7 Ups And 3 Downs From NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia

by Scott Carlson

1. MOTY

Johnny gargano cien almas
wwe.com

If you watch nothing else from TakeOver Philadelphia, fast-forward to the NXT Championship match between Johnny Gargano and Andrade “Cien” Almas. Watch it. Then watch it again. If you don’t come out of your seat two or three times in shock, you might want to check your pulse.

Gargano and Almas tore the house down with a match built on Johnny Wrestling’s standing as NXT’s ultimate underdog, while Cien relied on his manager Zelina Vega to bail him out of a few tight spots. The two wrestled an almost-flawless match, with Gargano refusing to give up and constantly pushing Almas to the brink.

The last 10 minutes were a series of moves, counters, two-count pinfalls and crowd freak-outs over and over. At least three times, everyone bought a moment as the finish. Even the normally cynical Philly fans were unable to fire off any snark, as Andrade and Johnny delivered a tremendous bout from beginning to finish.

Some will say that Gargano not winning the title should be a huge “down,” but part of what makes him so appealing to fans is his constant pursuit and effort to overcome. He needs to get to the mountaintop, but this was fine for an ending. For now.

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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 fortunately became a fan in time for WrestleMania III and came back as a fan after a long high school hiatus before WM XIV. Monday nights in the Carlson household are reserved for viewing Raw -- for better or worse.