WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames more than met expectations, and the main event featuring Sanity, the Authors of Pain, the Undisputed Era, and Roderick Strong was a particular highlight. An with the way the main event unfolded, NXT confirmed that Adam Cole will take center stage going forward.
Many believed that the Velveteen Dream and Aleister Black stole the show with their clinic in character wrestling, Andrade “Cien” Almas certainly pulled off the surprise of the night with his win over Drew McIntyre, and Ember Moon had the feel-good moment of the year after being handed the vacated NXT Women’s Championship from long-time nemesis Asuka when she defeated three other women.
Those storylines were important, but the main event of WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames confirmed that the show will be centered around Adam Cole going forward. Cole started the WarGames match with Roderick Strong and Sanity’s Eric Young, and he finished it by delivering a “Shining Wizard” to Young on the steel chair to win the match.
Throughout the main event, Cole was involved in the match’s big spots. He managed to avoid being powerbombed by the Authors of Pain before sneaking to the top of the steel cage, only to be superplexed by Strong. Earlier in the match, Cole’s ring awareness was showcased when he divided the match into one ring each, isolating both Strong and Young. His resiliency, moxy, cunning, and talent as a performer were showcased, as he survived the “WarGames” and was put over heavily by the commentary team.
The fact that Cole is positioned as NXT’s top star, despite the fact that Almas is now the champion, isn’t a surprise. Cole is leading this exciting “faction war” storyline, precisely because he’s the type of character who can make this plot special. A former three-time Ring of Honor world champion – and the only wrestler to ever hold this distinction – Cole made his mark in NXT on Day 1 when he blindsided Drew McIntyre after the “Chosen One’s” championship win over NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III. As the crowd broke into a frenzy, you knew Cole would be a huge star.
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On just about every episode of NXT television, Cole has been positioned prominently. He’s wrestled in main events, interrupted main events, manipulated other members of the roster like Strong and Taynara Conti, and he’s brought the electric presence that we expected.
On a roster stocked with wrestlers who have legitimate top star potential in Black, Dream, Young, Strong, McIntyre, and Almas, Cole is the one who stands out. His facial microexpressions, crisp wrestling, commitment to character, charisma, and distinct mannerisms give him a well-defined and magnetic persona.
In short, Cole is a wrestler who deserves the honor of being the person to score the decisive pinfall at WarGames, and the fact that he was chosen to be that guy is important. The entire story of the main event of a pay per view centered around a purposeful gimmick match revolved around Cole, and this is the kind of “Rise to the Top” match that can help immediately define Cole’s place on the NXT roster. And remember, in this war of factions he didn’t just pin anybody; he pinned the leader of the tag team champions, Sanity, in Eric Young.
At NXT TakeOver: WarGames, everyone from top to bottom got over, and everyone in the main event looked good. But because the faction wars are NXT’s biggest storyline right now, nobody’s accomplishments seemed to mean more than Cole’s, who was already presented as a “must-see” wrestler going into this match if you factor in his main event appearances on NXT television.
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None of this is surprising, but Cole’s ability to outlast eight other men in the main event of an “A+” pay per view is the type of win that can start a truly captivating story for months to come.