Tommaso Ciampa Teases Johnny Gargano's WWE Departure In Tribute Message
Current NXT World Champion Tommaso Ciampa took to his Instagram account and sent a message to his former Tag Team partner and longtime rival, Johnny Gargano, ahead of WarGames tonight.
"If tonight is the last time we share a ring together, then I've got two words for you...#thankyou," Ciampa wrote alongside a photo collage of the two men.
As noted, the Men's WarGames match will feature Team Old School (NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Pete Dunne, LA Knight) vs. Team New School (Bron Breakker, NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes, Tony D'Angelo, Grayson Waller). This will be Gargano's first-ever WarGames match.
Ciampa mentioning that it may be "the last time" the two men are together in the ring indicates that Gargano may not be re-signing with WWE. As noted, Johnny Gargano's contract with WWE was previously set to expire on Friday, December 3. However, with his involvement in NXT WarGames, Gargano signed a one-week extension to his original deal, according to Fightful. His contract now ends on Friday, December 10.
Recent reports claimed that negotiations between both sides were continuing and WWE was pleased with Gargano signing an extension while other companies are likely interested in signing him.
Gargano and Ciampa had a successful run as a tag team in their early days of NXT, putting on highly praised matches and eventually winning the NXT Tag Team Championships. Upon their disbandment, the men would each go on to become NXT World Champion, respectively.
During his time in NXT, Johnny Gargano won the NXT World Title, he is a 3-time NXT North American Champion, and, as noted, a former NXT Tag Team Champion with Ciampa. He was the first man to become NXT Triple Crown Champion, winning all three Championships before any other NXT star.
Gargano was also the recipient of 5 NXT year-end awards during his run, voted on by the fans. Amongst those, Gargano won a staggering 3 "match of the year" awards in 2016, 2018, and again in 2019.
You can see the full post from Instagram below:
Photo Credit: Instagram