23. Johnny Gargano Vs Adam Cole, NXT TakeOver: New York
WWE.com
The NXT Championship was vacant before Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano went to war, but both men crafted a contest so obscenely fulfilling that it was as if they were both trying to keep it, rather than claim it.
From a three year build to a three week one, Gargano's preparation for TakeOver: New York changed dramatically when Tommaso Ciampa's injury dropped a bomb on their planned end-of-the-world main event. Cole's insertion then threatened to make the task even harder - the 'Panama City Playboy' brought with him a cool factor beyond 'Johnny Wrestling's wildest dreams that made him the overwhelming babyface as the contest commenced.
Just 38:25 later, and Brooklyn's Barclays Center capacity crowd had collectively been reduced to a quivering emotional wreck for the good of his cause. Rich - stinkingly rich - in high quality physicality, the sheer gall of the two to gamble their entire past, present and future repertoire in the knowledge that they'd have to go again was brave in and of itself. Calling back and flashing forward, the pair left nothing out, receiving everything from the impassioned 15,697 fortunate enough to be part of it.
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
