Oh the ratings were released already? I'm guessing that's just US only since the show isn't on in UK until 1 day later, which at least is better than the morning time slot it was going into originally, they're still ironing out stuff though so I'll pirate and forgive them for their mistake.

The number of people watching the events was night and day as well, AEW had 14k in a very well lit arena showing off their love of the product, NXT audience is somewhere in the region of 1000 with darker lighting used to hide that fact, AEW were not hiding just how many people were there at all.

I'm honestly still more impressed with the skills of NXT wrestlers. As for the first AEW tv show, the Cody/Sammy match was awesome. The rest were kinda meh, imo.

The dirty deeds through the glass table had me in "holy shit" mode while sat on my couch watching. and I'll be honest.... I didn't love him too much in WWE but I wanted to put my hand to my chest with that ending and shout out 3 words from the impact his arrival made to the scene which was ongoing.

NXT legitimately has a good handful of the best wrestlers on the planet.  A lot of the NXT talent would be at the top of the AEW card if NXT hadn't signed them first.  Many were considered the cream of the crop on the indie circuit and you can bet AEW would have snapped up guys like Cole, Gargano, Lee, Ciampa, Strong, Kushida, O'Reilly, Riddle, and Prince Devitt.  You can definitely add Candice LeRae and Io Shirai to that list, as well.

In my opinion, NXT has been right there with NJPW when it comes to the best wrestling events over the last several years.  Takeovers always deliver.  I haven't seen RAW in more than a year and Smackdown only once or twice over the same span but NXT has absolutely kept my attention.

I must be missing something but why are the matches and even the wrestlers watered down when going from nxt to raw/smackdown

WAR?!!

That's more like it....

Did ye hear as well that NXT was said to be Vince free in the back unless they would get consistently beaten by AEW in the ratings before the "war" kicked off, apparently it lasted 76mins into the broadcast before Vince was backstage screaming orders to fix things and change stuff.

Well I hope those first 76 mins of NXT which were Vince free were good, because now it's just gonna be Raw/SD nonsense with their Wrestlers, can't wait to see stuff like Bobby Lashley making out with Lana to finish off a go home show before a fucking PPV, what kinda insanity is that? I mean.... I know what it is, the fact is that Rusev and Lana's contract is expiring soon so he wants to damage them before they release and go to AEW as super over baby face duo, but he is ending a go home show with an embarrassment of an embarrassment angle just to damage his own show as a jab at talent who want out, it's bad for the show, it's bad PR with both viewers and new potential talent when they see what a Vince Mc grudge looks like. That was terrible to see for all reasons.

Candice and Matt Riddle are my 2 most favorites, if i had to pick just one guy and one girl to cheer for. I honestly like most of the wrestlers that i've seen in NXT though. I'm waiting to see what they do with Santana Garrett, as she left WOW and signed with NXT.

Could wwe have an actual legitimate MMA match with these 2?

In Saudi Arabia, two notable things happened.

1. Lacey Evans and Natalya has the first ever women’s match in Saudi Arabia.

This will undoubtedly be overshadowed by the next point in the short term:

2. A large portion of the WWE staff, including superstars, were prevented from leaving the country. It has been revealed by a wwe staffer that Vince Mcmahon got into an argument with Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman over money. Vince ordered the feed to the show cut, and the delay was the retaliation of MBS as an intimidation tactic.

Smackdown was changed up as a result of the missing stars, and it featured many NXT stars plus some superstars who had refused to go to Saudi Arabia, or were banned from travel, including Daniel Bryan and Sami Zayn.

This might be the last WWE show in Saudi Arabia as an increasing number of superstars will not work there again.

As well, if Vince had any integrity, the last consideration for a show in Saudi Arabia would have been the brutal assassination of Jamal Khashoggi.