AEW Dynamite vs. WWE NXT: Who Won the Oct. 30 Battle of the Wednesday Night War?

The moment WWE announced that NXT would be moving to the USA Network and sticking to Wednesday nights, longtime wrestling fans made sure their seat belts were securely fastened. Wednesday, of course, was also going to home to TNT's fledgling AEW Dynamite, the first wrestling programming on Turner television in nearly 20 years.

That meant a good old-fashioned wrestling war was about to erupt, the kind that fueled the industry in the 1990s. The head-to-head competition back then served to grow the fandom, WCW Nitro and WWE Raw working together despite their best intentions to light the entire industry on fire.

While it's too early to know what impact these two shows will have on the sport generally, the specter of another wrestling show lurking out there at the same time has forced each promotion to deliver their best possible products.

The result is a wrestling Renaissance of sorts—and Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden will be there every step of the way, analyzing both offerings and, because this is war, choosing a winner each week.

AEW Dynamite

Where: Charleston, West Virginia

Main Event: SCU vs. Lucha Brothers (Tag Team Tournament Finals)

Match of the Night: Adam Page vs. Sammy Guevara

Moment We'll Remember: Jake Hager put a dent in a parked car with Dustin Rhodes' head, then smashed his arm in the door to sickening effect. The attack was all part of The Inner Circle's mind games with Cody Rhodes.

Analysis: Another incredible night from AEW, a mix of the avant garde and the traditional; Kenny Omega's Undertale-themed eight-bit video and Brandi Rhodes' Halloween special living side-by-side with Jon Moxley's old-fashioned ranting and raving. 

The show began with a barn burner between Adam Page and Sammy Guevara and went off the air two hours later with SCU celebrating their title win. It never flagged in the moments between those two great matches, each segment clicking with the incredibly enthusiastic crowd.

I was surprised to see that the women's match between Hikaru Shida and Shanna, despite featuring one completely unfamiliar face, held everyone's attention for more than 10 minutes of solid wrestling. Fans have willingly embraced the Japanese imports, which is a good sign the division may eventually take flight.

Even the wrestling tropes that usually attract little more than groans from the cynical audience like the "contract signing" were delivered with such skill and professionalism that it was easy to recall how they became cliches in the first place—in the right hands they work.

Of course, at this point, it would be hard for a Rhodes brothers segment to fail. The crowd simply cares too much to let them crash and burn. Combined with Chris Jericho's seemingly inherent ability to entertain, and you have the formula for success.

What Worked: If AEW had an advantage this week, it was that it was a diverse, multi-faceted show. It continued to showcase Cody and Jericho in big, broad wrestling angles, had a strong promo from Moxley and some stellar in-ring work. This was the Lex Luger of wrestling television shows—the total package.  

Missed the Mark: The crossover event with Rick and Morty wasn't terrible as such things go, but it was by far the worst thing on either of the two shows.

Grade: A-

NXT

Where: Orlando, Florida

Main Event: Keith Lee/Matt Riddle vs. Undisputed Era

Match of the Night: Cameron Grimes vs. Tyler Bate

Moment We'll Remember: The top women in the promotion spread chaos in the ring. While security failed to control them, general manager William Regal's voice stopped everyone in their tracks as he declared the brewing battle could only be settled inside the WarGames cage.

Analysis: NXT, looking for solid footing after a ratings slide, turned to what the promotion knows and does best—incredible professional wrestling. With Finn Balor's excellent promo in the ring as the notable exception, this was storytelling done in the squared circle, a group of talents playing to their strengths as times get tough.

The women continued to shine, the division being a differentiator between the two brands. Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley are absolute stars, not of the future but of the now. Shayna Baszler carries the championship belt with the low-key self-assurance of a legitimate athlete.

There were five matches on this show and not a single one was skippable. Even the lone five-minute match was far from a squash. Instead, Shane Thorne and Bronson Reed stuffed 10 minutes of pure adrenaline into half that time. 

NXT's first can't-miss show.

What Worked: Everything. Everything on this show worked.

From Poppy's incredible opening song to Undisputed Era posing in the ring holding all the gold, this show delivered the goods. Everyone looked good here, even in defeat.

Balor, freshly released from the prison of the main roster, took aim at the entire industry in the best promo of the night.

"It's funny—two months ago, I'm laying down for what's supposed to be the next big thing in the business just because he put on a new mask," he said, taking aim squarely at Bray Wyatt and WWE Creative. "Well, I just took my mask off and now I'm the hottest thing in the business."

Missed the Mark: I'm not going to go out of my way to find things to dislike. This show brought the goods. There's nothing to see here. 

Grade: A

Overall: It's a shame these two shows happened in front of what will likely be both promotions' smallest overall audience thanks to competition in the world of sport. Both shows, once again, took aim and hit their marks. 

I remain immensely impressed with both, but this week, the undeniable winner was on the USA Network.

Winner: NXT

Running Total: AEW (4), NXT (1)

Jonathan Snowden covers combat sports for Bleacher Report