NXT Takeover Brooklyn IV: Four Possible Endings for Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano

This Saturday night at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn IV, Tommaso Ciampa will put his NXT title on the line against his long-time nemesis, Johnny Gargano.

The two men have been locked into a bitter feud since the start of 2018, and have both scored pinfall victories over each other at Takeover events this year. Saturday's encounter, which is a last man standing match, is being viewed as a rubber match between the two men and should draw a line under their feud.

Except, this match wasn't the WWE's original plan. The originally scheduled match was a triple threat match featuring Gargano, Ciampa, and former NXT champion, Aleister Black.

This means that the company have likely had to change their plans for the match at the last minute, meaning we are likely to see a very different ending to the one that was originally planned. What will that ending be?

While certain sections of fans assert that Ciampa may be booked favorably in this matchup, and go over his arch nemesis once again, the professional wrestling rumor mill has been rife with banter that the WWE may possibly have a swerve in store for the WWE Universe come NXT TakeOver.

Let's take a look at four possible options--

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#1 An interference

Tommaso Ciampa may get a helping hand at Takeover: Brooklyn

The score between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa currently stands at 1-1, with each man scoring a pinfall over the other at each of the last two Takeover events.

Saturday's match, for all intents and purposes, will be the duo's rubber match, and if they do decide to have a winner, then both men will need something fresh to do once the dust has settled.

One way to potentially prolong the duo's feud, and to give one of them something to do until they meet again, would be to have someone interfere and cost one of the competitors the match.

There are several options here, with EC3, who has had some issues with Johnny Gargano in recent weeks, being a potential candidate. If EC3 loses his match to Velveteen Dream, he could easily lose his temper, interrupt this match and cost Gargano the victory.

Of course, the interruption could also cost Ciampa his belt, the Sicilian Psychopath has made his fair share of enemies over the last few months, with his actions hardly making him the most popular superstar in NXT.

#2 Tommaso Ciampa Wins

Tommaso Ciampa could continue his reign of terror on Saturday

It seems highly unlikely that Tommaso Ciampa isn't going to walk out of Brooklyn with his NXT title on Saturday.

Ciampa only won his belt a few weeks back, and the fact that the company originally booked Aleister Black to be a part of this match would imply that the company had plans to have this match take place later down the line.

Ciampa is pure gold as champion right now, and the company would be foolish to strip him of his belt so early in his run.

If Ciampa comes out on top of this match on Saturday, then that presumably draws a line under the two men's feud, with Gargano having no real claim to a title shot. Where does that leave Gargano?

Well, that remains to be seen, but Ciampa would definitely have a line of competitors queuing up for a shot at his gold.

#3 A Fairytale Ending for Johnny Gargano

Johnny Gargano may finally get his happy ending in Brooklyn

Johnny Gargano's quest for revenge against Tommaso Ciampa has been the best WWE storyline of 2018; and seeing Gargano inadvertently help his nemesis win the belt he has so been so desperate to get his hands on himself was a genius twist.

The end-game for this storyline has to be Gargano standing triumphant, NXT title in his hand, while Ciampa lies defeated on the mat.

Could we get that sight on Saturday? It's possible. NXT Takeover: Brooklyn is perhaps the biggest NXT show of the year, and would make for a fitting stage to finally give Gargano his crowning moment.

Ciampa came out on top against Gargano last time, and having him defeat him once again on Saturday would surely ruin Gargano's hopes of ever getting his hand on the big prize in NXT. It could be a case of now or never for Gargano, though, there is still one more ending the WWE could give us...

#4 A Draw

Both men may end up being down for the 10 count on Saturday

The most logical way for the WWE to end this match is to have a double knockout. The original plan was clearly for the two men to meet in one final encounter later down the line, and presuming that is still the plan, then a draw on Saturday would make the most sense.

There is no coincidence that the company have selected a stipulation that allows for such an outcome, and the fact that it will also allow each man to beat the other to within an inch of their life only adds to the drama.

While the last man standing match is often reversed for an end of a feud, the WWE can still use several other match-types, hell in a cell or ironman, for example, to finally draw a line under what has easily been the best feud of 2018 later down the line.

#5 Miscellaneous

The very fact that Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano are having a feud on WWE programming is a testament to the excellent work put in by Triple H.

The WWE boss truly is a pioneer, who has played a major role in helping professional wrestling ascend to the next level. Triple H has focused extensively on the wrestling aspect of the matches, as well as the character work.

On that note, while the 4 possible endings to the Ciampa vs. Gargano TakeOver match seem the most logical--one could never quite rule out the possibility of a shocking swerve transpiring in this highly-anticipated NXT matchup. In other words, something completely different from the most logical outcomes, may take place at TakeOver which in turn may serve to add a new page to the book of this classic rivalry.