The AEW Dynamite premiere was a big success for the company across the board. Early reports suggest that the television ratings were up to expectations, although the official numbers have yet to be released. It was undoubtedly a historic night for professional wrestling with WWE NXT and AEW Dynamite airing at the same time.
There’s been some tension between the two companies, although the rivalry remains friendly as of now. Many subtle shots have been exchanged in interviews, but WWE seems to be downplaying talks regarding the “Wednesday Night War” with AEW.
“Congratulations to AEW on a successful premiere. The real winners of last night’s head-to-head telecasts of NXT on USA Network and AEW on TNT are the fans, who can expect Wednesday nights to be a competitive and wild ride as this is a marathon, not a one-night sprint,” stated an official WWE statement issued to Wrestling Inc .
Fans didn’t expect the company to address the ongoing competition, especially since WWE ignored many upstart promotions in the past. Considering the hype surrounding the first episode of AEW Dynamite , WWE had no choice but to acknowledge the show’s impressive debut on a major network.
The closing remarks of the statement did catch the attention of wrestling fans, as some found it to be a slight warning towards AEW. With an emphasis on the weekly competition being a long-term game, fans are truly the winners, as WWE and AEW will likely step up their efforts.
Earlier this week, Triple H addressed the ongoing “Wednesday Night War” by claiming that his only focus is the current NXT product, as previously noted by The Inquisitr . Triple H also referred to the success of AEW’s pay-per-views as “one-off shows” since weekly television programming happens to be a “different animal.”
WWE continues to dismiss the chatter regarding a newborn rivalry, but it’s clear that the company has taken some measures to counter the launch of AEW Dynamite . Finn Balor’s addition to NXT is a possible indicator of more big moves to come, especially now that AEW is airing head-to-head.
With AEW displaying interest in signing several WWE superstars, there will likely be increased heat between the two companies in the future. WWE has already extended the contracts of many current wrestlers on the roster to avoid losing more performers to AEW.
Now that WWE has finally addressed the successful premiere of AEW Dynamite , it will be interesting to see how the competition plays out in the upcoming weeks.