NXT: Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano Was The Match Of The Year

Obsession often leads to barking up the wrong tree. NXT’s Johnny Gargano has been longing to be a hero, or ‘the hero’ in his own story.

Johnny Gargano has had one motive in his story, to avenge the malicious beating that he suffered at the hands of his former ‘DIY’ partner and current NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa. By any means necessary, Gargano has been seeking retribution. Along the way, Gargano has found the NXT Championship as the final conquest in his own heroic fairytale.

At NXT TakeOver 2: WarGames, Gargano found himself face to face with Aleister Black, a man whom he viciously attacked in the NXT Full Sail parking lot.  Gargano cost Black the NXT title on July 25th, grabbing the championship belt out of his former partner Ciampa’s hands and laying waste to Black’s head with it. In turn, he handed the title to his former partner and most hated rival. The following week, Black returned the favor by hitting his signature finisher ‘Black Mass’ upon Gargano’s flesh after Johnny confronted his former best friend Ciampa.

One week following Aleister’s physical response, Black was found on the pavement, laid out and put out of commission for over two months. His beating became NXT’s version of ‘Who Shot J.R.’ over the summer. Clue after clue would begin to surface, and in the meantime, Nikki Cross would appear week after week on NXT television saying she knew who the mystery assailant was.

After months of cryptic clues and Cross announcing ‘I know something you don’t know’, Black reappeared on NXT television looking for his mystery attacker, zeroing in on the man who laid waste to his body on that warm July evening. As he confronted commissioner William Regal in the corner of the ring, ready to pounce on the alleged attacker upon their arrival, Gargano snuck in from behind and super kicked Black in front of a startled Full Sail crowd. He announced to the masses and Black specifically, ‘I’m right here.’

Gargano was quite open about his rationale behind ambushing Black, and it was quite simple: vengeance upon Ciampa. “The Rebel Heart” explained that he fights for what’s right, and he had to fight dirty in order to avenge what Ciampa had done to his mind, body and soul.  Black was simply a pawn – a small chess piece in the conquest towards Gargano becoming the hero and winning the NXT Championship in the process.

What proceeded these series of events was one of the best matches in NXT history. The mesmerizing blend of chain wrestling, brawling and storytelling told by these two men on this Saturday night was breathtaking. In the game of one ups manship, Black and Gargano went back and forth for 18 minutes-plus. Brilliant storytelling and incredible athleticism were on display in front of a raucous NXT crowd in Los Angeles.

The two men In the opening sequences exchanged thunderous slaps, kicks, chops and saw Gargano mimicking Black with his own signature pose…only to goad Black into missing a leg strike, ducking it, and striking him with his own lethal kick.

The pace of the match stayed at a breakneck tempo. Gargano would gain momentum with a unique blend of submission holds and quick strikes. Just as it seemed the edge was his, Black would bounce back with his own Muay Thai strikes and a beautiful display of aerial maneuvers to seize control.

Black would miss a moonsault attempt to the outside, and Gargano countered with this DDT! He followed that with another, quicker DDT as they took the action back into the ring. Gargano began to taunt Black saying ‘He couldn’t get the job done’ and that indeed he was the chosen one of NXT.

Kicks and clotheslines were traded, and Black was gaining the edge for a brief moment when Gargano hit Black with a reverse rana. But Black bounced right back and hit Johnny with a running knee after Gargano attempted to inflict more damage by bouncing off of the ropes. The crowd at this point began to give them a standing ovation for the astonishing display of wrestling they were witnessing. Both men were on the lying on the mat, contemplating their next calculated moves.

As they stood to their feet, Black gained control with more knee strikes followed up with a knee strike, a double knee strike off of the middle rope, immediately into a bridging German suplex for a two-count. When it seemed as though he was gaining momentum, Gargano countered with a clothesline to Black as they yet again climbed to their feet. The pace never slowed up, with both men eager to show they were better than the other.

The match took a sharp turn as Black sat up when Johnny went to attempt a super kick. Black then  sat in his own signature pose, begging Johnny to ‘give him his best shot’. He ducked the attempt and went for his own kick, which Gargano, in turn, ducked. A strike by Gargano and a lightning-fast knee strike led to a 2.75 count. Gargano was agonized, wondering what in the world he had to do to put Black away.

Johnny threw Black to the outside after a failed springboard attempt. As he bounced of the ropes to sling himself threw the middle rope, Black countered with a malicious high knee strike of his own to gain momentum. The crowd was in absolute astonishment of the punishment being dished out by both participants.

Gargano laid on the mat, quivering at the feet of Black, begging him to put him out of his misery. Only to duck out of the way of Aleister’s ‘Black Mass’ attempt at the last minute and lock him in the Garga-No crossface. Screaming ‘I’m the hero’, Gargano would eventually lose control of the hold. After Black regained consciousness, he unleashed three knee strikes and a ‘Black Mass’ to the near unconscious ‘Johnny Wrestling. Black had another idea; he could have pinned him right there and ended the contest.

However, this man tried to end Black’s existence, and it was time for Aleister to truly ruin Johnny’s night. Holding a dazed Gargano up by his own body, Black said “I absolve you of your sins,” before finishing Gargano with a 2nd ‘Black Mass’ and emerging victorious in what will go down as an instant classic and my match of the year. Unbelievable story telling, drama and in ring action that are the reason why I’m a wrestling fan. The crowd gave both men yet another standing ovation as Black looked on with satisfied, yet vengeful, eyes. So what does the future hold for both Black and Gargano?

Signs point towards Black receiving an NXT championship rematch with Ciampa. Meanwhile, Gargano is on the outside looking in; unsatisfied and still looking to complete his drawn up heroic tale. One thing we all can agree upon is that this match checked nearly, if not every box that a wrestling fan looks for. Soak it all in, re-watch the poetic chaos and give them a round of applause for their magnificent encounter at NXT TakeOver 2: War Games.