Tommaso Ciampa has been suffering from a neck injury for a few weeks now and despite that, he was called up to the main roster. He is still the NXT Champion but he will most likely have to relinquish it since it seems he won’t be back in action for a long time.
WWE released an official statement where they confirmed Ciampa’s injury and that he will require surgery. He will be having an anterior cervical fusion.
According to The Mayfield Clinic, the general recovery time for this kind of surgery is usually 4 to 6 weeks for normal activities. However, Pro Wrestling is definitely different from ”normal activities”, so he will be out much longer.
WWE takes injuries seriously, especially neck injuries. So Ciampa won’t be returning to the ring until he is fully cleared, which will take months from the looks of it.