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#1 Tommaso Ciampa turns on Johnny Gargano (NXT TakeOver: Chicago)
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Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano formed one of the most unlikely yet popular duos in the history of NXT. They came to WWE as two of the top independent wrestlers in the world. They were forced together in the 2015 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, but they came up short. From there, they were matched up against one another in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament in 2016.
After this one-on-one contest, Ciampa and Gargano set their sights on tag team glory. They were coined DIY for their "do it yourself" nature. DIY would engage in the best tag team rivalry in NXT history against The Revival. Their battles over the NXT Tag Team Championships would steal the show at TakeOver: Brooklyn II, but the best was yet to come.
At TakeOver: Toronto, DIY faced The Revival in a two out of three falls match. This was a tremendous bout that stands as one of the greatest matches in NXT TakeOver history. Ciampa and Gargano defeated The Revival to win the NXT Tag Team Championships in a highly emotional scene. This felt like an earned achievement for the team as well as their fans.
Their reign as champions was cut short as they ran into the Authors of Pain at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio. DIY would fall short in a Triple Threat Match against the Authors and The Revival at TakeOver: Orlando before getting one last shot at NXT TakeOver: Chicago. This contest would be a ladder match.
Tommaso Ciampa suffered a torn ACL and didn't seem likely for this final showdown with the AOP. Despite the injury, he perserved and fought through it in a valiant effort. DIY showed the heart and the deep bond they had created with one another in this contest. One crucial moment seeing Johnny Gargano sacrifice himself to take a ladder shot from one of the Authors.
The Authors of Pain defeated DIY to retain the NXT Tag Team Championships at TakeOver: Chicago. It was a deflating loss to see the courageous babyfaces lose, but things just got worse in the aftermath. The Chicago crowd gave DIY a standing ovation with Ciampa and Gargano leaving side by side. The closing credit ran before Ciampa proclaimed to Gargano, "This is my moment!"
Ciampa then ran his friend into the video wall and began to brutalize him. He hit him with a running knee before giving him an air raid crash off the commentary table through staging below. This is the apex of all betrayals in WWE over the past few years. It got an amazing reaction and shook the foundation of NXT for years to come.
Johnny Gargano became the most popular babyface in NXT, while Tommaso Ciampa became the most hated man in all of WWE. Upon his return, Ciampa didn't even need entrance music. He came down to the chorus of boo's from the fans. This became the quintessential feud in the brand's history. That is why Ciampa turning on Gargano is the greatest NXT betrayal of all time.
