WWE
Sean Coyle, ESPN 6y

Gargano-Ciampa reaches its apex, but any match could steal show at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4

WWE

With all due respect to the magnitude of the shows that NXT has produced during WrestleMania weekend over the last few years, SummerSlam weekend in Brooklyn represents NXT's biggest showcase of the year -- its WrestleMania, for lack of a better comparison.

And as good as TakeOver: New Orleans was back in April, NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 seems similarly poised to deliver on every level.

The show's success will rely heavily on its main event, a match-up that has proven its ability to carry a show twice over. The last two NXT TakeOver main events have been headlined by epic Tommaso Ciampa-Johnny Gargano battles as the former friends turned rivals did everything they could to destroy one another.

Aided by a slow, methodical and flawless build that traces back years, as well as a sound in-ring chemistry, Ciampa and Gargano will have the opportunity to put a stamp on what has been the greatest rivalry in the history of NXT with an unprecedented third straight TakeOver main event.

While that main event is certainly the show's selling point, despite the unfortunate injury that took Aleister Black out of the match, the four other matches on this card are equally capable of stealing not just the show, but the entire SummerSlam weekend. Dating all the way back to the first NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn show, Bayley and Sasha Banks made that something of a SummerSlam tradition.

"It's really hard for me to go through this and say, 'What do I think the match of the night is going to be?'" said Paul Levesque, the executive vice president of Talent, Live Events and Creative for WWE.  "Because I can go up the list and go, wow, Ricochet/Adam Cole, absolutely, that could be a show-stealer. Velveteen Dream/EC3, yep, absolutely, that could be a show-stealer. Moustache Mountain/Undisputed Era? I've seen them do it twice. Absolutely could be a show-stealer. Kairi Sane as the underdog babyface and Shayna [Baszler]? I think that's a sleeper in some manner, but I do think that they have the story that could steal the show.

"And then Gargano and Ciampa. It's hard to argue that they haven't stole the show every single time the two have faced each other," Levesque continued. "I just think it's going to be one after the other of, wow, there's no way anybody's gonna top that and the next one does."

Last Man Standing for the NXT championship -- Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano

Coming off of two straight remarkable TakeOver main event performances, it might be hard to comprehend how Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano could follow what they've already done. Simple -- make the stakes higher this time around. In addition to the unbridled animosity between the two men, the NXT championship is on the line and one man has to put the other one down so that they can't answer a 10-count.

Ciampa scored a shocking victory over former champion Aleister Black last month, thanks to Gargano's unintended belt shot to the face of Black as he tried to keep Ciampa from winning. Black was scheduled to take part in Saturday's championship match as part of a triple threat, but was removed due to an injury. In some circumstances, such a dramatic change this late in the build to a show would be disastrous -- but there's plenty of intrigue and animosity to go around.

The first match of this series took place at TakeOver: New Orleans. In an unsanctioned street fight, Ciampa and Gargano poured their hearts into a classic bout that will undoubtedly find its way into the match of the year discussion at the end of 2018. On that night, Gargano obtained a bit of retribution for the countless wrongdoings brought on by his former tag-team partner and earned his job back, but the flames of hatred still burned brightly. They met again at TakeOver: Chicago II, at the same venue where Ciampa turned on his former friend, this time in a street fight. After a vicious 30-plus-minute brawl, Ciampa stunned Gargano with a DDT onto the exposed wooden planks of the ring -- while handcuffed -- to even the score.

Will Gargano's journey as a singles competitor in NXT reach its pinnacle in Round 3 at TakeOver: Brooklyn 4, at the expense of his former ally turned enemy? Or will Ciampa's villainous reign continue, sending Gargano spiraling into the abyss? The booking options are aplenty, especially with the Last Man Standing stipulation. One thing's for sure though -- these two won't pull any punches.

