It’s quite clear why Tommaso Ciampa returned to NXT: To wrap up his rivalry with Johnny Gargano which has lasted for years.
Gargano and Ciampa are both skilled and experienced enough to go to the main roster, but Triple H has built NXT so that it puts particular emphasis on long-standing storylines. He feels that the Ciampa-Gargano story deserves a proper ending after being told so well.
This story was nearly able to finish before Ciampa had to have another neck surgery back in March. He and Johnny Wrestling were beginning to make waves on the main roster as a tag team and it seemed their NXT Championship match at Takeover: New York would be their last. All this was postponed, though, when Ciampa sustained another neck injury. A story for Ciampa’s return had reportedly already been written when he sustained his injury. All Triple H and the other NXT producers had to do was await Ciampa’s return.
Here is my new hypothetical plan for the NXT Title and the Ciampa-Gargano feud. A championship match will occur at Takeover: Wargames in which Tommaso Ciampa wins it from Adam Cole. Maybe to add to the intrigue of the match Finn Balor and maybe even Matt Riddle are inserted. This could begin the build for a Takeover match in Tampa Bay to kick off WrestleMania weekend for the NXT Championship between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa for the final time in NXT.
Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic impressed yet again and will both get an opportunity at the North American Championship in place of the injured Velveteen Dream. It wasn’t as great as their first meeting, but it was still very good.
It’s also great to see Tegan Nox in an NXT ring where she belongs, and Damian Priest, The Archer of Infamy, will for sure be someone to watch for in the future. The booking of Imperium as a dominant force bodes well for the NXT tag team division as well.