NXT TakeOver: Portland - 5 Reasons why Adam Cole defeated Tommaso Ciampa to retain the NXT Championship

NXT TakeOver: Portland was one of the most epic events of the year that kept fans on the edge of their seats till the final moment.

While the NXT Tag Team Championships changed hands from The Undisputed Era’s Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly to The BroserWeights, the singles titles remained untouched by any of the challengers.

Perhaps the most surprising change that did not take place during the night was during the match between Adam Cole and Tommaso Ciampa for the NXT Championship. The match suffered the biggest swerve of the year yet as Ciampa’s longtime friend betrayed him and cost him the thing he cherished the most.

In this article, we will look at the 5 possible reasons why Cole retained the NXT Championship against Ciampa at TakeOver: Portland.

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#5 Undisputed Era needs a title

Cole is now the only man with a belt in Undisputed Era

Undisputed Era has been one of WWE’s most dominant and well-known factions over the past three years. The trio of Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O’Reilly enlisted the services of Roderick Strong to take over the world of wrestling.

Together, the four men have won three NXT Tag Team Championship reigns, two NXT North American Championship reigns, and one NXT Championship reign.

Roderick Strong lost the North American Championship to Keith Lee around a month ago while Undisputed Era lost the Tag Team Championships at TakeOver: Portland.

If Cole would have lost the NXT Championship at the event, it would have severely affected the faction’s reputation and broken their dominance. With Cole retaining with the help of others, his reputation and an opportunist remain while he remains mile high on the NXT ladder.

With Undisputed Era’s leader still holding the NXT Championship, fans can rest assured that the era of Cole and his men is far from over and we will see some more challenges for the faction emerge.

Before we move on to the next slide, gear up by listening to our exclusive interview with the former IMPACT Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie!

#4 To make him the most memorable NXT Champion in history

Cole has defeated Daniel Bryan on SmackDown

Adam Cole has held the NXT Championship for 257+ days now and is one of the longest-reigning NXT Champions of all time. Along with that, many fans consider him the best ever NXT Champion as not only has he had great matches, but the storylines he has built towards those matches have been incredible.

It seems like Cole will be surpassing Bo Dallas’ reign by the end of this week, and he will just need to hold the title for five more weeks to break Finn Balor’s record and become the longest-reigning NXT Champion of all time.

Considering Cole’s star-power, coupled with the effort he has put into building NXT, it seems likely that Triple H and his men will be looking to reward Cole for his efforts.

With that in mind, a major reason for Cole defeating Tomasso Ciampa to retain the title could be that NXT is looking to make him a record-breaking Champion as he has certainly been the most entertaining one to date.

With many new stars rising on NXT, it’d be great to see how the challenge changes over the course of the next few weeks.

#3 To address rumors regarding his move to RAW/SmackDown

He can be an asset to Raw or SmackDown

Many fans, including myself, were expecting Adam Cole to drop the NXT Championship at TakeOver: Portland just in time to build towards a move to another brand.

Since Cole has defeated Daniel Bryan on SmackDown and had given a tough fight to Seth Rollins on RAW, it made sense to look at his performance as a test for Cole and the WWE Universe.

Tommaso Ciampa has already shown no interest in wanting to move to another brand, and him winning the title would have made perfect sense and given Cole the freedom to make the move.

However, with Cole retaining the title, it seems like NXT has silenced the speculations, at least for now. With TakeOver: Tampa Bay coming up just a night before WrestleMania 36, it seems like NXT will build on that story with another Superstar in tow and the result of that match will determine Cole’s future.

It’s unlikely that a Champion like Cole will be losing his title on a weekly show, and Tampa Bay feels like the best place to decide the fate of one of NXT’s top Superstars.

#2 To set up the battle between Ciampa and Gargano

Fans were not ready for this swerve

Adam Cole did everything he could to put Tommaso Ciampa away, but it was the betrayal by Johnny Gargano which was consequential in the match.

Not only did Gargano stop Ciampa from using the NXT title belt on Cole to win the match, but he also attacked Ciampa with it himself to spark the ending.

Now that it seems like the rivalry between Cole and Ciampa for the title it nearing its end, and Gargano too has lost his match against Finn Balor, we could watch the two former members of DIY reignite their rivalry.

Ciampa and Gargano have always had a love-hate relationship, and the creatives seem to have not given up on the opportunities and possibilities a rivalry between the two men offers.

A rivalry between the two men will once again have a lot to offer for the fans, and we could actually watch the winner or loser of this rivalry leave NXT and move on to RAW or SmackDown.

Both men are veterans of NXT and it won’t come as a surprise if their rivalry ends with a Loser leaves NXT match as we have seen them show their love NXT on several occasions and willingness to not the brand.

#1 To allow a new challenger to rise

Will someone from within Undisputed Era cause Cole's downfall?

One of the biggest opportunities at hand for NXT now is that the newer Superstars can be given a chance to rise as the older ones have faded away.

Adam Cole defeated Johnny Gargano to win the NXT Championship and he has since defeated the Superstar to retain his title against The Rebel Heart. Cole has also defeated Finn Balor and Tommaso Ciampa to retain his title, and the veterans seem to be out of the way for The Panama City Playboy.

With men like Kushida, Matt Riddle, and Damian Priest giving great performances consistently, NXT could groom one of the men to take on Cole later on and defeat him to win a major title.

Alternatively, the biggest possibility now is the breakup of Undisputed Era which could lead to a betrayal from Roderick Strong and matches between Cole and Strong for the title.

Strong has done it all in NXT just like Cole and only needs to win the NXT title to round up his successes. As one of the best wrestlers in NXT, it would be fitting for Strong to turn babyface again and defeat his leader to win the NXT Championship.