Tommaso Ciampa is thankful for the path his career has taken.
After having a brief dalliance with WWE in 2005 and starring across the independent scene, Ciampa returned to the sports entertainment giant in 2015. Although not initially under contract, Ciampa teamed with long-time friend Johnny Gargano and the pair went on to win the NXT Tag Team Titles.
Following a run of success, Ciampa turned on his friend and their on-again, off-again rivalry would come to characterise much of NXT’s ‘Black and Gold Era.’
Despite becoming a beloved part of NXT, neither man was called up to the main roster, something which led fans to believe that it might never happen. However, during an appearance on After The Bell, Ciampa said that this might have been a good thing.
Reflecting on his journey to WWE and rise to the main roster, the former NXT Champion said had he missed out on that famous run, he’d have been released.
“Yeah, so you know, I’m lucky at this point. I’ve been through it. If this happened 10 years ago, and I got called up prior to the NXT success. I think it would have been short-lived, I likely would have been released by now. Because the self-doubt would have crept and all that.
For me my whole career I always felt I was never the guy on the independent scene who had like, the promoter fly in the top names for them to wrestle with. It was never the guy who somebody based their company around. I didn’t get many world titles and accolades like that.
I say world title loosely, it’s an independent company. So I always had this this chip on my shoulder of like, ‘Man, I think if I got a chance, I’ve got a lot of ideas. A lot of creative I write a lot of notes on my phone. If somebody gives me an opportunity one of these days I’m gonna frickin take this thing and explore new territories that haven’t been seen.'”
Ciampa added that he felt “lucky” he was able to put these ideas into practice in NXT under the guidance of Triple H.
“I got so damn lucky that that just happened to happen in NXT like of all the places that I’ve been, I’m okay with Ring of Honor and New Japan and everybody going and we don’t see it. Because Hunter saw it and Hunter gave me the shot and then it went so damn well for me when I had the turn on Johnny, my heel persona Blackheart, winning the title, that I think doing it and having it go so well, there, there was never a moment where I could say, he’d have done it better if he got that shot, or is this good?
Like I hadn’t, I was on a whole different planet in my mind of performance. And in such a zone that now that that’s happened, it’s silly for me to then I can’t backtrack, I can’t just go I mean, I’m just doing these three-minute matches, and I’m losing, and I’m not getting promo time I must not be good. Like, I’m good. I’m really freaking good. If you just, I have no control over it, though. Like you control what you control. And you can’t let the stuff out of your control start to diminish, like your self-worth.”
In recent news, Tommaso Ciampa has revealed why he wanted to stay in NXT for as long as he did.
Tommaso Ciampa And Johnny Gargano Reunite
After years apart, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa finally got back on the same page on the October 2nd episode of Raw. On the show, Ciampa failed in his bid to win the Intercontinental Title from Gunther, and after the bell was attacked by Imperium for his troubles.
With the beatdown in full swing, Gargano arrived to defend his friend and reunite DIY once more.
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