AEW Dynamite vs. WWE NXT: Who Won the Feb. 26 Battle of the Wednesday Night War?

There is a contingent of wrestling fans who are obsessed with the sport as a business, carefully following every fluctuation in the weekly television ratings and scouring the internet to track house-show attendances and box-office gates.

And in my experience, there's nothing those fans hate more than a wrestling company "giving away" a pay-per-view quality main event on free television.

Well, not to bury the lede any further, those fans must be furious at All Elite Wrestling right now. Because the 30-Minute Iron Man match between Kenny Omega and PAC wasn't just a bout you could easily headline with—it's one of the very best wrestling contests the promotion has ever produced. 

It was the highlight of the year so far, but that doesn't mean there weren't other matches worth watching on AEW Dynamite and WWE NXT. As always, we'll take a look at both programs to find out what worked, what missed the mark and who walked away the winner.

If you have your own thoughts to share, we'd love to see them in the comments.

AEW Dynamite

Where: Kansas City, MO

Main Event: Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley weigh-in

Match of the Night: Kenny Omega vs. PAC (Iron Man match)

Moment We'll Remember: While this fight immediately became a contender for Match of the Year, it's actually the contentious interview segment between Omega, Adam Page and The Young Bucks that lingers in my mind.

It was the kind of painful confrontation that can only happen between friends and sets up their pay-per-view match at Revolution this weekend as something fans should go out of their way to see.

—The match between Kenny Omega and PAC was one of those other-worldly displays of professional wrestling that can only come from two masters of the craft.

While Omega was busy with his tag title reign and corralling the enigmatic Adam Page, PAC put his heart and soul into promoting this match. We didn't discuss them much here, but the series of vignettes he filmed discussing this match and his rivalry with Omega were well-done, compelling and helped fans build up anticipation for this bout.

And they delivered. Boy, did they deliver.

Some matches are excellent technically but never manage to fully pull the audience in emotionally. This was not that kind of match. By the time the 30 minutes were up, fans were living and dying with Omega, pushed to his limits just to survive.

Yet, when sudden death was declared and PAC lost despite having spent much of the match in a dominant position, it was hard not to feel a little sorry for him, despite our joy on Omega's behalf.

That's expert story-telling and shows clearly that a wrestler can lose a match without losing anything at all in the eyes of the fans.

—I was worried about whoever had to follow that incredible bout, but that pity was misplaced. Instead, Jurassic Express and The Inner Circle came out like wrestlers with something to prove and delivered an excellent match.

No, it wasn't PAC versus Omega. But it was a high-octane, fast-paced six-man bout that finally saw the fans' devotion to Jurassic Express pay off as they celebrated a rare win on Dynamite. This was the best match they've had yet, and the potential for this act still hasn't been reached. Big things are coming for all three.

—No one adds a sense of grandeur and gravitas to the sit-down wrestling interview quite like Jim Ross. He moderated a discussion between Omega, Page and The Young Bucks that felt almost like therapy at times: honest, raw and uncomfortable.

The tag team match between the four friends, at first glance, appeared to be a babyface match between four technical wizards, long on moves and short on emotion. Now it's a bonafide grudge match that feels like one of the most compelling feuds in all of wrestling. 

All three of the big matches at Revolution are intense, personal rivalries. But none feel remotely similar to the other two, each with a distinct build and rivalry. This, friends, is what good booking looks like.

—What can you say about Chris Jericho at this point that hasn't been said already? He left the ceremonial weigh-in with challenger Jon Moxley sporting a cut over his nose and his record for stealing the show intact.

The night started with Omega and PAC in a match for the ages, and it ended with Le Champion battered but unbeaten, his title bout with Moxley bigger than ever. Not many wrestlers could have reclaimed the audience's attention in the face of such excellence, but Jericho is truly a man among men.

—It's hard to find something on this program that didn't work. But, since this slide exists, let's quibble for a moment, shall we? 

