Amid his exit from WWE, Tommaso Ciampa has filed for nicknames that he could potentially be using outside of the company.
Ciampa confirmed on Wednesday that he will be departing WWE in the “very near future.” He also made two trademark filings that same day, applying for the terms “Psycho Killer” and “Psycho King.” The first of those is a moniker that Ciampa has already used — with his entrance song on the indies being “Psycho Killer” by Talking Heads.
The filings list Tommaso Whitney (Ciampa’s real name) as the owner. He intends to use the trademarks for goods and services related to merchandise and wrestling performances:
Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, televised appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainer; Providing online interviews featuring professional wrestler and sports entertainer in the field of sports entertainment for entertainment purposes
News first broke earlier this month that Ciampa was opting not to renew his WWE contract when it expired. While confirming that decision yesterday, he thanked everyone in the company, the fans, and his wife and daughter for their support. The 40-year-old Ciampa noted that he is accepting bookings for appearances, signings, photo ops, seminars, movies, TV appearances, fitness collaborations, sponsorships, and more.
“I spent the first decade of my career traveling the world on the independent scene. I spent the second decade of my career traveling the world with WWE,” he wrote. “I have one decade remaining and I’m beyond excited for whatever challenges lie ahead.”
In his WWE career, Ciampa is best known for the time he spent as champion in NXT. He had most recently been featured on SmackDown with his DIY tag team partner Johnny Gargano. Ciampa was also in the United States title picture prior to his departure. He unsuccessfully challenged for the belt last month during Ilja Dragunov’s reign.
For the first time in a decade, Tommaso Ciampa is available for bookings.
Earlier this month, reports indicated that Ciampa’s WWE contract was set to expire and that he was not expected to re-sign with the company. Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae have been appearing on SmackDown without Ciampa beginning with the January 2 episode.
On Wednesday, Ciampa confirmed his WWE departure in a statement posted to social media. Ciampa also noted that he has another ten years left in his career.
“In the very near future, my contract with the WWE will officially come to an end. I’d like to thank every single person who contributed to the last ten years of this incredible journey… camera crew, ring crew, hair and makeup team, seamstresses, referees, creative, producers, catering crew, commentators, ring announcers, travel department, medical team, talent reps, and anybody I may have missed. A very special thank you to all of the men and women who I’ve shared a ring and locker room with… nothing but love and respect.
And I would be remiss not to give a special thank you to my black and gold family. You will forever hold an incredibly special place in my heart.
To the fans who have shown love and support over the last two decades… thank you from the bottom of my heart.
To my wife and daughter: you are my rock and my forever “why”. I love you more.
I spent the first decade of my career traveling the world on the independent scene. I spent the second decade of my career traveling the world with WWE. I have one decade remaining and I’m beyond excited for whatever challenges lie ahead.
I’m an incredibly lucky person, one of the few who has spent his entire adult life living out his childhood dream… and while that dream continues to evolve, I will continue to chase it.
With that said, for the first time in over ten years, I am available for all appearances, signings, photo ops, seminars, movies, tv appearances, fitness collaborations, sponsorships and so forth. Please email any inquiries to: [email protected]
Thank you. 🤍✌️”
During Ciampa’s time in WWE, he was a two-time NXT Champion, a one-time NXT Tag Team Champion with Gargano, and a two-time WWE Tag Team Champion on the main roster with Gargano.
According to a new report, Tommaso Ciampa is expected to leave WWE once his contract expires.
On Saturday, Bodyslam reported that Ciampa’s contract is set to expire soon and he “plans on finishing his time up with the company without a renewal.”
The report notes it’s not clear if Ciampa is expected to sign elsewhere or take time away from wrestling. Ciampa’s tag partner, Johnny Gargano, is expected to continue as a singles wrestler on SmackDown.
On Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown, Gargano unsuccessfully challenged Carmelo Hayes for the United States Championship. He was accompanied to the ring by his wife Candice LeRae, but Ciampa was not in his corner for the match.
Ciampa hasn’t wrestled since a December 15 SmackDown taping in Hershey, PA, when he and Gargano dropped a tag match to Ilja Dragunov and Hayes. Three days earlier, he dropped a United States Championship match to Dragunov on the December 12 SmackDown in a match rated four and a half stars by our own Dave Meltzer.
The 40-year-old Ciampa is a two-time NXT Champion, two-time WWE tag champion and one-time NXT tag champion with Gargano. In 2018, his and Gargano’s feud was voted Feud of the Year in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards.
Sources indicate to Bodyslam that Tommaso Ciampa's contract is coming up and he plans on finishing his time up with the company without a renewal.
It's unclear if Ciampa chose to not sign a new deal and is planning on going elsewhere or is wanting to take time off without a… pic.twitter.com/vrh84696PV
Tommaso Ciampa is sporting a new look at the moment after having to shave his beard.
In an Instagram post on Saturday, Ciampa shared that he cut his face in a fall this morning. Ciampa was not injured, but he had to shave his beard as a result of the mishap. He and his DIY partner Johnny Gargano are appearing at WWE World in Las Vegas today in advance of WrestleMania 41 night one.
Ciampa shared pictures of his bloody mouth after the fall, writing: “Full Transparency: I had a fall this morning. I’m okay. But my beard is not.”
DIY do not have a match scheduled for WrestleMania, but they’ll be challenging for the WWE Tag Team titles on the WrestleMania fallout edition of SmackDown next Friday. A TLC match is set for the episode with The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford) defending against DIY and Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin).
Those three teams have traded the belts in recent months with DIY having two reigns as WWE Tag Team Champions.
Gargano was trained and made his debut on the Ohio independent scene, including wrestling once for AIW in his debut year in 2005. He would continue to appear for AIW every year until 2016, when he joined WWE as part of the NXT brand.
