It's week 6 of WedHead2Head: The combat sports style scorecard of the Wednesday Night Wars. After Matt Connolly took a week off to finalise his Cody Rhodes mural, the original judges are back in full this week (a big thanks to Ross last week for filling in). With that said, WedHead2Head overlord JCH is globetrotting so will be scoring but has left underling Matt B & Wresboss Ross to do the grapmin.
NXT has won 3 weeks on the bounce. Will the return of AEW Acolyte Matt C help them get a win back???
R1) MOX/NAKAZAWA + KENNY VID + MOX PROMO VS GARZA v RUSH
Brum: AEW started strong this week with the Omega package nailing his growing uncertainty & detachment. This is a more nuanced storyline than we usually get in the graps & Kenny is doing a fine job so far. Nice little squash followed by another fire Mox promo completes a good first segment from AEW. On the other channel, Garza has yet another banger. NXT was the in-ring victor here but the Kenny package & the Mox promo means I can’t separate the two.
Tie 10-10.
JCH: I enjoyed the Omega video. Thought it really showed his disappointment at Mox being cleared and him not being. It was like he'd lost to him again. Mox with another strong promo after a quick win. These two things just get AEW a 9. Rush/Garza. WOW. A sprint set around a story of Garza having countered for the Springboard Stunner. These two went all out and had an absolute banger. Too many spots to mention but the controversial ending gives the likelihood of a round 2. Yes please.
10-9 NXT.
Matt C: Oof! What a start from both shows! Omega's check up was an excellent wrinkle that I don't remember seeing much in wrestling before. The wanting to know if Mox was cleared is perfect and develops both him and Moxley in two lines of dialogue. Love that so much. Having said that the Nakazawa match was so uncompetitive I can't score it past the barn burner on NXT. Rush and Garza brought the fire and had a takeover standard match here. Narrow win for NXT but on another day I would happily give it AEW for some of the best promo stuff you will see.
10-9 NXT.
R2) DARK ORDER/JURASSIC EXPRESS + POST-MATCH vs XIA LI V AALIYAH
Brum: This is the most I’ve been intrigued by the Dark Order so far. They are starting to flesh out a bit so hopefully this goes somewhere. Also – LUCHASAURUS. As for NXT, I’m high on Xia Li. Not so much on Aaliyah. Saying that, assuming that kick wasn’t legit, Aaliyah sold well at the end there. Not enough to beat LUCHASAURAS though.
10-9 AEW. 20-19 AEW so far.
JCH: The thing that sticks with me most from these matches is Xia Li's kicks. Another highly talented, if inexperienced woman who I think has a bright future. I worried for the performers of this level when NXT went to Mainstream TV. The people who are growing on the job, so I'm glad to still see them given a chance to learn. Luchasaurus's return and post match excellence evens it out and this round is a draw.
10-10. 20-19 NXT so far.
Matt C: This one is easily a win for AEW. Aaliyah just still isn’t there yet and this was a sloppy match with a strange finish. At a guess is Aaliyah going to go down the Dashing Cody route now that her head has been booted off? The return of Luchasaurus alone scores AEW a 10.
10-9 AEW. 19-19 so far.
R3) ALLIN/SPEARS/AVALON + ALLIN PROMO vs STRONG/LEE + POST-MATCH
Brum: For those of you following chronologically, I’ve had to move the NXT big promo segment down a couple of rounds here so it can have a like-for-like comparison to the equivalent AEW one. The AEW triple threat was solid but not spectacular.
The NXT match, on the other hand, was great. Bold choice going for a normal finish rather than a clusterfuck so extra points there too. Finally, the Dijakovic post-match tidied this segment up nicely. This would be a 10-8 for NXT, but that short sweet Allin promo saved a bit of face for AEW here.
10-9 NXT. 29-29 so far.
JCH: Spears and Allin ignoring Avalon was brilliant. Good to see Darby back and in a prominent position calling out Mox. It's not enough to get the win here though. Roddy and Keith had a strong match which I very much enjoyed, add in the Balor/Riddle UE/Ciampa and Dijakovic at the end and it's a rare 10-8 for me.
10-8 NXT. 30-27 NXT so far.
