NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa makes the case for why Johnny Gargano should partner with him in this year's Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Video courtesy of the award-winning WWE Network.

ORLANDO, Fla. — A week removed from losing the NXT North American Title to Velveteen Dream, Johnny Gargano appeared to be at a crossroads as he addressed the NXT Universe. He expressed guilt over letting his supporters down and, in a moment of self-reflection, was ready to reveal the “only reason” he’s had success in NXT. Before he could, however, he was interrupted midsentence, fittingly enough, by NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa.

Citing their recent triumphs on Raw and SmackDown LIVE as evidence, The Blackheart made the case that Gargano’s at his best when Ciampa is by his side. The NXT Champion then proposed that he and Gargano unite in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic — the same tournament that put #DIY on the map in 2016 — and finish TakeOver: New York the same way they closed TakeOver: Phoenix: “side by side, [as] champions.” After a moment of consideration, Gargano shook Ciampa’s hand, laying the groundwork for #DIY’s once-unthinkable return as a team in NXT.