DIY are set to defend their WWE Tag Team Championship against The Bloodline’s Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga on this Friday’s SmackDown in Cleveland. Cleveland will also host Saturday’s SummerSlam event. The Bloodline won a number one contenders gauntlet match on last Friday’s SmackDown to earn the title shot.
Gargano is an Ohio native, growing up in the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood.
Inaugural WWE Speed Champion Ricochet retained his title against Tyler Bate in a match that aired last Friday. Today, WWE Speed was back with a new episode. Tommaso Ciampa defeated Ludwig Kaiser to advance in a four-man number one contender’s tournament. Ciampa will face either Andrade or Karl Anderson in the next round. The winner of that advances to challenge for Ricochet’s title.
Ciampa vs. Kaiser was taped in Saudi Arabia before SmackDown last week. Ciampa hit the Fairytale Ending and pinned Kaiser with six seconds left on the clock.
Last Friday’s SmackDown episode also included an appearance by Ciampa. DIY (Ciampa & Johnny Gargano) confronted The Street Profits and said they want the next shot at Grayson Waller & Austin Theory’s WWE Tag Team titles. If that means having to go through The Street Profits to get there, so be it.
Andrade vs. Anderson airs on WWE Speed next Wednesday (June 5). The episode will premiere on X/Twitter at noon Eastern time.
WWE Speed features bracket-style competition where matches have a three-minute time limit. That is expanded to five minutes for title matches.
Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Candice LeRae, and Indi Hartwell were able to compete on Monday night’s Raw after navigating significant travel issues.
The group dealt with delays and multiple flight cancelations until finally opting to make the five-hour drive from Dallas, Texas to North Little Rock, Arkansas. They arrived late Monday afternoon in time for the episode.
Gargano & Ciampa and LeRae & Hartwell won tag matches on Raw. Gargano & Ciampa defeated Dominik Mysterio & JD McDonagh, while LeRae & Hartwell defeated Chelsea Green & Piper Niven.
The travel issues were caused by winter weather and extreme cold. In a post on social media, Gargano detailed the experience:
9:30pm – Supposed to take off to Little Rock, ARK but de-icing terminal is frozen.
10:30pm – Deplane because all flights might be canceled.
11:00pm – Get back on the plane because we’re going to take off!
11:45pm – The crew timed out so now our flight is canceled.
Monday
12:00am – Wait in a line to get our plane ticket re-issued while calling various hotels because it’s after midnight and you can’t book them online anymore.
1:15am – Got our tickets for an 8:19am flight Monday morning.
1:45am – Arrive at our Dallas hotel.
6:45am – Wake up and find out our flight is delayed until 10am.
7:45am – Get a 30 minute workout in.
9:00am – Go back to Dallas Airport.
10:00am – New flight is now canceled.
10:30am – Drive 5 hours to Little Rock, ARK.
4:15pm – Get to Little Rock, ARK (Simmons Bank Arena)
7:15pm – #DIY gets the win against Dom and JD followed by Candice and Indi getting the win against Piper and Chelsea.
Gargano & Ciampa and LeRae & Hartwell are both being set up as potential Tag Team title challengers. The Undisputed WWE Tag Team titles are held by Damian Priest & Finn Balor. Kayden Carter & Katana Chance are the current Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa reunited as DIY in the closing segment of Monday’s WWE Raw episode.
Gargano made his return to WWE Raw for the first time since May in saving Ciampa from a beatdown at the hands of Imperium in Raw’s final segment as the duo reformed their DIY tag team.
Ciampa had just unsuccessfully challenged Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship in Raw’s main event when Imperium’s Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci began a two-on-one attack against the former NXT Champion. Gargano’s music then hit and he hit the ring for a spear on Kaiser, and hit hit both Kaiser and Vinci with superkicks.
Gargano & Ciampa then set Vinci up for their Meeting in the Middle tag team finisher, but the show ended before the duo could be shown connecting with the move.
Prior to Monday’s return, Gargano’s last in-ring appearance on WWE TV came on the May 15 Raw where he competed in a battle royal. He has since wrestled on four house shows, with two in July and two in September, all in losing efforts against Omos.
As DIY, Gargano & Ciampa are former NXT Tag Team Champions, holding the titles in 2016 and 2017.
Date:October 2, 2023 Location: The Shark Tank in San Jose, CA
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Show Recap —
Raw kicked off differently than usual. As soon as the show started, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler were mid-brawl on the stage as officials tried separating them. Jax was getting the better of it so the crowd booed.
Raquel Rodriguez ran out and attacked Jax. Rodriguez booted Baszler by mistake allowing Jax to get the better of Rodriguez.
Rhea Ripley ran out next and hammered away on Jax as the crowd cheered. A big brawl broke out and a million security guards ran out to break it up. Ripley gave one of them a Rip-tide and the crowd chanted, “Mami.”
Things eventually settled down and they cut to the announcers but Ripley interrupted them by calling out the rest of Judgment Day. The announcers ran down tonight’s card before Damian Priest and Dominik Mysterio entered. (Michael Cole said Finn Bálor wasn’t there tonight.) Commercial break.
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Judgment Day segment
Back from break, Ripley was mid-sentence. Ripley said there was no leader in Judgment Day but they each needed to handle their business. She said she was gone for two weeks and everything fell apart. She left responsibility to someone in her absence and they let her down. That person was Priest.
Ripley said the brawl last week led to an injury to Bálor, while Priest himself couldn’t compete in his scheduled match against Jey Uso tonight because he wasn’t cleared.
On top of that, Dom lost his NXT North American title to Trick Williams (the crowd cheered) because Priest wasn’t there to help like she asked him to. Ripley also said Priest and Bálor’s tag team titles were in danger because Jey and Cody Rhodes were coming for them.
