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