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When professional wrestling fans think about NXT, a few names come to mind; from Seth Rollins to Finn Balor, Asuka, the Four Horsewomen, and #DIY, aka Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano, the (often) black and gold brand has produced more than a few signature performers since the show was revamped as a developmental territory, many of whom have gone on to run the industry today.
And yet, despite their individual successes, many of these performers have made their way back to NXT in order to help develop the next generation of WWE Superstars, all of them except one: Tommaso Ciampa.
That's right, ever since leaving developmental behind after a big program with Bron Breakker and Dolph Ziggler, wrestling one final match against Tony Nese at Stand and Deliver 2022, Ciampa hasn't been back for a match since, with the lone exception coming as a guest to hype up the second-generation Steiner in the lead-up to his match with Tyler Bate at NXT Worlds Collide. Would Ciampa actually consider returning to the promotion in the future? Maybe yes, maybe no, but at this point, he doesn't see that happening any time soon, as he explained to Chris Van Vliet on Insight.
“Performance-wise I don't think so. I think there's a door that's very open for guys like myself and Johnny [Gargano] because of loyalty, because of the way we handle ourselves outside of the ring, professionalism, and stuff that like, there's a spot producing, coaching, something,” Tommaso Ciampa told Chris Van Vliet via Wrestling Inc. “Yeah, I'm just not done performing. Like, physically, I know, my body sometimes just tells me like, ‘Hey, stop.' But really, mentally, I'm not anywhere close. So like that wouldn't … before I would do something like that, the option would be well, no, it's the Ring of Honor option. It's the, ‘I think I can do this thing that's really special. I'm gonna go do it. Yeah, like, please give me the opportunity to do it here. But if not, I'm still gonna go do it.'”
Of all the performers on the WWE roster right now, few are as natural a fit as an NXT trainer, coach, commentator, or even member of the creative team as Ciampa, as you don't get the nickname “Mr. NXT” unless you make a serious impact in the ring. Still, with #DIY having just reunited, it's understandable that Ciampa would want to accomplish a bit more on the main roster before considering a return to NXT, even if it's just for a match or two.
Tommaso Ciampa reflects on his “bizarre” Muhammad Hassan pairing.
Elsewhere in his appearance on Insight, Tommaso Ciampa was asked about his first appearance on WWE television, where he served as the on-screen lawyer of Muhammad Hassan during his incredibly… interesting angle on RAW.
While Ciampa wasn't quite sure why they hired him for the job specifically instead of, you know, an actor, he did his best to make it work.
“Yeah, he [Muhammad Hassan] disappeared after this,” Ciampa said via Wrestling Inc. “But they were like, ‘You have to do an apology for his actions last week. And it has to come off sincere and real because we're actually apologizing to the network on live TV because that's what they requested.' And it was just bizarre because, in my head at this point, I'm like, with Jamie [Jamitkowski], the promoter [of Chaotic Wrestling]. I'm like, ‘Why didn't they just hire an actor? Why didn't they hire somebody professional?' And I was like, ‘This is so bizarre.'
“But I was a promo guy. I've always been a promo guy. He's like, ‘It's just like your penmanship promo. Just go do one of your penmanship promos.' I'm like, ‘Thank God, I have this script. I can read it.' And like they were like, ‘You're reading it. You don't have to memorize it.' So I was like, ‘Okay.' And then I did an in-ring rehearsal with Undertaker, with Hunter [Paul “Triple H” Levesque], and Steph [McMahon], and Vince [McMahon], and everybody watching me.”
While Ciampa was ultimately celebrated for his role in the storyline internally, with creative telling him it could be the start of something bigger, in the end, it was clear WWE was looking to drop the angle in short order, as the heat, as they say, was real.
“It almost became my career. Like, it was a career break (being involved in Undertaker-Muhammad Hassan storyline),” Ciampa said via Post Wrestling. “But it almost became a massive break. I got a call the day after from I think Laurinaitis who was like, ‘Hey, they loved it. You’re gonna come back next week, you’re gonna be in a wheelchair with a neck brace. We’re gonna really push this thing.’ And I never heard back after that phone call and then Hassan lost (at) the pay-per-view and disappeared. Yeah, it was like legit heat that happened.”
Goodness, could you imagine a world where Hassan took off, and Ciampa spent his career as his lawyer? Fortunately, fans don't have to.
