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#4 Andrade Cien Almas vs. Johnny Gargano for the NXT Championship (NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia)
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Andrade Cien Almas was someone who overcame early struggles on the NXT roster to become a success. Upon being aligned with Zelina Vega, the former IWGP Intercontinental Champion started picking up wins until he defeated Drew McIntyre to win the NXT Championship at TakeOver: WarGames 2017. His first major title defense pit him against Johnny Gargano at the next TakeOver event.
Andrade beat Gargano in the opener to NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III. Johnny Wrestling was still dealing with the breakup of DIY at TakeOver: Chicago, but he started to pick up steam shortly after that setback. He became the number one contender for the top prize at TakeOver: Philadelphia.
In this contest, Gargano and Andrade started off with smooth transitions and exchanges. The two men knew each other extremely well, which made for a captivating counter. Andrade took control until Johnny Wrestling made a tremendous babyface comeback with his Lawn Dart and superkicks to earn close nearfalls. At one point, he locked on the Gargano Escape, but Andrade fought to make it to the ropes.
They worked their way to the apron, where Andrade blasted Gargano. Almas then followed up with vicious charging knees against the post and hit a draping hammerlock DDT to retain the NXT Championship. This clash was a simply sensational battle that earned the first Wrestling Observer Newsletter five-star rating for a WWE match in seven years.
NXT Takeover: Philadelphia's main event had everything a fan would want in wrestling. It had terrific action, a great villain, and an awesome babyface that the Philly crowd wanted to will to victory. All in all, it offered fans spectacular storytelling, drama and a compelling finish.
