Is It Too Soon For Another DIY Reunion In NXT?

Former best friends turned bitter enemies Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa have reformed their partnership to take a stand against the tyrannical Undisputed Era. We’ve seen DIY come and go over the past few years, ultimately leading to their definitive feud in 2018, which won multiple Match of the Year awards and praise from almost every wrestling fan under the sun. The implosion of DIY helped establish NXT as a force to be reckoned with, on par with its main roster counterparts – RAW and SmackDown Live.

After Johnny Wrestling’s NXT Championship win over Adam Cole at TakeOver: New York, a recovering ‘Blackheart’ made his way out onto the entrance ramp to meet his frenemy and embrace him in a truly sweet moment. It almost felt like Triple H shrugged at the idea of maintaining kayfabe, especially when considering how over Ciampa would become upon his eventual return to the black and gold brand. Although this was in no way confirmation that a DIY reunion was back on the cards. The tension between Ciampa and Gargano after their brutal rivalry was still palpable, a cloud that would remain hanging for the rest of their careers, similar to that of Rock/Austin, Punk/Cena and Michaels/Hart.

Yet here we are, just over a year removed from the conclusion to their feud, with DIY shirts already being shifted at live events. Now, I’m totally down with the idea of seeing the two of them compete alongside one another in the same match, but throwing in the towel and immediately shipping them as a tag team again is quite the step. Gargano and Ciampa have both made an incredible effort in producing their own individual personas and singles careers, something that fans considered a difficult task for both to achieve after their run in the NXT tag team division.

For them to now be considered a duo again, it takes a lot away from them if they were to suddenly resume their singles runs. Besides, both superstars are flagship names in NXT, if they were to relegate themselves to the tag division (not that it’s the worst place to be in WWE), it might diminish their star power.

Perhaps I’m being a little too harsh on the idea of DIY sticking around for the long term. There’s nothing to suggest that this isn’t just a one-time deal for the sake of a dream match with Moustache Mountain at World’s Collide and a couple of matches with The Undisputed Era on episodes of NXT. But should this be the go-to plan for Ciampa and Gargano whenever they’re lacking in momentum, it will really start to ware down the long-lasting impression their feud had.

Gargano and Ciampa should be used in a similar vein to Triple H and Shawn Michaels circa early 2000s. Two very bitter rivals who, no matter the resolution, will forever want to beat the living hell out of each other. The nature in which Ciampa betrayed his former best friend shouldn’t be something that’s so easily forgotten about by the former NXT champ. Gargano’s personality should be tainted by Ciampa’s treachery, leading him to be a little more paranoid when dealing with other superstars in a tag team, especially the man that smashed his signature crutch into his back.

Whenever NXT is in dire need of something to rejuvenate ratings or inspire a TakeOver card, then they should be turning to the two former Tag champions to produce one hell of an exhibition match as opponents, not a tandem. It helps maintain the continuity that makes wrestling an interesting universe to partake in, when can tune in at any time and know that the same two dudes still hold a bitter resentment towards one another.

Even though we’re all fully aware that friendships outside of the ring are unaffected, that still shouldn’t impact on the characters are storytelling taking place inside of it. That is what made the moment in New York so special for these two wrestlers, and us as fans. For just a brief moment, we witnessed the veil being lifted so we could all share in that incredibly personal moment between Gargano, Ciampa and Candice LaRae. It made their journey feel like the most important thing in modern wrestling, which only added to the credence of the NXT brand.

But as soon as that night concluded, all should have resumed as is, and Ciampa should have returned without any desire to once again side with his former DIY teammate. Yes, this time round might be more out of necessity, seeing as Adam Cole and his band of champions are literally holding a Monopoly on the NXT Championships, but so far, we’ve not seen any remorse from either man when standing across from the other. Again, it’s almost like their entire history has been forgotten for the sake of a cheap DIY reunion.

Last time DIY shared a brief re-partnership, it was to add emphasis to Johnny Gargano’s plight for the NXT title. Having to resort to turning heel, admitting that he needs to be alongside Ciampa in order to be successful, giving him enough security before eventually turning on Ciampa himself and beginning the final chapter in their rivalry. It made sense from a storyline perspective.

But we have no reason to believe DIY’s reunion is going to hold any impact on any storylines. It’s simply just something for them to do while Ciampa approaches his next shot at the NXT title. It’s a spit in the face of the success story they both shared over the course of 2017 and 2018. Quite frankly it might be one of the worst moves NXT has made in recent memory.

Maybe I’m overreacting, but with very few storylines and feuds holding any weight of importance these days, you can forgive me for being protective of one of the few that made an impact.