DIY

DIY or #DIY is a pro wrestling tag team that performs on WWE and is currently signed to Monday Night RAW. Mostly known for its work on the NXT brand, the team is comprised of Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa. Besides WWE, the two have also worked together in promotions such as AAW Wrestling and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG).

The team was first created in August 2015 and worked for about two years together before Ciampa turned on Gargano. After a lengthy year-long feud, the two had a love-hate relationship where they alternated between friends and enemies before reuniting in 2019. They once again broke up in February 2020 before finally reuniting in October 2023, this time on Monday Night RAW.

History of DIY

Formation of DIY on NXT and Indies (2015-2017)

On September 2, 2015, Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa were announced as members of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. The two defeated Tyler Breeze and Bull Dempsey in the first round before losing to Baron Corbin and Rhyno, bringing an end to their tournament chances. They lost to American Alpha (Jason Jordan and Chad Gable) in their next match on the taping.

Even after the two had started teaming up in NXT, both Gargano and Ciampa had a part-times contract with WWE, which allowed them to work on independent circuits as well. They continued their tag team outside WWE and teamed up in promotions such as AAW Wrestling and PWG (Pro Wrestling Guerrilla). Ciampa signed a tier 2 contract with WWE in April 2016, which allowed him to work elsewhere but Gargano signed a full-time contract with NXT in June, which put an end to his indies career while at NXT.

The two stars competed in the inaugural NXT Cruiserweight title and were pitted against each other in the first round. After an instant classic, it was Gargano who advanced further in the tournament. However, he could not win the tournament and was eliminated by the eventual winner TJ Perkins.

They unsuccessfully challenged The Revivals for the NXT Tag Team Championship at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II in August 2016 before getting a rematch at NXT TakeOver: Toronto in November. The rematch was a Best-of-Three match, which #DIY won to capture the NXT Tag Team Championship. They defended their title against the likes of Tajiri and Akiro Tozawa,TM61 and The Revivals before losing it to the Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar) at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio.

Following a couple of failures to regain the title, #DIY faced AOP at NXT TakeOver: Chicago in a ladder match.

Break up and rivalry (2017-2018)

In the ladder match at TakeOver: Chicago, DIY failed to defeat AOP once again. Frustrated by the defeat, Ciampa turned on Gargo and brutally attacked him. Ciampa was then out of action for a few months due to surgery. In the meanwhile, Gargano became the number one contender for Andrade Cien Almas’ NXT Championship.

At TakeOver: Philadelphia in January 2018, Gargano and Andrade squared off in what is considered to be one of the greatest matches in NXT history. Gargano failed to win the title and was attacked by a returning Ciampa after the match. Johnny Gargano challenged Andrade for a rematch next month but lost once again due to interference from Ciampa. Per the match stipulations, Gargano was forced to leave NXT.

In April 2018, at TakeOver: Orleans, Gargano and Ciampa fought in a brutal unsanctioned match. The two took each other to hell and back in the match that lasted more than thirty-seven minutes. In the end, it was Gargano who picked up the victory, which also reinstated him to the NXT roster. The Heart and Soul of NXT challenged for the NXT Championship once again but The Prodigy Ciampa interfered once again.

In one of their feuds at the time, Gargano’s wife Candice LeRae got involved and was knocked unconscious. At TakeOver: Chicago II, the two fought in a Street Fight, where Ciampa won. Frustrated by Ciampa’s antics, Gargano became more aggressive as the feud went on and started using DDT as brutal as Ciampa used to defeat him at TakeOver.

On the July 25 episode of NXT, Ciampa challenged Aleister Black for the NXT Championship and Gargano made his presence known. He took the title belt to attack Ciampa but accidentally hit Black instead. This allowed Ciampa to chalk the victory and become the NXT Champion. In the next weeks, multiple brawls broke out between the three superstars leading to a triple-threat match at TakeOver: Brooklyn IV. However, Black was removed from the match due to an injury, and a Last Man Standing Match between the two was officiated, which Ciampa won.

Reunions in NXT (2019-2021)

The reason behind Black’s injury was none other than Gargano who attacked him prior to the match. This led to a Steel Cage match between the two superstars in December 2018, which Gargano won after Ciampa interfered. The two superstars performed their tag team finisher Meeting in the Middle to finish the game for Aleister Black.

At TakeOver: Phoenix in January 2019, Gargano defeated Ricochet to become the NXT North American Championship. Later that night, Ciampa retained his NXT Championship against Black. Following the victory, Gargano entered the ring and the two stars celebrated their wins together. The two teamed up for the first time since 2017 at NXT Halftime Heat alongside Adam Cole against Ricochet, Black, and Velveteen Dreem in a losing effort.

They made their main roster debut on the February 18 episode of Monday Night RAW and defeated The Revivals in their debut. The following night, they made their debut on SmackDown Live, and defeated The Bar (Cesaro and Sheamus). DIY took part in the 2019 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and could advance no further than the second round where they were eliminated by Aleister Black and Ricochet. Ciampa tried to recreate his original betrayal but this time Gargano countered the move and hit him with a superkick, disbanding the team once again.

The two were booked to face each other at TakeOver: New York for Ciampa’s NXT Championship but the champion was sidelined due to injury and was replaced by Adam Cole. Cole and Gargano fought for the vacant title in a Two out of Three Falls match, which Gargano won. He would lose it to Cole at TakeOver: XXV and fail to regain the gold at TakeOver: Toronto. The five-month-long feud between Cole and Gargano is considered to be one of the greatest in the Black and Gold brand’s history.

Upon Ciampa’s return in October 2019, DIY put aside their differences to team up against The Undisputed Era. They were joined by Finn Balor, who surprisingly attacked Gargano and sided with The Undisputed Era. Gargano suffered a legitimate injury that night at the hands of Balor and returned in December to cost Balor his title match against Cole.

Ciampa and Gargano reunited once again in January 2020 and faced Moustache Mountain at NXT Worlds Collide in a winning effort. At TakeOver: Portland, Gargano came out to assist Ciampa in his title match against Cole but instead used the belt to attack Ciampa marking another feud between the two stars. Their three-year long feud came to a definite end on April 8 episode of NXT where Gargano beat Ciampa in an Empty Arena No Holds Barred Match.

Reunion on WWE RAW (2023-Present)

On the October 2nd 2023 episode of Monday Night RAW, Ciampa failed to defeat Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship and was attacked by The Imperium afterwards. He was saved by a returning Johnny Gargano, reuniting the DIY again after three long years.

DIY Championships in WWE

Every Johnny Gargano vs. Tomasso Ciampa match