The September 2 edition of WWE NXT had a nice surprise planned for viewers and fans. No, it did not include AJ Lee, but instead the return of Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano, the duo best known as DIY. They reappeared during a segment to confront TNA World Champion Trick Williams, but perhaps this is a step to kick off a longer tenure in the brand. That’s the right step to take for this duo at this point in their WWE run.
Bringing Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa back to NXT accomplishes a few different things. First, it adds a great team to this tag team division. There was a time when NXT had some of the best wrestling action across North American professional wrestling. One of the reasons that was the case was because Fraxiom were killing it as NXT Tag Team Champions. Nathan Frazer and Axiom are a fantastic duo, and they elevated every match they were in during their combined 456 days as champions. Losing them to WWE SmackDown had an immediate impact on not only the tag team division but the men’s division entirely.
Gargano and Ciampa can help fix that. They are the type of team that makes everyone around them better. They can help the stagnant men’s division in NXT. They were both two of the biggest fan favorites during their time in the brand, and they can work circles around anyone on the men’s roster today.
Not only are they getting great performers who can stand out as both a team and individual stars, NXT is getting leaders backstage that the rest of the locker can learn from. The NXT men’s division has a serious depth problem. Much of that is due to the lack of long-term experience that was once in the brand. Long gone are the days when independent stars were being signed and sent to NXT. Now, WWE is focused on using the brand to develop its young signings. That makes sense, but also leaves a hole when it comes to leadership and direction. Gargano and Ciampa can help fix that for as long as they are needed on Tuesdays.
Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa will be interesting foils to Trick Williams now that they are back in WWE NXT. How long will this run last? There’s no telling, but it will be invaluable to everyone on the show. Even more so if they bring Candice LeRae with them.