Priest told Ripley, with all due respect, he knew all of that already. Priest said he was taking care of his own business because he still had his title and his briefcase. She asked Ripley where Dom’s title was. (She already addressed this.)
The crowd chanted, “Where’s your title?” at Dom. Ripley told Dom he had a rematch against Williams tomorrow on NXT thanks to her. If he didn’t win the championship, he shouldn’t bother coming home.
Jey Uso interrupted. Jey wanted everyone to welcome back Miss Rhea Ripley and said, “Hey, we missed you. We all missed you.” He looked at her and said we have a new Tribal Chief on Raw and she had bigger balls than Roman Reigns ever did.
Priest was tired of hearing Jey talk. Priest was about to step to Jey but Dom held him back. The crowd loudly booed as Dom said he would take care of Jey. Jey was amused by all of this. The crowd chanted, “Whoop his ass.”
Jey superkicked Dom but was decked from behind by JD McDonagh. Jey started to fight back but was knocked down by Dom.
Rhodes ran out to make the save. Jey handed out superkicks and Rhodes gave Dom a Cross Rhodes.
Adam Pearce appeared and announced that Priest and Bálor would defend the titles at Fastlane (on Saturday) against Jey and Rhodes.
********
They announced the signing of Jade Cargill.
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The first match of the evening began at 8:29 pm.
Ludwig Kaiser & Giovanni Vinci defeated Chad Gable & Otis (w/Maxxine Dupri) (10:39)
The story was Vinci trying but failing to do his part for Imperium — until he finally came through in the end.
Gable was in complete control for the first few minutes. Otis tried assisting Gable on a dive over the top but they didn’t connect properly. Gable just sort of fell straight down and Vinci did his best to catch him.
Imperium were in control over Gable after a break with no explanation or replay. Gable fought back and made the hot tag to Otis. Kaiser wanted a tag but was displeased to find that Vinci was absent from the apron (Gable knocked him off).
Otis went to town on Kaiser and Vinci tried to make the save but Otis easily press-slammed him. Otis hit a Caterpillar and tried a middle rope fallaway slam but Vinci grabbed Otis by the leg. This allowed Kaiser to fall over onto Otis.
Gable wiped out Vinci with a cannonball as Kaiser hit Otis with a running enziguri for the pinfall win. (Gable chased Kaiser out of the ring after the match.)
********
There was a recap of Becky Lynch retaining her title over Tiffany Stratton.
Cole warned the viewers before they showed the nasty laceration to Lynch’s arm.
Pearce informed Tegan Nox that Lynch wasn’t cleared to wrestle tonight so their title match had to be postponed. Nox was upset but understood. Chelsea Green barged in and acted like Nox wasn’t there. She eventually told Nox she should hope that the match gets cancelled so she doesn’t lose. Green said some people weren’t championship material (as she showed off her belt). Nox suggested they have a match tonight and Pearce made it official.
(Lynch will appear on tomorrow’s NXT.)
********
Bronson Reed defeated Cedric Alexander (2:18)
Alexander caught Reed off guard and hit a suicide dive and flip dive just a minute into the match. Alexander also hit a Neuralyzer for two. Reed ran him over with a crossbody and hit a senton and Tsunami for the pinfall win.
********
Drew McIntyre let Pearce know that he was not going to be on Miz TV. He did it last week because the fans deserved it but wasn’t feeling it this week. Pearce said Miz requested it but McIntyre didn’t care. McIntyre said he did plan on addressing the fans in the ring but didn’t want to see Miz. If he did, Miz would regret it.
Pearce asked if McIntyre was doing alright because he seemed off. McIntyre wondered if Pearce thought he wasn’t doing the “right thing” the last few weeks. McIntyre didn’t recall anyone doing the “right thing” when he was being beaten down by the Bloodline.
[SECOND HOUR]
George Kittle (wearing a Shawn Michaels t-shirt and Christian McCaffrey hat) was shown at ringside with two other members of the San Francisco 49ers. I believe the two others were Elijah Mitchell and Talanoa Hufanga.
Gunther and Tommaso Ciampa contract signing
Gunther wore a suit. Ciampa wore his usual attire.
Ciampa complained to Gunther about not being given the same opportunities as him. Guys like him are served roadkill and are expected to turn it into filet. (Ciampa demanded Gunther look at him. Gunther was amused.)
Ciampa said he planned on winning the title he’s dreamed of winning since he was five years old. His entire family would be there at ringside but he wouldn’t be fighting for them. He would be fighting for that five-year-old boy and would fight with his entire heart and at the end of the night, he would be the Intercontinental Champion. Ciampa signed the contract and demanded Gunther sign.
Gunther said this was a contract signing for the most important title in the business but Ciampa showed up underdressed. Gunther respected Ciampa’s noble motives. Gunther also fought for what was near and dear to him. What meant most to him was the Intercontinental title and he was the greatest IC champion of all time.
Ciampa said Gunther was confident for someone whose whole world was about to crumble. Gunther warned Ciampa to never interrupt him again so Ciampa interrupted him. Gunther told him that he could go home after their match, hug his family and keep dreaming because he would never get this close to the title again.
Ciampa said Gunther still hadn’t signed so it wasn’t too late for them to do the match tonight in San Jose. Gunther wanted to see Ciampa prove it so he signed the contract. Pearce made it official for tonight.
Gunther shoved Ciampa so Ciampa leaped off the table and attacked him. Gunther fought him off and chuckled the table out of the ring. Ciampa put him in the Sicilian Stretch until Gunther was able to escape the ring.
This was good.
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Kofi Kingston joined commentary for the next match. He swivelled his hips in Wade Barrett’s direction because he’s been talking trash about fantasy football, among other things.
