AEW and NXT Wednesday Night Wars: 3 winners of night #8

The NXT return of The Revival, a stellar opening match on AEW Dynamite, and another star-making performance from Darby Allin highlight this week’s list.

It took WWE eight weeks, but NXT finally scored a ratings win over All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in this Wednesday Night War. Sure, it took their usual mix of hotshot booking and some special appearances by some main roster stars — who showed up to supplement the company’s Survivor Series build — but the ends apparently justify the means. Meanwhile, AEW put forth their usual strong outing on Dynamite.

Overall, both shows delivered what fans have come to expect from the respective entities in terms of in-ring action and compelling television.

We’re here to discuss the three wrestlers — among others — who stood out the most but first, some honorable mentions:

Rhea Ripley: Given how both women have been protected over the last year, WWE could’ve promoted this match on a pay-per-view as a dream match of sorts. Instead, we got it on free TV.

The former NXT UK Champion acquitted herself well against “The Man”, so hopefully, we’ll see more from these two down the line.

Scorpio Sky: Everything about Sky’s exchange with Chris Jericho — who was his usual awesome promo — was fantastic, from the bit about his high school crush to his intense staredown with Jericho after “Le Champion” “gave” him a shot at the AEW Championship, which is set for next Wednesday’s Dynamite.

The Dark Order: The cult-leader gimmick still comes across as a bit low-rent — mainly because they look like leftover extras from Mad Max: Fury Road — but their vignette gave us a better idea of who this team is and what their motivations are.