6 HUGE NXT TakeOver: New Orleans Predictions You Need To Know

2. Blackheartbreak

NXT TakeOver New Orleans
WWE

Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa's arc since arriving separately together on NXT in late 2015 is on course to not only be the greatest story ever told in NXT but also possibly the finest angle in WWE history.

It is a feud that has been painstakingly detailed every single time the duo have shared a screen together - and over the last year, plenty of times when they haven't. Ciampa's injury suffered just before his brutal turn on his former friend at the climax of last year's TakeOver: Chicago supercard threatened to derail wrestling's hottest drama, but Gargano's solo babyface rise created the perfect party for Ciampa to come back and brutally spoil.

Though this New Orleans showdown is one audiences have pined for since they last faced off in 2016's Cruiserweight Classic, it also now seems too soon to call time on such an evocative rivalry.

Gargano can't really afford another defeat (not least one that would freeze him out of NXT), but a beating so vicious that it triggered a forced stoppage by GM William Regal would extend the feud through at least one more TakeOver special and render Ciampa NXT's most devastating heel in his first official match as a villain on the brand.

Contributor
Contributor

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