NXT vs. AEW: Tuesday Night War
This past Tuesday WWE went head to head against AEW due to TBS having hockey scheduled. It marked the 1st time since the legendary Monday Night Wars when WWE went head to head with WCW on television. AEW CEO Tony Khan went all out and stacked the card for AEW Dynamite:
- Bryan Danielson vs. Swerve Strickland
- Chris Jericho vs. Powerhouse Hobbs
- Hangman Adam Page vs. Switchblade Jay White
- Rey Fenix vs. Orange Cassidy for International Championship
- Saraya vs. Hikaru Shida for AEW Women’s Championship
- Rated R Superstar Adam Copeland vs. Luchasaurus
- MJF Appearance
- Toni Storm Appearance
Not to be outdone by AEW’s stacked card, WWE decided to get some of their heavy hitters on the developmental show:
- John Cena & Paul Heyman in the respective corners of Carmelo Hayes & Bron Breakker
- Asuka appearance and match
- Rhea Ripley & Dominik Mysterio appearance
- LA Knight appearance
- Cody Rhodes appearance
- The Undertaker appearance
Both shows sought to draw big numbers in different ways. AEW looked to stack the deck with big time matches while WWE went for WOW moments. I thought both shows did a good job of showcasing what they’re good at. I found myself watching AEW on the big screen as I wanted to see some good wrestling. The WOW moments on NXT didn’t disappoint as the main rosters stars added some glitz & glamour on NXT.
The ratings for the Tuesday Night War saw NXT pick up the win for whatever that is worth. All I cared about was the wrestling. You can have your tribalistic takes. I just want the wrestling content. We all won.
ESPN 1000 & Good Karma Wrestling’s Jonathan Hood & I broke down what happened:
Some Lines Just Shouldn’t Be Stepped Over
During Tuesday night’s Dynamite there was a segment with MJF and Bullet Club Gold when Juice Robinson pulled out a roll of quarters with Friedman’s name on it. You can see it here starting at the 1:13 mark:
Given the horrid history between Israel and Palestine, the racist views towards Jews & Palestinians and the recent bombings in Gaza I thought this was promo should never have seen the light of day. This was another instance where Tony Khan has to step in and say ‘absolutely not’. AEW World Champion MJF gave his ok for the promo and later commented about it. You can build this feud without treading into this territory. I’m also old enough to know that race, religion and stereotypes have long played a history in wrestling. I’m just saying that in 2023… you don’t really need to do this.
Around The WWE
- Ever since CM Punk was fired from AEW the prevailing belief was that Punk would want to go back to WWE. Rumors ran rampant that CM Punk could possibly show up at Survivor Series in Chicago however WWE has reportedly turned down a potential CM Punk return. Despite that update, never rule out Punk’s return because… wrestling. Brett Hart returned. The Ultimate Warrior returned. Goldberg returned. Never say never.
- On this past SmackDown Triple H came out to “promote” Adam Pearce as the new GM of RAW and also announced the new GM of SmackDown – Nick Aldis. Aldis’ first duty as GM of SmackDown was to complete the Jey Uso trade which was done by bringing Kevin Owens over to the blue brand. The announcement came with little fanfare given the career of Aldis. Sure, there are those who are inside of the WWE Universe bubble that may not know of Aldis but Nick Aldis is a fantastic wrestler. I felt that Aldis deserved a better introduction into WWE.
- Speaking of introductions… there was a backstage vignette featuring Aldis & Charlotte Flair where, surprise, Flair will be getting another title shot against Io Sky and when Flair turned around:
- Jade Cargill coming to the WWE has been treated like a BIG deal. It will be important for WWE to get Jade in the ring soon and keep her hot. The stare downs are great but the best way to keep the momentum going is to see her make statements in the ring.
- Looks like we could be getting Roman Reigns & LA Knight for Crown Jewel. Knight is the hottest WWE superstar right now but I don’t think he should be fed to Reigns just to keep The Tribal Chief’s historic reign going. There was also a stare down between Reigns & Cody Rhodes on SmackDown. I guess ‘the story’ is still out there…
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