Wrestling: The Wednesday Night War - NXT vs AEW!

[BrandonDaCollector]

So this is the Wednesday Night War topic of NXT vs AEW that is currently taking place. I like the stuff currently. In fact I these are actually My faves of this modern era compared to Raw & Smackdown. Don't forget NXT/205 Live, NTX UK & AEW Dark...they are important and very fun shows as well! I put together all of the pics as a quick reference. Let's talk modern day wrestling warfare, who's your fave wrestler and share your thoughts & memories

[packerbacker180]

I really enjoy AEW. It's funny because as much as I seem to like WWE, as soon as there's a similar product I find myself drawn elsewhere. When TNA was really good back Christian, Sting, AJ Styles, Beer Money, even all the way up until Aces and Eights, I was watching that and mostly ignoring the WWE because I wasn't really invested in the SuperCena/SuperOrton era that was a little more kid friendly. I even bought multiple TNA PPVs a year back then. But eventually through their own incompetence, the quality of the product dropped and guys like AJ left, I found myself back to watching WWE more in the latter half of the '10's. But now that AEW is around, I can barely get through ten minutes a Raw and maybe a little more of Smackdown. I appreciate the work Roman Reigns is doing right now, I just don't feel myself particularly invested or drawn to it. I couldn't tell you the last time I watched a Raw or SD from start to finish but every Wednesday I'm in front of my TV from 8-10 PM for AEW.

I won't say everything they do is great, every storyline is amazing, or every wrestler doesn't need more training, but week to week, AEW Dynamite is much more interesting than anything WWE does. I used to watch NXT as well, but something happened over the last year. I'm not sure if it's the loss of guys like Aleister Black, the problems of Velveteen Dream, or even something as simple as the product doesn't feel as exciting without Mauro Ranallo calling things, but for whatever reason, I just find myself uninterested in it much. I still like Undisputed Era, but for some reason the product doesn't draw me in like it used to.

[BrandonDaCollector]

Gosh PackerBabcker, what a good reply that was, no we are talkin'! Yes, I was the same with TNA untill the Aces & 8s and I thought is was a cool storlyline/angle and yes I liked the more adultish content that TNA had compared to the WWE. Yes, I really did get sick of the SuperCena/SuperOrton era and times adn come to think of it I haven't heard that for a while when I used to read about every week During the early 2010s when CM Punk was champ and all that I thought is was refreshing and very exciting but McMahon wouldn't allow him to be the true face of the company as it was always Cena. I also loved Lord Tensai. Even though he was Albert from the Attitude era I accepted him as a repackaged gimmick but a major turn from his Big Bernard gimmick from Japan. I felt would have worked but the people caused it not too and yet another great aspect that could have been went down the drain. I hate that when the coolest and best things are so overlooked and ruined.

Yes, I was/am totally for AEW. People wanted a change after 20 years and sometimes I wonder did they get it? I love NXT but yeah, I think 2018 was the best era ever of NXT but most of those guys are on the main roster now. I was very thrilled when Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega had that great time in Japan and that it seemed like it was going down all over again in AEW but I was a bit disappointing about that. I still think NXT is great however I think HHH has been demoted from it since the pandemic so I think that could be a big fact there. Every week I watch the Wednesday Night War and while it's not like the legendary Monday Night War but it's still quite fun to want both of them. I think if you look and My pic above with the champs are very similar given their HISTORIES oh and not to mention the similarities between Dexter Lumis & Orange Cassidy One thing i must say that AEW lacks is the attention of the Women's division. They have a really one and they have a lot of time on AEW DARK but they need to find the same formula for Dynamite and make it much more grander but the other thing they have up on WWE is a great tag division!

Don't forget 205 Live because recently it has become a sud division show of NXT. Also, NXT UK is really good and arguably My favorite of all of the even the WWE main roster shows!