Matt C: The triple that AEW put on never really got going because of Janela taking Spears out. I like that though. Keeps that thing going and allows Allin a win against two people. Him and Moxley should be decent too. Lee and Strong predictably had a great match and I was surprised Lee picked up the W. Thought we might get shenanigans for the Strong win but no. Easy win for NXT here.
10-9 NXT. 29-28 NXT so far.
R4) ROSE/JORDAN vs SWERVE/REED
Brum: Simple round to judge here. Two match-only segments with the NXT one being better. Glad to see Swerve get the win too.
10-9 NXT. 39-38 NXT so far.
JCH: Another round to NXT here as Swerve and Reed get a convincing victory over Rose and Jordan. Could Swerve be the replacement for Riddle in War Games? I bloody hope so.
10-9 NXT. 40-36 NXT so far.
Matt C: Gotta give this round to NXT. Reed and Swerve put on a tight and fun match here and showed us signs of what both will offer in the next cycle of NXT. AEW have serious problems with their womens division. This match in isolation was fine and achieved what it needed to in making Nyla look the start she could become, but if this is all the time they can find on a two hour show for their womens division to wrestle then that’s poor.
10-9 NXT. 39-37 NXT so far.
R5) JERICHO/MJF/CODY SEGMENT vs BALOR/UE/NXT TOP LADS SEGMENT
Brum: Both shows did such a good job tonight in taking multiple threads of stories, crossing them around each other, and still keeping them in their own direction whilst holding onto logic. NXT deftly jumped from the Balor & Riddle stuff to the WarGames prep well, whilst Lee on the mic is always great.
With that said, the Jericho MJF promo was an absolute joy. Jericho’s Dynamite mic run has been next level & MJF matched him tonight. The way AEW have gotten around the issue of keeping MJF out of the Inner Circle without diluting plot, logic, or characters is to be celebrated.
10-9 AEW. 48-48 so far.
JCH: I am enjoying all the moving pieces at the top of the card in NXT and Balor continues to rebuild himself as a badass, Rids sticking up for himself and a nice interaction between Roddy and Keith Lee, who doesn't get a lot of mic time. However the AEW comeback begins here. MJF was superb, from the serious stuff about why he turned on Cody, to the Circle Jerk and do you want me to/do you want to join the Inner Circle bit. NXT was good enough to pick up 9, but a win for AEW.
10-9 AEW. 49-46 NXT so far.
Matt C: Fun segment over on NXT. Like all the overlapping feuds and all the guys seem to be having a blast beating the piss out of each other. Really digging the MJF promo though and his charisma is off the charts. Add in Jericho and the debut of Wardlow and AEW take this round.
10-9 AEW. 48-47 NXT so far.
R6) PAC/PAGE vs DUNNE/PRIEST + POST-MATCH
Brum: Hard one to judge here. PAC is a brilliant bastard but this rivalry isn’t really clicking for me. I’m also not a fan of PPV rematches on the following show (though that is more the fault of historic conditioning than AEW). Damian, Dunne, & Dain all performed the roles well here but we’re just treading water until their TakeOver triple threat.
10-10. 58-58 so far.
JCH: Dunne/Dain and Priest continue to bubble along nicely and I assume we get a 3 way at Takeover as WWE don't have many trouble threats that weekend. But Pac and Page I thought was brilliant. Better than Full Gear. Lots of callbacks to previous encounters and Pac looks like an absolute bastard. The finish was brutal and made Page pay for his sportsmanship. I think it's a 10-8 here.
10-8 AEW. 57-56 NXT
Matt C: The NXT stuff never really got started, but I don't mind that. Big lads belting each other is a staple of wrestling that makes me part with money! Sure we will get the triple threat at Takeover or down the road. Hangman and PAC however had what I thought was another great match and for that reason I give AEW this one fairly comfortably.
10-9 AEW. 57-57 so far.
R7) INNER CIRCLE/SCU vs IO SHIRAI/MIA YIM + POST-MATCH
Brum: Both matches in the final segments tonight were good. Going into it, I’d have said Io/Mia would have walked this but it didn’t quite deliver as well as I hoped. With that said, hats off to Mia for her bravery in this match. I think I get where AEW are going with this Sky thing but not entirely happy with Jericho taking a pin at this stage, albeit in a tag match against the champs. Jumping back to NXT, I loved the swerve of Kai remaining a goodie and it being KLR being the 4th woman. The Bayley bit at the end was good too.
