Johnny Gargano is the first man down to the ring, followed by the Champion. A nice “Fu$k You Ciampa” chant accompanies him to the ring. We get ring introductions for both men… sort of.
WWE NXT Championship
Last Man Standing Match
(C) Tommaso Ciampa Vs. Johnny Gargano
As Ciampa is being introduced, Gargano attacks him from behind! Johnny punches and kicks Ciampa in the corner until the Champion rolls from the ring. Ciampa takes off his jacket before rolling back in and exchanging shots with Gargano. Johnny catches CIampa with a Thesz Press, then unleashes punches in the corner. Ciampa throws Gargano to the apron and looks for the draping DDT but he doesn’t land it. Gargano then sends Ciampa from the ring and looks for a baseball slide but nobody’s home, and Ciampa rams Johnny into the steps.
Gargano reverses Ciampa and launches him into the barricade, then again. Gargano beats Ciampa against the barricade as the fans chant his name. He tosses the Champion back into the barricade before lifting the mat at ringside, exposing the concrete beneath. Gargano gets reversed by Ciampa, who rakes the eyes. Ciampa throws Gargano onto the barricade and looks for the draping DDT but Johnny avoids it and rams Ciampa into the ring post. Gargano climbs onto the apron ad hits a running senton to Ciampa. The Champion is sent flying over the announce table onto Percy Watson. Gargano lifts Ciampa onto the announce table but gets reversed and Ciampa lands an Air Raid Crash through the announce table!
Gargano gets to his feet before 10 and Ciampa sends him back into the ring. Ciampa grabs a chair and takes it into the ring. Gargano hits Ciampa as he looks to use the chair but the Champ gets the better of him anyway. Ciampa knocks Johnny Wrestling into the corner and hits two running knees. Tommaso then sets-up a chair in front of Gargano’s face and looks for another knee, but Gargano gets-up and smashes the chair off of Ciampa’s knee! Gargano clocks Ciampa with the chair, then wallops him across the back twice. Gargano uses the chair like a spike to crush Ciampa’s gut. Johnny places the chair between the ropes and looks to lawn-dart Ciampa into it but Tommaso climbs off and applies a sleeper to Gargano.
Ciampa holds the submission until Johnny is practically passed out. He waits for the referee to count but Johnny gets to his feet, at which time Ciampa applies the sleeper again. This time Gargano gets to his feet and rams Ciampa into the corner. Ciampa looks to sit on the turnbuckles and choke Gargano but he gets grabbed and used like a lawn dart into the chair wedged between the ropes! Gargano goes to the outside and pulls a table from under the ring, meanwhile Ciampa uses the ropes to pull himself up. Gargano sets the table up on the exposed concrete, then gets another table and stacks them, but the top one is upside down!
Gargano looks to suplex Ciampa from inside the ring through the tables below. Instead Ciampa pulls him into the ring and hits a German suplex, then another, and a third. Ciampa hits a running knee with the knee brace, then unleashes some chair shots to the back of Gargano. He lifts Gargano up and hits the powerbomb backbreaker, then two more in a row! The referee starts to count and Ciampa unfolds the chair and takes a seat. Gargano gets to his feet at 9 and superkicks Ciampa on the chair! Both men are down.
They both get up at 5 and trade punches. Gargano reverses a punch and lands some clotheslines, then hits the rolling kick to the head. Gargano looks for the slingshot spear but Ciampa catches him with a knee. Ciampa tries to land another powerbomb backbreaker but Gargano reverses with a hurricanrana. Gargano catches him with an enziguiri but Ciampa responds with a German suplex. Johnny replies with a kick to the gut, then a German suplex of his onw. They hit each other with simultaneous clotheslines and fall, only to both get up at 1 and start trading blows.
