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After watching Chad Gable, the presumed number one contender for Gunther's Intercontinental Championship, take a loss to “Big” Bronson Reed a few minutes before his scheduled match with Giovanni Vinci on RAW, Tommaso Ciampa took a few moments to address the WWE Universe and let the fans and wrestlers alike know exactly what his intentions are for the future.
“That in this universe, patience is not a virtue, it's a crush, and in this universe, if you want something done, you create your own opportunity. So if you didn't learn last week, tonight, Giovanni taps again, and then what? Ludwig? And then what? Imperium, you did not choose me, I chose you, and we're not going to play the long game of mystery to find out why. Gunther, you have what I want.”
Fortunately for Ciampa, he was able to take care of business in the first match on his long and winding journey to a title shot against Gunther, submitting the man born Fabian Aichner with the Sicilian Stretch in about three minutes, give or take a few seconds either way. Whether this match comes at Fastlane in Indianapolis, Indiana, on an episode of RAW, or even at some other show in the future, it's clear Ciampa is going to fight tooth and nail on his way to a match with Gunther and the entire WWE Universe is better off for it.
Tommaso Ciampa wasn't satisfied with his win over Giovanni Vinci.
After securing a commanding victory over Giovanni Vinci on RAW, you'd think Tommaso Ciampa would be over the moon, celebrating his victory, calling his family, and maybe even Facetiming with his #DIY buddy Johnny Gargano, who hasn't wrestled a match on WWE television since all the way back in May, right?
But no, instead, Ciampa was… mad.
Stopping by the backstage area for an interview with Jackie Redmond for WWE Digital, Ciampa explained that, at this stage in the game, a win over Vinci is nothing more than a stepping stone on the way to his real goal: Intercontinental Championship gold.
“Listen, tonight, we got the job done, but the job's not done. I made it clear that Imperium did not choose me, I chose Imperium. Well, the truth is, I chose Gunther, and if I have to go through Giovanni and Ludwig to get to Gunther, we're gonna get to the final boss. I'm gonna get to that Intercontinental Title. Let me tell you something about the Intercontinental Title and what that title means to me. This business didn't choose me, I chose this business from a very, very, very young age. This is my first love, and now, 20 years deep, I think about what got that love sparked. It's Bret Hart, it's Roddy Piper, it's Mr. Perfect, it's the British Bulldog, it's the Intercontinental Title, it's the Workhorse Title,” Tommaso Ciampa told Jackie Redmond in a WWE Digital Exclusive.
Because that title was built for guys like me, and when you look at what Gunther's done, you've passed them all; you are the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time… for now. Because soon, the dragon will be slayed, and I will be the dragon slayer. Gunther, we're going to step into that ring whether you like it or not, we're gonna lock eyes, and I'm gonna see that doubt creep in. That doubt that hasn't crept in over the past year because you know something that I know: Tommaso Ciampa is a better professional wrestler than Gunther. On Monday, on Tuesday, on Wednesday, on Thursday, on Friday, on Saturday, on Sunday, and on Monday again, your time's coming up. And new.
On paper, the idea of swerving to Ciampa challenging for the Intercontinental Championship in the not-too-distant future is a curious choice, as Chad Gable remains incredibly popular and has yet to wrestle the “Ring General” on a Premium Live Event without the restrictions of commercials or a meager time limit. But then again, Gable had his time; maybe Paul “Triple H” Levesque would simply prefer to put over one of his guys in the short term and either have his stock elevated in defeat or create a new champion entirely for the “Master” of Alpha Academy to feud with moving forward. Either way, the next few weeks should be fun.