10-9 NXT. 68-67 NXT so far.
JCH: I'm not massively connecting with SCU, although this match picked up down the stretch when Sky was in there. Nothing wrong with it, but it gets slaughtered by Io and Mia Yim. This had some crazy spots in it. The dropkick ladder to the face! Then Mia's final bump as well was hardcore. Did not see the Kay Lee Ray move coming but I like it. Excited for her to be on the big stage. Almost went another 10-8 here but Jericho's show ending temper tantrum saves a 9.
10-9 NXT. 67-65 NXT so far.
Matt C: SCU Vs Inner Circle was fine but didn't get enough time to really go anywhere. Nice finish which leads us down a positive road for Scorpio Sky. NXT killed it though. Mia Yim might aswell call this an arrival. We all knew how good Io was but Mia took that nasty bump for the finish, after splitting her face open about 5 minutes earlier. Huge fan of this. Kay Lee Ray being added and Bayley putting her stamp on proceedings only add to the result.
10-9 NXT. 67-66 NXT so far.
R8) BONUS SEGMENTS: ALLIE/KONG; BUCKS/LAX vs BACKSTAGE BEATDOWNS; FORGOTTEN SONS; MIA YIM
Brum: Out of the additional segments throughout the show, I liked the progression of Brandi-Kong but AEW’s standout bonus bit tonight was the PnP/Bucks chaos. The Cassidy cameo was a delight. I liked the NXT women’s division throughout the night, especially Kai’s bit with Mia which pushed the “OMG she’s turning” narrative for it to later be a red herring. However, it wasn’t as entertaining as the aforementioned AEW stuff & I’m never giving a segment to the Forgotten Sons.
10-9 AEW.
JCH: The Sons vignettes aren't terrible. That's enough about them. Really enjoyed the show long storyline on NXT, thought it might have been Dakota. That show long theme and it having a payoff is enough to get NXT a 9. Kong collecting hair is interesting. Wearing them around her waist like Will Ospreay’s flags.
The LAX/Bucks segment was great. Going all the way through the break, jawing a lot each other and then attacking security and each other when they went live. Good use of commercials AEW. The Orange Cassidy part was a slightly strange placement in the middle of a serious brawl but it did make me laugh. Great job here and AEW continue to win the Backstage segments.
10-9 AEW.
Matt C: Still not sure on the Kong/Brandi thing but I'm letting it play. Nice to see Allie get a whiff of TV time. I like her. P&P demolishing Bucks was good fun and not only do they now have a trope with the table smashing on the entrance but we also got the seeds of a Private Party feud planted. The Forgotten Sons are living up to their name for me and Mia Yim doesn't have enough spark on the mic to take this from AEW although I do like the Dakota Kai angle in all of this.
10-9 AEW.
FINAL SCORES
Brum: Two enjoyable shows tonight. The in-ring stuff was hit & miss on both sides but both shows demonstrated that wrestling storylines can be well plotted with interesting characters if you’re patient, willing to make the effort, and happy not to patronise the audiences. As for which was better, I can’t hear you from this fence I’m sitting on.
TIE 77-77.
JCH: Another two strong shows. I saw people online calling this the best AEW show before I'd watched it and about half way in I was a bit surprised, but they came back super strong in the second hour. However it's not enough to get them the win as NXT started and finished with top matches and was consistent enough through the middle to pick up the W.
Also cheers to Brum and Ross for picking up the editorial slack whilst I was on vacation this week.
NXT 76-75
Matt C: What a time to be a wrestling fan.
TIE 76-76.
NXT’s WedHead2Head winning run has been curtailed with a MAJORITY DRAW! The main consensus was that both shows were good but only JCH could separate them & that was only by a single point.
OVERALL SCORECARDS
NXT - 3 (by split decision - 2, by majority decision - 1)
Majority Draw - 2
AEW - 1 (by majority decision - 1)
INDIVIDUAL SCORECARDS:
JCH: NXT - 4; Draw - 1; AEW - 1
Brum: NXT - 2; Draw - 3; AEW - 1
Matt C: NXT - 1; Draw - 1; AEW - 3
Guests: NXT - 1; Draw - 0; AEW - 0
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