What’s the Story?
DIY split up after NXT Takeover: Chicago when Tomasso Ciampa turned heel and brutally assaulted Johnny Gargano.
In case you didn’t know...
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa formed their tag team in 2015 when they competed in the inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They eventually went on to win the NXT Tag Team Championships and held the belts for over 100 days before losing them to The Authors of Pain at NXT Takeover: San Antonio earlier this year.
During an NXT live event this past week, Ciampa suffered an ankle injury that made his status for Takeover: Chicago questionable. However, Triple H informed the fans that Ciampa had been cleared to compete in his tag team match. The two men failed to recapture the tag team championships at NXT Takeover: Chicago.
Ciampa and Gargano teased dissension in the preliminary rounds of the Cruiserweight Classic in 2016. Gargano went on to win the match, and the two seemingly settled their differences then.
The heart of the matter
The NXT Tag Team Championship ladder match was the main event of NXT Takeover: Chicago and seemed to be going off the air with Ciampa and Gargano embracing each other and revelling in the praise the fans were giving them. However, Ciampa turned heel and laid out Gargano in an unexpected turn of events.
WHAT is @ProjectCiampa doing to @JohnnyGargano?! It seems #AOP has fulfilled their prophecy to truly END #DIY... #NXTTakeOver pic.twitter.com/U8PJdqqWyc
— WWE (@WWE) May 21, 2017
EXCLUSIVE: @JohnnyGaragno was forced to leave #NXTTakeOver: Chicago in an ambulance following the actions of @ProjectCiampa... pic.twitter.com/qpbAm7xcu6
— WWE (@WWE) May 21, 2017
Also read: 10 Superstars that will lead NXT into a new era
What’s next?
With their tag team no longer a cohesive unit, Ciampa and Gargano will likely feud with each other in the weeks to come as they build towards NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III.
Author’s take
The chemistry Ciampa and Gargano displayed against each other in the Cruiserweight Classic was just a glimpse of what both men could offer in singles competition as rivals.
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