6 Recent Times WWE Taught Us That Friendship Means Nothing
1. Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa
Now we've come to the most agonizing moment of all. Anyone who has followed NXT for the last year or so knows what an amazing tag team Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano are. The pair, collectively known as #DIY, have put on classics with nearly everyone they've faced while competing in WWE's developmental brand, and despite a brief match-up where they were forced to square off in the Cruiserweight Classic, the two have been as tight as a duo can be.
The pair frequently post together on social media and are clearly close friends outside the confines of NXT, and as such we've grown to feel attached to them not only as wrestlers, but as friends. A run on the tag-deprived main roster seemed like a sure thing, and their match at TakeOver: Chicago felt like what might be a send-off for #DIY.
If only that had been the case...
After losing a hard fought ladder match to NXT tag team champions The Authors of Pain, the two posed on the ramp to a standing ovation as the show began to fade to black.
But it was all a ruse. Ciampa attacked his former partner with a calculated viciousness we've not seen from him during his time under the WWE umbrella. Both men, especially Gargano, played their parts to absolute perfection, with "Johnny Wrestling" reacting with utter disbelief, crawling toward his partner for help, unable to comprehend that the man he thought of as his best friend was the one inflicting such pain on him.
It was a brilliant piece of storytelling that punctuated an already outstanding show, and judging by the reaction shots from the crowd, there were many fans who will be forever struggling with PTWSD - post-traumatic wrestling stress disorder.
The only bright side to come out of this entire heart-rending scenario is that it will lead to some amazing matches between the two, who have just as much chemistry as opponents as they do as partners.
Nevertheless, the end of #DIY is a moment could very well end up as this generation's "Barbershop Window".
The main lesson here is for all their "Be A Star" routines, WWE has gone out of their way to get us attached friendships only to rip them apart before our very eyes in the most violent manner possible.
That's not very PG, fellas.
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Let us know which broken friendship affected you the most in the comments below.