AEW 'Dynamite' vs. WWE NXT: 'Wednesday Night Wars' Week 3 winners and losers

Steven Muehlhausen

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AEW 'Dynamite' vs. WWE NXT: 'Wednesday Night Wars' Week 3 winners and losers image

Week 3 of the Wednesday night head-to-head battle between All Elite Wrestling's "Dynamite" on TNT and WWE NXT on USA Network is now behind us.

We saw good matches, some intriguing ones made for next week, and some commentating that needs to be reevaluated.

Each week, Sporting News will give you the winners and losers from the "Wednesday Night Wars."

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Winner: Darby Allin

You might ask: How the loser of a world championship match can be regarded as a winner? It's quite simple, actually. There were those who wondered why Allin deserved to be in the match against the top name in AEW so early into the promotion's existence. 

He proved why on Wednesday night.

The no-disqualification aspect of the bout played to Allin's strength and he delivered in spades. Even though you knew Jericho would win heading into his title defense against Cody at Full Gear (more on that in a minute), the crowd believed Allin had a chance. Except for the skateboard spot, Allin pulled out all the stops to get the crowd more behind him.

Allin doesn't lose anything here as Jericho needed the help of fellow Inner Circle member Jake Hager to retain the belt, so he remains strong despite the defeat. He's a younger version of Jeff Hardy and is building his fan base with each time he steps inside the ring.

Loser: Riho vs. Britt Baker happening on free TV

Nothing against the match because it wasn't bad, but with a better backstory behind it, this could have gotten the proper attention from the sold-out crowd that it deserved. The match was cold, and the spectators sat on their hands until the final moments. It should have been built up for Full Gear and not for an edition of "Dynamite."

AEW has to remember that new fans are watching the show on television and inside the arena each week. If it doesn't explain who Riho and Baker are, then why should people care about them? This is something the promotion needs to be mindful of going forward. Yes, AEW is the new kid in town, but the honeymoon period will eventually wear off. The sooner it starts doing this, the more it will help in the long run.

Winner: Keith Lee vs. Donovan Dijakovic

By far, the best match on NXT this week. Men who weigh about 300 pounds aren't supposed to move like this. What Lee and Dijakovic can do once they step inside the ring is quite breathtaking.

Their matches in PWG were better than what we saw Wednesday night, but this was the best of their three bouts so far in WWE. What they showed this week is a small sample of what they can really do, and the crowd ate it up with chants of "Both these guys" and "This is awesome."

They do big-man moves like powerbombs, vicious forearms and power locks, but then you get inverted hurricarranas from Lee. Imagine if WWE would give them 25 minutes and let them bring out the entire arsenal. You'd likely see the match of the year in that promotion. 

Loser: Tommaso Ciampa's return

The fact Ciampa returned seven months after neck surgery, five months earlier than expected, is a testament to him and how hard he worked, but the ball was dropped here. 

A comeback of this magnitude should have been built up for several weeks with the return set for the Takeover event in November. Instead, Ciampa was used to kick off the show as a ratings ploy, booking him against a lower-level talent in Angel Garza. 

In what should have been a one-sided squash match to make Ciampa look invincible, Garza was given too much offense for a little over three minutes of action. AEW wasted a golden opportunity to present what should have been a historic moment, considering Ciampa was NXT champion before having to relinquish the belt because of the neck surgery. 

Winner: Cody video package

If you weren't sold on the AEW world title match between Chris Jericho and Cody at Full Gear, then you were after this excellent video package. The company is telling the story of the executive vice president of All Elite Wrestling and his quest to win his first world title, even though he was a Ring of Honor and NWA heavyweight champion. 

AEW did an excellent job of talking to his wife, Brandi; his mother; his mentor and good friend Diamond Dallas Page; Jim Ross; Tony Schiavone, and MJF. What Ross said about Cody needing to be the wrestler instead of the corporate guy gave the package an extra shot in the arm; it drove home the point that Cody needed to be 100 percent focused on becoming the champion.

After seeing this, one has to think Cody is winning the title. Right?

Loser: No promos from Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega to hype Full Gear

Moxley and Omega headline Full Gear on Nov. 9. Three weeks into "Dynamite," we still haven't heard a promo to promote the match. They faced off in a tag team bout, with Omega teaming with Adam Page and Moxley with PAC.

The face-to-face spot they did in the middle of the ring was tremendous. The crowd ate it up. There needs to be more, though. People want to see the match, but AEW is also in the business of selling pay-per-view and subscriptions, so it needs to spell out to the new audience it's trying to cultivate why these individuals want the match and what a win would mean to them in the grand scheme of things. There are still three more shows, so hopefully there will be some promos before the event.

Winner: Io Shirai

If there's a better female wrestler than Shirai, I'd like to meet her. She's flawless in the ring and makes everything look so easy even in a match against an unproven Kayden Carter. Note how she did the deadlift German suplex, and the height she got on the springboard dropkick was breathtaking. The way she's positioned as the monster heel is perfect for her character.

Her promo work has gotten a lot better since she came from Stardom to WWE. Wrestlers coming from Japan have had a tough time learning how to cut a good promo, but she has taken the time to learn English and is getting more confident each time out, which again has helped her overall character. 

It's only a matter of time before she wins the NXT women's title (why she hasn't already won it is another topic for another time). A program with Rhea Ripley isn't a wrong way to get to current titleholder Shayna Baszler.

Loser: Beth Phoenix

Phoenix got picked on last week, and here we are again. She just isn't showing any improvement from week to week. Nothing coming out of her mouth feels organic, which is what you should want from an announcer. Phoenix has had a difficult time finding a happy medium between talking loud and in a normal voice. 

It's nearing the time where AEW should consider cutting back to a two-person booth — as "SmackDown" has with Michael Cole and Corey Graves — with Mauro Ranallo and Nigel McGuiness. AEW should not want it to get to the point where fans stop watching because of an announcer. Phoenix has a lot to offer to the current wrestlers, but it should be in a behind-the-scenes role. 

Steven Muehlhausen

Steven Muehlhausen Photo

Steven Muehlhausen is a contributing writer for DAZN News. He writes features and news stories, and provides analysis relating to the world of boxing. Over the past five years, he has interviewed some of the biggest names in combat sports, including Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Terence Crawford, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Bill Goldberg.