3 emergency ways to save the main event of NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV
WWE writing Aleister Black out of the TakeOver: Brooklyn IV main event confirmed the rumors about his injury. It's catastrophic timing because his presence in the feud wasn't only written well, but it was badly needed.
It's far too soon to have another Johnny Gargano vs. Tommaso Ciampa singles match. There have already been two in a row at TakeOver: New Orleans and Chicago II, and as excellent as the matches were, it's approached burnout territory now. A third singles match in a row will make the feud enter jump the shark territory.
Another concern lies in the booking. Neither man can afford a loss to the other right now. Johnny Gargano is in no condition to win the NXT Championship at the moment, given his descent into madness. He needs to find his classic babyface character again before he's ready. Similarly, having Tommaso Ciampa drop the title only weeks after he won it would further ruin the payoff and end what could have been an all-time great title reign in NXT far too soon.
There's the bind. What can NXT do about this situation? A few things came to my mind, and I hope the excellent creative team at NXT has been considering them.
There are no good options here. It's just a matter of picking the least bad.
#1 Add a substitute
This wouldn't be the most creative option, but it would patch over most of the problems. Keith Lee debuted in NXT last night, and it was an effective showing. He comes in with a lot of hype and giving him a big platform like TakeOver: Brooklyn would show a much wider audience what he can do. He can also be protected in defeat.
Alternatively, the winner of the EC3 vs. Velveteen Dream match could be added to the main event.
Or maybe someone else could be found entirely. Either way, a substitute prevents another singles match.