Prediction: Ciampa retains via draw -- neither man will answer the final 10-count

NXT tag-team championships: Undisputed Era vs. Moustache Mountain

Moustache Mountain's Tyler Bate and Trent Seven ascended to the top of the NXT tag-team mountain in dramatic fashion. In front of their home crowd at Royal Albert Hall in London during the U.K. Championship Tournament tapings in June, Bate and Seven shocked Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong of the Undisputed Era by defeating them for their tag-team gold. It was Moustache Mountain's finest moment as a tag team in NXT.

But all good things must come to an end, and for Bate and Seven it happened abruptly. Two weeks later in a championship rematch, which turned into one of the most dramatic bouts to ever take place on NXT TV, O'Reilly forced Bate to throw in the towel as Seven writhed in pain, locked in a heel hook in the center of the ring. With that, the highest of Moustache Mountain's highs became the lowest of lows.

On Saturday, they'll look to join the Undisputed Era and The Revival as the only two-time NXT tag-team champions in their rematch at TakeOver. While it would seem that the dominant War Raiders are waiting in the wings to challenge the Undisputed Era for the titles, anything can happen, as we learned at Royal Albert Hall a couple of months ago. Levesque has high hopes for the rubber match.

"Moustache Mountain [is] clearly stepping into their own," Levesque noted. "And if this match at TakeOver is anything like those other two -- which, knowing all of the talent in the ring, they're not going to be satisfied with it being as good as the ones that they had -- they're going to want it to be even better. So I'm expecting a lot out of this one."

Prediction: Undisputed Era retains

NXT women's championship: Shayna Baszler vs. Kairi Sane

Who can stop Shayna Baszler? How about someone who has beaten her before. With the second Mae Young Classic underway, it's only appropriate that a rematch of last year's tournament final, with the NXT women's championship on the line, is part of this TakeOver card.

Since Baszler's arrival to NXT, she has been an unstoppable force. Last summer, though, she was stopped by Kairi Sane in the finals of the Mae Young Classic in Las Vegas. However, with a chip on her shoulder, Baszler has dominated the NXT women's division -- Sane included -- since she debuted earlier this year.

Arguments can be made for both sides, but the outcome of this match would seem to rely heavily on Baszler's NXT future. Her close friend and Four Horsewomen ally Ronda Rousey has become the face of the Raw women's division and could walk out of SummerSlam as champion this Sunday. Is Baszler destined to join in the fun, perhaps at Survivor Series? Saturday night's outcome will reveal quite a bit.

Prediction: Kairi Sane becomes the new NXT women's champion

NXT North American championship: Adam Cole vs. Ricochet

Finally, a North American Championship match at a TakeOver event. We've only gotten a handful of title defenses thus far from Adam Cole, with all but two of them happening on live events and independent shows since Cole won an incredible ladder match in New Orleans. The inaugural champion, Cole, was surprisingly left off the TakeOver: Chicago II card, but fear not -- this match in Brooklyn will more than make up for any absences and the match-up couldn't be more appealing.

While the build wasn't as bountiful as one would hope, that's not the story here. Two of the premier talents in professional wrestling will be squaring off, and build or no build, Cole vs. Ricochet is a match destined for greatness solely based on the in-ring acumen of both superstars. Add in the intrigue factor based on their limited encounters before either of their NXT careers began, and this match could be considered the most enticing one on the card.

Prediction: Adam Cole retains

EC3 vs. The Velveteen Dream

Two of the most charismatic superstars on the NXT roster will face off when EC3 and the Velveteen Dream meet in Brooklyn. The rivalry has been a chess match as both have attempted to get into each other's heads in recent weeks, both psychologically and physically, and both guys have embraced their respective weirdness as part of the appeal they bring to the table.

The Velveteen Dream has made his name in NXT by his ability to tell a story in the ring and get into his opponent's head. His match with Aleister Black at TakeOver: War Games last year was the perfect example of that. His antics and in-ring narrative with Black earned high praise, and that's the type of psychology-based performance we can expect in Brooklyn.

As high as the Velveteen Dream's stock has risen, however, EC3 needs this win more. He has shined as part of the NXT roster, but he has yet to record a TakeOver win. Saturday night would be a good opportunity for that.

Prediction: EC3 wins

^ Back to Top ^