WWE RAW vs. AEW Dynamite: Which show had the upper hand this week?
WWE and AEW have revived competition in the pro wrestling industry over the past five years. While the former promotion has three different brands, the real competition is currently between Dynamite and RAW.
After defeating NXT in the fan-titled "Wednesday Night Wars," the wrestling world has been holding AEW to Chris Jericho's statements that they'd soon pass RAW in terms of ratings. While this hasn't happened yet, did last night's episode of Dynamite close the gap?
AEW clearly took a much different approach to their show, as they started strongly with matches instead of promos, and quickly put out an interesting segment with MJF.
Over on WWE RAW, the show kicked off with a promo, followed by two matches. However, the promo segment between Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar quickly stole the show as fans were clamoring for a clash between the two.
Bobby Lashley is listed at 6'3, 273 and the ease at which Brock Lesnar picks him up and tosses him around is astounding https://t.co/UX36bEhUaW
Jamie Hayter's match against The Bunny notably ended early due to an injury, slowing down the pacing of the show. The JAS Gauntlet then breathed life back into the show, before Bryan Danielson then took on RUSH only to be beaten down by MJF after he picked up the win.
Over in WWE, the show kicked into its mid-carder segment. While fans got treated to a Fatal-Four-Way, Tag Team, and the debuting Chelsea Green against the returning Asuka, all these bouts were highly overshadowed by Cody Rhodes' promo with Paul Heyman.
WWE then transitioned into a bout between Montez Ford and Elias but finished off strongly with Becky Lynch's cage match against Bayley only to have the legendary Lita return.
AEW, unfortunately, lost a lot of steam at the end, with the storyless The Elite vs. AR Fox and Top Flight bout, followed by The Acclaimed losing the tag titles to The Gunn Club.
While RAW seemed to drag on far more, the show was ultimately better due to the multiple story build-ups that left it as a far more memorable show, despite AEW having far better matches.
Missed out on last night's AEW Dynamite? Catch up with the results right here.
What could AEW Dynamite change in order to overtake WWE RAW?
AEW naturally caters to a far different audience, but going by the weekly ratings each week, WWE is still far ahead. Additionally, many stars are becoming more and more frustrated by their handling, leading to what could be a strenuous environment.
Four of the best backstage promos in AEW history in my opinion. https://t.co/ml6cZK7nbX
Unlike WWE, AEW has far fewer hours in a week to showcase its talent, and Rampage often has an underwhelming card with a far shorter show. Tony Khan should definitely work on this, as it might be pivotal to satisfying many of the issues his stars might have.
Additionally, there is a serious lack of storytelling in AEW that could only enhance their already incredible in-ring work. While the matches are entertaining, without any storyline, there's nothing memorable, especially when stars perform good match after good match.
While there could be different solutions to their issues, AEW is at a crucial point in its lifespan. WWE has already defeated ECW, TNA/IMPACT, ROH, and WCW, so Tony Khan is facing a bit more than just a figurative giant.