Predicting Tommaso Ciampa's reign as NXT Champion

NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 was a glowing event which changed the landscape of NXT from top to bottom. The biggest shift was in the main event, where Tommaso Ciampa slithered by and solidified his place as NXT Champion. Johnny Gargano is now out of the picture. It is, indeed, Tommaso Ciampa's NXT now, and it looks like it will be for a long time to come.

How will his reign with the title go? How will Tommaso Ciampa rule his new kingdom? What turbulence will he have to deal with?

With old enemies waiting in the wings, new stars on the rise, and an influx of recent arrivals to NXT, Tommaso Ciampa certainly won't find himself short of contenders.

The next major stop on Ciampa's tour of his kingdom is NXT TakeOver: War Games II, which will come on November 17th, the night before Survivor Series. We'll find out more about the direction NXT's king takes along that route at tomorrow's tapings, but for now, let's peer into Ciampa's future atop the NXT throne - to War Games and beyond.

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#1 Royal proclamations

All will be forced to hear his words.

After proudly reminding his serfs about how he defeated "Johnny freakin' Wrestling" while handcuffed for the second time, Tommaso Ciampa will make short work of an unfortunate challenger in his first title defense after Brooklyn. Perhaps it will come against someone like Raul Mendoza, Cezar Bononi, or a local talent. He'll do this at least one other time in his next defense.

Ciampa will proudly proclaim that his crushing of these tomato cans is confirmation that he is, indeed, the greatest sports-entertainer of all time.

His insufferable words will eventually provoke the focused fury of the man who was robbed of his throne, the man who can justly claim to be the true and rightful king of NXT.

#2 Blackout

Round two.

While NXT doesn't usually do rematches anymore, the way he was written out of Brooklyn begs for some kind of return. It would be the obvious way to go, but that isn't necessarily bad. Ciampa will be revealed as Aleister Black's attacker, or at least the mastermind behind the attack.

Already owed a rematch after the dubious loss of his championship, this will only make things more personal. Aleister Black will return to battle the usurper of his throne at NXT TakeOver: War Games II.

It will certainly be the biggest threat to Ciampa's reign so far. Aleister Black had him dead to rights in their first match, and will scare the pants off of Ciampa at War Games.

But somehow, someway, Ciampa will find a way to slither by, as he always does. The Blackheart will make Black fade to black in his NXT swan song. The former king will be exiled to Raw or SmackDown, trapped in a foreign country, no longer a threat to Ciampa's throne.

#3 Spotlight

Ciampa and Dream at a live event.

After TakeOver: War Games II, Tommaso Ciampa's ego will somehow grow even larger than it is now. Having vanquished Aleister Black, and then having gone on to destroy one or two more lower-tiered challengers, he'll once again make a proclamation - he's untouchable. He's the main event, he's the guy that makes NXT the most important show in the world.

Certain people will take offense at this, however. One of them will proclaim that he deserves the biggest spotlight, and he wants to enfold the NXT Championship into the next Velveteen Dream experience.

By that point, Velveteen Dream will have had another high profile win at War Games. From there, it's time for NXT to put him into the biggest spotlight and see how he does in the main event.

The road to TakeOver: Phoenix will see a clash between the two biggest egos in NXT - one pure evil and the other a morally ambiguous character. It will be one of the most intriguing, bizarre, and hilarious feuds in recent history.

All the same, this is a spotlight that Dream won't be able to claim just yet. The young upstart will be put in his place and outsmarted by the wily Ciampa.

#4 Looming threats

Will Tommaso Ciampa bask in his glory?

With the Dream over, Tommaso Ciampa's ego will grow even larger. It's at this point that Johnny Gargano will make his long-awaited return to NXT. He'll demand one more shot, raging that Ciampa has slithered by all this time.

However a big name - Keith Lee or Matt Riddle - will tell him to hold his horses. He's had his shots and failed. He needs to recognize - truly recognize - his mistakes in allowing this situation to happen in the first place. A match will be made. Gargano will lose. It's at that point, the point of being humbled one more time, that will cause Gargano to finally dissolve his rage, recognize his mistakes, and acknowledge that his foolishness led to his defeats in Chicago and Brooklyn, and to Ciampa becoming champion. His slow transformation back to his old self will become complete in the following weeks.

Meanwhile, Ciampa will slither by yet again. With TakeOver: Brooklyn 5 fast-approaching, a new process to determine a #1 contender will be made. Johnny Gargano, in the guise of the "Johnny Wrestling" of old, will win.

#5 Hell to pay

The only fitting end.

Faced with Johnny Gargano yet again, Tommaso Ciampa will do everything he can to get under his blood rival's skin. Gargano will tell Ciampa that this time, he's staying true to himself, and he'll beat him the way he always should have, just like he did a year before in New Orleans.

That doesn't mean that tempers won't flare and fisticuffs won't ensue. A vicious brawl will break out. Finally, General Manager William Regal will step in, telling both men that he's had enough.

Regal will say that in Brooklyn, this business will end once and for all. At TakeOver: Brooklyn 5, he'll say, it will be Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano. The winner will leave as NXT Champion. The loser will leave NXT forever. To make sure that there's no funny business, the match will take place inside Hell in a Cell.

There, much to Tommaso Ciampa's horror, Johnny Gargano will show up in a way he's never showed up before. After over half an hour in the most brutal, bitter match in NXT history, Johnny Gargano will at last vanquish his rival and become NXT Champion in the most cathartic moment in WWE since Daniel Bryan's victory at WrestleMania 30.

Ciampa will at last be thrown out of the NXT kingdom, exiled to the main roster. Johnny Gargano will at last have found peace and achieved his dream.