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Tommaso Ciampa has been ordered to stay backstage this week on SmackDown. The Blackheart, who recently became a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion, was asked not to interfere in the match by his tag team partner Johnny Gargano.
Gargano is scheduled to take on his former mentor and friend, Alex Shelley tonight. The match was made official during the week after the duo of Johnny Wrestling and Tommaso Ciampa cheated their way to winning the tag titles.
A low blow from Gargano sealed the deal for DIY, and Shelley has a revenge match this week. This, of course, didn't sit well with Johnny, who seemed annoyed in the backstage segment, especially after Shelley had questioned his "manhood."
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He then transitioned into a joke about how he was "all man" seeing as he already has a kid. But, more importantly, he made it clear to Ciampa that he had to remain backstage. To Ciampa's credit, he didn't seem to be bothered by that suggestion.
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In fact, the 39-year-old seemed more than content to stay backstage and admire his shiny championship belt. It was an eerie throwback to his obsession with the NXT Championship back in the day.
Tommaso Ciampa seems to have once again embraced his Blackheart persona
While Johnny Gargano's low blow played a huge role in securing the titles for DIY, it's safe to say that Tommaso Ciampa has been the driving force for the team. Over the last few months, he has been somewhat unhinged, reminiscent of his days in NXT as The Blackheart.
He would shove Gargano, get into heated arguments with his rivals, and do anything in order to secure victory. Well, after last week's SmackDown, it seems almost certain that he has once again embraced his Blackheart persona. The star also seemed to confirm the same with a chilling message on Instagram.
This version of Ciampa isn't necessarily a bad thing. His cold and uncaring nature could be exactly what DIY needs. Especially, if they hope to hold on to the WWE Tag Team Championships for a long time. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the duo.
