Adam Cole Believes NXT TakeOver Match With Johnny Gargano Will Be The Best Of His Career

Adam Cole is ready to deliver at NXT TakeOver: New York.

It's fair to say that Adam Cole wasn't supposed to be in this position. Johnny Gargano was originally scheduled to face Tommaso Ciampa at TakeOver: New York, but a neck injury sidelined Ciampa for the foreseeable future. The NXT Title was vacated as a result and Gargano needed a new opponent. Cole won a fatal five-way, defeating Ricochet, Aleister Black, Velveteen Dream, and Matt Riddle, for the right to face Gargano for the NXT Title in a two-out-of-three falls bout. 

AEW Dynamite (4/24/24) Results: Jon Moxley vs. Powerhouse Hobbs, Swerve Strickland Competes, More

Speaking to ESPN, Cole discussed his upcoming NXT Title match.

"For many years, people who've been following both myself and Johnny Gargano, people have compared us quite a bit," Cole said. "Two guys on very similar rises on the independents. A lot of times, we would work for different companies, but we ended up competing against each other. Pretty much from the very first match I had with Johnny, he was a guy that brought out the best in me, and I brought out the best of him."

Cole continued, "For us to get the chance on literally the biggest TakeOver that we've ever had, I can promise you won't be disappointed," Cole said of the match. "I know the fans who have followed our careers know they're in for something special. For people who haven't, I could promise you it will be. It will probably be the toughest, most exciting [and] the best match of my entire career. I'm ready to show that to the world in New York."

Cole made his NXT debut at TakeOver: Brooklyn III inside Barclays Center, the site of TakeOver: New York. At last year's TakeOver during WrestleMania weekend, Cole became the first-ever NXT North American Champion. 

You can view the entire NXT TakeOver: New York card at Fightful's events page.

 

Get exclusive pro wrestling content on Fightful Select, our premium news service! Click here to learn more.