Week 2 of the Wednesday Night Wars. Gotta say, just speaking personally, I already greatly prefer this to the Monday Night Wars. Both sides pumped out really good shows, with the first half hour of NXT really shining the brightest in terms of sheer action. They may have lost the ratings war but they certainly proved yet again that they can put on a great show.
This week, the star power is considerably diminished, but that was to be expected. You can’t bring the house every week or you’d run out of big matches in a hurry. Still, this show is set to have really good action and a very special (presumed) main event. So let’s get to previewing!
Isaiah Scott vs. Roderick Strong (Non-title)
“Swerve” Scott is a phenomenally smooth talent. Now that the Cruiserweight division is migrating to NXT, he has a great chance to become a player in the 205 ranks, he’d fit right in. While on paper this is a chance to get into the North American title chase, going up against the champ, I see it as more a chance to show the world just how talented he is.
And Roderick Strong is a fantastic guy to help him with that. Roddy’s been such a cornerstone for NXT, the epitome of the good hand. Two weeks ago he finally got some singles glory with a well-deserved North American title win. With that momentum on his side, this should be a great showcase for them both. Strong should ideally win this to add some strength to his reign though.
NXT Cruiserweight Championship: Drew Gulak (c) vs. Lio Rush
Yes, that name change for the title is apparently official. That speaks to how all in they’re going with this. And I’m all for it!
Lio Rush’s return two weeks ago was as unexpected as it was warmly welcomed. The difference for the cruiserweights was really night and day. Rush & Lorcan just put on a 205 Live style match, except it was in front of a crowd that cared! And as such, it was a huge showstealer!
That speaks well of the division’s future. And this match should do well to cement that future. Gulak’s been a great reliable champ, the Dean Malenko of this era’s cruiserweights. And he’s held that title for a decent few months, but now is the time. It’s only appropriate to christen this new era with a title change. The fastest man in all of WWE, period, Rush would be a perfect Cruiserweight champ. Gulak shall get it back one day but Rush has all the makings of a star of this division. Let’s make it happen.
WALTER vs. Kushida (Non-title)
Anyone who has seen WALTER’s matches with Pete Dunne and especially Tyler Bate should be extremely excited about this. Put the Ring General up against a little man and you get a damn horror show of brutality. And Kushida is one of the best little men around, an excellent technician and mat wrestler. He’ll have to put every bit of that to good use just to survive in this one.
Whether this will be able to compare to what WALTER has managed to accomplish at Takeover events is hard to say. Having to deal with commercials is always a disadvantage for a major match. But this certainly has a great chance of being the best TV match all week, anywhere.
Those are the announced matches, but you can also expect to see a follow-up to the surprise appearances of Tommaso Ciampa and Finn Balor last week. Should be another goodun!
You can see my preview of the competition, AEW Dynamite, here.
