12 Upcoming Wrestling Stories That Are Already Doomed

7. Another DIY Glory Run/Breakup

Brock Lesnar John Cena
WWE.com

As both heels and babyfaces in the Triple H era of WWE, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa have had a consistent presence in the tag division, even scoring blue brand gold along the way. But something else has been ever-present too - a troubling lack of noise for much of their work.

In an era where so many characters are greeted with euphoric cheers, boos and chants, the former NXT Tag and Singles champions get hardly anything at all. The black-and-gold comparison is only more damning, not least because of the time between then and now too. Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock's entire main event runs could just about fit in the space between the pair's One Final Beat pandemic disasterpiece and 2025, and there aren't too many wrestlers more diametrically opposed in terms of megastar aura than 'The Texas Rattlesnake, 'The Great One' and DIY.

Triple H remembers just how massive the pair were as he reached the apex of his stint as NXT booker in the 2010s, but fans filling main roster buildings don't seem to have the same nostalgia. Many of the disillusioned millennials he courted back then migrated to All Elite Wrestling, replaced (eventually) by a younger crowd hip to the WWE of today rather than what came before. Gargano and Ciampa are the type to fulfil potentially crucial roles as gatekeepers for tomorrow's stars, but any chance of them experiencing the glory themselves looks long, long gone.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett