Tommaso Ciampa is the latest wrestler in WWE to get their first name back.
During a promo on Monday night’s episode of Raw, Ciampa was back to being identified as “Tommaso Ciampa.” He had been just going by “Ciampa” since having his first name dropped this April.
Matt Riddle and Austin Theory have also gotten their first names back on WWE programming in recent weeks. PWInsider reported that “shortened names were an edict under the Vince McMahon regime that has now been reversed.” Paul “Triple H” Levesque took over WWE creative following McMahon’s retirement this July.
While in NXT, Ciampa held the NXT Championship twice and the NXT Tag Team titles once. He officially joined the WWE main roster on Raw this April.
Ciampa is currently aligned with The Miz on the main roster. Ciampa tried to help Miz win a steel cage match against United States Champion Bobby Lashley in the main event of last night’s Raw, but Miz lost after being scared by Dexter Lumis.
Tommaso Ciampa says successful neck surgery and WWE’s reduced road schedule have allowed him to perform on the main roster.
Ciampa noted in an interview with Lillian Garcia in 2019 that the “300-day” schedule for Raw and SmackDown talent was not something he was interested in. During a recent appearance on Out of Character, however, Ciampa addressed what has changed since then.
“300 days doesn’t exist anymore. So, that was big and that was something that just kind of recently became a shift,” Ciampa said regarding the WWE live event schedule. “Prior to the pandemic, it slowed, and then now it’s just a whole new game. The pandemic itself, the neck surgery, and how it all went down and I was home almost every single night of Willow’s [his daughter] first three years.”
“You build such a relationship with your child in those first few years,” he continued.
Ciampa would also say that his four-year-old daughter has traveled with him on some loops, including in Wisconsin back in June.
“Having the time at home with her for the pandemic, the schedule changing for the main roster, and interest in wrestling in general. Those were two big factors and then the success of the neck surgery.”
“I was in – I don’t want to say an abnormal amount of pain – but an abnormal amount of discomfort for years with my neck and I kept a lot of it to myself.”
Ciampa continued to say that his neck surgery was so successful, that he now feels as though he could wrestle another “10 or 20 years.”
“You don’t know the discomfort when it’s your norm, and it was my norm. So, now all of a sudden, I’m like, ‘Whoa, like I feel amazing, I’m getting back in the ring. I’m bumping. I’m having matches, we’re doing WarGames, I way overdo it in Portland just to see if I can as a personal test type of thing,” he continued.
“I’m like, ‘Wait, I thought I only had a few years left, but I might have 10 or 20 years left.’ So once you start opening that up, and you don’t put an expiration date on your career, it was like ‘okay, what do I want to accomplish?’ Because I honestly felt like when I won the NXT Title, that was it for me. I’ve hit my pinnacle, I have this crappy neck, I’m probably in my twilight.”
“Now we have this healthy neck, now we have this healthy baby, we have all this time at home, everything changed in such a great way.”
Tommaso Ciampa is dedicating his performance on WWE Raw to the first-ever United States Champion, Harley Race.
The 37-year-old will challenge Bobby Lashley for the US title on Monday’s show.
Ciampa trained with Race and performed for his World League Wrestling promotion from 2008-09. He took to social media on Monday and mentioned how much Race has meant to his career.
Tonight is dedicated to Handsome Harley, The King, the first ever United States Champion….or as I always called him “Boss”.
In 2008, when I moved to Eldon, MO to train with Harley Race, I was a lost twenty-two year old kid. I had just been released from my developmental contract, I lacked confidence, and I was battling depression.
The decision to leave home, step outside of my comfort zone, and start fresh in a new territory was horrifying to me…but it’s a risk I needed to take.
When I reflect on my career today, it’s extremely clear to me just how big of an impact Harley had on me…personally and professionally.
Harley is a no nonsense man. His mere presence demands respect…this I could tell from the moment I met him. However, as the days turned to weeks, and the weeks to months, I came to discover that Harley had a heart of gold. He cared about his students, not only in the ring but outside as well.
Harley’s confidence in me as a man and as a performer allowed me to regain confidence in myself. He allowed me to make mistakes, and he helped guide me to fix those mistakes.
