NXT TakeOver: Phoenix Report Card

#5 NXT Championship: Tommaso Ciampa (c.) vs Aleister Black

Aleister Black finally received his rematch.

Result: Tommaso Ciampa defeated Aleister Black via pinfall with the Fairy Tale Ending. Johnny Gargano then stared Ciampa down as the show went to a close.

Grade: A

Analysis: This was a great psychological wrestling match. Tommaso Ciampa was the smart champion who knew that in order to neutralize Black Mass, he needed to go after the leg of Aleister Black (surprisingly none of Aleister Black's previous opponents have thought to do that).

While Ciampa was the shrewd heel, Black was the valiant face who was willing to fight through his injuries. Aleister Black's kicks were less effective due to the damage done to his legs but it did not stop him. However, the damage to the leg limited the effectiveness of several of his moves including the single leg Boston crab and the Black Mass.

Aleister Black also hit several high-flying moves including a Tope Con Hilo and a Moonsault Plancha. The Dutch Destroyer also kicked out of Tommaso Ciampa's finishing moves several times and fought until the very end.

If that was Aleister Black's last match in NXT, he truly went out in a blaze of glory. The faceoff at the end was interesting and it hinted at the fact that not everything is truly all good between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.