The Blackheart is heartbroken.

Last night, WWE COO Triple H announced that Tommaso Ciampa was forced to relinquish the NXT Title while he recovers from neck surgery that took place earlier this month, bringing a somber and premature end to Ciampa’s storied, and at times controversial, championship reign. Although a plan to crown his successor is already in place — Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole are set to battle for the vacant title in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match at TakeOver: New York — even Ciampa’s biggest detractors will admit that nobody wanted to see him lose “Goldy” that way.

Shortly after NXT went off the air, a crestfallen Ciampa addressed the news on Twitter:

It’s unknown when the self-proclaimed “Greatest Sports-Entertainer of All Time” will be cleared to return to action, but it’s safe to say that when he does return, it will be with a vengeance.