The Wednesday Night War has become one of the most talked subjects in all the wrestling community. The “war” between NXT and AEW has a lot misconceptions people don’t realized while talking about the subject.
AEW started the war
A lot of people like to think AEW are the responsable of starting the “war” against NXT, but in reality, this is the other way around with WWE trying to counterprogram AEW several times like we saw with Evolve and now with NXT.
A lot of AEW talent and especially the EVPs of AEW have mentioned more than once they are not at war with NXT and they are exclusively focused on their product, while NXT booked a Takeover-esque card last week to fight against AEW Dynamite’s debut, making it clear NXT is watching very closely every move AEW is doing.
AEW and NXT are in equal ground
People like to think NXT and AEW are equal, but in reality NXT has a big advantage on AEW. NXT has 5 year head start that allowed the yellow and black brand to create a loyal fanbase, while AEW has less than a year of existence and a smaller fanbase than NXT.
In terms of roster NXT has adquired most of the hottest indie and non indie wrestler of this generation like: Candice LaRae, Adam Cole, Ricochet, Johnny Gargano and many more, but AEW does have the advantage of having a younger roster than NXT and WWE in general, making it easier for them to connect with younger wrestling fans.
Production value doesn’t matter
A lot of people like to downplay the importance of production value on shows, but in reality this is a very important aspect all wrestling promotion should consider. AEW’s production is pretty good and gives it a unique look in comparison to other promotions.
NXT’s look is very smilar to that of PWG and ROH offer to fans. NXT production needs to be upgraded and most importantly NXT needs to start touring to arenas. This battle of production value is clearly won by AEW but NXT still has time to change this.
Ratings don’t matter
The idea of ratings do not matter is played out and wrong. In this particular “war”, ratings are more important than ever and will be an important factor to watch for both brands.
Fans of both sides need to remember this is not a race but a marathon and the ratings of weeks 2-6 will be important to consider, and we will know if the two brands are able to create new fans and maintain their ratings or even better increase them from the previous weeks.