Xavier Woods defeated Ivar (8:03)
Woods dropkicked Ivar into the side of the ring ahead of a break. Woods was on offence after the break and got Ivar on his shoulders. The crowd popped as Woods dropped him with what was effectively a sitout DVD. Woods tried powerbombing Ivar off the top rope but Ivar fell on him. Ivar tried a splash but Woods avoided it. Woods followed soon after with a rollup for the pinfall win.
— Kingston loudly gloated to Barrett but he quickly hit the ring upon seeing Ivar attack Woods. Ivar fought him off and laid out both New Day members with spinning kicks. Ivar also powerbombed Kingston onto Woods.
This led to a very impressive spot. With the two men stacked up, Ivar hit them with a moonsault off the top. The crowd chanted, “Holy shit.”
This was all good stuff (except for Cole solemnly saying, “Suddenly, a bad day, for Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods.)
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There was a video package for Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura.
Seth Rollins interview
Cole interviewed Rollins in the ring. Rollins was happy to see Cole and put him over as the voice of WWE. Cole mentioned being the one who came up with some of Rollins’ nicknames — including manipulator and puppeteer. Cole wondered if Rollins was now the puppet thanks to Nakamura.
Rollins couldn’t believe he said that and was confident about his match against Nakamura. Cole wondered if Rollins knew what he was doing. He mentioned the dangers of a last man standing match and the poor condition of Rollins’ back. He said Rollins’ back was hanging on by a thread and asked him why he was putting himself through this.
Rollins asked Cole how long he’d been doing commentary. Cole said 26 years. The crowd cheered. Rollins asked how many shows he’s missed and Cole said two.
Rollins said Cole must get it. He was addicted to it. He loved it. That’s what it was like for him to be in the ring and for him to be in front of the people. Rollins had an honour, responsibility and duty. The ring has given him everything — a roof over his head and food on his table. It was the reason he met his wife and why he had a beautiful baby girl.
Now that he was the champion, the responsibilities got amplified. If Fastlane was his last ride, that didn’t matter. What mattered was that he left it all in the ring so he could be an example for his daughter. He didn’t have the words to explain it. It was a feeling, and it felt right.
Nakamura appeared on the screen with a pre-taped promo in Japanese (with English subtitles). Rollins was watching the screen so Nakamura attacked him from behind and laid him out with a Kinshasa to the back of the head.
(I guess Cole saw this coming and decided not to warn Rollins, because he disappeared from the ring and was already back on commentary calling the action. I don’t know why they did this.)
The video of Nakamura began counting to ten but Rollins got up at seven. The real-life Nakamura attacked Rollins repeatedly with a chair.
The video of Nakamura counting played again. Real-life Nakamura watched as Rollins got back to his feet at nine. Nakamura attacked again and gave him a backbreaker onto a chair before hitting another Kinshasa.
Real-life Nakamura quickly counted to ten with Rollins down and held up the world title belt.
This was a strong segment.
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Lynch (with her arm in a sling) approached Nox. She told Nox to be ready to go when the time came for their fight.
Natalya showed up as Lynch left. Natalya acted impressed with Nox and said she was proud of her. Natalya was confident she would nail her opportunity against Lynch when it came. Nox thanked her.
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Tegan Nox defeated Tag Team Champion Chelsea Green (w/Piper Niven) (2:05)
Natalya ran out to her music to back off Piper Niven. Nox knocked Green off the top, hit a Molly-go-round and the Shiniest Wizard for the pinfall win. Natalya held up Nox’s arm post-match.
********
Drew McIntyre entered.
[THIRD HOUR]
Byron Saxton interviewed Jey Uso. Jey was happy to team with Rhodes if it meant fighting Judgment Day and fighting for the tag titles.
Drew McIntyre promo
McIntyre said he didn’t owe an explanation to anyone in the back — he only answered to his fans. The fans have been with him through his ups and downs, the firings and the titles.
The truth was that he was going to stop being the saviour and stop getting involved in fights he didn’t start. He’s been doing it for years and was now showing up to fights at less than 100% so he was done with it.
McIntyre hasn’t been making the save but neither has anyone else and called them all hypocrites. Rhodes did make the save but he was just cleaning up his own messes. Rhodes forgiving Jey was a weakness, not a strength.
Miz interrupted. Miz didn’t forgive McIntyre for what he did to him last week or for cancelling Miz TV this week. McIntyre told him to shut up. Miz said he was looking out for McIntyre but he told him to shut up. McIntyre told him to shut up again and the crowd chanted “Shut up, Miz.”
McIntyre knew that Miz wanted him to be the bad guy — maybe attack Rollins and take his belt, or screw Jey Uso at Fastlane. McIntyre wasn’t that kind of guy. He racked up wins and earned title shots. McIntyre felt like getting another win right now with Miz in the ring — unless his balls were still tiny. The crowd chanted “Tiny balls.”
Miz said he wasn’t dressed for a match. Miz said he was wrong about McIntyre. He wasn’t the Batman of WWE, he was Two-Face. Miz acted like a child and said, “I don’t shut up, I grow up, and when I look at you I throw up.” McIntyre called him an idiot. Miz said his mom told him that the bigger man would walk away from a fight, so he left.
When McIntyre turned his back, Miz went back in the ring and hit McIntyre with the mic. McIntyre hammered away at Miz until officials stepped in to stop Drew from killing him.
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Drew McIntyre defeated The Miz (3:55)
McIntyre set up for Claymore Kick but stopped and instead grabbed his sword. The ref grabbed it and went to remove it from the ring and as he did this, McIntyre removed the turnbuckle cover. McIntyre drove Miz’s head into the exposed buckle and hit a Future Shock DDT for the pinfall win.
— McIntyre cut a sarcastic promo after the match, taking a shot at Rhodes/Jey. McIntyre said: “I’ve done some serious thinking and I’m not the same guy I was 30 seconds ago. I’m sorry for my actions. And now that I’ve said ‘sorry,’ I’m automatically forgiven! Yeah!” He dropped the mic and stormed off.
