The Monday Night Wars were the most fun many of us ever had with wrestling, and it’s awesome to have something similar back. Welcome to the Wednesday Night Wars!
It’s easy to come out with guns blazing when kicking off a war with a rival promotion. Things can start off great and fizzle or go all out for the entire two hours.
This is about the great start and high bar the promotion set for itself
The Highs
- Opening with Slipknot’s Corey Taylor. Each week, NXT has opened with a proclamation about NXT’s purpose and attitude, and having Corey Taylor be the one to deliver it is all the better. It helps to raise the intensity and energy, and grabs our attention right away. While this may grow stale at some point, it currently hits the mark perfectly.
- The first thirty minutes being commercial free. This is one of the best things they could’ve done. It allowed us to watch the best match of the night without fear of being interrupted by commercials. In agreeing to do this, networks tend to want an exchange of sorts, and we had to suffer through those, but that’s a different list.
- Adam Cole and Matt Riddle. This was an awesome match that rivaled anything the WWE has offered televised or on pay-per-views all year. It demonstrated the talent that’s on hand for Triple H to play with and for us to enjoy, plus we got the chance to sit back and enjoy a match for once. The Street Profits and Undisputed Era were a close second, and may have taken this spot if not for numerous interruptions.
- Finn Balor’s return. It was great to see Balor return after his month off to recharge, and the fans enjoyed every second of it as they nearly blew the roof off. It was hard to tell who was happier, the fans of Balor with the way he was smiling.
- WWE Royalty was in attendance. First, we got to see Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, which brought back memories of their “invasion” of WCW and the birth of the NOW. A point the announcers wasted no time in making. Later on, we got to see Stephanie McMahon, Mark Henry, and Alundra Blayze enjoying themselves.
- Tommaso Ciampa’s return. After giving up the NXT heavyweight championship due to an injury, having him come back to end NXT’s first two hour show by circling Adam Cole like a shark was perfect. How long do we have to wait for a triple threat match between them and Finn Balor? Adding Matt Riddle would make it perfect. Just saying. No pressure. Well, maybe a little.
Final Thoughts
As has been NXT’s trend since appearing on USA, they’ve avoided the backstage and promo storytelling, and it’s been paying off big time. It’s like the old days before someone (I think in WCW?) decided to have half the show be chit chat in the ring. We want action and we’re getting it. They’re letting the athletes tell their stories in the ring and that’s been working perfectly.
An overall great show, there were some issues that may have lost a few of us, but that’s another article. So sit back and enjoy the first shots fired in the Wednesday Night Wars.
