Tommaso Ciampa spent a decade in WWE with a mental checklist he never got to finish.
The former AEW TNT Champion built a legacy in NXT’s Black & Gold era, but his last four years on the main roster left him with a list of dream opponents he never shared a ring with on television. Speaking with James Stewart on Stick To Sports, Ciampa said clearing that list was the first thing he raised with Tony Khan.
My biggest goal, and I said it to Tony [Khan] early on, is that I just want to check off the checklist. I feel like I spent the last ten years, specifically when I was on the main roster, where I had this checklist, and I never felt like I checked it.
Then he named names.
I worked with AJ Styles on a couple of live events, once on television. Never worked with Sami Zayn outside of live events. Never did stuff with Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns. The list goes on with people that I never crossed paths with on TV. I was like, ‘These are just missed opportunities.’ As a performer, you want that and want to share the ring with people who at that elite level. That’s how you continuously progress. I felt like I didn’t get a lot of those the last four years.
Most of those four years were spent in a tag team with Johnny Gargano. AEW has moved faster. Since arriving in January, Ciampa has already won and lost the TNT Championship, worked a world title match with Darby Allin, and now faces Chris Jericho in a No Holds Barred match at AEW Redemption, with Jericho resurrecting his Painmaker persona.
Ciampa Names His Wrestling Soulmate
Hours after facing Allin on the April 22 edition of Dynamite, Ciampa posted about the experience on social media.
Last night, I encountered my wrestling soulmate. I have a hunch we will be doing this many more times over the next decade. Thank you AEW. Thank you Portland. Thank you Darby.
AEW Redemption takes place Sunday, July 26 at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
