7 Wrestlers Who Benefited From ANOTHER Wrestler's Injury
2. Adam Cole & Johnny Gargano
Though it would have desperately struggled to match the rich in-ring quality of the previous year's offering from New Orleans, NXT TakeOver: New York tried to soldier through by featuring the blowoff to Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa's layered story. For two-and-a-half years, Gargano and Ciampa had been NXT; for a time, the only piece of WWE worth seeking out.
Sadly, however, came the heart-shattering news that Tommaso, then the NXT Champion, required what was described as "major neck surgery". He was ruled out of New York, putting an unfortunate premature pin on his and Gargano's story beat. From there, Triple H endured a most unfortunate battle, as he tried to piece together a TakeOver-worthy main event to fill the void left by an anticipated fourth meeting between the former DIY being binned.
He found it in Johnny Gargano vs. Adam Cole.
The match was WWE's best of the year by a mile. Going nearly forty minutes, Gargano and Cole preserved the Two-out-of-Three Falls stipulation that had become a protected genre on black-and-gold territory. They crafted a super indie match in WWE's house style, meshing two atypical styles so seamlessly in a match that served its purpose: crowning Johnny, officially, as Triple H's golden boy.