NXT Vs. AEW: Head To Head
1. Momentum/Buzz
NXT is set to become a cable TV show at its lowest point in some time.
TakeOver: Toronto wasn’t received well by the standards of previous events. The main event bordered on the preposterous—it was certainly cartoonish—and the undercard was flawed. Mia Yim underwhelmed in a rough, long match against Shayna Baszler. The North American Title Triple Threat match left some wondering if Velveteen Dream is still green, or if he’s just inconsistent and prone to error. Io Shirai Vs. Candice LeRae was awesome, but the Tag Team Title match, while good, was the weakest NXT effort in years.
This isn’t ideal, since the vast majority of fans are under the belief, informed by gruelling precedent, that Johnny Gargano will be programmed against Baron Corbin by week five.
Where there’s anxiety ahead of NXT’s revamp, there is near-euphoria surrounding AEW’s weekly TV debut.
Every show is selling out. Several of them promise major stakes, in the form of inaugural title defences, rounds of the Tag Team Championship tournament, and Chris Jericho’s two mystery partners. The Road To All Out has effectively hyped much of the fascinating line-up—Hangman Page ripped the stitches from his own face—and if it is any indication of the approach to TV, the hype is real.
It’ll never as good as the fanbase is projecting—but that doesn’t matter yet.
NXT 3 -7 AEW