Tommaso Ciampa has arrived in All Elite Wrestling, and he is bringing a dark and familiar persona with him. The former NXT Champion made his debut on the January 28 episode of Dynamite, confronting TNT Champion Mark Briscoe and officially resurrecting his “Psycho Killer” gimmick. In a new interview with Rich Ucchino of Sports Illustrated, Ciampa opened up about his decision to join AEW and the creative freedom he has finally found to explore the character he created years ago.
For years, fans associated Ciampa with his dominant run in NXT, particularly his rivalry with Johnny Gargano in 2018. However, Ciampa revealed that he felt restricted during his time in WWE when it came to his character work. He explained that he had attempted to bring the “Psycho Killer” persona to the WWE audience on multiple occasions, but the ideas were always shelved.
“For a very long time, I’ve wanted to bring my vision of the Psycho Killer to a very large market and see if it would be as special as I thought it would be. When I left Ring Of Honor and I was doing the independent scene, Psycho Killer was starting to really take off for me. Then, obviously I signed with NXT and WWE and I had to just put it on the shelf. There was a lot of times that I tried, ‘Hey, can we try this?’ For one reason or another, it just wasn’t something I could do.”
Now under the AEW banner, Ciampa expressed gratitude towards Tony Khan for embracing his vision. He noted that the collaborative environment has allowed him to plan for the long-term evolution of his character, which includes new trademarks and merchandise.
“But, for Tony and the whole crew to just collaborate the way that they did and have open arms and see the vision and just allowing to create and have a chance. I’m already thinking six to twelve months ahead on the evolution of Psycho Killer is. I trademarked Psycho Killer and Psycho King, we’re thinking steps ahead. I have merchandise designs ready to go, I have gear ready to go, shoutout to Mandy because she crushed the gear.”
Ciampa also took the opportunity to address fans who believe his peak occurred during his acclaimed 2018 NXT run. He confidently stated that he has evolved significantly since then, both mentally and physically, and is ready to prove that his best work is still ahead of him.
“The fact that I’m hopefully going to continue to get the opportunity to portray this character the way I’ve always wanted to — for a long time, I had to listen to people tell me not so directly to my face but more so online that 2018 was prime Ciampa. I’m 100 times better now than I was then. That was nothing, that was absolutely nothing. I’m physically better, I’m mentally sharper, my storytelling and my psychology is on a whole different level than it was back then. I just need an opportunity and what people are about to see is gonna 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. I think I’m really freaking good at this.”
He is scheduled to challenge Mark Briscoe for the TNT Championship on Collision, a match that could solidify his status as a top player in AEW right out of the gate.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Sports Illustrated with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
