Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa: The Definitive Timeline
"Sometimes the person you’d take a bullet for is behind the trigger”
This quote encapsulates the feud between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. A journey of friendship, betrayal and ghosts that continued to linger in the background.
Throughout this article, I will highlight pivotal moments throughout the feud, provide a detailed timeline, and touch on my pure admiration of the execution. I will also let you know where I rank this feud in importance.
CWC
If we start discussing this feud, we need to back to late June 2016 was the First Round of the Cruiserweight Classic.
Heading into this match, the story was centred around tag-team partners forced to tear each other apart to advance. Mauro Ranallo even echoed that statement.
The match lasted just over 10 minutes, with the compelling aspect being Ciampa’s unwillingness to pull the trigger as he contemplated landing the running knee from the corner. Still, ultimately the Psycho Killer had a moment of compassion that cost him the match.
In the end, Gargano rolled up Ciampa to advance to Round 2. To be honest, it was more of a survival than a win.
I believe this was a moment Ciampa obsessively replayed in this memory, never to relent again.
The duo continued to team, unsuccessfully challenged The Revival for the tag-team championships, and failed to advance in the Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic against The Authors of Pain.
NXT TakeOver: Toronto November 19, 2016
It was a 2 out of 3 Falls Match against The Revival.
Since I learned to walk, I’ve been watching professional wrestling, and this was arguably one of the greatest tag-team matches I have ever witnessed. Furthermore, I was fortunate enough to witness it in person at the Air Canada Centre. The atmosphere was simply electric.
The Revival won the first fall after hitting Gargano with the Shatter Machine.
DIY returned to win the second fall after performing Meet Me In The Middle on Dawson.
For the third fall, Dash and Dawson simultaneously tapped out, thus making DIY the NEW Tag-Team Champions. They reached the pinnacle of success as a tag team in a Match of the Year performance.
NXT TakeOver: San Antonio
We jump to NXT TakeOver: San Antonio on January 28th, 2017.
DIY was forced to defend their championships against the dominant Authors of Pain.
As anticipated, DIY took an absolute beating, leading Akam and Rezar to become the new NXT Tag-Team Champions after landing The Last Chapter.
DIY’s title reign was much shorter than initially anticipated.
NXT TakeOver: Chicago
After a failed attempt at regaining the NXT-Tag-Team Championships at NXT Takeover: Orlando, DIY FINALLY earned a one-on-one rematch against the Authors of Pain to regain their championships at NXT: Takeover Chicago on May 20, 2017.
Since the stipulation was a ladder match, you would think that the much more agile DIY possessed the advantage, but despite a valiant effort, they fell short.
As they walked up the ramp together during the show's conclusion, I can only imagine that Ciampa continued to replay that moment in memory from the Cruiserweight Classic. These losses were Johnny’s fault, and Tommaso Ciampa wanted to recapture HIS moment.
Ciampa then grabbed Gargano by the back of the head and loudly proclaimed, “This is my moment!”
He threw Johnny Gargano into the LED board and landed multiple running knees. The same maneuver he failed to pull the trigger on during the Cruiserweight Classic seemingly sealed the victory.
A tremendous lasting image still ingrained in my memory is when Ciampa was sitting near the announce table with Gargano attempting to reach him to ask, “Why?”. Ciampa hoisted Gargano up and landed the Air Raid Siren through the table.
Ciampa stared down at Gargano, who referees and medical personnel were treating.
The Psycho Killer had returned, and this was indeed HIS MOMENT.
Tommaso’s Injury
Sadly, Ciampa’s moment was very short-lived, so we had to be patient to witness the payoff. Before this match, PWInsider reported that Ciampa suffered a torn ACL at a live event before NXT TakeOver: Chicago on May 20.
Despite Ciampa gutting it out at TakeOver, the injury report was accurate. This transpired during the ladder match against Authors of Pain for storyline purposes.
On the May 31 edition of NXT, Ciampa alluded to his knee injury during his explanation for turning his back on Gargano.
It was later revealed that Ciampa’s timeline for his in-ring return would not be until the spring of 2018 or perhaps even later. This certainly put a wrench into their plans.
In the meantime, Johnny Gargano was now on his own and forced to reflect on a ghost from his past. He also desperately needed to re-discover his identity since he was clouded with doubt and confusion. The betrayal of Tommaso Ciampa weighed heavily on his mind and impacted his performance.
Johnny went on a losing skid with multiple losses to Almas. The most prominent one occurred at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III, where Zelina Vega threw the trademark blue DIY shirt at Gargano. The distraction was enough for Andrade to gain victory following the Hammerlock DDT from the corner.
Johnny Gargano couldn’t escape Ciampa, although he wasn’t physically present. One positive was the physical transformation that saw him leaner and put on more muscle.
Johnny Wrestling Is Back
Johnny defeated Kassius Ohno to quality in a Fatal 4-Way for a number one contender's Fatal 4-Way Match for the NXT Championship.
