Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa have a history of delivering stellar ring gear, and Gargano alone has incorporated several Marvel, Star Wars, and even Bluey characters into his gear in the past. Ciampa and Gargano recently reunited as DIY, and in their latest appearance on Monday Night Raw, they brought some Jim Lee X-Men power to the ring with them. Jonathan Davenport (DesignModeStudios) shared several details on Instagram regarding the new gear, which was a team-up with Main Event Gear, and the inspiration for it was Jim Lee’s classic X-Men costumes. Seeing them side by side, you can absolutely see the connection, and you can check them out in the post below.
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Davenport wrote, “Another incredible collaboration between talented partners who see design through the same pop culture inspired lens! Huge thanks to @maineventgear for bringing this to life and to @jimlee for providing the inspiration! #wweraw #ringgear #costumedesign #marvel #xmen #90s”.
The classic blue and yellows from Lee’s X-Men costumes for Cyclops and Wolverine are all throughout the gear, and even the lines on the boots, pants, and trunks are right in line with those famous looks. The design is also titled DIY REGROUP – JIM LEE VER./2024, and while everything about these looks amazing, the way it worked in both Ciampa and Gargano’s individual logos is probably my favorite element.
Fans have been waiting for Ciampa and Gargano to get a big run after their reunion for a while now, and it looks to finally be happening. That all really started when Gargano made his surprise return to WWE after some time away, and at the time it wasn’t known where he might end up signing. In a previous interview with Ryan Satin’s Out of Character podcast, Garga io revealed why he chose to return to the company.
“There were conversations, for sure. We’d be dumb not to have those conversations, right? Especially given everything that was going on, the uncertainty around everything, who knows what could happen. That’s the crazy thing about the wrestling business. Literally, everything can change in the blink of an eye The fact that I was able to be incredibly patient and be in no rush to do everything, that’s the big gain I had in all this. I could sit back and survey the landscape and make my decision on a timely basis. I didn’t have to be like, ‘I need a job right now, where am I going to go?’ I believe everything happens for a reason,” Gargano said.
“The fact that I was able to have my contract expire in December, have the baby in February, and spend as much time with him as possible and not being in a rush to do things and reach out or say, ‘I need to come back now.’ From December (2021) to December (2022), I was fine not doing anything. Totally fulfilled not doing anything,” Gargano said. “Luckily, I have people around me to have conversations, so I didn’t have to think about business or wrestling, they can talk about that stuff, and all I can worry about is dad life.”
“I watch everything, I’m a fan of wrestling, and for me, I want to go to the place that not only could utilize me best, but a place where I already have a relationship with Hunter and a lot of people backstage. That was a big thing for me, I’m all about relationships and familiarity. As soon as the change happened, there was only one option in my head,” Gargano said.
What do you think of the X-Men gear? Let us know in the comments and as always you can talk all things wrestling and comics with me on Threads @mattaguilarcb!
