7 things NXT got right at TakeOver: Portland

#2 Black & Goldie

Ciampa fought through everything but a betrayal cost him the title

The never-ending match headlined the show as it was for the NXT Championship.

Adam Cole, who is arguably the greatest ever NXT Champion, battled against the man who never lost the title, Tommaso Ciampa.

Ciampa was aggressive from the opening bell and took the fight to the Champion. He made Cole look like the underdog at first, but Cole was able to mark a comeback after a big wheelbarrow suplex into the announce table. The impact seemed to have done damage to Ciampa’s surgically repaired neck and help the Champion gain the advantage.

After Cole did more damage to Ciampa’s neck, The Blackheart managed to counter a Panama Sunrise attempt and gained back the advantage.

After several attacks, a Project Ciampa earned Ciampa a near fall and left him in disbelief. Cole then came close to victory with the Last Shot, but the former Champion was able to make his way to the bottom rope.

After several finishers and near falls, Roderick Strong, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly made it to ringside to help their leader win the match. Another Last Shot from Cole still couldn’t keep the challenger down as frustration continued to rise. After the referee was taken out, Cole hit Ciampa with a low-blow but Ciampa managed to hit one of his own.

He then hit the Fairytale Ending, but no one was available to make the count. After a gruesome betrayal, Cole managed to pin Ciampa and pick up what can be termed as the biggest victory of his career.

Not only was this match nonstop action, but it was also a thing of beauty and we arguably saw Ciampa’s best performance to date. While Ciampa may have been the perfect man to end Cole’s reign, it seems like the creatives have other plans for both men.