Is tonight’s SmackDown in Toronto the right place and time for DIY?

Is tonight the night for DIY?

Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano are hoping to harness the magic of the Scotiabank Arena once again and capture the WWE Tag Team Championships when they face Austin Theory and Grayson Waller tonight (July 5) on SmackDown.

The city of Toronto holds plenty of significance for one of NXT’s most storied duos. It was in the very same building that they’ll challenge Theory and Waller tonight that DIY captured the NXT Tag Team Championships. A classic 2 Out of 3 Falls title bout against AEW’s Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood at NXT TakeOver: Toronto.

It’s also the same arena that Gargano made his return to WWE in the summer of 2022 after taking a months long hiatus from the company.

DIY already crossed off a major bucket list item this year by competing in their first-ever WrestleMania match in Philadelphia. It was in the city of Brotherly Love that Cageside Seats had a chance to ask Tommaso Ciampa about his longtime partnership with Gargano just hours before the two went to battle in a hellacious ladder match.

“We compliment each other,” Ciampa said. “Where his mind goes when trying to prep for a match, my mind might go somewhere else. So when you start to mesh that together, and we have a respect for each other so we’re not just brushing off each other’s ideas, that helps a lot. Our planning [process] is where we get our biggest advantage.”

Despite two sets of tag belts being on the line that brisk April night in Philadelphia, Ciampa and Gargano came away emptyhanded. Losing out on capturing the soon-to-be christened WWE Tag Team Championships to A-Town Down Under.

Since teaming up the main roster it’s been a difficult climb for DIY to reach the same level of success as in years past. It’s been equally challenging trying to recapture the hearts of the WWE faithful like they did during the glory days of the Black and Gold Brand.

There have been a few momentum building-moments in recent months. Some faint “DIY” chants here or there — depending on the town. But patience has been an absolute must throughout their reunion tour thus far.

“It’s never as quick as you want it to be, I’ll say that much,” Ciampa told us. “But it is interesting. All that time spent in NXT you would hear that when you get up to main roster it’s starting over and boy is it ever. There’s exceptions but we are not one of them. So for us it’s just been setting groundwork, trying to prove it bell-to-bell in the ring. That’s kind of where we do our best work. Hopefully six more months, another year in and we will get back to where we were in NXT.”

Since being drafted to SmackDown in April, Ciampa and Gargano haven’t gotten as many opportunities to really showcase that bell-to-bell prowess. A shorter show often means shorter matches, but the pair have done their best to maximize their minutes in the ring and on the mic. They’ve also taken to social media in recent weeks to highlight their comedic chops.

Capturing the WWE Tag Team Championships tonight on SmackDown would not only be the biggest momentum swing yet for DIY, but it could also solidify them a spot on the card at this year’s SummerSlam. Granted, that could be a guarantee regardless of tonight’s outcome with the Biggest Party of the Summer taking place at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Gargano’s hometown.

Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque is more prone to showcase a city’s home grown talent than his predecessor, as evidenced by the marquee matches for native Scotsman Drew McIntyre, and Scotswomen Piper Niven, Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn at last month’s Clash at the Castle in Glasgow.

If the last two SummerSlam events under Levesque’s guidance are indication of anything, however, it’s that nothing is for certain. Seth Rollins was pulled from the card in 2022 and then there was a fair amount of online backlash that surfaced after Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus did not get booked in Detroit last year.

“I want to be on everything,” Ciampa said when asked about the possibility of getting a big match in Cleveland. “You just hope you’re lucky enough to get your number called.”

Will DIY get their number called tonight? Or will the moment of tag team title glory slip through their fingers once again?

Find out tonight, as we’ll have complete coverage of SmackDown right here at Cageside Seats!