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Tommaso Ciampa and Adam Cole have been involved in a bitter rivalry since the former made his return from injury, as The Psycho Killer is looking to reclaim the WWE NXT Championship.
While we’ve watched them get physically involved several times since Ciampa’s return (with NXT TakeOver: WarGames taking the cake), they have not battled in a Championship match.
This week, Ciampa took matters into his own hands by taking out Roderick Strong, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly backstage with a steel pipe before coming out to the ring with a table.
He set up the table and watched as Adam Cole came out to exact revenge for the attack. William Regal handed Cole the Championship match contract for NXT TakeOver: Portland, which Ciampa took from Cole after power bombing him onto the table, then signed it with his blood.
In this article, we'll look at the 5 reasons why Ciampa is challenging Cole for the NXT Championship at the next TakeOver event.
#5 No better challenger around
NXT is flooded with some of the best talents in the wrestling industry. This has helped the brand reach more fans in recent times, and even pick up a television deal in the process. Therefore more fans want to watch NXT weekly.
Tommaso Ciampa is one of the oldest performers on NXT and deserves to remain in the top title picture frequently, due to the hard work he’s put in.
Johnny Gargano, Finn Balor, and Keith Lee are some of the other top Superstars who could have been at the forefront of the Championship run, but they aren’t in it for various reasons.
Gargano and Balor are set to battle each other at TakeOver: Portland in a match which will likely extend their rivalry for the next few months. They have also received their shot at Cole’s prize and failed to win it in their matches.
Keith Lee is already holding the North American Championship which he won recently and needs time to build before he can challenge for the NXT Championship.
With all these factors in mind, there is no better man to challenge Cole than Ciampa at the moment, and he could do whatever is required to win Goldie back.
Do you think this feud will continue till WrestleMania weekend? Who will be in the main event of this year's Show of Shows? Check out Kurt Angle's take on the incident!
#4 Tommaso Ciampa never lost the Championship
On July 18, 2018, Tommaso Ciampa defeated the then NXT Champion Aleister Black to win his first big one in NXT. The two men had a great and interesting rivalry which saw The Psycho Killer come out on top with the title.
After his victory, Ciampa defended his title against several men including his friend Johnny Gargano, EC3, and The Velveteen Dream to have a great 237 days run.
Ciampa remained undefeated for the title but had to relinquish it in March due to an injury that required a neck surgery. He remained away from NXT for a lengthy period before returning to the brand on the October 2 episode of NXT.
The Psycho Killer’s return saw him confront NXT Champion Adam Cole, and since then Ciampa has been looking for a match and a chance to reclaim the title he never lost.
While Ciampa lost a #1 contender’s match for the title against Finn Balor, it was largely due to interference from Cole. With that in mind, it seems fitting that Ciampa gets his big chance on a big stage, as he deserves to get another reign with the NXT Championship.
#3 Adam Cole and Tommaso Ciampa have never faced each other before
While this may come as a surprise to many wrestling fans, it’s amazing to note that two of NXT's biggest Superstars have never faced each other in a singles match.
Tommaso Ciampa has been in NXT since 2015, while Adam Cole joined the brand in 2017. However, the two men have never really faced each other one-on-one even though they’ve taken each other on in tag team action and Triple Threat matches. Both men have rubbed shoulders against almost every other top Superstar in the brand.
With NXT building up the rivalry and storyline since Ciampa’s return, they need to bring it to its conclusion before the story gets stale. Men like Finn Balor and Pete Dunne have already gotten singles matches against Cole since Ciampa’s return.
Because this is indeed a dream match that needs to be held on a big stage, NXT TakeOver: Portland feels like the right platform for these two men to go one-on-one for the NXT Championship.
With Cole already having a great reign as Champion, it could be the best and most emotional way for Ciampa to win Goldie back and have another long reign as the top Superstar of NXT.
#2 To collapse The Undisputed Era
The Undisputed Era has been reigning supreme on NXT for quite some time now. The combined 3-time NXT Tag Team Champions, 2-time NXT North American Champions, and one-time NXT Champions have had a reign over NXT like no faction has ever had before.
All four men of the faction were wearing the NXT men’s titles around their waist for some time after Adam Cole got hold of the NXT Championship, Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish won the NXT Tag Team Championships, and Roderick Strong won the NXT North American Championship to fulfill the prophecy.
While it seemed like nothing could come in their way, Keith Lee provided the first blow by defeating Strong for the North American Championship. Later the same week, The Undisputed Era failed to pick up a win against NXT UK’s Imperium.
This could mean that cracks are beginning to form in the faction, and a match for the NXT Championship could end Adam Cole’s reign at the top, and lead to the downfall of the faction.
NXT has told an incredible story of the faction’s rise, and they could do the same with their fall before giving all four men a new story to work with.
#1 To allow Adam Cole to move to another brand
Adam Cole has been a cornerstone of NXT for a long time now. He’s helped build the careers of Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly, and Roderick Strong by leading them in Undisputed Era, and helped build one of the most lethal factions in NXT history.
Keeping that in mind, and Cole’s long reign as NXT Champion, it’s likely that NXT will be allowing him to move to another brand during the next Superstar Shake-up.
Just like Aleister Black and Andrade, Cole too could have a great start to his career on another brand, and could even take the Undisputed Era along with him wherever he goes!
On the other hand, Tommaso Ciampa has clearly stated that he is not interested in moving to RAW or SmackDown, and wants to remain on NXT for as long as he works with the company.
Therefore, Ciampa could be the perfect man to relieve Cole of the title and free him from any other responsibilities if NXT is going to allow him to move to RAW or SmackDown. Ciampa can then hold the title and help build other Superstars on NXT if he plans to stick with the brand and not move to another within WWE.
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