They trade reversals until Gargano hits a clothesline and they’re both down again. This time Ciampa is up first and he rolls from the ring. Gargano jumps to the apron, kicks Ciampa away, then looks for a running senton but nobody’s home. Ciampa throws Gargano into the apron, then hits the Fairytale Ending on the steel steps! The referee starts counting but Gargano gets up at 9. Ciampa goes under the ring and pulls out a toolbox, then cuts the ring mat again, just like last time. He drags Johnny and smashes his face off of the steel steps. He heads back into the ring and pulls up the ring mat and padding, exposing the wooden boards beneath.
Ciampa looks to drag Johnny back inside but instead gets sprayed with a fire extinguisher! Gargano gets back inside the ring and cracks Ciampa with a crutch! Tommaso rolls from the ring and Johnny hits him again, breaking the crutch! Ciampa rolls back inside and Johnny chases after but Ciampa grabs him for the draping DDT, just like last time, but this time Gargano avoids it. Ciampa punches Gargano on the apron, as he hangs precariously above the two tables he stacked earlier. As he looks for the final punch, Gargano catches him with a enziguiri and Ciampa rolls to the nearby apron. Ciampa starts to climb back in but Gargano jumps over the ropes and hits the draping DDT on the exposed boards!
Ciampa rolls from the ring to his feet to prevent the referee’s count. Gagrano hits him with a suicide dive and Ciampa stumbles around the ring to the announce table. Gargano lands another suicide dive, then accidentally superkicks an official at ringside. Ciampa uses the distraction to smash Garagano’s head off of the monitor on the announce table. Ciampa then grabs the chair as Johnny crawls to the barricade, and hits him with a running knee, using the chair, and break the barricade! Ciampa then throws the knocked-out official onto Johnny, as well as a chair and some other crap, hoping to keep him down for the 10 count.
Somehow Gargano pushes all the crap aside and gets to his feet at 9 and Ciampa looks defeated. The fans chant “Johnny Wrestling” as Ciampa goes under the apron and pulls out some handcuffs. He looks to handcuff Gargano to the ringpost but Johnny pulls him into the post. Inside the ring, Gargano looks to handcuff Ciampa’s hands behind his back but the Champion avoids it this time with an elbow. Ciampa takes Johnny to the apron and looks to hit the air raid crash through the two stacked tables at ringside but Johnny escapes into the ring. He punches Ciampa, who is barely holding on, then superkicks him and the Champion crashes through the tables and the referee starts counting!
Ciampa uses the crutch at ringside to help him to his feet at 9 and the fans chant “Fight Forever!” Gargano stares at Ciampa from inside the ring and seems perplexed as to what he can do. Ciampa starts backing-up, up the ramp, but Johnny goes up and kicks the crutch away from him. Gargano then grabs Ciampa and tosses him into the LED boards, payback! Johnny applies the Gargano escape and Ciampa taps but that won’t work here. Gargano finally does handcuff Ciampa, to the side of the stage by some tech. He slams Ciampa’s head into the equipment, then superkicks him. Ciampa apologises profusely as Gargano refuses, and kicks him again. Gargano picks him up and hits another superkick. Gargano looks for a final superkick as Tommaso apologises and begs for mercy. Gargano refuses, then takes down his kneepad, runs and knee’s Ciampa in the head but his momentum makes him fly on and crashes through equipment on the floor below the stage, and to the floor . The referee counts as Gargano holds his knee in agony on the floor. Ciampa is down on the stage. The referee gets to a count of 9 and… Ciampa rolls off of the stage and lands on his feet, thanks the handcuffs.
Winner: Tommaso Ciampa
The officials are checking on Gargano and Mauro Rannalo says he has been told that Gargano dislocated his knee and therefore never could have stood. Ciampa drapes the title in front of Gargano’s face on the floor.
Officials help Johnny to his feet as Ciampa poses with his title on the stage. He leaves and we’re left with Gargano being helped to the ramp. Ciampa comes back out and poses for Johnny on the stage to end the show. That’s it for NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV. Let us know your thoughts and come back tomorrow for a long day of SummerSlam! Until then, safe travels!
