A whole bunch of tag team action, some high stakes matches, and a kidnapping? All this and more in this edition of Wednesday Night War!
Things are still going strong on both AEW Dynamite and NXT. The former is continuing to work towards Fyter Fest, while the latter is setting up some big matches for the coming weeks.
On both shows, we saw plenty of tag team bouts and several interesting encounters. But everyone wants to know: which show reigned supreme this week? Let’s find out, starting with AEW’s highlights!
Starting things off is the latest chapter in the trials and tribulations of our favorite role model, Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D.
For the first part of the night, she and Reba Rebel were parked over by her best friend, Tony Schiavone. She communicated with him by using a makeshift clothesline to send messages over for him to read on commentary. This is how you social distance properly, so take some notes from the good doctor, people!
Later on, Schiavone made his way over to interview her. He announced that at Fyter Fest, Hikaru Shida would defend her AEW Women’s Championship against Penelope Ford, much to Baker’s dismay. She said that her and Tony were on a friendship timeout and demanded that Reba Rebel get her out of there.
However, it was Big Swole behind the wheel of the Role’s Royce. She drove off with a helpless Baker, leaving many worried for the doctor’s safety. Reba eventually found her in a dumpster in the back of the arena. Baker vowed revenge against her foe, if it was the last thing she ever did.
Luckily, Baker seems to be okay, albeit a little smelly from the garbage. I like that they’ve been able to keep this feud going, even with her out of action for the next several months. It’ll be interesting to see what happens next between these two, especially what she has up her sleeve to get back at Swole.
Up next is one of the tag matches, which saw The Young Bucks defeat Superbad Squad (Kip Sabian & Jimmy Havoc).
This was a great match for several reasons. First, it furthered the tensions between The Young Bucks, The Butcher & The Blade, and FTR. While Matt & Nick Jackson were trying to focus on their match, Butcher & Blade did everything in their power to throw them off. But FTR showing up evened the odds in a way.
Second, it helped Sabian & Havoc look really good despite the loss. When they first joined forces, it took them a while to find their footing within the stacked AEW tag team division. However, they now look like a legitimate threat and a team to keep your eyes on going forward.
Lastly, it wouldn’t surprise me if all four teams wind up in some sort of match against each other. Regardless of what it turns out to be, it’s clear that it’s a match of the night contender on whatever card it’s a part of.
Rounding out our AEW highlights is the main event, where Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent) secured their number one contender spot against Le Sex Gods (Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara).
It showed a more aggressive side of Taylor & Trent, as they were out for retribution after The Inner Circle’s attack on Orange Cassidy the previous week. They finally earned a shot at Kenny Omega & ‘Hangman’ Adam Page’s AEW Tag Team Championship, and I’m sure they won’t disappoint come Fyter Fest.
But what added more intrigue was the ending of the match. One of the AEW cameramen seemed to have tripped up Guevara, which led to Best Friends picking up the win. Afterwards, Cassidy revealed himself to be the cameraman and unleashed quite the beating on Jericho.
Tony Khan then announced that the two would clash at Fyter Fest. The intensity and ferociousness that Cassidy displayed spices things up even more; will we see his usual laid-back demeanor in a few weeks, or will we see that fiery version of him? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Moving over to NXT, we start with The Undisputed Era’s eventful night.
First, Adam Cole & Bobby Fish tried to help Roderick Strong overcome his traumatic experience with Dexter Lumis. Sadly, things didn’t go as planned and he’s probably even more traumatised now. Hopefully things work out a little better next week!
Later, Cole was interviewed backstage and was asked about Karrion Kross & Scarlett’s recent warning. The champ was not afraid, but then Keith Lee arrived and smashed the hourglass Scarlett presented Cole with last week. The Limitless One declared that he would be the one to defeat Cole, not Kross.
The NXT Champion made his way to the ring and claimed that Kross was undeserving of a title shot. He then turned his attention to Lee, stating that he wanted a shot at his North American Championship. Johnny Gargano and Finn Balor arrived and said they wanted a shot at both titles as well.
General Manager William Regal announced that next week, Lee would put the North American Championship on the line against Gargano and Balor. Whoever walks out victorious would then challenge Cole on July 8th in a winner-takes-all Champion vs. Champion match.
While these matches are sure to impress, the build-up has once again been subpar. NXT could have easily built both title pictures up over several months, but instead they threw them together within weeks. It’s a shame, because they could have achieved a lot more if they gave themselves proper time.
Then we move on to Santos Escobar making a huge statement at the expense of Drake Maverick.
After last week’s shocking revelation, the Cruiserweight Champion, with Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde in tow, claimed that he was done hiding behind a mask. He wants his name to live forever, so it sounds like him and Damian Priest would get along just fine.
Maverick stormed the ring and tried to fight Escobar, but he was no match for the trio. The champ hit him with another Phantom Driver, this time through a table onto the concrete below. Maverick ended up being stretchered out of the arena afterwards.
This feud continues to get better, and it’s only been a few weeks. Maverick’s tenacity and fighting spirit is compelling television, especially going against Escobar and his crew. It’ll make viewers want to tune in week after week to see when he’ll return and get his retribution.
Finally, we wrap things up with Bayley & Sasha Banks retaining their Women’s Tag Team Championships against a game Tegan Nox & Shotzi Blackheart.
This was a fun way to end the night, with all four women shining in the main event. Bayley & Banks always bring it when they step in the ring, but Nox & Blackheart are no slouches either. Blackheart has especially impressed recently, showing off her skills and high-risk attitude at every opportunity.
What made this even better was Io Shirai’s appearance after the match was over. She attacked the champs and reminded them whose show they were on. Could you imagine a match between her and either Bayley or Banks? Sign me up!
The Verdict
Much like last week, both shows once again spoiled us with plenty of entertaining action in the ring and out. For this week, I must give the win to…
While NXT was still good, it did have some moments that took away from the overall show. Dynamite was again the more consistent show and now goes up 2-0 in our Wednesday Night War.
Will Dynamite continue its winning streak, or will NXT get on the board? You’ll have to tune in next week and find out!
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