Tommaso Ciampa debuts on AEW Dynamite, officially under contract
Weeks after wrapping up with WWE, Tommaso Ciampa made his AEW debut on Wednesday’s Dynamite and already has a title match set to go with a new contract.
After Mark Briscoe successfully defended his TNT title against the previously undefeated El Clon, Briscoe took the microphone and issued an open challenge for this Saturday’s Collision.
Out came the 40-year-old, fully dressed in his gear, to answer the challenge. Ciampa didn’t speak on the microphone but went face-to-face with Briscoe before kissing him on the cheek and departing. Moments later, the match was made official.
Nearly an hour after his debut, AEW head Tony Khan made it official that the veteran is #AllElite.
Ciampa confirmed his exit from WWE last Wednesday after his contract expired and he didn’t re-sign, saying he was excited for what’s next and that he was accepting bookings. In last week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer noted that there is talk he may wrestle for NJPW.
He was in WWE for two runs, the latest lasting ten years. He’s a former two-time NXT Champion and both a former two-time WWE Tag Team Champion and former NXT Tag Team Champion, both with Johnny Gargano.
Of note, he spent four year in Ring of Honor from 2011 through 2015, holding the ROH TV title.
Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.