SHOT OF NOSTALGIA #8.2: THE WEDNESDAY NIGHT WARS | AEW DYNAMITE vs. NXT | OCTOBER 9 TO OCTOBER 30, 2019 | PRIVATE PARTY SHOCKS THE BUCKS | BÁLOR TURNS | SCU MAKES HISTORY
It's time for the second episode of Season 8 of SHOT OF NOSTALGIA and we're continuing our journey through the WEDNESDAY NIGHT WARS between AEW DYNAMITE and WWE NXT. The historic premiere is behind us, AEW has already landed the first punch, and now the real test begins as the excitement of October 2 gives way to the responsibility of producing compelling national television every Wednesday. ACEFIELD RETRO is jumping back into the DELOREAN for October 9 through October 30, 2019, when AEW had to start creating its own history while NXT had to make years of established history feel urgent again. Over on TNT, AEW begins defining what its new wrestling universe is actually going to look like as Private Party shocks The Young Bucks in the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament, Darby Allin earns a World Championship opportunity against Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley's issues with Kenny Omega begin pulling PAC into the chaos. Riho defends the AEW Women's World Championship against Britt Baker, Moxley and PAC battle to a time limit draw, Hikaru Shida arrives on Dynamite and the month ends with Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky of SCU defeating The Lucha Brothers to become the inaugural AEW World Tag Team Champions. We're looking at how AEW used upsets, tournaments, time limits and established stars such as Jericho, Moxley, Omega and The Young Bucks to build credibility for a company that entered October with almost no history of its own. NXT enters the same stretch with an enormous advantage in established depth as Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Io Shirai, Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Matt Riddle, Pete Dunne, WALTER, Roderick Strong and The Undisputed ERA fill a loaded month of television. Finn Bálor's return takes a dramatic turn when he attacks Johnny Gargano, transforming his homecoming into something far more consequential while helping NXT present itself as a destination rather than simply a developmental stop on the road to Raw or SmackDown. We're also examining the enormous advantage NXT already possessed in its women's division, where years of accumulated history allowed WWE to build toward the first women's WarGames match while AEW was still introducing its roster, establishing its hierarchy and effectively writing chapter one. We're also digging into what happened to the television war once the premiere audience began to settle and the two shows had to prove they could create a weekly habit. Dynamite follows its 1.409 million viewer debut with 1.018 million on TNT on October 9 before remaining almost completely steady at 1.014 million on October 16, while NXT moves from 891,000 on October 2 to 790,000 and then 712,000 over the same period. By the end of October, AEW has won every direct Wednesday comparison in total viewers and adults 18 to 49, but the numbers only tell part of the story as we examine AEW's younger audience, NXT's extraordinary roster depth, the World Series competition and the very different definitions of success facing a startup promotion and WWE's established Black and Gold brand. More than anything, Episode 2 is about watching two companies discover how to use completely different competitive advantages. AEW had the freedom of a blank page and needed to create championships, stars, memories and traditions quickly enough that viewers felt they were witnessing history being written, while NXT already possessed years of emotional investment and needed to make that established world unpredictable enough that viewers were afraid to miss what happened next. Don't forget to grab your weekly Shot of Nostalgia to continue FLASHBACK FRIDAY ON THE TAVERN. As always, tip your bartenders & learn from the past!
