Injured WWE Superstar Returns To Raw After Nine Months

Was it a fairytale ending for this returning wrestler in their first match of 2023?

by Scott Carlson
Tommaso Ciampa WWE Raw
WWE

After nine months on the shelf, Tommaso Ciampa made his return to WWE on Monday night, answering his former compatriot the Miz's open challenge and defeating the A-Lister pretty convincingly.

Ciampa had been sidelined since September 2022 (with his last televised match coming in August) with a hip injury that required surgery. The injury came just a few months into his first real run on the main roster, but it also aborted his storyline as Miz's protégé.

Monday night, Ciampa came out after Miz announced an open challenge and immediately flattened his former friend, yelling that the Awesome One hadn't called or texted him during his convalescence. Tommaso picked up the win after controlling much of the match.

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Speculation has been pretty heavy that upon his return, the former NXT Champion would be reunited with friend and former tag partner Johnny Gargano, presumably re-forming DIY. Considering how underwhelming Johnny Wrestling's run on the main roster has been and that Tommaso's first go-round consisted of being Miz's body man, a tag team reunion might not be the worst thing -- for either man.

Regardless, it's great to see Ciampa back in action, as he's had to battle back from injury several times through the years.

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.