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The Wednesday Night Wars are in full effect. NXT is just days removed from their latest TakeOver event. AEW Dynamite is moving ahead to their upcoming PPV AEW Revolution.
The Wednesday Night Wars review takes all of the matches from each show and gives them a star rating. The matches are then ranked from best to worst.
AEW vs NXT: Bottom of the Barrel
12) Orange Cassidy vs Luther (AEW Dynamite)
Serpentico dives to the outside and takes out Chuck. Back inside and Luther hits a powerbomb on Orange Cassidy that gets a two count. Luther gets hung up on the apron leading to a powerbomb on the floor by Cassidy. In the ring, Chuck Tayor hits the Awful Waffle on Serpentico. Back in the ring, Cassidy hits the Orange Punch on Luther for the win. Absolutely nothing to see her. Take a Pass. DUD.
11) Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter defeated Aliyah and Jessi Kamea (NXT)
Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter are getting positioned for a program with Xia Li so this was basically a squash to get them a win. Fun for what it was but nothing much to see. After the match, Xia Li comes down and marks Catanzaro with a pair of black lines on her hand. Take a Pass. SQUASH
A new superstar debuts
10) Zoey Stark defeated Valentina Feroz (NXT)
Zoey Stark is better known as Lacey Ryan on the independent scene and she makes her debut on the WWE black and gold brand. As expected this is a quick squash to establish Stark who finished off Feroz with a modified GTS. Skim It to introduce yourself to Stark. SQUASH.
9) Hangman Adam Page & Matt Hardy defeated TH2 (Angélico and Jack Evans) (AEW Dynamite)
The Hangman and Hardy angle moves along as Matt does his best to con Page out of his money. The match was decent but nothing too special. A bit sloppy at times which really stands out when a match is based on high spots. Page hits the Buckshot Lariat and Hardy finishes it off with a Twist of Fate. After the match, Hangman reveals that he’s secretly signed a match against Hardy, where the loser has to give up all their earners for the first quarter of 2021. Skim It. **
DOUBLE BARREL BUCKSHOT!
WATCH #AEWDynamite NOW on @TNTDrama pic.twitter.com/Q9OftCDFGp— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) February 18, 2021
8) The Young Bucks defeated Santana and Ortiz (AEW Dynamite)
Pretty solid match between both teams, but more of what you would expect. Several high spots but not much else before Nick Jackson gets a three-count after a small package on Ortiz. The Inner Circle come out to beat down the Young Bucks but are eventually saved by The Good Brothers. Skim It. **1/2
NXT: A Reveal
7) Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart defeated Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell (NXT)
A rematch from last week but this was a slight step down. All four women have good chemistry together but the match itself felt like background noise. The main focus was Johnny Gargano finding Austin Theory after he was kidnapped last week by Dexter Loomis. After Candice LaRae leaves to celebrate with Theory and Gargano, Hartwell is rolled up by Ember Moon for the three-count. Skim It. **3/4
6) Leon Ruff defeated Isaiah “Swerve” Scott (NXT)
This was a really fun 5-minute match. The action never got dull and was constantly back and forth. Leon Ruff plays the role of smaller underdog well and I’d anticipate fans to be loud for him once they expand the crowd. Scott gets cocky at the end of the match and gets caught in a crucifix for a Ruff win. After the match, Scott puts a beatdown on Ruff. Skim It, but on the high side. **3/4
AEW: Revenge
5) FTR defeated Matt Sydal and Yoga Steve (AEW Dynamite)
FTR are the best tag team in AEW and can make a case for being the best in the world. This was a solid match that showcased how good FTR, with the Sydals mostly pulling their weight despite a few botches. After a blind tag from Dax, FTR finish it with the Big Rig. After the match, the Jurrasic Express layout FTR. Skim It. **3/4
4) KUSHIDA defeated Tyler Rust (NXT)
Solid match between these two as KUSHIDA gets a needed win following his loss at TakeOver. Tyler Rust did look strong though as this was a back-and-forth competitive match. KUSHIDA gets the win after locking in the Hoverboard Lock. Rust refuses to give up, Malcolm Bivens throws the towel in to protect his investment. Worth a Watch. ***
AEW Main Event
3) Lance Archer, Jon Moxley, and Rey Fenix defeated Eddie Kingston, The Butcher, and The Blade (AEW Dynamite)
Pretty fun main event but unfortunately nothing we haven’t seen far too often on AEW Dynamite. Everyone got their spots in, including the acrobatic Fenix. After Eddie Kingston lays in multiple chops, Jon Moxley responds with a closeline and a Paradigm Shift for the win. After the match, The Good Brothers hold down Moxley and Kenny Omega challenges him to an Exploding Barbed Wire Match. Why is the heel challenging for such a dangerous and sick match? Ok. Fun enough but don’t expect anything you haven’t seen a million times before from these guys. Worth a Watch. ***
AEW Women’s Title Tournament
2) Riho vs Serena Deeb (AEW Dynamite)
Bell to bell, this was one of the best women’s matches in AEW. The pace was fluent, the action was exciting and the chemistry fit like a glove. The result wasn’t that surprising with it being Riho’s return to the company, but that didn’t take away from the match itself. After a back and forth pinning sequence, Riho is able to slide forward and hold Deeb down for a three count. Worth a Watch. ***1/2
NXT: Main Event
1) Danny Burch, Oney Lorcan and Pete Dunne vs. Finn Bálor, Kyle O’Reilly and Roderick Strong
Twelve minutes of action from these six wrestlers deliver what you would hope for The split between the Undisputer Era is building towards the hottest angle in the company in some time. Balor as NXT Champion is still the right call, and Dunne, Lorcan and Burch are all top-notch wrestlers.
Adam Cole runs down and attacks Kyle O’Reilly and suplexes him on the steps. Burch attempts to use the NXT title as a weapon but is taken out by Strong. Strong tries to hand the belt to Balor who hits him accidentally with a Pele kick. Dunne comes in from behind, hits the Bitter End and pins Balor. After the match, Cole comes down superkicks Balor to close the show. Worth a Watch. ***1/2