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Jackie Redmond interviewed Trick Williams. Williams said it was a pleasure to meet her and he introduced himself to the world. He was 6’4”, 240 pounds of muscle, had gold around his ears, gold around his wrist — and around his waist. He was the North American Champion and would defend his title tomorrow against Dirty Dom.
Dom approached Williams with Ripley and McDonagh. Williams said he was acting tough now that he had Mami by his side. Ripley told Williams that Dom wouldn’t be coming to NXT alone tomorrow.
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Cody Rhodes interview
Redmond interviewed Rhodes near the stage. She asked if Rhodes felt like he had been backed into this tag match against Judgment Day. Rhodes never imagined he’d be tagging with Jey but it was Judgment Day who backed themselves into this situation.
Rhodes heard that Judgment Day will be at Friday’s Smackdown so he planned on being there too, as would Jey Uso. Rhodes said they would win the tag titles at Fastlane and come back to what would be a very different Monday Night Raw.
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The announcers ran down the Fastlane card.
Otis apologized to Chad Gable for losing. Gable said he didn’t have to apologize because he could never be disappointed in his number one guy. The only thing he was disappointed in was the clowns who kept cheating against them. Gable said Gunther has peaked around but when he peaks — everyone is gonna know.
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Raw next week:
Becky Lynch vs. Tegan Nox for the NXT Women’s title
Ivar vs. Kofi Kingston in a Viking Rules match
Raquel Rodriguez vs. Nia Jax
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Gunther defeated Tommaso Ciampa to retain the Intercontinental Championship (22:54)
They got plenty of time and had a great match.
Ciampa took the fight to Gunther early on and applied the Silicilan Stretch less than two minutes into the match but Gunther got a rope break and they went to commercial.
Believe it or not, Gunther was in control after the break. Ciampa fought out of a sleeper and applied the Silicilan Stretch but Gunther escaped. Gunter chopped Ciampa and slammed him on the ring apron ahead of a second break.
They exchanged chops until Gunther placed Ciampa on the top rope, chopped him and booted him to the floor. Ciampa avoided a chop outside the ring and Gunther chopped the announce desk (and sold his arm). Ciampa dropped him with a flying knee and attacked the arm. Gunther used his other arm to hit a chop but Ciampa caught him with a draping DDT for two.
Ciampa kicked at Gunther’s hurt arm and stomped his head. Ciampa went for a running knee but Gunther hit a dropkick for two. Gunther couldn’t hit a powerbomb because of his injured arm so Ciampa hit a reverse DDT and a running knee strike for a nearfall. Gunther blocked a Fairy Tale Ending before chopping Ciampa and dropping him on his head with a suplex.
Ciampa applied the Sicilian Stretch again but Gunther eventually got a rope break. Ciampa fired up with chops but Gunther chopped him in response. Ciampa blocked a chop but Gunther caught him and hit two consecutive powerbombs.
Gunther applied a sleeper as the crowd rose to get behind Ciampa but Ciampa passed out and the ref called it. Gunther retains.
— Vinci and Kaiser put the boots to Ciampa after the match as Gunther walked to the back.
Johnny Gargano ran out (to his music) to make the save. He speared Kaiser and superkicked both men. Ciampa smiled upon seeing Gargano and they laid out Vinci with Meeting in the Middle.
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina before Monday’s episode of Raw.
We had another good offering this week, with two decent matches. Ciampa vs. Moss was the pick of the bunch, but the show has started to exist more in a vacuum again where nothing really relates to anything else relevant anymore.
Bronson Reed defeated Akira Tozawa (4:50)
A big man vs. plucky babyface match by the numbers here, but Tozawa got more in than you would expect. People clearly like Reed, but the company doesn’t seem to know how to use him.
Bronson Reed is a little bit rudderless on his current run with WWE. He has bounced around this show – where he remains undefeated – and sporadic appearances on Raw. It’s clear the crowd likes him and the pop is always big for his finisher.
Tozawa and Reed put together a good little match. Tozawa gets more in than you would expect in these situations. He’s a lower-roster talent, but they clearly trust him to go with guys who need a little help in the right direction.
After the early going, they went to near falls pretty quickly. Tozawa hit his top rope back elbow for a two count and then a top rope senton for another near fall.
Reed thwarted Tozawa’s attempts and then finished his opponent with the Tsunami to make him 7-0 on Main Event.
We’ll see what they decide to do with him going forward, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him working this show again next week.
Tommaso Ciampa defeated Riddick Moss (9:19)
A good match that went longer than it needed to, as they hit their stride in the last few minutes and got the crowd behind them. Moss is infinitely better under this persona than when he was Madcap Moss.
Ciampa became a little bit of a Main Event regular for a while back there. Last summer, he worked this show with the likes of T-Bar, Reggie, and Apollo Crews and was generally the one getting his hand raised.
He returned a couple of weeks ago in a losing effort against Ricochet, but was up against a renewed Moss here, who seems to be increasingly comfortable with his new gimmick.
Moss trash-talked his way through this one and at one point called out Wade Barrett on commentary, telling him to come out of retirement, because this one was proving too easy for him.
They had a quick sprint before the commercials and then started to build the match to a climax after the adverts.
In the final minutes, Ciampa took his knee pad down as Moss lay prone, but he took too long and Moss caught the charge and nailed him with a Rock Bottom/urinage for a near fall. They both lay there for a while after.
Moss told Ciampa he was done and went for a neckbreaker, but Ciampa turned it into a backslide for two. Ciampa then ate a spinebuster, but as he got up managed to nail Moss with a high knee as he was running the ropes.
The Fairy Tale Ending got Ciampa the win to end a match where both men looked exhausted at the final bell.
New Day returned to action by defeating The Viking Raiders on the August 7 episode of Raw. Kingston had been out of action since undergoing ankle surgery this March.
