Since October 2, 2019, both Dynamite and NXT have found their groove over a year into the Wednesday Night Wars. The unofficial competition between AEW and WWE television on Wednesday nights has been a blessing for fans. Some are reliving the Monday Night Wars from the '90s or are witnessing a ratings "battle" for the first time.
Unlike WCW, neither company has come out to say that they are directly competing against the other. Instead, both promotions have provided incredible matches on Wednesday to go up against the other show with fans being a major benefactor. Focusing just on stand-alone matches and not the overall 2-hour show, these are times when each show outdid the other.
10 NXT: Pete Dunne vs Kyle O'Reilly (November 25, 2020)
An incredibly hard-hitting match not just in general but especially for a television match! Pete Dunne fought Kyle O'Reilly in a Ladder match on the November 25, 2020, NXT with the winner claiming advantage for their team in their upcoming WarGames match at NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2020.
Team (Pat) McAfee's Dunne and Undisputed Era's O'Reilly sent each other crashing into ladders, brutalized each other with chair shots and strikes but in the end, a masked individual interfered to cost O'Reilly the match. Dunne's suplex to O'Reilly through a bridged ladder on the outside was the highlight. Dynamite's best match that night was probably Hangman Page vs. John Silver.
9 Dynamite: Kenny Omega vs PAC (February 26, 2020)
Formerly known as Neville in WWE, "The Bastard" PAC's first match against Kenny Omega came by accident. Omega was set to face Jon Moxley at All Out but was replaced by PAC due to a staph infection. This however created a strong, blooming rivalry.
PAC won their first singles meeting, Omega won their second, and their third came on the February 26, 2020, Dynamite in a 30-Minute Ironman match. PAC classically sacrificed a fall to deliver a chair shot to Omega and would tie the score later on. Kenny won in overtime after a One Winged Angel. On NXT this night, Austin Theory vs. Tommaso Ciampa was the high point.
8 NXT: Keith Lee vs Dominik Dijakovic vs Roderick Strong (October 23, 2019)
Weeks into the launch of the Wednesday Night Wars, the October 23, 2019, NXT was main evented with Roderick Strong defending his NXT North American Championship in a Triple Threat match against "The Limitless" Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic.
Strong was used as a battering ram and a crash test dummy by Lee and Dijakovic. Lee showed off his great grappling strength, while Dominik and Roderick showcased their great striking ability. After a Spirit Bomb off the second rope, Strong came out of nowhere and connected with a Sick Kick on Keith to get the pin to retain. Dynamite delivered a very good Lucha Bros vs. Private Party match that night but it wasn't as good.
7 Dynamite: Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara vs Kenny Omega & Matt Hardy (May 6, 2020)
A Street Fight main evented the May 6, 2020, Dynamite between The Inner Circle's Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara vs The Elite's Kenny Omega and "Broken" Matt Hardy. Although the match was a little kooky at times, it was still a fun brawl that was different.
The four did not stick to the ring, taking the fight to the arena concourse. Matt Hardy changed personas during the match, and there were tables, ladders, and golf carts! Sammy Guevara being run down by Omega and Hardy was a moment many fans loved. After powerbombs through a table, on the golf cart, and then a Judas Effect, Chris and Sammy won. NXT's top match that night saw Charlotte Flair vs. Io Shirai end via DQ.
6 NXT: Keith Lee vs Adam Cole (July 8, 2020)
July 8, 2020, was night two of the 2020 Great American Bash under the NXT banner. The main event was a Winner Takes All match for Keith Lee's NXT North American Championship and Adam Cole (BAYBAY!)'s NXT Championship. This night and the prior week were both televised "PPVs" with AEW presenting Fyter Fest.
The larger Lee overpowered Cole with his strikes and slams with Cole brought his own onslaught with superkicks and neckbreakers. Cole hit his Last Shot and Panama Sunrise finishers but Lee's Spirit Bomb and Big Bang Catastrophe sealed the deal for Keith to become the first NXT double champion. Fyter Fest had a great eight-man tag but it wasn't as important as this.
