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    The Wednesday Night War Report: August 2020

    By Matthew Martin
    | August 30, 2020
    Wrestling

    August has seen the biggest shakeup to the stale COVID-19 era formula since in months. And boy does it depress me that I have to start quantifying this stuff in terms of “months” and “eras.” When everything shut down, AEW was the first to play around with their visual presentation to accommodate the lack of fans, moving the camera around to focus on the ring and the stage and not the empty seats. NXT eventually copied them to the betterment of that show and also started bringing in performance center talent to pepper around the crowd cheering and booing as instructed. AEW also started having a sparse number of wrestlers and their friends/family attend, bringing some semblance of a live atmosphere back to the shows.

    All of these steps were appreciated even if they amounted to little more than a few half-measures. But now, finally, though the pandemic continues to rage and the change in production and presentation is still in effect for both companies, things have improved with both companies and the way they bring their products to the screen…

    sort of.

    AEW And NXT Banner

    PRESENTATION
    WINNER: advantage AEW

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    Little, half-measure changes were the norm throughout the first several months of the pandemic, but as said, WWE and AEW took a big leap forward in August. WWE programs switched to the Thunderdome, which is basically the love child of an empty basketball arena (with a lot of light beams) and the game Guess Who. Unfortunately, NXT has not entered the Thunderdome, nor have they gone Beyond Thunderdome. They’re still in the dimly lit barn.

    AEW, however, on the last show of the month, brought fans back to Dynamite. Granted, it’s only ten percent of capacity, spaced out, screened for COVID, and wearing masks to mitigate the spread from any who are asymptomatic, but still, after one show, it’s made a world of difference. This is not an AEW vs WWE thread, however. It’s a Wednesday Night War thread, and since NXT hasn’t improved their production and AEW has, there’s no way not to give the win to TNT’s wrestling flagship. A live audience is what wrestling was made for and I’m glad at least one of the two brands has it.

    CARD
    WINNER: advantage AEW

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    I want to praise NXT wherever I can because I don’t want to appear biased or one-sided. In fact, I sometimes go out of my way to turn a blind eye to something great AEW might’ve done in one area in order to give NXT a win here and there. In terms of the wrestling cards for the shows this month, both brands had some great lineups. NXT shined brightest whenever Io Shirai, Breezango, or Keith Lee competed, and the “alright, let’s do this I guess” feud between Adam Cole and Pat McAfee made for some fun segments (the actual match was very fun, but it was on a Takeover so it doesn’t count here). NXT was good this month but was rarely anything more than good.

    Over on TNT, though, AEW had a phenomenal month. Maybe it was the two-week losing streak they endured in July, but it seems like a fire has been lit under the show, with storylines peaking at just the right times, and performers putting on great matches with excellent finishes all around. Mox vs Allin was an absolute banger to start the month, Orange Cassidy vs Chris Jericho was a huge hit a week later, and FTR vs Private Party was tag team *mwah*. I know those are just individual matches and we’re supposed to be considering the whole card each week, but those are the highlights. In truth, both shows have at least one match that’s worth watching twice, but AEW tends to have more must-see stuff going on around those top matches, like the Jungle Express vs Hangman/Omega tag match, or the Cody vs Brodie Lee title match, or any of the segments between Mox and MJF. AEW feels like a weird blend of 90s Raw, pre-Russo Nitro, and, oddly, Chikara. NXT feels like it’s just trying to figure out how to keep up.

    SURPRISES
    WINNER: advantage AEW

    Tony Schiavone Brodie Lee

    Brodie Lee vs Cody takes it alone. That match was legit-shocking. It was a pure squash and title change with the loser being one of the most protected performers on the show. That’s how you do a title change: Make it after a long run, with a protected champ, and a new title-holder that has a purpose and enough talent to keep the belt legitimized.

    On the opposite side, the return of Velveteen Dream (and subsequent “what problems? No problems.” response by Triple H to the complaints) earns negative points. There’s simply no reason to handle that the way they did. It’s not even a matter of “did he actually commit a felony” because that part is at best still TBD. What gets me the most, at this point and time, is the caviler attitude in bringing him back to work as if nothing ever happened. Triple H even tried to shrug and say he had been away because of an injury. It bothers me because, for many other performers, just the accusation would be enough to get him yanked from TV and kept out of sight until everything was either resolved or he was fired. Instead, because Dream was (a year ago) a hot demographic draw, he’s allowed to wrestle and compete for titles as though he hadn’t been accused by multiple people of soliciting and/or grooming a minor. So that’s a negative surprise, giving AEW the win yet again.

    WINNER OF THE MONTH:

    Aew Logo W1

    It’s been a while since we’ve had a clean sweep but AEW earned it in August. The company is a week away from their biggest PPV of the year and they’re hitting on all cylinders exactly like you’d want them to as they approach All Out. NXT on the other hand feels like they’re entering into a rebuilding phase, with Keith Lee now moved up to RAW and a new champion needing to be crowned all over again. September should be interesting, as we deal with the fallout of All Out and see who NXT decided to put the belt on to carry the company and, they hope, score a few more wins over AEW for a change.

