10 Times AEW Made The Critics Look Like IDIOTS

3. "NXT Will Beat Them In The Ratings"

CM Punk
AEW/Lee South

Vince McMahon thought he had hatched a masterplan to thwart All Elite Wrestling, and he wasn't alone.

Many if not most people within pro wrestling media thought that NXT, relaunched as a TV entity on USA to combat Dynamite head-to-head, had the edge. The show benefitted from WWE's vast exposure advantage and - this was the very astute and spiteful part - a two-week head start. It was a genius move, and if only Vince McMahon was as creative as he was spiteful. WWE might have looked halfway decent in 2019.

NXT's victory didn't happen: the hype generated by AEW's hugely acclaimed launch on pay-per-view, coupled with the promise of a new and much-needed approach, saw Dynamite annihilate NXT by 1,409,000 (0.68) to 891,000 (0.32). While AEW never again reached that peak, it thrashed NXT until the "war" ended in 2021. NXT won the key demographic just once, on December 18, 2019.

Why was the war so one-sided?

AEW subsumed NXT's identity as the acclaimed action-centric league, and offered what Triple H did not: incredible unscripted promos and compelling intricate storylines that did not rely on people staring at belts under the belief that it was "subtle".

NXT was just boring and so desperate in contrast, what with Mauro Ranallo screaming over a wave of stipulation matches that would make Vince Russo pause.

Ladder matches to determine the advantage for WarGames: wasn't AEW the dangerous promotion that didn't know how to tell stories?

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!