3 possible stipulations for Adam Cole vs Johnny Gargano at NXT Takeover: Toronto II
It has not been confirmed in real-time yet, but the main event of NXT Takeover: Toronto II will be the third, and possibly final, match in the NXT Championship rivalry between Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano. The two went to battle in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match at Takeover: New York during WrestleMania weekend, with Gargano winning the vacant title. Cole would take the rematch, and the NXT title, at Takeover XXV.
This feud has been booked perfectly so far, it's hard for it not to be when the wrestling is off the charts. However, the latest chapter in this story saw the evil NXT Champion show up at Gargano's family restaurant, ordering some pizza and putting a picture of himself upon the restaurant's 'Wall of Fame'. Cole even went to the former champion's old wrestling school to talk trash to the students there, two months after Johnny Wrestling went there with the NXT Championship and delivered a motivational speech.
The Cole vs Gargano story has now become personal and we are extremely likely to see some kind of stipulation added to this already classic rivalry. After kicking off with a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match and following it up with another half an hour-plus classic, what is left for Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano to do?
Here are three possible stipulations for the main event of the SummerSlam weekend Takeover, and the culmination of possibly the greatest in-ring rivalry in NXT history.
#3 Ladder Match
The one match that raises the stakes higher, quite literally, than most is the Ladder match. It has its fair share of brutality and could be used as a great storytelling device throughout the match, as it has been on multiple occasions. The feud has reached a certain point where you cannot really pick a definitive winner. Both men took part in gruelling ladder matches with varying degrees of fortune attached to them.
Cole became the first-ever NXT North American Champion at Takeover: New Orleans by winning a 6-man ladder match, while the aftermath of the tag team ladder match between AOP and DIY saw Gargano get brutally assaulted by his partner, Tommaso Ciampa. They would be able to construct a dramatic enough match, especially with the possible involvement of the rest of the Undisputed Era. However, we did see a Ladder Match at the previous Takeover, so this is not very likely.