This week’s episode of NXT saw Johnny Gargano suffer an upset loss to Leon Ruff. This loss cost Gargano the NXT North American Championship in the process. The belief is that Ruff’s win is being considered a joke at Gargano’s expense. It is intended to be used to reinforce the idea the Gargano is a “cursed” champion.
According to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline, Ruff’s victory was not done in an effort to turn the young talent into a major star. He reflected on how a Superstar coming in and winning a championship in their first bout is rarely done.
It was noted, however, that the technique has been used in the past. When done, it was intended to help get a Superstar instantly over with the crowd. Past Superstars who have won singles gold in their debut matches include Paige, Carlito, and Santino Marella, to name a few.
Leon Ruff: NXT North American Champion
It didn’t take long for people to congratulate Leon Ruff following his surprising victory and for Gargano to take issue with the loss.
Triple H reached out to Ruff via Twitter to offer his congratulations. After winning the match, the North American Championship actually fell off Ruff after he raised his hands to celebrate. Triple H commented on the moment in his tweet, joking how “That’s why we don’t call it a belt.”
You can watch Ruff’s surprise championship victory over Gargano below:
