We all fondly remember the Monday Night War between WWE and WCW and now we finally might be begining to get back to the level of that era, as WWE and All Elite Wrestling went head-to-head on US TV for the first time ever.
AEW has been ruffling feathers in the industry, with the likes of former WWE stars Jon Moxley (Dean Ambrose), Chris 'Little bit of the Bubbly' Jericho and Cody Rhodes featuring at the top of the roster.
Wednesday night saw the debut of their new weekly TV show, All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite, in the US on WCW's old home TNT, with Jim Ross and Tony Shiavone on commentary. The show will also be aired on ITV 4 in Ireland.
The first episode featured the debut of another former WWE star, with Jake Hager (Jack Swagger) busting in and beating up Cody Rhodes' stable.
ABSOLUTE MADNESS ON #AEWDYNAMITE pic.twitter.com/wqnr9HHUWZ
— AEW on TV (@AEWonTV) October 3, 2019
Meanwhile, WWE are in the midst of massive week for their two staple television shows, along with the debut of a new weekly show for their NXT brand.
NXT has long been the hipster's choice for WWE fans with its grittier presentation and heavier empahsis on in-ring action, so by placing its new TV show up against AEW on Wednesday nights, the WWE is definitely targeting a similar core group of wrestling fans.
And how did they counteract all the hype around AEW? With the return of the longest reigning NXT champion in history to the show; Wicklow native Finn Balor.
It's a big decision for WWE to move Balor back to NXT on what seems to be a permanent basis. NXT has always been a stepping stone for stars before moving on to RAW or Smackdown but with the return of a high profile superstar to the brand it shows the WWE are serious about competiting with AEW.
Meanwhile, Smackdown will debut its new live Friday night show on Fox this week in what it is an absolutely massive TV deal. The show could now eclipse Raw to become the WWE's flagship programme and they are marking the first episode with the return of The Rock.
WWE has released a promo video for The Rock's return to Smackdown for its Fox debut this Friday night and it has sent us into nostalgia nirvana. pic.twitter.com/49HxCyddDz
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) October 2, 2019
This looks to be the start of what is undoubtedly going to become a intriguing period for wrestling fans.
