“All of my hard work, the injuries and surgeries I suffered over the last five years, everything that I sacrificed and underwent to stick with it, it all finally paid off,” Jason Jordan revealed as he reflected on his and Chad Gable’s emotional NXT Tag Team Championship victory at NXT Takeover: Dallas.

Perhaps the victory for the team known as American Alpha has taught all of us a lesson in irony. Last July, the two Superstars formed what many thought would be a tentative partnership, at best. After all, it was Gable who spent weeks lobbying to be Jordan’s tag partner, much to Jordan’s chagrin.

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“I take blame for the lukewarm start, because I was stubborn and wanted a tag partner that I handpicked myself,” Jordan confessed to WWE.com. “When I got over my ego, I realized that I had a potentially great tag partner, and he was begging for a chance to prove it. Once we officially teamed up, Chad and I had chemistry like no other.”

The crowd reactions have meant the world to us.

The chemistry that Jordan is referring to might be rooted in both men’s impressive amateur wrestling backgrounds. Between Jordan’s well-documented success at Indiana University and Chad Gable’s path toward competing at the Olympics, it seemed — on paper —  that Gable & Jordan were destined for greatness. Gable credits their “warrior mentality” for the championship success of American Alpha.

“That warrior’s mentality comes from amateur wrestling,” he said. “We’ve experienced a lot of the exact same highs and lows, in competitive sports and in life, so it just works out that we are on the same page about most things.”

Being on the same page would pay dividends when Gable & Jordan defeated The Revival to capture the NXT Tag Team Championship in front of a raucous crowd during WrestleMania Week in Dallas. The energy of the moment was certainly not lost on Jordan.

“The crowd reactions have meant the world to us,” he said. “We understand how difficult it can sometimes be to earn the respect and win over our NXT Universe. That's what made it so special and emotional when they chanted, ‘You deserve it!’”

Jason Jordan & Chad Gable picked up the biggest victory of their careers at NXT TakeOver: Dallas. Check out highlights from American Alpha's huge win over The Revival. Video courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.

Following the victory, both men sat alone in the locker room, not just soaking up the win but appreciating the perseverance that went into it. For Gable, that moment provided an opportunity to display some humility toward his partner.

“It was hard to try to settle down after being in front of that many people, but I also wanted to take the time and let Jason know how proud I was of him,” Gable said. “He’s been here grinding for so long, trying different things, different partners. I wanted to let him know what an honor it was to be standing with him when it finally culminated and paid off.”

Continually evolving their in-ring game plan, the NXT Tag Team Champions — who credit past duos like The Steiner Brothers, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express and The Rockers, among others, as having a major influence on their style — are not resting on their laurels. Don’t let their success fool you; Jordan has made it clear that he and Gable understand how the road ahead only gets harder and the expectations will only reach new heights from here.

“Our path to the championship has taught us the importance of sticking to your guns no matter how difficult the road may be,” Jordan emphasized, “and that hard work and dedication will allow you to live your dreams!”

Follow American Alpha on Twitter @JasonJordanJJ and @WWEGable.