Ranking The Biggest Rivalries In Wrestling Every Year 1990-2020
2. 2019 - Adam Cole Vs Johnny Gargano
A feud that started and ended cursed fortunately had a sublime middle, capped off by one match that many argued as the greatest in WWE/NXT history and a sequel that served as a worthy accompaniment.
Did you remember the formula?
NXT did. When Tommaso Ciampa suffered a neck injury before his planned TakeOver: New York loss to blood rival Johnny Gargano, Adam Cole was slotted in. What followed was a thing of such remarkable beauty that it looks older than its 2019 vintage.
Their two-out-of-three falls battle was untouchable by most wrestlers, let alone the men themselves, despite an excellent sequel a few months later informed by some fantastic Rocky III-style videos showing the different paths the two had taken since. Cole securing the title there allowed for some p*ss funny vignettes of him teasing the Gargano family, but a TakeOver: Toronto's final battle was a frustratingly over-wrought and overthought disappointment by comparison.
NXT had done a match too many again, failing to learn a lesson their new rivals would work hard to follow...