Tommaso Ciampa cuts first AEW promo: ‘The Psycho Killer is alive’
Backstage after making his AEW debut, Tommaso Ciampa cut his first promo since signing with the promotion.
Ciampa arrived in AEW by confronting TNT Champion Mark Briscoe on Dynamite last night. He answered Briscoe’s open challenge for a title match that will happen on Collision this Saturday. Ciampa addressed the bout in a brief post-show promo, vowing to become the new TNT Champion.
"The Psycho Killer is alive!"
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 29, 2026
EXCLUSIVE: Tommaso Ciampa is ready for his shot at the TNT Championship THIS SATURDAY on #AEWCollision! pic.twitter.com/MpG49iPd3L
“Tonight, Tommaso Ciampa became All Elite,” he said. “On Collision, I become the new TNT Champion. The Psycho Killer is alive.”
It didn’t take long for Ciampa to join the AEW roster after departing WWE. Around the start of 2026, it was revealed that Ciampa was opting to leave WWE when his contract with the promotion expired. His profile was move to the alumni page of WWE.com on Tuesday — with that being the same day Ciampa released new merchandise on his Pro Wrestling Tees store.
“Psycho Killer” is a nickname that Ciampa has used dating back to before he was in WWE. He filed trademarks for the terms “Psycho Killer” and “Psycho King” on January 21.
Ciampa — a former NXT Champion — was on the SmackDown roster prior to his WWE departure. He held the WWE Tag Team titles twice with DIY partner Johnny Gargano, who is still with the company.
Briscoe has been TNT Champion since November and is coming off a successful title defense against El Clon on Dynamite last night.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
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