WWE News: Iconic NXT Championship match ends with a Broken Dream

By Greg Bush
Modified Nov 18, 2018 07:40 IST
The Dream vs The Champion: A battle for the right to the spotlight
The Dream vs The Champion: A battle for the right to the spotlight

In one year, Velveteen Dream and Tommaso Ciampa have become two of the greatest stars that NXT has ever produced. Tonight, they battled for the coveted NXT Championship, bringing us another instant classic.

Tommaso Ciampa, fresh off his feuds with Johnny Gargano and Aleister Black, had his spotlight stolen by Velveteen Dream. Dream challenged the Blackhearted Champion to a match at WarGames II, one year out from his name-making performance against Black at the first WarGames.

Velveteen Dream opened this match as only he could, captivating the audience with an entrance draped in an attire that might have caught your eye.

Rocking the black and white while putting his own twist on the NWO, Dream got the crowd on his side early on.

The match itself was a rollercoaster of emotions. Ciampa looked to put Dream away early with a running knee, thanks to his knee brace, nearly putting him to sleep. However, Dream fought back, managing to injure Ciampa's leg with a Figure-4 Leglock on the ring apron.

Ciampa and Dream hit each other with their best shots throughout the night, even leading to Ciampa tearing up the protective padding outside the ring, just like he'd done many times before.

However, Dream's persistence, heart, and showmanship shone through. Taking a few moves from Hulk Hogan's playbook, including the big boot and a few Atomic Leg Drops, mixed in with his own unique offense, it seemed like the Vainglorious One was destined to walk out as champion.

Near the end of the match, Dream connected with the Purple Rainmaker, only for Ciampa to kick out, dragging himself to the edge of the apron. Dream quickly ascended the ropes again, shooting for a second Purple Rainmaker on the outside, which spelled the end for him. Ciampa avoided, forcing Dream to crash and burn on the outside.

He was then dragged inside by the champion, who planted him with a DDT between the double ring setup. Tonight definitely was "Dream Over". Just not how the Velveteen Dream imagined it would be.

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