10 Things NXT Got Right At TakeOver: Philadelphia

by John Bills

1. The Return Of The Coward, Tommaso Ciampa

ciampa returns nxt
WWE.com

Tommaso Ciampa was involved at NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia for all of one minute and 13 seconds. He strode out, smashed an exhausted Gargano across the back with his crutch, stared vacantly at his former tag team partner and hobbled off as Johnny Wrestling lay on the ramp. The whole thing lasted 73 seconds, but it was the main takeaway from an incredible night of professional wrestling.

The feud between the former #DIY partners is well on its way to becoming the defining rivalry in NXT history. It will take something special to usurp it as Feud of the Year come December 2018. Ciampa looked like a legitimate psychopath here, his beard grown to unruly lengths and his shattered knee giving him a gait that was every bit as intense as his stare. The Sicilian Psycho could well become the biggest heel in the history of the developmental brand.

Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa is a match that every wrestling fan is looking forward to, and this was true before the events of Saturday night. It only took 73 seconds, but somehow NXT has found a way to increase the hype for its most highly anticipated singles match of all time. It was the perfect way to end yet another immense night of professional wrestling from the most consistent series in the industry.

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Contributor
Contributor

Born in the middle of Wales in the middle of the 1980's, John can't quite remember when he started watching wrestling but he has a terrible feeling that Dino Bravo was involved. Now living in Prague, John spends most of his time trying to work out how Tomohiro Ishii still stands upright. His favourite wrestler of all time is Dean Malenko, but really it is Repo Man. He is the author of 'An Illustrated History of Slavic Misery', the best book about the Slavic people that you haven't yet read. You can get that and others from www.poshlostbooks.com.