT main.
NXT 10-9. NXT 59-56 so far.
JCH:Let’s save you all time, In the battle of the tag team main events. NXT won comfortably.
This should be the end of the Undisputed Era/Broserweights feud clearing the way for the GYV to challenge at takeover. Nothing wrong with the AEW main, but not a lot stayed with me. Also Dream taking the piss out of Roddy made him more likeable. I moaned about him being a jackass, but he was just trying to get into the head of a bigger jackass.
They’re just tights JCH. Brilliant. Jericho gets a point back by doing an impression of Page drinking beer. Fantastic.
NXT 10-9 AEW. 58-56 NXT
Ross: I am still undecided on Velveteen Dream. I was vocal on his use of Strong's family to get under his skin and we got the official pay off here as he said they were just tights and the ultimate goal was a title shot and now he has one.
I was really happy that Cole noted the winner of that match was actually Strong and Dream hasn't earned it. Damn right. I wonder what the ultimate payoff here is - is it Strong thinking he is the worthy contender and him costing Cole advertantly or inadvertantly?
The Broserweights match felt big time and the quality was really good. Big fan of the ref winding up for 10 seconds before sending Cole and Strong to the back. GYV being involved in the finish means that they probably get a title shot in the foreseeable and I for one am so happy about that.
The AEW match was just an afterthought for the brawl, so for me this is a big win to NXT.
NXT 10-8 AEW. 56-56.
R7) Post main event brawl VS Gargano/Ciampa brawl
Brum: Well, that was a blast. The PC was a perfect setting for Gargano and Ciampa to beat the shit out of each other. I was a fan of the production of this too. The shot of Ciampa entering the conference room was like an early 00s Japanese horror film. Top stuff.
A lot of good stuff on the AEW side too. The Matt/Page interaction was good and the camera work on the following chairshot made it look brutal (unless I didn't see it right and it was just brutal). With that said, these Inner Circle beatdowns are veering into the repetitive territory. I'm not too critical though as assume it will come to a head at Blood & Guts.
NXT 10-9. NXT 69-65 so far.
JCH: AEW love a bloody beat down segment don’t they. Probably the last one between Inner Circle and Elite with the Blood and Guts to come in 2 weeks. More Page/Jackson greatness. Gargano and Ciampa was alright. I felt it dragged on a bit personally. The air raid crash or project Ciampa or whatever it was off the table grabs them a point here.
NXT 10-10 AEW. 68-66 NXT
Ross: Whilst the fact the match was a mere placeholder to have a reason for the post match brawl on AEW, the proof was in the pudding as it was bloody great. That chair shot that Matt Jackson took looked needless, but that aside I loved it. Usually, that would have been worthy of a win... that Gargano and Ciampa brawl, though!
Unlike many, I adore this feud and am not bored of it (perhaps because it is widely reported this ends with a loser leaves NXT stipulation). It had a great Gargano promo, harked back to Attitude Era Hardcore matches, including a glass pane spot and ended with the move that started the feud in the first place. Absolutely loved it.
NXT 10-9 AEW. 66-65 NXT
R8) Bonus: Page Bucks Interview, Daniels Dark Order, Baker/Swole, Dustin Interview VS Mystery Video, Breeze/Theory, WALTER Video, Kidnapping
Brum: The bonus round probably goes to AEW here. The Daniels Dark Order segment was fun (though the denial of the Exalted One puts him firmly in the "dumb babyface" category) and honourable mentions to Page/Bucks and SearchForSpears.
The only downside was the Baker/Swole segment. JCH will probably beat me up for saying this, but I found Big Swole's cadence and facial expressions a bit off putting. I also thought the talk of each other's partners was a bit demeaning. I couldn't imagine their male counterparts doing the same.
I nearly gave NXT the round because I bloody love a kidnapping angle! NXT mainly made me sad though by hyping Balor WALTER which would be amazing but will prob not happen due to that dickhead virus.
AEW 10-9
JCH: Page trolling the Bucks. Excellent. Daniels trolling the Dark Order. Not bad for an SCU skit. Baker and Swole chatting shit about each others partners who are on a rival TV show. Weird (decent lines tho). Fired up Dustin. Good. Search for Spears not featuring Mad Kurt’s submission. Automatic L. Vs A freaking kidnapping!
If Mad Kurt’s video makes AEW Dynamite I will award them a 10-7. It didn’t though, but they had enough to nab a 10-9
AEW 10-9 NXT.
Ross: - The mystery video is surely for The Smokeshow and Killer Kross. Inject it into my veins.
- Tyler Breeze and Theory had a fun interaction - have I mentioned that Theory is the future?!
- Big fan of the visual of Balor with his passport as WALTER loiters in the shadows.
- Remember when NXT got critiqued for playing it too safe? LUCHA KIDNAPPERS!
- The Page and Bucks interaction was really good. What a great story they are slowly telling.
- That Darby Allin vignette was cool looking
- Heel Britt Baker is fantastic. SWOLE's line was gold. The ending was silly.
- Strong promo from Dustin. But... spoiler, dick!
- Peter Avalon and Leva using the library to solve the Exalted One mystery? I'm in.
- Christopher Daniels promo was cool - do we trust him?
- Searching for Spears featured Sugar Dunkerton, so points for that!
AEW 10-9 NXT
Overall:
Brum: Summary: I thought NXT was the better show tonight but not by the margin that my round-by-round indicates. Not to get too meta as it can take the fun out of things, but I think if AEW has an average week, NXT will usually beat it due to their high average match quality.
NXT 78-75 AEW
JCH: A tight week here, if I’m completely honest my head wasn’t massively in to wrestling this week and I apologise if my review lacks its usual enthusiasm. NXT got the win, but not a lot landed with me on either show. KUSHIDA for the win.
NXT 77-76 AEW
Ross: This week, I can't set the shows apart. Nothing was terrible on either channel and we continue to be spoilt on Wednesdays. Wrestling should be fun and thanks to these two brands, it sure as hell is at the moment!
AEW 75-75 NXT
Winner by majority decision NXT
It's two on the spin for NXT as AEW hasn't been able to keep up its ultra hot product rolling in to Revolution. They need a bounce back next week, will the reveal of the Exalted one provide that? Will we even have wrestling next week? Stay safe everyone.
OVERALL SCORECARDS
NXT - 10 (by split decision - 5, by majority decision -3, by unanimous decision - 2)
Draw -4 (3 majority draws, 1 split draw)
AEW - 7 (by majority decision - 3, by unanimous decision -2, by split decision - 2)
INDIVIDUAL SCORECARDS:
JCH: NXT - 11; Draw - 3 AEW - 7
Brum: NXT - 8; Draw - 5; AEW - 8
Matt C: NXT - 5; Draw - 1; AEW – 5
Ross : NXT - 3; Draw - 1 AEW - 1
DVD: NXT -0; Draw - 1; AEW - 1
Sal NXT - 0; Draw - 0; AEW - 3
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