An emotional Tommaso Ciampa comments on his future.
On Mar. 6, WWE announced that NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa would undergo an anterior cervical fusion to repair his neck. Ciampa was scheduled to face Johnny Gargano at NXT TakeOver: New York on Apr. 5 but due to the surgery was forced to relinquish the title. Ciampa underwent successful surgery on Mar 8 and will be out of action for the foreseeable future.
Earlier today, WWE released a video that captured Ciampa shortly after his surgery. While lying in bed, Ciampa held his daughter and said, "It's a sense of relief. It really is. To know that I can get a procedure like this and not worry about having a check come in and being able to take care (of my family). Coming into this neck surgery, I knew the window was small coming back and never once did I fear for my future because it was always clear to me, and it was made clear to me that, whether it's in the ring or not, there will be a place for me (in WWE). I feel like it's my opportunity to mess up and as long as I do my part, they'll take care of me. I'm so grateful."
Ciampa appeared at the end of TakeOver: New York, congratulating Johnny Gargano on winning the NXT Title.
In the video above, Ciampa appears before the NXT class after his surgery and gives an emotional speech. You can watch the full video above.