[packerbacker180]

I actually think that's another reason I've drifted away from NXT a bit, I really don't care at all about the 205 guys. I've never been a Cruiser Weight person. It's not that I don't like the wrestlers, but when you put them in a separate category I feel like you define them down a bit. X-Division always felt the same thing, like the promotion was basically saying these guys aren't big enough to wrestle everyone so they'll just wrestle each other, and then the matches tend to feel overly choreographed flippity flops. Yeah, all of wrestling is choreopgraphed, but it just feels like the cruiserweights don't lend themselves to their matches feeling like a more organic sport.

If you kick a guy in the gut he's going to bend over and then you can stun him. Makes sense. Irish whipping a guy who stumbles, and then lays on the middle rope for thirty seconds so you can do a 619 just looks silly and doesn't feel "real". I use Mysterio as a perfect example as someone who isn't defined as just a little guy. I love smaller wrestles. AJ Styles might be my all-time favorite. Austin Aries...Finn...Sammy Guevara...

Look at Darby Allin, he's one of AEWs biggest stars and if he were in the WWE he'd probably be on 205 Live and no one would give a damn.

[BrandonDaCollector]

Packer, I know what your talkin' about on 205 and I was once for the big guys but I really got to likin' the smaller ones and thought is was a bit refreshing especially when WCW started back in the day. I found The X-Division to be a very fun one as it was something the WWE really lacked years ago. I'm actually a little surprised that Darby Allin is in the spot he is in. He would probably be on 205 or just a jobber unfortunately.

Thanks Packer

[packerbacker180]

Oh I love the little guys. The X-Division was always fun, but twenty minutes later it was forgotten about. Car crash wrestling is good in the moment but when it's just clearly moving from spot to spot it kind of loses any semblance of storytelling for the sake of setting up the next OMG moment. I think that's why I don't get into the Young Bucks much, after a while it all feels the same.

It's just more exciting to see if David can slay Goliath, not if David can beat Dave.

[BrandonDaCollector]

Oh I love the little guys. The X-Division was always fun, but twenty minutes later it was forgotten about. Car crash wrestling is good in the moment but when it's just clearly moving from spot to spot it kind of loses any semblance of storytelling for the sake of setting up the next OMG moment. I think that's why I don't get into the Young Bucks much, after a while it all feels the same.

It's just more exciting to see if David can slay Goliath, not if David can beat Dave.

I see exactly what you are saying. Packer, the X-Division is great and something IMO that WWE had always lacked till the CWC/205 era. I like the smaller guys but I have always loved the big guys more and if there is a smaller guy fighting a much larger guy. It is quite different and arguably more exciting.

[packerbacker180]

It just like it when there isn't a barrier. When you say this guy is a cruiserweight, it sort of limits their potential these days. Nobody thinks Daniel Bryan shouldn't be in the World Title picture because they never defined him down as "just a little guy". Same with AJ Styles. It took him years to shake off that "TNA X-Division star" moniker. Conversely, no one is ever going to think Drew Gulak is a World title contender, and maybe that's because of skill or lack of personality, or it's because he was defined down as a Cruiserweight. But Gulak is actally two inches taller than DB and four inches taller than AJ, and that surprised me a bit, because due to him being 205 I assumed he was smaller than that.

[BrandonDaCollector]

Yep, and sometimes, when you say cruiserweights to others is just throws them off and then they don't care about them then. I know about DB, you never hear anything about is weight except that from time to time he is a b+ player which I really don't like when Stephanie called him that and yes, in TNA it seemed like forever for AJ Stylez to be in the big picture. I'm glad he actually made good in WWE and that his size wasn't/isn't an issue. Yeah, Drew Gulak does seem large for a CW but IMO I don't think he lacks the talent nor skill, it's that he was first known as a CW but when he got involved with DB things looked good for him but that really didn't last long at all unfortunately and because of that I think he hasn't got passed the CW stuff yet.

Thanks Packer

[packerbacker180]

That Shaq match tonight was a lot more fun than I was expecting. Overall, I really good show. I just read the NXT results these days, I just don't feel as excited watching without Mauro. Rumor is NXT is moving to Tuesdays soon, so the war looks to be over. Good for both shows, not so much Impact.