In the Fatal-4 Way, Johnny Gargano took advantage of an Adam Cole distraction on Aleister Black to earn a Championship match against Almas at NXT: Takeover Philadelphia. To the delight of the Full Sail crowd, this was very unexpected.
NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia
In a modern classic voted Match of the Year in the 2018 NXT Year-End poll, Johnny Gargano came up short in a competitive match that featured some of the best near falls in recent memory.
Johnny’s wife Candice LaRae even got involved to even the odds after Zelina Vega interfered.
Despite an incredible effort from Johnny, he walked up the ramp with his head held high and his wife by his side as the crowd chanted, “Thank You, Johnny.”
While giving his final goodbye, a ghost from Johnny's past appeared out of nowhere, Tommaso Ciampa.
He was physically more imposing and had a noticeably much longer beard. Physically, it was even apparent that evil and bitterness had consumed him.
Ciampa smashed Johnny with a crutch in front of Candice. This lasting visual concluded NXT: Takeover Philadelphia.
Johnny Wrestling Gets Fired
Following their match at NXT: Takeover Philadelphia, Johnny had a rematch with Andrade on NXT television. The stipulation was that if Johnny lost the match, he must voluntarily leave NXT forever.
After Tommaso Ciampa emerged from the audience, causing interference, Johnny Gargano lost to Almas for the fourth time and was forced to leave NXT.
Ciampa was proud of his accomplishment as he likely assumed that Johnny leaving for good would lead to a downward spiral of misery and despair in Gargano’s life.
But Johnny Gargano received the last laugh attacking Ciampa at the Performance Center and becoming obsessed with getting even.
Eventually, William Regal granted Gargano an Unsanctioned Match against Ciampa at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans. If Gargano wins, he gets reinstated.
NXT TakeOver: New Orleans (Wrestlemania Weekend)
This was a match nearly one year in the making, which also headlined the card at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans on April 7th, 2018
The final sequence still vividly stands out in a brutal match that saw both men tear apart and take advantage of all available weapons at ringside.
Ciampa removed his knee brace to expose his knee. As he ran in to hit Gargano, Johnny smashed Ciampa’s exposed knee with a brace.
Gargano broke apart the crutch but hesitated on hitting a pleading Ciampa with it. As they sat down, Ciampa went for a cheap shot, but Gargano countered into the GargaNo Escape with the knee brace wrapped around Ciampa's face and mouth. Ciampa tapped out, and Batman had just defeated the Joker.
A sense of relief was very apparent on Johnny’s face.
Candice LeRae embraced her husband to conclude the show.
We fast forward a few weeks later to the April 25th episode of NXT, where Ciampa attacked Gargano again while he was entering his NXT Championship match against Aleister Black. This feud was far from over.
In the following weeks, Candice slapped Ciampa, and Gargano inadvertently knocked over Candice following a brawl with Ciampa.
Tensions were at a peak. Johnny was fighting not only for revenge but for his family.
NXT TakeOver: Chicago II - Chicago Street Fight
As expected, both men beat the holy hell out of each other, with Johnny eventually dominating the latter portion of the match. It also featured several memorable moments, such as when Tommaso Ciampa pulled off Gargano’s wedding ring and spat on it—this little moment fully demonstrated just how personal this feud had gotten.
Perhaps the most significant line of the match would lay the groundwork for months to come, courtesy of Nigel McGuinness when he asked out loud if “Gargano has become what he despised.”
Gargano forced Ciampa to tap out, but no referee could call it. Eventually, Gargano locked Ciampa in handcuffs and continued to land superkick after superkick.
When officials pulled Gargano off of him, Ciampa mustered up the strength to nail Gargano with a DDT onto the wooden floorboards. This was all while wearing handcuffs too.
If you’re keeping score, it’s 1-1.
Throughout the summer of 2018, we witnessed a much more aggressive side to Johnny Gargano. But Johnny’s obsession with exacting revenge on Tomasso Ciampa backfired.
During the July 5th episode of NXT, Gargano interfered in the Tomasso Ciampa and Aleister Black match by accidentally hitting Black with the NXT Championship, causing Ciampa to take advantage and become the NEW NXT Champion. The Blackheart now ruled over the NXT kingdom.
A triple-threat match was scheduled for all three men at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn, but following a parking lot attack that left Black unconscious, he was deemed unable to compete. The attacker was never identified, which led to wee speculation. It became pro wrestling’s version of the famous game Clue.
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn
Nevertheless, Johnny Gargano faced Tommaso Ciampa in the Last Man Standing match at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn on August 18th.
The two fought all over the arena until they eventually made their way to the stage, where Gargano appeared to be in control until he made one fatal mistake.
Johnny handcuffed Ciampa, but to perform the running knee, Gargano fell from the stage and landed on equipment.
As the referee counted to 9, Ciampa managed to roll off the stage while the handcuffs kept him elevated on his feet. The cunning Ciampa won and remained the NXT Champion.
Johnny Gargano Revealed as the Mystery Attacker
Several months passed, and during the October 24 episode of NXT (Which I attended in person), Johnny Gargano attacked Aleister Black. It was officially revealed that Johnny Wrestling laid out Black months earlier in the parking lot.
