Velveteen Dream defeated Johnny Gargano to win the NXT North American Championship on Wednesday, his first title with the company.
The 23-year-old pinned the previous champ after hitting him with two Death Valley Drivers and a Purple Rainmaker in front of a raucous Full Sail crowd. The match main evented the February 20 episode of NXT and shocked the crowd after Gargano lost his title on his first defense.
Prior to their match, NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa approached Gargano and told his former tag team partner that if he needed help he was there. Gargano told Ciampa that he won the title by himself and he doesn't need him.
Ciampa was watching the match and looked visibly disappointed as Gargano lost his North American title.
Dream put himself in Gargano's crosshairs after winning the World's Collide Tournament on Royal Rumble weekend. The tournament featured some of the best talents on NXT, 205 Live and NXT UK. Velveteen Dream defeated Tyler Bate of the NXT UK brand to earn himself a championship opportunity.
However, instead of choosing to take on Tommaso Ciampa - who he took to the limit at NXT Takeover: War Games II - the Dream wanted a piece of Gargano and his North American Championship.
Velveteen Dream is just the fourth NXT North American Champion in the promotion's history, and the belt doesn't have a long history. The title was presented at NXT Takeover: New Orleans in April 2018 with Adam Cole besting Lars Sullivan, Killian Dain, Velveteen Dream, EC3 and a debuting Ricochet in a Ladder Match.
Ricochet would become the second North American Champion by defeating Cole at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn 4 back in August 2018. Johnny Gargano would defeat Ricochet at NXT Takeover: Phoenix in January and claim his first singles title in the company.
Where does this defeat leave Gargano's mental state? Will he begin to align himself more with Ciampa than before? NXT is
What do you think of Velveteen Dream winning the NXT North American title? What is his ceiling in NXT? Let us know in the comments section below.
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