This past Monday, The Viking Raiders got involved in a match between New Day and Drew McIntyre & Matt Riddle. New Day won the match but were then attacked by Ivar & Erik.
New Day told McIntyre & Riddle later in the show that they’d be happy to give them a rematch in the future. Woods & Kingston encouraged McIntyre & Riddle to keep their team going.
The announcement of Reed vs. Ciampa comes after Reed issued a challenge to Ciampa on Raw Talk. Reed, who defeated Ciampa in their first meeting, vowed to beat him again.
Monday is Raw’s go-home show for Payback. The updated card for the episode is listed below:
Falls count anywhere match: Becky Lynch vs. Zoey Stark
Chad Gable vs. Ludwig Kaiser
New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods) vs. The Viking Raiders
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, before Monday’s episode of Raw. This was a perfectly watchable show this week, with a very strong offering from Ricochet and Tommaso Ciampa at the top of the show.
Natalya defeated Tegan Nox (5:41)
This was a Natalya match by the numbers as far as her bouts go these days: a ton of selling before finding a way to win with the Sharpshooter.
Nox has had a flurry of appearances on Main Event over the last four months, but still only finds herself with one win in that time. She looks perfectly at home, but none of the matches have really dazzled yet.
Nox took pretty much all of this one, to the point of the result being a bit ridiculous. It was a slow, methodical and fairly dull affair in the first half including several chin locks. Nox looked like she was enjoying being the heel, though.
Natalya eventually fired back at Nox with a German suplex and basement dropkick for a near fall and then she started to look for the Sharpshooter. In the end, it was a pretty simple finish with Natalya dodging a charge to the corner so that she could lock in the Sharpshooter for the win.
Ricochet defeated Tommaso Ciampa (7:40)
By Main Event standards, this was an excellent match. They really went back and forth and put on a fabulous show for this pre-Raw crowd.
Ricochet’s Twitter (yes, I know it’s ‘X’, but I’m just not there yet) was full of promos for this one this week, including a sentence that pretty much said it as it is:
SummerSlam to Main Event!! Catch me this Thursday on @Hulu on #Mainevent where I take on @CiampaWWE! @WWE
They had a really strong match, but given longer, these two could really go. What was most entertaining about this was the pacing and the way they both gave each other plenty without it looking like a spotfest.
Before the ads, Ricochet was in charge, but they did a ton of intricate mat work. It culminated in a cat and mouse exchange outside, culminating with Ricochet eating a knee to the face as he tried to get back into the ring.
After the commercials, Ciampa used a chin lock, that at times became a cravat, as the crowd got behind Ricochet. When he finally got some separation, he hit a Codebreaker to leave them both laying.
Ricochet tried for a springboard off the top rope, but got knocked off which allowed Ciampa to plant him with a rope hung DDT for a near fall. The finish saw Ricochet avoid the Fairytale Ending twice before hitting the Sliced Bread for the win and to round out a really solid performance from them both.
Carmelo Hayes’ challenger for Heatwave is set to be determined tonight on NXT.
Wes Lee battles Dijak in an NXT Championship number one contender’s match on tonight’s show. The winner will get their shot against Hayes on the special Heatwave edition of NXT next Tuesday.
Gold will be up for grabs as The Dyad challenge Tony D’Angelo & Stacks for the NXT Tag Team titles in tonight’s opening match. It’s the first defense for D’Angelo & Stacks since they won the championships from Gallus at Great American Bash.
Mustafa Ali is on a campaign to challenge Dominik Mysterio for the NXT North American Championship. Tonight, Ali has stated that he has an important announcement to make.
Ahead of facing Ilja Dragunov at Heatwave, Trick Williams will be in action against Drew Gulak tonight. Dana Brooke vs. Blair Davenport and Tyler Bate vs. Joe Coffey have also been announced.
Our live coverage starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
A tag team title match opens the show live from a soundstage at the Performance Center in Orlando.
NXT Tag Team Champions The Family (Tony D’Angelo & Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo) defeated The Dyad (Jagger Reid & Rip Fowler with Joe Gacy, Ava and The Schism) to retain their titles
D’Angelo pinned Fowler after outside interference by masked assailants presumed to be the Creeds.
Joining The Dyad at ringside were Joe Gacy and Ava as usual, but they are also joined by a bunch of Schism members wearing masks that surround the ring like de facto lumberjacks. That would play into the finish.
Stacks got to shine a lot in the early portion of the match, including him doing a swan dive over the ropes. He was later cut off and sent crashing into the announce desk, just before the show cuts to its first commercial break.
The match goes through the split-screen break, with Stacks being worked over throughout. The heels continue to work over Stacks when the show returns from the break. Stacks gets a visual pin in a hope spot, but the referee is distracted by Tony D.
They build to a hot tag that brings in “The Don” to clean house. The Dyad bump and feed. Tony D is cut off after a blind tag by The Dyad. Suddenly, out comes Ivy Nile. The Schism lumberjacks form a line to block Nile from getting into the ring. Meanwhile, two other masked men hop the barricade, and they jump The Dyad. They appear to be the Creed Brothers, judging by the suplex they did and context clues. The Don then covers Fowler for a pinfall.
Eddy Thorpe is the focus of a great vignette that plays to his Native American heritage. Thorpe also cuts a promo about Dijak, who is he is currently feuding with in storyline.
Wes Lee interrupts an autograph signing with NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes. Lee remains a subtle heel as they banter back-and-forth.
Tension within Chase U continues with a skit. Once the most enthusiastic student, Thea Hail is still bitter with Andre Chase. She complains to him, and Duke Hudson somewhat agrees with her. Chase says he only wants Hail to be happy, and she shoots back by telling him to not throw in the towel next time.
