NXT TakeOver Toronto: Live results, grades, and analysis

NXT Championship 2-out-of-3 Falls Match: Adam Cole (c) vs. Johnny Gargano

Gargano entered wearing Wolverine inspired gear. Logan, of X-Men fame, is Canadian after all.

1st Fall – Standard Wrestling Match

Cole won the coin toss for the first stipulation, and the first fall is a standard wrestling match. Cole tried very hard to outwrestle Gargano in the early portion of this match, but Gargano was more than one step ahead. Gargano dodged a kick and Cole kicked the stairs, injuring his foot. Gargano drove the foot into the apron and started working over the legs with an Indian Deathlock.

Gargano went for a slingshot DDT onto the apron but Cole blocked it and both men spilled to the outside where Cole did a wheelbarrow suplex onto the apron on Gargano! Cole hit a neckbreaker on Gargano and got a two count. Cole locked on a figure four head scissors on Gargano in the middle of the ring.

Gargano broke free due to grabbing the bad ankle and knee of Cole, and locked on an ankle lock. Cole rolled forward, sending Gargano into the corner. Cole went for the Panama Sunrise, but Gargano dodged, and Cole hurt his knee. He turned and hot hit with a belly-to-belly in the corner. Gargano hit a chop and a roll-up into a kick on Cole. Cole stopped the slingshot spear and went for the Last Shot, but Gargano hit him with a Fisherman’s Driver and got a near fall.

Gargano tried a few punches in the corner, but Cole slipped out and tried to superkick the knee of Gargano. Gargano dodged and Cole got his knees caught in the ropes and Gargano hit a flying stomp to the back on Cole’s knee! Gargano locked on a figure four leglock, but Cole made it to the ropes.

Cole hit a wheelbarrow suplex on Gargano but Gargano kicked out. Gargano and Cole exchanged kicks as Cole finally dropped him with a superkick to the knee. Cole went for the Panama Sunrise, but Gargano caught him and hit the Sunset Driver for a near fall! My goodness. Cole hit a Michinoku driver, but Gargano kicked out. Both men hit the ropes and collided with duel clotheslines.

Gargano went for a suicide dive, but Cole hit a kick and went for a wheelbarrow suplex again. Gargano reversed and rolled forward driving Cole into the barricade. Cole got nailed with a slingshot DDT and then a superkick on the floor. As Gargano went to slingshot himself into the ring, Cole hit a superkick and then the Last Shot, but Gargano kicked out.

Cole went out to get a chair and the referee took it away from him. Cole kicked Gargano right between the legs, but Gargano kicked out. Cole set up the chair in the ring and took a seat and posed to cheers from the crowd. Cole and the ref continued to argue about the chair, and Gargano killed Cole with a superkick and grabbed the chair.

Gargano grabbed the chair and absolutely killed Adam Cole with a shot to the back. The winner of the first fall was Adam Cole due to DQ, but Gargano beat the crap out of him with the chair and then sat on it as the bell rang for the second fall.

2nd Fall – Street Fight (1-0 for Adam Cole)

Gargano threw the chair at Cole and did a suicide dive on Cole and they started brawling at ringside. Gargano took a fan’s phone and took a selfie with it, which was just plain awesome. Cole tried to make a comeback, but Gargano killed him with a superkick. Gargano loaded Cole up on a chair and then they went back to the timekeeper’s area. Gargano put Cole through the barricade and yelled “Mamma Mia!” at Mauro.

Gargano cleared off the announce table and locked Cole up for a suplex of some sort. Cole fought out, but Gargano ended up hitting a backdrop off the table into the Spanish table, which exploded as Cole hit it. Gargano then took out two tables from under the ring as the crowd chanted ‘Johnny Tables.’

Gargano threw a bunch of chairs into the ring, but Cole hit a giant shining wizard and then a ushigoroshi onto the chair, but he only got a two. Gargano managed to lawn dart Cole into the bottom turnbuckle and then locked on the Gargano Escape for the victory in fall two.

3rd Fall – Barbed Wire Steel Cage Match

The barbed wire on the cage means there is no escape and the match must go to a finish, as the crowd chanted ‘ECW.’ Both men started to exchange kicks and then kendo stick shots that ended with both men superkicking each other and collapsing on the mat.

Gargano sent Cole into a chair on the corner and then superkicked him off the chair. They set up a table in the ring and Cole grabbed a kendo stick and hit a backstabber while holding the kendo stick against Gargano’s throat. Cole set up two chairs in the corner and put Gargano on the top rope before climbing up himself and trying to suplex Gargano onto the chairs.

Gargano fought out, hit a tornado DDT onto the chairs and grabbed a kendo stick and nailed Cole. Gargano went for the sledgehammer at the top of the cage, but Cole met him on the ropes. Gargano hit a sunset flip bomb and grabbed the sledgehammer. Cole superkicked him and tried to throw the ladder off the top of the cage onto Gargano, but Gargano moved. As he got up, Cole hit the Panama Sunrise, but Gargano kicked out.

Cole hit a massive Panama Sunrise jumping off the ladder, but Gargano kicked out again. Gargano tried going for a kendo stick, but Cole grabbed it first and smashed him with it to drop him to the mat again. Cole grabbed the chair and put Gargano’s head against the backrest. Cole hit the ropes and went for a shinning wizard into the chair, but Gargano dodged and Cole’s knee smashed into the chair!

Gargano tried to lock on a crossface with the kendo stick, but Cole bit his hand. Gargano nailed Cole in the stomach with the kendo stick, Cole sunk into the mat coughing. Gargano put the ladder in the corner and the table in front of it. Gargano set up a second table and placed Cole on both of them before climbing to the top of the ladder. Cole rolled off the table.

Gargano hoped down and hit Cole with a kendo stick and tried to pull him to the top rope. Gargano hit a Canadian Destroyer off the middle rope into the ring! Holy crap! Gargano spilled a bag of weapons out and took a pair of plyers and took off a chunk of the barbed wire.

Cole tried to run away and both men ended up on a board that was across one corner of the cage. Both men fell off the cage and through a table in the ring as Gargano tried to wrap the barbed wire on Gargano’s head. Cole rolled over and put his arm on Gargano and scored the pinfall!

Result: Adam Cole retains the NXT Championship

Rating ****** (6 stars)

This match was utterly insane. What a show from these guys. Cole and Gargano topped themselves again, and I can’t even begin to explain how awesome this match was. This was WWE’s match of the year, and it’s absolutely up there with the best matches you’ll ever see. Very few can compete with that, except for the best of the best in NJPW.

Show Rating: ***** (5 stars)

This was an absolutely fantastic show where every match was given a chance to shine. NXT topped themselves again and finally brought an end to the feud of Gargano and Cole. Go out of your way to watch this incredible show. The only show that might top it so far this year would be Wrestle Kingdom or the G1 Finals on Monday, but barely at that. NXT is one of the best wrestling products in the world, and they proved it here again.