5 Dynamite: Santana & Ortiz vs Best Friends (September 16, 2020)
One of the craziest "anything goes" matches to be televised came on the September 16, 2020, Dynamite. This night, Proud & Powerful (Santana and Ortiz) met Best Friends (Trent? and Chuck Taylor) in a Parking Lot Fight.
The four went to absolute war in the parking lot. They threw and slammed each other into the surrounding cars and their windshields, and moves were performed onto a door and barricade. Tools were used as weapons but in the end a "run-in" by "Freshly Squeezed" Orange Cassidy helped Best Friends get the win after a Trent? Crunchie on a truck bed. NXT had a good but not great Io Shirai/Shotzi Blackheart contest this night.
4 NXT: Io Shirai vs Rhea Ripley (November 18, 2020)
A title match main event can be an excellent end to the show or a great, bittering disappointment. NXT provided the former on the November 18, 2020, edition with Io Shirai defending her NXT Women's Championship against Rhea Ripley.
Io's strikes would result in Ripley bleeding from the ear but she would also attack the arm and keep Ripley grounded with dropkicks. Rhea's strikes and suplexes looked rough but a sunset flip powerbomb through the announcer table by Io on Ripley helped Shirai line up the hurting challenger for her Moonsault finisher to get the pin. Dynamite was highlighted by Serena Deeb vs. Thunder Rosa.
3 Dynamite: Kenny Omega & "Hangman" Adam Page vs Scorpio Sky & Frankie Kazarian (January 22, 2020)
Taking place on Chris Jericho's Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager At Sea, Dynamite took place on a cruise ship on January 22, 2020. The opening contest was for the AEW World Tag Team Championships with Scorpio Sky and Frankie Kazarian defending against Kenny Omega and "Hangman" Adam Page.
The near 20-minute match had a great, consistent pace with many near falls that got the crowd really excited. After Omega kicked out of the SCU-Later, he tagged in Hangman who finished off Sky and Kazarian with Buckshot Lariats each to get the pinfall and win the titles. Roderick Strong and Keith Lee had a belter on NXT but it wasn't quite up to this.
2 NXT: Finn Balor vs Adam Cole / Rhea Ripley vs Shayna Baszler (December 18, 2019)
NXT's December 18, 2019, edition featured two incredible matches that both deserve credit. Adam Cole opened the show by defending his NXT Championship against Finn Balor. The crowd went nuts from the false finishers. Johnny Gargano returned from injury in the late stages to distract Balor, allowing Adam to hit a low blow and Last Shot to retain.
The main event was Shayna Baszler defending her NXT Women's Championship against Rhea Ripley. Baszler was gritty with attacks using the ring rope and a steel chair, along with her assault of strikes and submission holds. However, Ripley's strikes, suplexes, and Avalanche Riptide were too much for Shayna as Rhea got the pin and championship win. AEW really had no shot on this night even with SCU vs. The Young Bucks as the main event.
1 AEW: Kenny Omega vs Jon Moxley (December 2, 2020)
Kenny Omega challenged Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship on the December 2, 2020, "Winter Is Coming" edition of Dynamite. Omega earned the shot at the Full Gear PPV in November and had a special guest on commentary for his match, Impact Wrestling's Don Callis. Moxley and Omega exchanged grapple holds, slams, suplexes, and strikes in another of their hard-hitting encounters.
Following "interference" from Don Callis, Kenny capitalized with a cheap shot on Jon which opened him up for an attack and finally a One Winged Angel to lose the match and his championship. Callis and Omega then high-tailed it out of the arena before revealing that he and shockingly Omega would appear the following week on Impact Wrestling. Raquel Gonzalez and Shotzi Blackheart's ladder match was good competition but nowhere near as important.