Blair Davenport defeated Dana Brooke (with Kelani Jordan)
Davenport pinned Brooke the win the match. Jordan got involved at one point, trying to keep Brooke honest.
Brooke grabbed the ring bell shortly before the finish to seemingly use as a weapon. Jordan takes the bell away from Brooke, and Jordan seems shocked Brooke would stoop to such tactics.
After some clunky exchanges between Brooke and Davenport, Brooke is rocked by a knee strike. Davenport then delivers a second knee strike, and Davenport covers Brooke for a three count.
NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes is still signing autographs when he is interrupted again. This time it was Dijak interrupting Hayes, and they have words.
Trick Willaims defeated Drew Gulak (with Charlie Dempsey & Damon Kemp)
Williams pinned Gulak after a windmill kick. Dempsey and Kemp interfered during the match, but Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen run down to even the odds.
Kemp distracted the referee at one point, allowing Dempsey to interfere. Dempsey gives Williams a German suplex on the floor. Gulak then goes on to work over Williams.
Comeback by Williams, and Dempsey tries to interfere again. That backfires as Williams drops both Dempsey and Kemp on the floor. They try to attack Williams, but out runs Briggs and Jensen. The country boy babyfaces make a save by neutralizing Dempsey and Kemp. The two teams brawl at ringside as Williams and Gulak go home in the ring.
Dabbo-Kato is the focus of a vignette. He fought his way out of the shadows, and he vows to cast his own shadow when he soon returns to NXT. It was indeed soon, as he actually returns this week for a run-in later in the show.
Von Wagner challenges Baron Corbin to a match at Heatwave
Baron Corbin is heading to the ring for a monologue. Oh joy. Corbin brags about running an Olympic gold medalist out of NXT (referring to Gable Steveson). Corbin then refers to the rest of the locker room as “soft ass little bitches.” Is he doing a CM Punk gimmick?
Corbin says he is ushering in a new era of himself. He places is place “back into the main event” where he claims to belong. Out comes Mr. Stone and Von Wagner to interrupt and confront Corbin.
Corbin tries to make fun of Stone, but Stone turns that around on Corbin. Stone then puts over Wagner. Corbin wants Wagner to talk instead of Stone. Corbin then tries to make fun of Wagner.
Corbin tells Wagner he needs to learn how to “talk on the stick.” Corbin cuts a promo on Wagner about his lack of speaking ability. Wagner responds by saying Corbin talks too much, which guarantees the two a spot on an upcoming episode of Botchamania. If you know, you know.
Wagner cuts a promo making fun of Corbin’s various gimmicks. Wagner then challenges Corbin to a match next week at Heatwave, and Wagner vows to table Corbin. Corbin goes to cheap shot Wagner, but Wagner clotheslined Corbin over the ropes on the side of the ring with the announce desk.
Wagner teases putting Corbin through the announce desk, and they have a pull-apart brawl. Looks like a grudge match is now set for next Tuesday.
WWE World Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley and her main squeeze, NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio, are in a locker room for a promo. Ripley challenges Dragon Lee and Lyra Valkyria to a mixed tag match at Heatwave.
Mustafa Ali in a vignette gives a stump speech like he is campaigning for the North American title. Ali delivers a speech that plays on populism and patriotism. Where have a seen that before?
Wes Lee defeated Dijak in a number one contender’s match
Lee pinned Dijak, which makes Lee the next contender for Hayes’ NXT Championship. Good match. Eddy Thorpe got involved at one point, although he never physically interfered.
Cat-and-mouse game early on, with Lee floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee. Lee targets Dijak’s leg with kicks and holds. Dijak cuts off Lee, and Dijak works an arm. Hope spot dashed by Dijak, and he posts Lee. Back to work on the arm.
Dijak dashes another hope spot when he catches Lee on an attempted tope. Dijak lawn darts Lee into a ring post, just before the show cuts to a split-screen commercial break. Dijak continues to work over Lee during the break, still targeting the arm.
After the show returns from the break, Lee counters Dijak to deliver a tornado DDT that spikes Dijak. Moments later, and Lee powerbombs Dijak. Lee then gets a near fall.
Lee crumples to the mat when his injured shoulder gives out. Dijak looks to capitalize with his finisher, but Dijak injured leg buckles. Lee then deliver a pump kick, but Dijak answers back with a chokeslam into a sit-out powerbomb for another near fall.
The fighting spills outside, where Dijak throws Lee over the barricade. Dijak looks to use the steps as a weapon, but out comes Eddy Thorpe. Dijak is distracted by Thorpe, and they face off. Thorpe ducks a lariat, and Lee leaps off the barricade to give Dijak a Frankensteiner. It was not pretty, but Dijak crashes into the ring steps. Lee acts like he pops his shoulder back into place, and Lee then jumps back into the ring to deliver a Cardiac Kick. Lee follows up with a twisting corkscrew senton, and Lee covers Dijak for a pinfall.
Dragon Lee and Lyra Valkyria in a backstage skit accept the challenge from Rhea Ripley. So, Ripey and “Dirty Dom” against Dragon Lee and Valkyria in a mixed tag match at Heatwave.
Ilja Dragunov cuts a promo on Trick Williams in a video package hyping their match next Tuesday.
Tyler Bate vs. Joe Coffey (with Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) ends in a no-contest
The match was going pretty well, as the two work really well together. They do some British style spots and such, and things were just beginning to heat up when in runs Dabbo-Kato. He boots Bate with a high kick and he attempts to guzzle Coffey. The rest of Gallus drag Coffey out of the ring. So, Dabbo-Kato sets his sights back on Bate. Sit-out tree slam by Dabbo-Kato, as he leaves Bate laying in the ring.
Baron Corbin and Bron Breakker have a confrontation in the parking lot. Breakker says he will be watching Corbin’s match next week against Wagner (who Breakker has recently feuded with). Corbin tells Breakker he is not intimidated by him.
