Johnny Gargano returned to WWE on Monday night to a rapturous ovation – but perhaps no one was as happy to see him back as Ciampa was!
WWE has seen a number of significant returns to the company of released NXT Superstars since Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque took over creative, from Karrion Kross and Dexter Lumis to Dakota Kai and Hit Row. The biggest, however, has been Johnny Gargano.
The one-time NXT Champion resurfaced in WWE on Monday’s Raw broadcast, eight months after he was last spotted on NXT. His return garnered an incredible reaction both in-person and online but backstage, no one has been as grateful to have Gargano back as Ciampa has been.
The former DIY partners shared an Instagram selfie together posted by Ciampa:
“Wait. Quick photo. Where’s Bobby? This isn’t glorious at all. Okay. See ya.”
Johnny Gargano and the then-Tommaso Ciampa worked expertly alongside and opposite each other during their time together in NXT. Dubbed DIY, the once-indie standouts were now pillars of the NXT brand, wrestling an acclaimed series of matches across three 2018 NXT TakeOver cards.
Their popularity faded slightly by the time of their 2020 re-do, with an ill-fated cinematic attempt in April 2020 going down disastrously. They last shared a ring as part of the black-and-gold NXT team in the 2022 men’s WarGames match.
It’s unknown at this time what Triple H’s plans are for the pair on the main roster, though considering he was largely responsible for their outstanding 2018 story, it’s a safe bet they’ll one day lock horns once again.