The Pyscho Killer is alive and well.
Tommaso Ciampa shocked the wrestling world Wednesday night when he debuted in All Elite Wrestling, just days after he allowed his WWE contract to expire.
Fresh off a successful TNT Championship defense over El Clon, Mark Briscoe issued an open challenge to anyone in the AEW locker room that wasn’t a member of the Don Callis Family. Little did he know, speaking strictly in kayfabe, that his old ROH rival would be the one to answer the call.
The “Psycho Killer” Tommaso Ciampa has answered @SussexCoChicken’s challenge #AEWCollision for THIS SATURDAY NIGHT!
Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS & HBO Max pic.twitter.com/YPnzLL2hZo
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 29, 2026
Ciampa announced his sudden departure from WWE in a post made to his social media accounts on Wednesday, January 21, but his decision to leave the company was made long beforehand.
“It’s something I’ve been leaning towards for quite some time,” Ciampa told The Takedown on SI. “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.”
Those discussions started at home with his wife and daughter. They collectively sat down as a family and discussed where the best place would be for Tommaso to continue his professional wrestling career, and ultimately, the difficult decision was made to part ways with WWE after a decade-long tenure.
“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. 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 | Lee South – All Elite Wrestling
Ciampa said there’s just something about the underground passionate fanbase that he’s always loved about professional wrestling, which was obviously a huge part of the allure of All Elite Wrestling.
Couple the fire that burns within all the ‘sickos’ with the passion and energy of AEW President Tony Khan, whom Tommaso met for the first time on Wednesday night at Dynamite, and it was a match made in Heaven.
Then there was also the opportunity to finally bring his Psycho Killer persona to a larger pro wrestling audience.
”There were a lot of times I tried… 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.”
He already has trademarks lined up, merchandise ideas, gear designs drawn up, the whole nine yards. Being able to breathe new life into the Psycho Killer character, in his own words, has made Tommaso Ciampa feel alive once again.
“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.”
Ciampa’s WWE contract expired at midnight on January 26, and his deal with AEW was worked out over the course of a chaotic two-day period. Part of that included music producer Mikey Rukus being given just 36 hours to whip up some new theme music, which prompted Ciampa to call him a wizard.
If Tommaso wasn’t able to spend the final six weeks of his WWE contract at home, preparing for the next chapter of his wrestling career, he doesn’t know if the debut fans saw on Wednesday night would have come together in time.
Tommaso Ciampa will challenge for the TNT Championship Saturday night on AEW Collision
Tommaso Ciampa | Lee South – All Elite Wrestling
The Psycho Killer will make his in-ring debut for AEW this coming Saturday night on Collision in Arlington, and he’ll have the opportunity to make a major impact by capturing the TNT Championship from Mark Briscoe.
Ciampa and Briscoe have danced before, but their last singles match against one another was more than 12 years ago. It wasn’t his idea to immediately step up to his friend and former ROH rival, but once it was pitched to him, he was 100 percent onboard.
“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.”
Our full conversation with Tommaso Ciampa will drop Friday morning, January 30 on The Takedown on SI YouTube channel. Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on all of our exclusive interviews, weekly talk shows and more.
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