Ciampa is faring quite well at the start of this new era for WWE.
The former NXT Champion recently transitioned to the Raw brand as part of an unlikely pairing with The Miz. Any fears that he "wouldn't translate" on the main roster have dissipated.
Since joining Raw, her's scored wins over Dolph Ziggler, Chad Gable and AJ Styles. He also challenged Bobby Lashley for the United States championship. Although the challenger came up short, the battle against “The Almighty” turned a lot of heads.
With his momentum building, I had a chance of catching up with Ciampa over SummerSlam weekend. Below are some highlights from our discussion.
Ciampa and The Miz
You’ve been aligned with The Miz, which brings a unique dynamic. He is this over-the-top entertainer where you’re this straight-laced tough guy. It somehow works. How has it been working with him?
Ciampa: "I love it. I think it might have been my idea. I don’t remember. I know he was up there on my list of, 'Hey, if you’re going to do the first program with somebody. Who would that be?' He was right at the top. I just have a lot of respect for him. I think he is fantastic. He has been in this system for a long time and knows how the system works, as far as headlining WrestleMania, being a main-eventer and winning different titles.
He has faced adversity and overcomes it. I’m excited I get to be part of all the stuff we’re doing on Raw. We have our talks. He is a good dude to be around. He has earned his spot. He is very unselfish as far as giving to new talent. You come from a new world to Raw and SmackDown. He is really good at helping talents navigate through that."
Ciampa's Raw Talk Promo
Everyone began really talking about your Raw Talk promo. What were you channeling there?
Ciampa: "The main thing that stood out to me, and it’s going to sound arrogant, but I’ve been doing this for a long time. That’s how I saw it. That I’ve been doing these promos forever. It goes to show the reach of Raw and SmackDown from NXT. I’ve been doing sitting in a chair promos on NXT for five years now. Some of those were really freakin’ good.
I know when something is good. Good is good, bad is bad. You do it on Raw Talk, and all of a sudden, the machine gets behind it and more eyes are on me. That was for me eye-opening. I thought this is great and exactly what I was asking for.
Let’s be honest, when Miz gets attention and Logan Paul gets attention, well, if I’m in that bubble, I’m going to get that attention too. They gave me the opportunity to talk. That’s the best thing you can do for a guy like me. I’m not going to win you over with my backflip. If you give me a microphone and tell me I can go for 60 seconds, I’ll win you over."
Johnny Gargano's Future
There is a lot of buzz surrounding Johnny Gargano. Do you think we’ll see him back in a WWE ring down the line?
Ciampa: "You are one hundred percent going to see him in a ring again. I don't know which ring. I would think it’s tough to say. I don’t know if Candice [LeRae] is interested in wrestling again or not. It’s a lot of decisions to be made with a child at home. He has got to be getting close to wrestling somewhere. The itch has got to be getting there.
We’re almost at a year in now since he has been in the ring. I think at some point he’ll make his way back to WWE. I feel like everyone does at some point. Never say never."
