The Final Battle Of The Mid-Week War?

Lucha Underground is the best. But that's just my opinion right now.

The former holder of that throne is NXT, and it still is in the eyes of a lot of fans.

That could change after Wednesday night.


I regularly appear on the Mid-Week War podcast to discuss the latest happenings on Lucha Underground and NXT. Normally, the host will ask me and the rest of the panel which show "won" the mid-week. It was pretty competitive for a while, but over the past couple months Lucha has dominated. This week our host declared that little gimmick of the podcast dead and the war over.

While I agreed at the time, I had a second thought the following day. There is still one more battle to be fought before the Mid-Week War is truly over.

It's Lucha Underground vs. the very best NXT can bring - a live special on WWE Network.

Takeover is NXT's killer app. There has never been a bad NXT live special on the Network. In fact, it's often been superior to whatever WWE pay-per-view has the misfortune of airing within the closest proximity.

The last NXT Takeover was Rival back on February 11. It delivered no less than three all-time NXT classics: Finn Balor v. Adrian Neville, Charlotte v. Sasha Banks v. Bayley v. Becky Lynch and Sami Zayn v. Kevin Owens.

Lucha Underground's in-ring action that same night was far less spectacular. However, it did feature some great story line advancement - the debut of Big Ryck's eyepatch, Pentagon, Jr. breaking another arm and the first in-ring promo by Alberto El Patron.

It's also worth noting that SmackDown the following night included a memorable Tag Team Turmoil that featured Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns and dominated nearly half of that night's show. It was also a bit of a necessity resulting from travel schedules of most WWE talent heading overseas. Still, it only added to what was an above average mid-week for professional wrestling.

Three months ago, there was no arguing that NXT Takeover: Rival was far superior to what Lucha Underground was offering that same night. In a way, it's the last time NXT was the mid-week's dominant program.

Lucha has been on an absolute tear in recent months. The matches have been spectacular. Story lines are intriguing, and they're paying off in satisfying ways. Lucha Underground has earned my trust and the trust of a growing number of fans.

That doesn't necessarily mean NXT has been bad. It's more about Lucha elevating its own quality to a level no professional wrestling program can match right now.

That brings us back to this coming Wednesday, when Lucha Underground will once again face the very best NXT has to offer. If Lucha can best NXT Takeover: Unstoppable with its regular program it will be the most meaningful and decisive night yet in this imaginary "war".

Lucha Underground is in position to cement its place as the undisputed best professional wrestling program in the U.S. All it takes is one more victory this coming Wednesday. NXT will be bringing everything it has, and for the first time I'll honestly be wondering if it will be enough. It could be the final battle of the Mid-Week War.