NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2018 - Every Match Ranked From Worst To Best
2. NXT Title: Tommaso Ciampa (c) Vs. Velveteen Dream
Result: Ciampa nails a DDT on the metal divider between the rings to retain the title (22:25).
Rating: The back-to-back of Gargano/Black and Ciampa/Dream has to be one of the greatest PPV double bills in recent NXT/WWE history. Though Dream has struggled to be taken seriously thanks to his silly gimmick, he did a remarkable job persuading the crowd he was worthy of this spot.
The audience was red-hot and made every desperate near-fall absolutely agonising to watch. There were a few rough moments that could've been a little more finessed, but the end result was still immensely close to masterful.
On one hand it's a shame they didn't pull the trigger with Dream here, but the victory for him was being fully accepted as a legit title threat, while Ciampa's stature as the love-to-loathe champ only grew bigger.
One suspects a slightly more polished rematch could be even better. 8/10