Welcome to this year's final Finisher Friday! This is Wreddit_Regal bringing you a short review of our favorite patriarch's finisher.
When Sami Zayn got called up to the main roster in 2016, NXT lost a character which embodied the brand's heart and soul. At around the same time, an underdog from Cleveland named Johnny Gargano set foot on WWE soil, wanting to set a legacy of his own. The crowds paid attention to this man as he embarked on a journey of friendship, betrayal, success and failure which would ultimately baptize him as NXT's second heart and soul.
Although his stint in the black-and-yellow brand ended earlier this month, he definitely cemented his legacy as one of NXT's greatest wrestlers. Aside from being the brand's first Triple Crown Champion, he left a mark on everyone's hearts as an ever-loyal tag partner (DIY) and the reliable head of his blood-and-water family (The Way).
A veteran of independent promotions such as Chikara, PWG, Dragon Gate, and EVOLVE, Gargano's arsenal embraces the unpredictable aspect of the indies, inflicting damage to his opponents on their most vulnerable times which gives off that explosive feel to his moveset.
His finisher is the all-familiar crossface with his own touch, named Gargano Escape:
Using my Regal Rating, I would give this move a:
10/10 for aesthetics. He can either do this vanilla, or as a counter. He can even counter an opponent's attempt to break free from the hold, staying true to the move's personalized name.
10/10 for damage. Notice where Gargano places his interlocked hands. Positioning it over the opponent's cheek means that he doesn't only do a forward-to-back crank, he also twists his opponent's head sideways in the process. Also, when Gargano leans back, he inadvertently puts immense pressure to the opponent's left shoulder, with the way the left arm is trapped. Talk about a multiple-target submission!
And that's it chaps, my short review of Johnny Gargano's Gargano Escape! As another year unfolds, I hope you'll still be around with me to enjoy professional wrestling (and nitpick any finishers in the process). I love you all, and see you next week!
*****
Wreddit_Regal is the resident finisher fanatic of Reddit's wrestling forum, r/squaredcircle. From the most basic of punches to the most intricate double-team maneuvers, he can explain them within the realm of human anatomy and physics, because when doing absolutely nothing wrestling-related, he also happens to work as an operating room nurse.