Hard Hitting Home Truths with Nathan Frazier is a wacky skit where Frazier’s talk show is interrupted by Meta-Four. They are on video chat, and Noam Dar bickers with Frazier over the Heritage Cup. Frazier is the rightful holder of the trophy, but Dar has a replica. They will apparently have a match at Heatwave to decide the real Heritage Cup Champion.
Jacy Jayne defeated Thea Hail (with Andre Chase & Duke Hudson)
Jayne pinned Hail, after Andre Chase tries to save Hail. Dissension remains within Chase U, as Hail is upset by her loss. She is also still very upset with Andre Chase.
The match itself goes through a commercial break. Hail was in control before the break, but Jayne is working over Hail when the show returns.
A turnbuckle cover comes off to expose the metal turnbuckle. Chase jumps on the apron to save Hail from smashing into the exposed buckle. Instead of gratitude for Chase, Hail yells at him to get off the apron. Hail then turns around, and she is cradled by Jayne in a small package for a pinfall.
Hail yells at Chase again after the match. Hails blames Chase for the loss, and she storms off afterwards.
Angel Garza and Humberto Carillo are the focus of a great video package that plays on their family history.
NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes is almost done with his autograph signing when in walks Wes Lee, who has a contract in hand for Hayes to sign. Hayes congratulates Lee on winning his match earlier, but Hayes gives Lee back the contract before saying he will see him next Tuesday.
Lee does not like being blown off by Hayes, and Lee flings a bunch of 8×10 photos off the table. Lee gets into Hayes’ face, and Lee tells him that he is not waiting until next week. Lee then drags a table off screen, seemingly heading for the ring. Looks like an impromptu contract signing is closing the show.
Before the closing angle, Tiffany Stratton is featured in a hype video. She returns to the show next Tuesday at Heatwave.
Lee is in the ring standing behind a table he dragged out earlier. Out comes Hayes. Notably missing is Trick Williams, as he is getting a singles push of his own.
Hayes and Lee begin to bicker. Lee makes some cracks about Hayes’ luxurious lifestyle as champion. Hayes admits being champ comes with perks, but it also comes with responsibility. Hayes says Lee has not walked in his shoes, so Lee cannot talk to him about how easy it is.
Hayes says that Lee takes a few losses and he “starts to fold like a chair on an Alabama boardwalk.” That is a great pop culture reference based a recent events in Montgomery.
Hayes is not convinced Lee can be him. Lee scoffs, remarking how he was told many times he could not do something. Lee talks about his time in the military, where he was called crazy for wanting to be a pro wrestler. Fast forward to now, and here comes more doubters telling Lee he cannot do something.
Lee talks about how to came to NXT and “set up shop,” before he eventually lost his tag team partner (who was released from WWE). Lee runs down all the reasons he was told he could not accomplish his goals. Lee says he became the greatest North American champ ever.
Lee goes on ask who he won the North American title from (referring to Hayes). Hayes responds by admitting that Lee won that title, but Hayes reminds Lee that he did not actually beat Hayes himself to win the title.
Hayes claims he put the North American title on the map with his reign with banger matches across two reigns as champ. But Hayes says this is not about that title. This is about the NXT Championship. Hayes says he agrees with 90% of what Lee is saying, but Hayes claims Lee “can’t” defeat him.
Lee chimes in by saying there goes the “can’t” again. Someone telling him he cannot do this or that. Lee has turned doubters into believers before, and Lee admits he is his own biggest doubter. But no more, as Lee vows to win the NXT title. Lee signs the contract, and he tells Hayes to do that same.
Hayes quotes a lyric from a classic R&B song by TLC about not chasing waterfalls. Hayes says next is not “Melo don’t miss.” Hayes says “Melo can’t miss.” Hayes signs the contract and poses with his NXT title belt.
Lee responds by leaping into the air and breaking the table with a stomp. Lee then tells Hayes he will see him at Heatwave.
Ciampa returned on Monday’s Raw after The Miz issued an open challenge to anyone in Cleveland. Ciampa answered the challenge. At first, it seemed like Ciampa came to greet The Miz. But Ciampa then laid out The Miz and the two had a match, with Ciampa eventually winning with the fairytale ending.
Ciampa had been out of action since last fall, undergoing surgery for a torn hip labrum. His final match took place back in October, when he lost to Bobby Lashley at a house show in a match that had been for the United States Championship.
Having been called up last April after a long run in NXT, Ciampa, who at first went under his first name only on the main roster, quickly associated himself with The Miz. In August of last year, he won a three-way match to become the number one contender for the United States title. Later that night, he challenged Lashley for the title, dedicating the match to his trainer Harley Race. However, he came up short. Shortly before being taken off the road, Ciampa’s name had been reverted back to Tommaso Ciampa.
Tommaso Ciampa has undergone surgery to repair a hip labrum injury.
The 37-year-old posted to Instagram on Wednesday revealing the news. He noted that the injury had been causing him to experience glute, back, and sacroiliac (where the lower spine and pelvis connect) joint pain.
Ciampa hasn’t wrestled since a September 17 house show in Bakersfield, California. He hasn’t wrestled on WWE programming since the August 22 edition of Raw from Toronto. There is no timetable for his return.
“The road to recovery begins. It’s a familiar road. Almost too familiar. Special thanks to Dr Emblom and his team for taking such incredible care of me. Thanks to the WWE medical team for once again putting me back together. And thanks to my ‘nurses’ at home for always giving me perspective. It took awhile but we finally found the cause to all of that glute/SI/back pain. A hip labrum that ‘looked like shredded cheese’ according to my wife, who watched the surgery. ‘But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.’ – Rocky Balboa And yes, Willow insisted on dressing like a pirate for our trip to Birmingham. ☠️
