WWE NXT: Evaluating Tommaso Ciampa’s Reign After TakeOver Phoenix

via wwe.com

Back to Black

Straight after retaining against Velveteen Dream, The Blackheart of NXT was revisited by a ghost from his past hoping to finally get the rematch that was stolen from him in light of injury.

The rivalry started off hot with a The Blackheart of NXT injecting himself into the Gargano/Black program before teasing a DIY reunion inside of a steel cage. In moments when it came down to face-to-face confrontations with the champ, Black showcased a fiery fury in his eyes that made their feud too intense to not feel excited for their TakeOver match.

This storyline had the opposite issues that Ciampa/Dream suffered from. In this case, while the feud was great, the match at TakeOver: Phoenix was underwhelming.

At best, the match was just alright. It had some moments here and there, but compared to Ciampa’s previous title matches and by TakeOver standards especially, the match was disappointing. It was far weaker than their first match that set Ciampa’s title reign in motion. On this night, these two just weren’t clicking for some reason. The pace was slower than expected for a feud this hot and the match as a whole felt like it dragged in parts.