Giovanni Vinci hints at major changes amid WWE hiatus; new look update

The WWE Universe continues to speculate on Giovanni Vinci. The star was re-packaged on SmackDown following an unfortunate angle with his former stablemates in Imperium, but the comeback seemingly flopped. Now Vinci has indicated major changes on the horizon and provided an update on his drastic new look.

The former Imperium member began his pro wrestling journey in 2011, then debuted for WWE in 2016 during the Cruiserweight Classic as a representative of Italy, but was eliminated in the first round by the UK's Jack Gallagher. He later joined NXT as part of Imperium alongside Ludwig Kaiser and current World Heavyweight Champion Gunther. One year after going to RAW in the 2023 Draft, Vinci was ejected from Imperium for good and then drafted to SmackDown.

The Italian Superstar was out for four months until vignettes for his re-introduction began airing on Fridays. Vinci's teasers generated a buzz, but his return match on September 6 ended in just four seconds as he was squashed by Apollo Crews. He had one more televised squash, then a series of dark match losses, and since then there's been nothing but rumors and speculation.

Vinci shared several teasers on social media and a new toned-down look. He took to Instagram recently with shots from a photoshoot to make the new look official, plus a teaser for what's to come. The caption was translated from Italian.

"New chapter, new vision [fire emoji] #Gladiatore #VeniVidiVinci," Giovanni Vinci wrote with the photos below.

Check out the post below:

Two weeks after Vinci's return squash at the hands of Crews, he lost the rematch in under two minutes, then came up short against Sheamus in a WWE Speed first-round match. The star fought his last match against Luke Gallows on December 13, 2024, after SmackDown went off the air.

---

Giovanni Vinci's WWE booking causes confusion

Many fans had high hopes for Giovanni Vinci's recent return to singles action, but the buzz quickly died off as he was squashed in his return match.

Vinci's booking led to significant confusion among fans and talents. However, it was reported that the Italian grappler was not in the dog house and had no backstage heat, but it was also said that there had been no talk of any major plans for the two-time NXT Tag Team Champion.

As reported by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, the star seemingly did not have a creative direction.

"I haven’t heard of him being in the doghouse. But I haven’t heard of any major plans for him, either. They didn’t have significant plans for him anyways," Sean Ross Sapp said.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for the former Imperium member and whether he will feature in a major angle on SmackDown soon.