Tommaso Ciampa has issued a statement addressing his future in wrestling as he recovers from neck surgery.
Ciampa was scheduled to defend the NXT Championship this weekend against Johnny Gargano in the main event of NXT Takeover: New York. Unfortunately, he suffered a neck injury that required surgery. As a result, he was forced to surrender the championship. Gargano will now face Adam Cole for the vacated title.
Ciampa underwent successful anterior cervical fusion surgery on March 7th in Birmingham, Alabama. He will miss significant ring time.
According to the Mayfield Brain & Spine Clinic, “Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is a surgery to remove a herniated or degenerative disc in the neck. An incision is made in the throat area to reach and remove the disc. A graft is inserted to fuse together the bones above and below the disc.”
Ciampa’s Statement
On Monday, Ciampa posted the following message on Twitter reflecting on this moment in his career. He talks about the disappointment of missing Takeover and his long history of coming back from injuries. He wrote,
“In May of 2017 they told me that no one has ever had 3 major surgeries in a 12 week span and returned at a competitive level.
I returned to the most successful run of my career.
This week I should be preparing to walk into the main event of Takeover New York on Wrestlemania weekend as the NXT Champion. This match meant more to me than anyone will ever understand.
The opportunity was taken away from me.
In March of 2019 they told me that if I return then I will be on borrowed time.
To be continued…”
