10 WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House Impulse Reactions

5. Keith Lee (c) Vs. Johnny Gargano

Io Shirai
WWE

Johnny Gargano is getting good at being bad.

There's a little too much of the MCU about his over-arching story, because of course there is, but when the guy simply portrays a brilliant d*ckhead instead of believing in some sort of grand d*ckhead's journey, his ability to apply his formula to villainy is flawless.

Such was the case here as he emerged from the In Your House front door via nod to a framed picture of Dok Hendrix in all his 1995 pomp and shoved the key he'd previously jammed in Keith Lee's eye in his trunks for future use.

A match that relied more on Gargano's avoidance and Lee's protection of his weak eye and hand built steadily and at a totally different pace from the first two clashes on the card. Tremendously well structured, Lee's explosions were timed for maximum efficiency - the pounce through the plexiglass was the sort of vital spot we all should have called but none of us did - before Gargano used the distraction of a Candice LeRae/Mia Yim fight breaking out to try and fail to unlock victory with his key.

Made of stronger stuff, Lee kicked out, robbing Gargano of the chance of having something else that smells like his d*ck and balls on the dinner table, and the Big Bang Catastrophe concluded what proved to be an important rehab match for both.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett