Tommaso Ciampa Wished Johnny Gargano Feud Ended At WWE NXT TakeOver New York

Tommaso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano is one of the greatest feuds in WWE NXT history, but Ciampa wished it could’ve ended sooner than it did.

After rising the ranks as tag team #DIY, Ciampa turned on Gargano to kick off a white hot feud between the pair, with the NXT Championship getting thrown into the mix. The two would remain intertwined until Ciampa departed WWE for All Elite Wrestling in 2026, and during a conversation with James Stewart on Stick To Wrestling, Ciampa noted how he wished their story ended at NXT TakeOver New York:

“We did get them pretty hot on the last televised show pre-pandemic. That show is when we did a big crash off the stage and it was the final show before Tampa Bay. The crowd was great, everything was great, and the pandemic hit. What was supposed to be a one-off at the Performance Center became regular weekly shows at the Performance Center because we couldn’t have a crowd. That really put a damper on things. We had that warehouse match that didn’t get the praise we were hoping it would get. It was a tough spot. That was the time Undertaker did the cinematic match with AJ, and Bray did it with Cena. We filmed ours first, but it aired after. They had crazy fireworks. We had no production elements. It just was two dudes in a warehouse fighting. For me, I do wish we just left it alone. It makes it hard for me…ten years, 20 years from now I think I’ll be able to appreciate it more. During it, what a blast. It was the time of my life,” said Ciampa.

Since Ciampa jumped ship to AEW, rumours have suggested that Gargano could follow suit, but it has been said that Gargano is ‘firmly under contract’ in WWE.

H/T: Fightful