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    17 Comments
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    SilverD
    Silver
    2 years ago

    I think AEW’s Dynamite is something like the second or third most popular cable television show on Wednesday nights. That’s phenomenal for such a young wrestling promotion.

    Last edited 2 years ago by Silver
    0
    Reply
    BostonAustinD
    BostonAustin
    2 years ago

    For the Hall of Fame? Yeah, I can see that, but it wouldn’t boost ratings and it looks like Vince has given in and moved NXT to another night so it won’t have to compete with Dynamite.

    0
    Reply
    Snarky-GuruD
    Snarky-Guru
    2 years ago

    AEW was the only wrestling promotion to make the TV Guide’s list of top shows in the United States. That’s pretty phenomenal. I’m sure Vince is not best pleased.

    1
    Reply
    ArabellaD
    Arabella
    2 years ago
    Reply to  Snarky-Guru

    I guess the Wednesday Night Wars are officially over since NXT is airing on Tuesdays now. I’m surprised that he conceded defeat so quickly. I thought Vince would throw something else at them.

    0
    Reply
    The_OddsD
    The_Odds
    2 years ago
    Reply to  Arabella

    Is that a sure thing though? I can’t see NXT moving since WWE would have nothing to offer viewers on Wednesday nights. That’s just asking viewers to watch Dynamite. Vince isn’t going to do that.

    0
    Reply
    ArabellaD
    Arabella
    2 years ago

    I think RAW Underground is okay, but I agree that AEW definitely came out on top this month. The best match of the month was the energetic bout between Jon Moxley and Darby Allin. They threw down from start to finish.

    0
    Reply
    ThatcherD
    Thatcher
    2 years ago

    Brodie Lee vs Cody was one of the finest matches I’ve ever seen. Actually, the whole feud was excellent from the promos and the buildup to the match to the smack talk to the match itself were all excellent. I’m not surprised though. Both those guys are talented pros.

    Last edited 2 years ago by Thatcher
    0
    Reply
    KeeperofUnicornsD
    KeeperofUnicorns
    2 years ago
    Reply to  Thatcher

    It was a good one! I still hate Cody’s neck tattoo, but he’s an excellent public speaker, frontman, mentor, wrestler, PR agent, coach, and everything else that comes along with his position.

    0
    Reply
    Samuel234D
    Samuel234
    2 years ago
    Reply to  KeeperofUnicorns

    I hate it too! I don’t like to watch him because I don’t care for it. I know, don’t judge a book by it’s cover. I’ll have to give him a chance. It was a great match.

    0
    Reply
    SilverD
    Silver
    2 years ago
    Reply to  Samuel234

    I’m adding my name to the list of folks who hate that dang tattoo. He was so handsome before, but that tattoo definitely takes away from his classic good looks.

    0
    Reply
    Richarda
    Richarda
    2 years ago
    Reply to  Thatcher

    I totally agree with you on this. Everything was amazing! The match, the promo, everything. I wasn’t shocked because I expected it of these two. I hope they have more matches like this.

    0
    Reply
    EversleighD
    Eversleigh
    2 years ago
    Reply to  Thatcher

    It was nice to see that Luke Harper landed on his feet as Brodie Lee. He seems to be thriving at AEW which doesn’t surprise me.

    0
    Reply
    BostonAustinD
    BostonAustin
    2 years ago

    The WWE has never cared about predatory behavior so long as the wrestler was a hot commodity at the time. It’s all about the money. What I don’t get is why wrestling fans and sponsors seem willing to ignore it.

    1
    Reply
    KeeperofUnicornsD
    KeeperofUnicorns
    2 years ago
    Reply to  BostonAustin

    Yeah, I don’t understand that part either. Then again, I don’t see Velveteen Dream as a hot commodity at all. The crowd reads hot and cold when it comes to him, and he was injured just as he was gaining momentum. It would’ve been easy to sideline his WWE career at that point.

    1
    Reply
    ArabellaD
    Arabella
    2 years ago
    Reply to  KeeperofUnicorns

    I don’t understand why he’s been allowed to stick around either. The evidence against him is pretty damning, so I’m baffled that he’s not considered a liability. He’s tainted.

    Last edited 2 years ago by Arabella
    0
    Reply
    Samuel234D
    Samuel234
    2 years ago
    Reply to  Arabella

    I couldn’t agree more. Why would they want to associate his name with their brand. Maybe in due time theh will pull away. He is a huge liability but they must not care.

    0
    Reply
    EversleighD
    Eversleigh
    2 years ago
    Reply to  Samuel234

    Maybe they think they can handle him. I don’t get why they’d bother since they don’t need him. It would be great PR for the company to get rid of him. There must be something more to this.

    0
    Reply

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