#2 Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole (NXT TakeOver: New York)
A shame what happened to Tommaso Ciampa, because nothing would have been able to overcome the emotion in such a match, but Adam Cole was a fine, if not quite equal, replacement.
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The beginning and middle of the match were well worked, if academic, but the home stretch is when the fireworks really began to fly. Johnny Gargano overcome everything thrown at him - interference, tag team finishers, multiple finishers, etc., to finally become NXT Champion.
Your mileage on this match may vary. Rightly, many people were criticizing the otherwise ridiculous nature of the ending, with Gargano suddenly becoming superman. Yet, with Ciampa absent, the odds needed to be stacked against Gargano in some other way, and the crowd was as intense as a hurricane in willing their hero to victory.
The format worked, but it probably prevented it from becoming the undisputed match of the year that the final Gargano vs. Ciampa encounter may well have been.
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