Six stars who could play a pivotal role in the Wednesday Night Wars
Steven Wilson looks at three stars from each side of the battle for Wednesday wrestling supremacy who could make a massive impact.
The Wednesday Night Wars are nearly upon us. From this week onwards, NXT and AEW will go head-to-head in the US in the latest battle for wrestling supremacy.
It is a battle that is completely different to what we saw over two decades ago with the Monday Night Wars. At that point, wrestling was hitting mainstream popularity levels that we will struggle to see again.
There isn’t a Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold or Rock type character who can be easily quoted by your casual fan.
What both brands do have though are rosters who charismatic and talented wrestlers who have the ability to draw in new eyes to their respective products with their ability.
Whichever stars can shine the brightest on their new extended platform could ultimately decide which company has the greatest TV success.
So here are six stars who will play a pivotal role in the Wednesday Night Wars.
NXT
Adam Cole
It’s fair to say that NXT needed a poster boy to push their move onto the USA Network. Someone who can lead the brand into new waters. Their current NXT Champion fits this bill perfectly.
The Undisputed Era leader Cole is the complete package. Fantastic in the ring with energy and confidence in spades, he is the perfect wrestler for the current generation of fans.
He and his comrades are great merch shifters as well with their cool personas, which will certainly win Vince over.
Velveteen Dream
We talk larger than life characters playing a big role in the Monday Night Wars. Well there isn’t many gimmicks in wrestling more over-the-top (in a good way) than the Dream.
He processes a flamboyance that you can’t take your eyes off of when he is on screen. Dream has taken a dead-end looking character and turned it into something unique.
That combined with an ever improving ring game has won him fans the world over.
The big question is can his persona transfer over to the casual audience in the same way it has taken to the Full Sail crowd?
WALTER
A left field choice given the fact he isn’t a regular on the main NXT program. But given the way the crowd reacted to him on the debut USA Network show, you wouldn’t be surprised to see more of the current NXT UK Champion.
WALTER has a commanding presence in the ring. Before he even locks horns with his opponent, you already get that big match feel.
Some fans don’t feel his matches. However, you can’t argue with the ability he has for a big man. If his recent match with Tyler Bate is anything to go by, there are opportunities aplenty for The Ring General.
AEW
MJF
All Elite Wrestling have consistently talked about being an alternative.
In order to succeed with this, it is vital that they push the Non-Elite members of the roster effectively. In the company’s short history so far, one such star that has shone in MJF.
For a man so young, he comes across with great experience on the mic. The way he can shift how a crowd feel about him in an instant is golden in the modern era.
If he is eventually primed for a feud with Cody, then the sky could be the limit for MJF.
Jon Moxley
The debut of the former Dean Ambrose back in May certainly got the internet wrestling community buzzing.
It was a sure sign of intent that Moxley choose AEW as his first post-WWE stop.
If the company let his creativity sign in a way that WWE didn’t in his latter years, then they could be onto a winner. Whilst we might not get CZW-Moxley, a waterdown version of this will still be entertaining.
Chris Jericho
Main a wrestling fan have stated how important Jericho winning the AEW title was to the company.
One of the last standing members of the Attitude Era, Y2J has the ability to draw in casual viewers.
If AEW wants to succeed on a weekly national level, they did more than just the niche fan base they have built. As great as Omega and The Bucks are, they don’t have that same drawing level to people who haven’t watched wrestling in a decade.
Jericho does – and his talent to reinvent himself constantly could be crucial in giving the company a solid launching point.
More from Suplex Retweet
The founding father and ‘higher power’ of the ESSR army, Steven oversees the operation of the Suplex Retweet podcast series and is the show’s primary host. With a broad knowledge of the industry, Steven leads discussions on a wide range of subjects from stables to WCW.
Email: steven@eatsleepsuplexretweet.com
For some reason, he thinks John Cena’s real name is Allen Jones and is madly in love with Becky Lynch.
