Adam Cole

Adam Cole beat Johnny Gargano in an NXT TakeOver: New York rematch on Saturday at NXT TakeOver: XXV to become NXT champion for the first time.

Saturday marked Cole's opportunity at revenge after he fell to Gargano in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the vacant NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: New York two nights before WrestleMania 35.

Gargano was originally slated to face Tommaso Ciampa for the title, but when Ciampa had to vacate it because of injury, Cole earned his way into the match that turned out to be one of the best bouts in all of wrestling this year.

Cole appeared to be on the precipice of beating Gargano to win the NXT title on numerous occasions in New York, especially when his Undisputed Era stablemates interfered. None of it was enough to prevent Johnny Wrestling reaching his destiny, though.

After losing to Gargano at TakeOver: New York, Cole primarily blamed Roderick Strong for the botched interference, and there appeared to be cracks within Undisputed Era in the weeks that followed.

Cole took out his frustrations on Strong on numerous occasions, and while Kyle O'Reilly sided with Cole, Bobby Fish seemed to sympathize with Strong at times.

In the weeks leading up to TakeOver: XXV, Cole accidentally cost Strong in a match against Gargano, while Strong erred in interfering during Cole's match against Matt Riddle, which allowed Riddle to come out on top.

Despite Cole's struggles after TakeOver: New York and the issues within Undisputed Era, he was granted a rematch against Gargano at TakeOver: XXV, which marked the continuation of one of the best and most compelling rivalries in all of WWE.

The odds once again appeared to be stacked against Gargano because of the presence of Undisputed Era, but the possibility also existed that it would work against Cole because of the recent lack of cohesion.

With Cole prevailing, the rivalry between him and Gargano is likely to continue, and the issues within Undisputed Era may already be resolved.

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Update on Mysterio's Shoulder Injury

Rey Mysterio took to Instagram on Thursday and revealed that he suffered a separated AC joint in his left shoulder.

Mysterio said the injury occurred at Money in the Bank on Sunday when he beat Samoa Joe in a quick match to win the United States Championship.

The bout was marred by controversy, as Joe had his shoulder up during the decisive pinfall. Even so, Mysterio was awarded the win and the title.

After the match, Joe decimated Mysterio while Mysterio's son, Dominic, watched in horror from ringside.

Mysterio did not appear on Monday's Raw, but Joe cut a backstage promo in which he called for Mysterio to do the right thing by handing the U.S. title back to him.

In the Instagram video, the 44-year-old Mysterio said he has been struggling to lift his left arm since suffering the injury. Mysterio also underwent some treatment in the video.

Given Mysterio's status, it is unclear if he will be forced to miss some time. If he does, it is possible Mysterio will either relinquish the championship back to Joe and vacate it all together.

The U.S. title scene will likely become clearer Monday since Mysterio is scheduled to address Joe's demands.

Gargano Reportedly Dealing with Knee Injury

NXT champion Johnny Gargano is reportedly working through a knee injury, according to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Daniel Yanofsky of WrestlingInc.com).

Meltzer speculated that Gargano may have suffered the injury in March since he has not worked an NXT live event since March 8.

Gargano has worked NXT television tapings since that time, however, and he beat Adam Cole in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match at NXT TakeOver: New York on April 5 to win the NXT Championship.

Meltzer noted that Gargano is expected to be healthy enough to face Cole in a rematch at NXT TakeOver: XXV on June 1.

While Gargano's matches have been few and far between as of late, they have been high-level performances. In addition to the win over Cole, Johnny Wrestling beat Roderick Strong in a singles match and he teamed with Matt Riddle in a match against Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish of Undisputed Era.

There are no signs that the TakeOver: XXV match between Gargano and Cole is in danger of being changed or canceled, which suggests that Gargano's injury is mild enough that he will be able to continue working through it.

AEW Signs Malenko as Producer and Coach

All Elite Wrestling announced Friday it has signed wrestling veteran Dean Malenko to a multiyear deal as a senior producer and coach.

AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes said the following about Malenko's hiring:

"Dean Malenko has been a massive force behind some of today's biggest wrestling stars. He's never stopped being a major talent who was part of the ECW revolution as well as a fixture in the cruiserweight movement on Nitro. He's kept an open mind to our world from Lucha Libre to Japanese pro-wrestling. He's the perfect fit for our sports-centric mentality, and his experience will be invaluable for our team. Welcome Coach!"

Malenko also commented on making the move to AEW:

"It's not often you get an opportunity late in your career to be a part of building something from the ground floor. The freedom to be able to contribute uninhibited will only lend itself to foster creativity and produce an outstanding product. I'm excited about what the future holds for AEW, and I can't wait to be a part of the journey."

On Wednesday, Cody tweeted a photo of himself, Malenko and AEW President Tony Khan boarding a plane bound for Las Vegas:

On Saturday, AEW's Double or Nothing pay-per-view, which can be viewed on B/R Live, will be broadcast from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Vegas:

Malenko is perhaps best known for his time as a wrestler in WCW from 1995-2000 during which time he was a four-time Cruiserweight champion, one-time United States champion and one-time Tag Team champion.

He made the leap from WCW to WWE in 2000 and won the Light Heavyweight Championship twice before transitioning into a backstage role in 2001.

Malenko worked as a road agent with WWE for 18 years before leaving the company last month. Malenko wasn't out of a job for long, and he will join fellow former wrestlers Billy Gunn and Jerry Lynn as a coach in AEW.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).