Tommaso Ciampa’s NXT Return Has Been Delayed Until 2018

At NXT Takeover: Chicago, Tommaso Ciampa betrayed Johnny Gargano after they failed to recapture the NXT Tag Team Championships from The Authors of Pain. Ciampa revealed afterward that he was offended that while rumors about his injury were surrounding him, most people were expecting him to be replaced. A lot of people are excited for this feud between the former best friends, but now they are being forced to wait.

Unfortunately, Ciampa also suffered a torn ACL during the Ladder match at NXT Takeover: Chicago, which requires surgery. He was expected to miss a significant amount of time, but the fans remained hopeful that a timetable would come soon and it would mean the start of Gargano vs. Ciampa sooner rather than later. It’s now being reported that Ciampa’s timetable for his return to the ring may keep him out of action until 2018.

According to a new report, Tommaso Ciampa’s recovery will force him to miss the rest of 2017. His return to NXT programming could happen around the WWE Royal Rumble, but that seems to be very optimistic as of this writing. It’s being said that he may not be able to return to the ring until March, which is cutting it a bit close to NXT Takeover: New Orleans, which is expected to take place during WrestleMania 34 weekend.

Ciampa’s injury is really bad luck because the momentum the Ciampa vs. Gargano rivalry had after Chicago would have catapulted both men into singles stars together over the summer in NXT. The WWE Universe is now going to have to wait for roughly a year to see the rivalry come to fruition. Ciampa will be stuck on the shelf, but the most pressing issue is bringing back Johnny Gargano to NXT TV and booking him properly.

Gargano hasn’t been featured on NXT since Chicago, but his absence has been explained by Ciampa’s attack on him and “doctors” have refused to release his medical status to buy time until after the NXT officials had a timetable for Ciampa’s return. Now, Gargano is likely to return to NXT soon. He will most likely receive a massive babyface run when he returns that will eventually lead to Tommaso Ciampa’s return next year.

The feud for Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa may not be going according to plan, but there is still a ton of potential for their rivalry to catapult them into superstardom whenever both men are finally healthy at the same time. For the next several months, NXT fans will need to be patient and keep the momentum of their rivalry going until Gargano vs. Ciampa can finally come to fruition next year.

[Featured Image by WWE]