Johnny Gargano Reunites With Former Tag Team Partner Backstage At WWE Raw

[Liz]

Austin Theory wasn't the only one from Johnny Gargano's days on "NXT" to say hello after Gargano's dramatic return to WWE on Monday.

Tommaso Ciampa took to Instagram to share a photo of himself and his former DIY teammate backstage at "WWE Raw." While they didn't share any TV time together, Ciampa and Gargano were both in Toronoto's Scotiabank Arena for "Raw," with Ciampa teaming with The Miz in a match against AJ Styles and Bobby Lashley, while Gargano returned to WWE programming — and to the main roster — after nine months away from the company.

The fourth in a series of images that Ciampa shared, the photo was captioned "Photo 4 – Wait. Quick photo. Where's Bobby? This isn't glorious at all. Okay. See ya," which is a reference to the way that both men used to "Glorious Bomb" (read: photo bomb) former WWE "NXT" Champion Bobby Roode, when all three of them were on the "NXT" brand together.

Ciampa and Gargano held the "NXT" Tag Team Championship together as DIY from November 2016 to January 2017. After losing the titles, the former partners engaged in a bitter rivalry, which eventually involved the "NXT" Championship and a series of four intense matches, culminating in an empty arena match that saw Gargano come out on top — and as a heel.

Ciampa was brought up to the "Raw" brand in April 2022, after losing the "NXT" Championship to Bron Breakker on January 4. Gargano left the company in December, taking time away from wrestling for the birth of his son, who received a chant from the WWE crowd during Gargano's return on Monday.