Since NXT and AEW started going head to head on Wednesday Nights, AEW has been the clear victor in terms of who is watching. We can debate the reasons why forever, as both shows are high in quality, near equal in that regard, but this week, NXT has a major fighting chance.
Smackdown Invasion
This past week on Smackdown, due to unforeseen travel issues with the crew who were supposed to be running Smackdown not being able to make it, instead being stranded in Saudi Arabia; WWE had to get creative. This manifested in NXT running an invasion on Smackdown, with Shayna Baszler, Tomassao Ciampa, Matt Riddle, Keith Lee, Bianca Belair, Rhea Ripley, Tegan Nox, and Adam Cole running wild on the Smackdown roster. In the main event, NXT got major promotion with Adam Cole beating multi-time world champion Daniel Bryan with no tricks in the main event to retain his NXT Championship. This lead to Smackdown getting a ratings bump.
Smackdown & RAW Will Fire Back
With Survivor Series now inclduing NXT, talent from RAW & Smackdown will show up there for revenge. Superstars like Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Becky Lynch, and maybe even Brock Lesnar (as unlikely as that would be) showing up in NXT to get revenge will help bring more eyes to the black and gold brand of WWE. Survivor Series has been a highlight in recent years since the brand split started back up, and with a third contender in the mix now, it’ll be interesting to see how this effects things, especially as NXT fired the first shot, and there’s always Monday where they might fire the second shot as well, provoking RAW as well.
The Real Winner Is The Fans
Ratings are important mainly to TV networks making sure they recoup their investments, but most fans don’t care. Fans care about one thing, a good product being showcased, and both AEW & NXT are providing that every single Wednesday. It’s a fantastic time to be a fan of wrestling, and the build to Survivor Series is going to be a fun one if Friday was any indication. We’re spoiled for choice, and the real winners of this ‘war’ that’s brewing. Who knows who will win, these things are unpredictable at the best of time, and AEW are building towards Full Gear, so they’re full of momentum as well.
