DIY
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa
2015 - Present
NXT Tag Team Champions
Written by Canadian Bulldog
DIY have made a career of doing it themselves - and it's that independent mindset that has made them fan favorites for such a long time.
When Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa first began teaming, they weren't seen as anything special; really just another duo of independent wrestling veterans working together for the upstart NXT. And even though they made it to the second round of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament, no one seemed to pay too much attention to them.
While they continue to be a tag team, it was really a different tournament (the inaugural Cruiserweight Classic), where their partnership became something of a focus. Facing each other in the first round of the tournament on the WWE Network, fans could tell there was a bond between the two. The way they interacted was somewhat unique and effectively helped out to round out their personas.
Instead of going their separate ways after the tournament match, Gargano and Ciampa decided to continue with their partnership. Over the next year, they would battle the likes of The Revival, The Vaudevillians and The Authors of Pain.
It was their NXT TakeOver: Toronto match against The Revival (now FTR) - which I was able to see live that DIY's reputation was cemented as a top tag team. They weren't the strongest, soundest or most technically proficient, but their fighting heart more than made up for any shortcomings they had.
Naturally, the team would break up eventually, with the big split occuring after DIY lost a match against The Authors of Pain at NXT TakeOver: Chicago.
Ciampa and Gargano would feud for the better part of two years, occasionally reforming (such as the bizarre moment they were both recruited to Raw and pretended as though their rivalry didn't exist) but more often that not being on opposite sides of the ring. Both men had successful singles careers, even trading the NXT Championship back and forth with each other.
A reunited DIY was seemingly off the table as both men had runs in WWE's roster. But when Ciampa was attacked by Imperium in October 2023, Gargano made his return to WWE and saved his frenemy from the assault. Since then, the two have largely been inseparable, even competing for the Undisputed Tag Team Championship at WrestleMania XL.
Are DIY the top tag team in wrestling? Definitely not. But they've managed to persist longer than many duos due to their unique style, history and habit of doing it themselves.