Last week, we were left with the incredible visual of Cody Rhodes leaping off the top of the steel cage into the unknown, beating Wardlow and earning his right to face MJF at Revolution. It was one of the most incredible moments, not just in AEW history, but also in the recent history of the entire business.

That single moment captured the ethos of the entire AEW movement.

And, while they did air an excellent video package, it would have been nice to see Cody follow up on it in front of the live crowd. He's gone through hell to earn the match with his former protege. A few minutes to gloat might have added a little extra to what has already been a thoughtfully conceived and built match.

WWE NXT

Where: Winter Park, FL

Main Event: Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair

Match of the Night: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Austin Theory

Moment We'll Remember: After four years, The Queen returned to reclaim her throne.

Sure, the women of NXT always put on a tremendous show, but Charlotte Flair reminded Bianca Belair and the fans at home that there are levels to this—and right now, she exists on a plane above almost everyone else in the sport.

—It's always fun to see good talents rewarded with opportunity, so I wasn't mad to see Cameron Grimes get the upset win over Dominik Dijakovic. The two were given a lot of time, and Grimes used it successfully to position himself as a wrestler worthy of a better spot on the card.

It's always risky trying to move someone up in the pecking order. It has to be done carefully or fans will reject the wrestler as being unworthy of the new spot. You need a big win, but not one so big it doesn't feel believable.

I think WWE successfully managed this trick with Grimes here, and it should be smooth sailing from here to the upper midcard.

—Like Game of Thrones' Jaime Lannister, WALTER sends his regards; in this case, in the form of Imperium members Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel beating the pretty right out of Finn Balor. This was your standard "two guys jump a wrestler, he fights back but ultimately numbers matter" beatdown you've seen a million times. 

It works, however, because WALTER vs. Balor is going to be an amazing match, and anything that makes that bout closer to being on my television is alright with me.

—A less patient company would have tried to launch Austin Theory, a wrestler with obvious and undeniable potential, immediately to the moon. You can picture it in your head right?  The young wrestler upsets Tommaso Ciampa and leaps right into the title picture, only to summarily fail because, in 2020, a wrestler can't successfully take that step without the wind of the crowd in his sails.

Instead, he was allowed to shine here, shown as someone Ciampa has to take seriously without being placed on a pedestal he hasn't earned yet. A competitive loss is better than a win for Theory at this point. Now the work of getting him over can truly begin.

—If you watch NXT UK, you know The Grizzled Young Veterans are a really good tag team. But it's hard to prove that against a middling faction such as The Forgotten Sons. 

In wrestling, your opponents are everything. And, until you've firmly earned the crowd's respect, it's nearly impossible to grab their attention against an ordinary act. That means, until the Veterans are a little more established, a match with opponents at this level just isn't going to do anything for them. 

—It's too early to render a final verdict, but Johnny Gargano's heel turn has left the NXT Universe cold so far. It doesn't feel right, and it's not clear he believes it. 

If a wrestler doesn't believe in his heart that he's right, it's hard to convince an audience he really means it. Gargano isn't there yet.

Shout out, however, to his truly hideous sports coat. Not many men would come out to fight in an ill-fitting homage to "business casual," so cheers for that at least.

—The truth isn't always pretty, and it's not always what we want it to be. Nothing would have delighted me more than seeing Bianca Belair tear down the house with Charlotte Flair.

But, the truth is, it just didn't happen.

Belair had a chance here to step into a brand-new league. Instead, it was a step backward. That's a shame, because I believe in her and feel confident she'll eventually be the wrestler we all want her to be.

AEW: A+

NXT: C+

Overall: It feels like every week I turn off Dynamite wondering if it was the best episode yet. That's a great feeling, a sign that a wrestling promotion is delivering exactly what its fans want to see.

NXT, unfortunately, has felt a little off since TakeOver: Portland on February 16. This episode had enormous potential, but unlike PAC vs. Kenny Omega, Charlotte Flair and Bianca Belair failed to live up to the hype.

Like The Queen over Belair, an easy win this week for AEW.

Winner: AEW

Overall: AEW (7), NXT (2)