Johnny Gargano defeated Damian Priest to capture the NXT North American Championship for a second time at NXT Halloween Havoc on Wednesday night.
The bout which opened a truly terrific show was the first of the Spin The Wheel, Make A Deal stipulation matches to occur and saw the rivals clash in a Devil’s Playground Match as determined by Shotzi Blackheart’s wheel of horrors.
Dressed as Jack Skellington from Tim Burton’s The Night Before Christmas movie, Gargano went at the champion with might and determination as the pair fought around the WWE Capitol Wrestling Center under rules that stated No Disqualification, No Count-Out and Falls Count Anywhere.
Noting previous attempts at NXT TakeOver 30 and 31 that were unsuccessful, ‘Johnny Wrestling’ changed his game and adapted to the champion’s heavy onslaught, almost breaking Priest in two with a sliced bread onto the steel steps.
Eventually, the gladiators made their way onto the Halloween Havoc stage where the event lived up to it’s name. As the pair traded blows in front of the wheel which decided their fate, Priest snared his oppressor in his finisher but was halted by a ghostly vision.
Seconds before ‘The Archer of Infamy’ executed the final blow, Ghostface from the Scream movie franchise appeared out of nowhere and clocked the babyface with a lead pipe.
The shot allowed Gargano to temporarily regain his composure and drive a headstone into the defender which sent Priest flying from the stage and crashing through the set below. All that was left was for the man who is all heart and no soul to make the cover for the victory.
While the identity of Ghostface is still unknown, it wouldn’t be the last we saw of them at NXT Halloween Havoc. Their presence was also felt during the NXT Women’s Championship Match.
You can read full results from NXT Halloween Havoc here.