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.

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#1 Add a substitute

Might it be Keith Lee's time sooner than we think?

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.

#2 Have Johnny Gargano suffer the same fate as Aleister Black

Hope that meaningless house show was worth it.

To prevent another rematch so soon, an injury angle involving Johnny Gargano is also a possibility. Tommaso Ciampa can boost himself up as a heel by dastardly taking out his competition, trying to pull a fast one and prevent a title defense in Brooklyn.

William Regal could then add somebody such as Keith Lee, EC3, or Velveteen Dream in Gargano's place. This would present Ciampa with a formidable challenge and a way to give him more heat for retaining the championship in a dastardly way in Brooklyn, all the while protecting his opponent in defeat.

None of this sounds good, because it isn't. There are no good options right now.

#3 Have the match end in a no contest

Stretcher for two.

This is the likeliest option. It, unfortunately, doesn't prevent a singles match, but it can work around some of the limitations inherent in that format.

In Brooklyn, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa can get even more out of control with each other than they did in their street fight. The chaos could flare up to such a degree, in fact, that both men could leave Brooklyn on stretchers.

This would prevent a decisive ending and let the story continue to be told toward a proper payoff. It could be the start of Johnny Gargano finding himself again. Such a format would also add something new to the singles match equation that doesn't quite burn fans out as much.

Again, none of these are good options, but that's what's required now. Criticism of WWE's intense house show schedule has been gaining steam in recent times. This is sure to add fuel to that fire. Risking top talent in these meaningless matches weeks before a massive show like this is bound to result in catastrophic scenarios from time to time. Unfortunately, this time, it ruined what should have been the best match of the summer.