Buckle up, because the most deeply personal rivalry in NXT history — NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano — is about to write a new chapter at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV.
What’s different this time around is that The Blackheart finds himself in the position of defending NXT Champion, and the bout will be contested under the most unforgiving circumstances imaginable: A Last Man Standing Match.
Ciampa had previously been scheduled to defend the title in Brooklyn in a Triple Threat Match against Gargano and former NXT Champion Aleister Black. Yet, with Black sustaining substantial injuries in an apparent parking lot attack on Aug. 8, less than two weeks before TakeOver, The Dutch Destroyer will not be able to compete at TakeOver. In turn, NXT General Manager William Regal announced Ciampa and Gargano’s Last Man Standing Match.
The Last Man Standing Match carries a high potential for danger and one barbaric objective: To incapacitate your opponent to the point that he cannot stand before the referee counts to 10. It’s almost impossible to fathom what type of brutality awaits in Brooklyn. Ciampa and Gargano have already battled twice at TakeOver this year: Gargano came out on top in their first encounter in an Unsanctioned Match at TakeOver: New Orleans, while Ciampa prevailed in their Chicago Street Fight rematch at TakeOver: Chicago II.
Which Superstar will stand tall as the NXT Champion when the dust settles? Find out when NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV streams live tonight at 7 ET/4 PT, exclusively on the award-winning WWE Network.