[PHOTO] 38-year-old star looks jacked-up ahead of impending WWE return

WWE Superstar Johnny Gargano recently reformed his NXT stable, The Way, on Monday Night RAW.

With word on the rumor mill being that the 35-year-old star will soon reunite with former tag team partner Tomasso Ciampa as well, viewers seemingly cannot wait to witness DIY potentially chasing gold on the main roster.

Ciampa, a former two-time NXT Champion, has been out of action due to a torn hip labrum injury since October 2022. He has been updating fans for months with his workout videos through social media. Now, a recent photo he shared on Instagram reveals that the hard work has paid off.

"Little post workout check in. This is the heaviest I’ve been in 10 years. But much leaner than I was back then.I just completed my third meso cycle using the RP Hypertrophy App. Stronger and bigger than ever before. Plus, well fed and incredible recovery. Dialed in.@rpstrength," Ciampa wrote.

You can check out his social media post below:

There were very early reports of Johnny Gargano and Ciampa challenging Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships at this year's SummerSlam.

With the 38-year-old superstar aligned with The Miz during his last run prior to his injury, we will have to wait and watch how all the storylines play out when Ciampa eventually returns.

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Tomasso Ciampa proclaimed that he would bet on himself to dethrone WWE Champion Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns still sits atop the food chain as the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion on the blue brand. However, Ciampa recently spoke and shed some light on what could have been his direction if it wasn't for the injuries he sustained over the last couple of years.

Many fans look at his NXT run between 2018 to early 2019 as his best. Ciampa himself noted that he is a worthy contender for The Tribal Chief's titles. It's a no-brainer that if his main roster return reflects that of his peak NXT days, he is, without a shred of a doubt, a legit challenger to Roman Reigns:

"Roman's a guy that is on my very short list of top people that I would love to share the ring with," Ciampa added. "I have no idea who's gonna beat Roman, but I would put just as much money on Tommaso Ciampa as I would anybody else. If the day ever comes, I would love to have a shot at him."

This is not Ciampa's first successful transformation attempt, as a recent throwback photo revealed the former NXT Champion's early WWE career. He was doing an in-ring promo opposite WWE Hall of Famer The Undertaker. You can read how fans reacted to the post here.