Less than a week before WWE NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia, Johnny Gargano battled The Velveteen Dream for a spot in Saturday’s main event.
In the two and a half years that Johnny Gargano has been performing in a WWE NXT ring, it’s become pretty apparent that the 30 year-old Cleveland native is very capable of producing magic inside the ropes.
Between his performances in the Cruiserweight Classic in the summer of 2016, to his war against Andrade Almas at Brooklyn III last August, to his numerous battles alongside Tommaso Ciampa as a member of DIY, “Johnny Wrestling” can clearly get the job done once the bell rings.
However, there is a new star emerging in the NXT ranks and that potential star goes by the name of The Velveteen Dream. A former contestant on WWE’s Tough Enough reboot in the summer of 2015 then only known as Patrick Clark, seemed chalked full of potential.
But unfortunately for him, the coaches on that particular show felt that Clark lacked humility and therefore would never make it big in the world of professional wrestling. But luckily for Clark, the higher-ups in the WWE saw superstar potential in the Washingtonian and signed him to a developmental deal less than two months after the show concluded on television.
Cut to two years later and to the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, the site of NXT TakeOver: WarGames. It was there that Clark, now fully invested as The Velveteen Dream, took on Aleister Black in front of nearly 15,000 fans. It was here that 22 year-old would officially make his mark on the wrestling world as he battled “The Dutch Destroyer” in what was clearly one of the best matches of 2017. And although The Dream came up short in Houston that night, it was apparent that all the potential that the company saw in him was very real.
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After firmly cementing himself as contender due to his performance against Black, “The Vainglorious One” was set to do battle with Kassius Ohno on December 6th in an attempt to gain entrance into a fatal 4-way match to determine the next contender for the NXT Championship. However, an injury he suffered in his match in Houston derailed that opportunity and Gargano took his place. And of course we all know the story. Gargano wins, shocks the world in the fatal 4-way, and now heads to Philadelphia for his title shot.
Six weeks later The Velveteen Dream got the opportunity that he lost due to his injury. After goading a defensive Gargano into a match for the number 1 contender spot through some insulting words, the duo met up on Wednesday night for a chance to face Almas this Saturday.
Due to Gargano’s reputation and The Dream’s most recent performances, many fans predicted a solid match. But the two went out and with less than 13 minutes to work, exceeded the expectations that were set. NXT always seems to be able to incorporate what is going on with a rivalry intricately with how their matches play out. And there was no difference here as Gargano fought like a man obsessed with finally making good on the biggest potential opportunity of his career and The Dream continuing to prove that he is a champion in waiting,
Again, like most NXT matches, the psychology between the two was perfect. The Dream tried to work over Gargano’s neck in anticipation of his cartwheel death valley driver. But Gargano, the veteran, had a much smarter game plan as his reasoning for targeting his opponents left arm was two-fold.
For one, a softened arm would make his Gargano Escape submission that much more deadly. And two, neutralizing The Dream’s same arm would make his flying elbow drop, one he employs the left arm for, that much more uncomfortable. And that’s exactly how the ending played out as The Dream had to make a split second adjustment on the flying elbow which gave Gargano just enough to time move out of the way. And about 30 seconds later, Gargano had his opponent tapping to his signature submission.
Gargano, on the strength of this win will head to Philly this Saturday as someone who looks like he has a real chance of dethroning the champ. While The Dream got himself got a match with Kassius Ohno for the same card.
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Regardless of how either of their matches turns out, this is a feud that should be rekindled once Gargano and Ciampa eventually hash out their issues. And if they both continue on this type of run, whenever they come together again, it could very well be for NXT gold.
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