We see Stephanie McMahon sitting watching at ringside and the fans cheer… then boo.
NXT Championship Match
(C) Johnny Gargano Vs. Adam Cole
After ring introductions, where Cole was a heavy favourite, the match gets underway. The fans are in full voice chanting “NXT”.
They lock-up aggressively and Johnny forces Cole to the ropes. Gargano drops Cole with a shoulder tackle, then Cole responds in kind. They have a quick exchange of dodges and reversals that results in Cole retreating from the ring.
Cole gets back inside and they fire shots with Cole getting the better of the Champion. Gargano catches Cole with a hurricanrana and the latter rolls from the ring. Johnny takes to the apron and looks for a kick but Cole dodges. Gargano catches him with a cannonball from the apron, then sends him into the ring.
Gargano knocks Cole from the ring again, then hits the kick from the apron and stomps on Cole’s arm. Gargano starts targeting the arm back inside the ring. He sets Cole on the turnbuckles but the challenger slides between his legs and superkicks the right leg of Johnny. Cole then hits a DDT to the leg, followed a submission to wear it down further. Cole kicks the leg a few times before connecting with a missile dropkick to the knee.
Dragon screw leg whip from Cole. Johnny begins to fight back but Cole keeps shutting him down with leg kicks. Cole leaps off the ropes but Gargano catches him with a powerbomb. Gargano lights-up the challenger with running forearms, followed by a belly-to-belly suplex. Cole sends Gargano to the apron but eats a slingshot spear from the Champion. Gargano hits Cole with punches in the corner and looks for a superplex but Adam flips over and lands on his feet. He looks for the superkick to the leg of Gargano again but the Champion kicks him away, then jumps backwards and is caught with a backstabber!
Johnny’s leg prevents him from landing a move. Huge enziguiri from Cole, followed by burning hammer into a facecrusher for a near-fall. They keep hitting each other with the same moves; forearms, clotheslines, superkicks, until both men fall out of the ring. The fans chant “NXT”. They crawl around the ring towards each other, then run and hit superkicks at the same time and both men are down.
Cole slides back into the ring at 9 but at the same time Gargano leapt over the ropes and hit a slingshot DDT for a near-fall. Johnny goes back to attacking the arm but Cole suckers him out of the ring. Cole hits a brainbuster on the outside, then gets him back inside and hits another for a near-fall. Cole takes to the top rope, but Gargano yanks him off and he hits the mat shoulder-first hard. Gargano then hits a tilt-a-whirl into the Gargano Escape. Cole quickly rolls his way out and applies the Figure Four!
Gargano languishes in the hold for a minute before reversing the pressure – Cole grabs the rope immediately. Both men slowly get to their feet but Gargano grabs the arm of Cole and looks to apply the Gargano Escape. Cole fights out and they have a scrappy brawl. Cole slams Gargano’s hurt knee into the mat, before removing the knee pad and kicking the bag of his leg. The fans start chanting “Johnny Knee-Brace”. The Champion kicks Cole from the ring, then hits the draping DDT.
Cole rolls from the ring again. Gargano looks for a suicide dive but Gargano hits a superkick in mid-air! Cole then hits Panama Sunrise from the apron to the floor and gets him back in the ring for a near-fall. Cole grabs Gargano but the face and talks trash. Cole then looks for The Last Shot but Gargano dodges and looks for the Gargano Escape…but Cole locks in the Gargano Escape! The Champion quickly gets out and hits The Last Shot for a near-fall! Both men are down and the fans are going nuts.
They sit on their knees and exchange punches as the fans chant “fight forever”. They continue throwing hands until Cole hits three axe kicks, followed by a huge lariat from Gargano. Cole then hit a superkick, Gagrano hits one of his own followed by a reverse hurricanrana, and Cole connects with The Last Shot…but Johnny kicks out! Wow!
Cole argues with the referee, then rolls out of the ring. He goes under the apron and grabs a chair. The referee tells him to stop. As they’re arguing, Gargano hits a suicide dive…but Cole dodged it and Johnny hit the referee! Cole then tries to hit Johnny with the chair but he dodges and connects with a superkick. Gargano gets him in the ring and pins but there’s no referee.
Gargano gets the referee into the ring, while Cole starts waving towards the ramp, seemingly summoning his partners. Nobody comes and Johnny gets on the apron, where Cole hits him with a weird move for a near-fall. Cole tries to hit The Last Shot but Gargano just face-planted the mat. Cole lifts him by the head but Johnny was playing possum and he gets him in the Gargano Escape. Cole tries to roll out but Gargano keeps it locked in. Cole manages to elbow the hurt knee of Gargano to escape. He then hits two kicks to the knee and looks for another Panama Sunrise but Gargano stays on his feet and sits down for a pin attempt. Cole reverses it to no avail. Cole looks for it again and this time he hits the Panama Sunrise, followed by The Last Shot for the win!
Winner and New NXT Champion: Adam Cole
Cole celebrates his monumental win after the fact. Gargano lays against the steel steps. Fish, O’Reilly, and Strong come down to the ring and celebrate with the newly crowned NXT Champion.
That’s it for NXT TakeOver XXV. What a show. Let us know what you thought in the comments and I’ll see you back here on Monday for Raw. Until then, safe travels!
