WWE NXT: How brutal will Tommaso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher be?

Tomasso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher are about to have one heck of a feud on WWE NXT.

Tommaso Ciampa has developed a reputation for being one of the best wrestlers on the planet. His feud in WWE NXT against Johnny Gargano proved to be one of the best feuds in recent history and delivered on the technical and storytelling front. His matches always have an added edge to them, with his acting and selling on full display as he puts himself and his opponent through hell just to deliver the audience the best kind of performance.

He has been part of wrestling masterclasses with Gargano against The Revival, putting on one of the best tag team performances of all-time, and he has faced names like Gargano and Adam Cole in some beautifully brutal clashes, check out his unsanctioned match with Gargano for further proof.

Timothy Thatcher is relatively new to the black and yellow, signing this year and serving as Matt Riddle’s honorary BroserWeight tag partner defending the NXT Tag titles, although strangely enough, he refused the opportunity to be officially recognised as champion. He eventually turned on Riddle, having grown tired of his persona being the focus of their team, when he would rather get on with the wrestling.

He then had the brutal Fight Pit match with Riddle, with Kurt Angle serving as guest referee, where he choke Riddle out with the rear-naked choke. In the match, he showed his sick edge as a relentless submission specialist and a brutal brawler, and took quite the beating as well, most notably a penalty kick to the face, in kayfabe knocking a tooth out. He has since been repackaged as a serious submission specialist running lessons to others on the roster, where he has faced the likes of Damian Priest for the North American championship in a losing effort.

After Thatcher convincingly defeated unwilling student Austin Grey, and continued his attack post-match, Tommaso Ciampa emerged to face Thatcher in the ring, signalling an intent for a feud to begin between the two.

But how brutal will their match be?

If this were two years ago, I would lean more on the side of Kenny Omega vs Jon Moxley Full Gear 2019 brutal. But given the fact that Ciampa has already said he is wrestling on borrowed time since his anterior cervical fusion, I would say that Ciampa’s days taking multiple sick bumps in one match are all but done. That being said, the style of Timothy Thatcher is that he can be slapped about the ring and do the majority of the selling and bump-taking, before countering and locking in one of his many submissions.

Therefore it serves well to protect Ciampa but also keep their signature brutality. W can see a match with Thatcher taking the majority of the harsh bumps and spots. See Thatcher vs Roderick Strong at PWG 13 and Thatcher vs Minoru Suzuki at Over The Top Wrestling Fourth Year anniversary for examples of Thatcher’s ability to sell and take brutal hits before turning to his submissions and technicality to turn the match in his favour and allow his opponent to tell a story of pain.

It’s important to note that with wrestling brutality isn’t just the ability to go through tables and exposed concrete, but the ability to sell and make moves seem as painful as possible. By putting two of the best sellers and brutal looking wrestlers in the ring the match can be really brutal without the need for nasty and career-threatening spots, they’re matched really well, and I would recommend looking at some of Thatcher’s pre-NXT work to get an idea of the style of match he can put on with Ciampa.

Ciampa has proven hits at Full Sail with Gargano to cast an eye on for prep of this match. For Thatcher, I would look at his clash with now UK Champion WALTER at PWG Battle of Los Angeles 2018.

They most probably won’t be destroying their bodies with the kind of match we have grown to associate with Ciampa, but at the same time, yes they will put on a clinic of a match where you can wince and believe that they are killing each other with every punch, kick and chop they deliver. Expect the Fujiwara armbar from both men, as both men have the ability to make it look like they will snap their opponents’ upper arm from their shoulder. Fans of the recent Dragunov vs WALTER match rejoice for another clinic of strong-style meets tap-or-snap.