Every Johnny Gargano Vs Tommaso Ciampa Match In WWE, Ranked

The duo of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa have forever been entwined since their first appearance in WWE NXT, whether it be as a plucky babyface tag team, climbing up the card and winning the NXT Tag Team Championships, or as battling bitter rivals engaged in a blood feud, they have become synonymous with one another.

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Although at times it felt as though the pair had faced each other too many times, they haven’t wrestled too many times. However, they were engaged in a multi-year story, with injuries and absences extending it, which may make it feel as though they have fought more than enough during their NXT journey. With Gargano now no longer signed with the company, it is the perfect time to look back over their feud. Live events won’t be considered due to how little information there is regarding the quality of those particular matches.

7 One Final Beat, NXT

The rivalry between Gargano and Ciampa had been a highlight of NXT, but this match was an incomprehensible disaster. Due to the pandemic, this blow-off match was unable to happen in front of a crowd, so instead was slated to be fought in an empty arena. However, the pair ended up fighting in a smoky, dark room, simply brawling for an hour without any substance.

The production of this match was awful, with a sickening number of camera cuts. It came across as carny, as the drama and intensity just didn’t land. The swapped dynamics of Ciampa being the face and Gargano being the heel was odd to digest, considering Ciampa was to blame for everything in their rivalry.

6 Number One Contender Battle Royal, NXT

Perhaps including this match isn’t necessarily looking at Ciampa vs Gargano, but they were technically opponents within this match to determine the next challenger for the NXT Championship. There were several notable names in this match, including The Revival, Samoa Joe, and Baron Corbin, along with the eventual winner, Apollo Crews.

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This took place before Ciampa and Gargano were certified members of the brand, and they were used to fill out the field, each getting eliminated fairly early on, and not adding much to the match. Overall, this was just a simple battle royal, which was messy at times and didn’t offer too much quality. However, this is one of the few times over their WWE careers that Gargano and Ciampa were opponents.

5 NXT Championship Fatal-Four-Way Iron Man, NXT Super Tuesday

This was the final time that Ciampa and Gargano were opponents in a match within WWE, and it was fine for what it was, but it was certainly underwhelming. In a match which also featured Adam Cole and Finn Balor, this was intended to be a showcase between four of NXT’s greatest champions. With the lack of a crowd, this suffered quite a lot.

The finish was also a huge let-down, as Balor and Cole ended up drawing in order to set up a one-on-one match the following week. For a match with so much hype, not giving a definitive winner was a cheap move, and it made the entire match feel completely pointless, which was one of many poor decisions which led to the brand being revamped.

4 NXT Championship Last Man Standing, TakeOver: Brooklyn 4

This was the culmination of the initial TakeOver trilogy between Gargano and Ciampa, and it was still a great match. However, with the high quality of their singles matches, this one falls down the list. The stakes were higher in this match, with the NXT Championship on the line, with this coming in the midst of Ciampa’s fantastic heel run as champion.

This played off their previous encounters, helping to tell a nice round story with some fun call-backs, but did run a bit long at times, especially with how similar it was to their past two TakeOver matches. The ending was a little awkward, with a peculiar spot which saw Gargano injure his knee out of nowhere, so that ended up being a bit of an underwhelming finish,

3 Johnny Gargano Vs Tommaso Ciampa, Cruiserweight Classic

This was the first one-on-one match between the pair in WWE, and it came when the two were tag team partners and best friends. They had become popular members of NXT, with their sporadic appearances and strong performances, so when they were pitted together in the first round of the Cruiserweight Classic, it was something which excited fans.

They didn’t hold back, with a lot packed in to ten minutes, they had a brutal contest affair which ended on an emotional note, with Ciampa clearly distraught at losing. The two men would sit in the ring together after the bell, which would become an iconic image and ending up being a defining detail of their journey in NXT, being revisited several times.

2 Street Fight, TakeOver: Chicago 2

This was a glorious match which was a great follow-up to their previous battle. The intensity and pace were off the charts, and this was full of inventive and brutal spots which showed just how much the two men hated each other.

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There were several emotional moments, notably one involving Gargano’s wedding ring, which led to him being so overcome with rage that it led to his defeat. Potentially the only downside to this was that after the punishment he’d suffered, Ciampa shouldn’t have found a way to win, but this was brilliant regardless.

1 Unsanctioned Match, TakeOver: New Orleans

On what was potentially the greatest TakeOver of all time, perhaps NXT’s best ever match also took place. After multiple years of friendship, betrayal, and rivalry, this was an all-out war between Ciampa and Gargano, and it was pretty much a perfect fight.

It was physical and felt authentic, with the spots all being impactful and hard-hitting, with some unique and breathtaking moments. This was dramatic, full of storyline beats which referenced their journey to this point, and there was some sensational character work included.