7 Ups And 3 Downs From NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV

1. Stretching The Bounds

johnny gargano
WWE.com

As with all the “downs” this time around, this is more of a constructive criticism than an outright negative.

The Johnny Gargano/Tommaso Ciampa feud has been tremendous. Each of their matches have been phenomenal bouts. But there’s one problem creeping into this feud. They’ve had an unsanctioned match, a street fight, and now a last man standing match. Each one has had an increasing level of violence: chairs, tables, handcuffs, exposed ring boards, etc.

What’s left? It’s understandable that this is supposed to be a vicious blood feud, so a technical wrestling clinic wouldn’t work for a match. But we’re starting to get into the territory where there isn’t much further they can push it without it getting ridiculous.

That’s not to say that the feud shouldn’t continue, but let’s hope they don’t jump the shark with the rivalry. (Perhaps a ladder match for the title would be a logical step that doesn’t cross the boundaries.)

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.