Why? Johnny turned to the dark side to earn a shot against Ciampa. His obsession with Ciampa destroyed his morals and ethics, leading him to be incredibly admired.
Since I was sitting in the Full Sail crowd, I can tell you that fans were legitimately stunned and disgusted with Johnny.
NXT TakeOver: War Games
At NXT War Games on November 17th, Black absolved Gargano of his sins with two Black Masses, and Ciampa retained his championship against the Velveteen Dream. For the record, both were great matches.
Throughout December, Ciampa was enamoured with Johnny’s dark side and wanted to expose it further. Perhaps, he believed that he finally broke Johnny Wrestling once and for all, though he always publicly said that now Johnny finally came to his senses.
Ciampa eventually interfered in a match between Black and Johnny Gargano in a Steel Cage. This showed true unity for the first time since their days in DIY.
NXT TakeOver: Phoenix
At NXT TakeOver: Phoenix on January 26, 2019, Johnny Gargano defeated Ricochet to become the new NXT North American Champion, while Tommaso Ciampa retained his NXT Championship over Aleister Black.
As the show concluded, Johnny Gargano appeared on stage beside Ciampa. They hoisted their championship gold in the air as we faded to black.
At this point, there remain two questions:
Has Johnny been thoroughly corrupted, or is he keeping his mortal enemy closer than ever?
Does Ciampa believe any of this? Indeed, he would never have anyone IN.
Johnny Loses His Championship
During the February 20th edition of NXT, Johnny lost his North American Championship to the Velveteen Dream. To avoid spoilers, NXT taped two alternate endings to keep the fans guessing until the episode aired.
Oddly, Ciampa almost displayed pity during Johnny’s loss. This was exceptionally very uncharacteristic of the Blackheart.
Teaming Again
The two debuted on the main roster competing in tag-team matches against The Revival and The Bar. Ciampa and Gargano remained undefeated on Raw and Smackdown television.
The two then joined forces to compete in the Dusty Rhodes Tag-Team Classic. Understandably, Candice questioned Johnny’s logic. So, Tommaso is the scorpion, and Johnny could be the frog. Why would Johnny be so forgiving?
The newly reformed DIY faced Undisputed Era in the opening round, eventually walking down to their theme music. They advanced to the second round and met Aleister Black and Ricochet. This time, they came out with the DIY theme song with matching gear and the now-famous DIY blue shirt.
In an ode to their NXT Takeover Chicago match against AOP, Johnny was nursing an injury while a frustrated Ciampa attempted to pick up the pieces. Unfortunately, it backfired, and one well-placed Black Mass followed by a 630 splash forced DIY out of the tournament.
Candice ran down to check on her husband, and Tommaso Ciampa uncharacteristically put down Goldie (His NXT Championship) to check on Johnny. This misaligned sympathy was unlike anything we had seen from Ciampa in months if not years.
I wonder what was going through Ciampa’s head then, but I suspect the scorpion was always ready to sting the frog but was waiting for the perfect opportunity. "I could not help myself. It is my nature."
As the two walked up the stage together, Ciampa briefly stared at the Dusty Rhodes trophy and attempted to throw Johnny into the LED stage. Cleverly, Johnny knew how this scenario would play out, so he faked the injured and then reversed it by throwing Ciampa into the stage. He followed up with a superkick while Candice cheered in approval.
For months, Johnny Gargano devised a plan to grow closer to Tommaso Ciampa, only to see the Champion let his guard down and become more trusting.
The Aftermath
It was revealed that Tommaso Ciampa had injured his neck and required immediate surgery and, as a result, was stripped of his NXT Championship. Johnny Gargano would now compete for this vacant championship at NXT TakeOver New York. While this was once again an unfortunate coincidence, Ciampa and Gargano missed out on yet another big match.
Johnny Gargano defeated Adam Cole in a 2 out of 3 falls match to claim the vacant NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver New York. It remains a top contender for the best match of 2019 while undoubtedly providing one of the most fan-pleasing conclusions. The prophecy was fulfilled, and Johnny finally got HIS moment.
Following the match's conclusion, an emotional Johnny Gargano celebrated with his wife, Candice. As they made their way up the ramp to conclude the show, a familiar face emerged from the back, Tommaso Ciampa. Instead of attacking Johnny, the three embraced in one of the most emotional moments in recent memory. Fans saw the real Ciampa celebrate with his best friend for a split second.
While the feud continued between these two, I decided to stop here as this was the conclusion we remembered most and deserved.
I sincerely hope you appreciated this detailed timeline featuring my all-time favourite feuds.
While this feud never reached the heights of Austin vs McMahon or Austin vs The Rock, it should still be a contender as the best feud of the past decade or so, alongside Jericho vs Michaels.
Given the layer, genuine emotion, continuity and quality of matches, it will eventually be revered and studied as one of the best feuds of the modern era.
NOTE: To listen to this definitive timeline in audio form, click here
