Former WWE star Tommaso Ciampa has opened up about his decision to leave WWE and sign with AEW.
Last week, Tommaso Ciampa confirmed that his WWE contract had expired and that he would be departing the company. Shortly after, his profile was officially moved to the alumni section of WWE’s roster page, signaling the end of his run with the promotion.
Because Ciampa’s contract simply expired, he immediately made an impact by appearing on AEW Dynamite. He made his debut by answering Mark Briscoe’s TNT Championship Open Challenge. The match is scheduled to take place on this Saturday’s episode of AEW Collision.
Following his AEW Dynamite debut, Ciampa spoke with Sports Illustrated and explained his departure from WWE.
“It’s something I’ve been leaning towards for quite some time. I don’t know that I can say there’s one sole factor that led to it or caused it. I think it’s one of those things when your contract is coming to an end, you naturally have discussions.”
He went on to explain how different eras of wrestling influenced his mindset and ultimately led him to AEW. “If I wrestled in the 90s, I’d wanna be a part of ECW… Early 2000s, you wanna be a part of Ring of Honor. I was lucky I got to do that a little bit.”
He continued, “2010s, I think for me at least, I wanted to be part of NXT Black and Gold. And when I looked at the landscape of professional wrestling in the 2020s… the answer was AEW, man. That’s what I want to be a part of.”
Tommaso Ciampa says his Psycho Killer persona needed AEW
Tommaso Ciampa said he tried several times to bring his Psycho Killer persona to WWE, but it never fully worked out. He explained that AEW, led by Tony Khan, welcomed his ideas. “There were a lot of times I tried [to bring his Psycho Killer Persona to WWE] … and for one reason or another [over the years in WWE], it just wasn’t something that I could do.”
“But for Tony [Khan] and the whole crew to just collaborate the way they did and have open arms, and see the vision and just allow it to breathe and have a chance, I’m already thinking six months, 12 months ahead on the evolution of the Psycho Killer.”
Ciampa also addressed claims that his best years were behind him. “For a long time, I had to listen to people tell me, not so much directly to my face but more so online, that 2018 was prime Ciampa. I’m a hundred times better now than I was then. That was nothing. That was absolutely nothing.”
“I’m physically better. I’m mentally sharper. My storytelling, my psychology is on a whole different level than it was back then… what people are about to see is going to blow their minds. It’s gonna shock the world, because I finally have a shot to find out if I’m as good as I think I am.”
He added, “I love the Briscoes so much. I always have. I have so much respect for them. Mark has always been, to me, the ultimate babyface. He’s impossible to dislike. His fire, his charisma. The fact that we haven’t stepped foot in a ring for 13 to 15 years together, the second I saw him and locked eyes, it was just perfect. And Saturday night, man, we’re just gonna tear the house down.”
With Ciampa already stepping up to Mark Briscoe’s open challenge. It will be interesting to see whether his AEW run begins with a statement victory and a TNT Championship win.
Read More: Tommaso Ciampa Comments On AEW Debut
