WWE Confirms Tommaso Ciampa's Neck Surgery

WWE.com released a statement on Wednesday regarding NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa being scheduled to undergo neck surgery on Thursday.

"NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa will undergo neck surgery tomorrow, WWE.com has confirmed," the site read. "Following a medical evaluation today, Ciampa has been scheduled for an anterior cervical fusion. Stick with WWE.com for more details as they become available."

Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer initially broke the news that Ciampa would need surgery on Wednesday morning. Reports of Ciampa dealing with an injury had been spreading for several weeks, and he had been pulled from both his main roster appearances on Monday Night Raw and SmackDown Live as well as independent wrestling bookings on March 9 and March 15. Meltzer put Ciampa's recovery time between six and 14 months.

The Mayfield Clinic describes Ciampa's surgery, abbreviated as ACDF, as "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 was originally expected to continue to wrestle through his current injury until after NXT TakeOver: New York during on April 5 during WrestleMania weekend. During the most recent NXT television taping Ciampa and Johnny Gargano reformed DIY and made it to the semifinals of the 2019 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic before losing to Aleister Black and Ricochet. Black attempted to betray Gargano after the match just like he did in his initial heel turn at NXT TakeOver: Chicago in 2017, but Gargano dodged the attack and wound up brawling with Ciampa.

All signs pointed to Ciampa and Gargano squaring off for their fourth TakeOver match in a full year at TakeOver: New York, but with Ciampa likely out for the better part of a year, plans will likely have to change for the developmental brand's top prize.

As of Wednesday, the only matches confirmed for NXT UK Champion Pete Dunne vs. Walter and NXT Tag Team Champions the War Raiders vs. the winner of "The Dusty."

The 33-year-old wrestler has yet to comment publicly on the surgery.

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