Before class every day, I would try to get to the school early and I would ask Harley to watch tapes with me. Sometimes he “politely” said, “not today kid”. But sometimes the answer was yes…and I’ll tell you this, not many things compare to tape study sessions with Harley Race.
My best memory from my time training at the Harley Race Academy actually took place away from the ring. It was Thanksgiving of 2008 and I (along with many others) could not afford to travel home for the holiday. Harley invited a bunch of his students to his place for a home cooked Thanksgiving feast. He treated us as family. It was incredible!
I’m grateful for the time I spent with Harley in ’08… I wouldn’t be the man or performer I am today without him.
Harley passed away almost exactly three years ago from today. And still, I can hear his voice clear as day, “you done good kid, you done good”.
Thank you, Boss. Thank you for everything.
Race passed away at 76 years old on August 1, 2019.
Tommaso Ciampa’s first name appears to have been dropped by WWE.
On Monday night’s episode of Raw, Tommaso Ciampa was only referred to as “Ciampa” by the announcers. Kevin Raphael of TVA Sports in Quebec, Canada reported on Monday afternoon that, effective immediately, Ciampa would only be going by “Ciampa” as his in-ring name.
Ciampa turned heel on this week’s Raw, attacking the returning Mustafa Ali.
Ali defeated The Miz on Raw. After the match, Ciampa blindsided Ali on the stage.
Ciampa was officially called up to the Raw roster two weeks ago. He had his farewell match for NXT at Stand & Deliver during WrestleMania 38 weekend, losing to Tony D’Angelo.
The 36-year-old Ciampa (real name Tommaso Whitney) is going by the last name that he used on the indies and in NXT.
Dave Meltzer reported earlier this month that the reason for WWE’s recent name changes is that Vince McMahon doesn’t want anyone new using their real names anymore, nor using names that they already had on the indies.
Tommaso Ciampa says that he’s open to a comedic role in WWE and is not hard to please from a creative perspective.
During an interview with Metro UK, the 36-year-old spoke about his future on the main roster and what WWE creative may have in store for him.
“Creatively, I’m not very hard to please in the sense that I just view it as, ‘Give me five minutes and I’ll make it the best five minutes I can’, whatever that means,” Ciampa said.
“Whatever I’m asked to do. If comedy is in my future, whatever it is, I don’t know – I just look at it like, there’s no ending to this.”
“So, if I do comedy for a couple of months, it doesn’t mean after that I can’t go back and do something else I might enjoy. There’s no ending.”
With Ciampa having officially departed NXT for the main roster, it opens up the door for many potential new match-ups for him.
“Whether it’s Edge or Rey Mysterio, I’ve never really had a singles match with AJ Styles, done stuff with Roman Reigns. There’s so many – you can just go down the list forever and ever,” he continued.
Ciampa’s run in NXT lasted from 2015 until 2022. During that time, he was a two-time NXT Champion. In 2018, his rivalry with Johnny Gargano was named Feud of the Year in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards.
Tommaso Ciampa is officially part of the Raw roster.
On tonight’s show, Kevin Patrick introduced Ciampa as the newest member of the brand’s roster. However, Ezekiel interrupted and introduced himself to Ciampa, saying he was Elias’ younger brother. Kevin Owens cut Ezekiel off and insisted it was Elias. Ciampa backed up Ezekiel, which made Owens mad.
It was reported earlier today by PWInsider that Ciampa would be called up to Raw on the main roster. During WrestleMania weekend, he wrestled at NXT Stand & Deliver, losing to Tony D’Angelo. After the match, Triple H came out and embraced Ciampa as part of his farewell.
Ciampa had been part of NXT since 2015, winning the NXT Championship on two occasions and the NXT Tag Team Championship once with Johnny Gargano.
In recent weeks, Ciampa had made appearances on the main roster, mostly revolving around his feud with Dolph Ziggler that originated in NXT. On the Friday prior to WrestleMania weekend, he competed in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which was won by Madcap Moss.
Ciampa had his farewell match for NXT at Stand & Deliver during WrestleMania weekend, losing to Tony D’Angelo. The crowd chanted “Thank you Ciampa” after the match, and Paul “Triple H” Levesque appeared and embraced Ciampa as he was heading to the back.
Ciampa made appearances on Raw in recent months while he was feuding with Dolph Ziggler in NXT. Ciampa has also wrestled four times on episodes of WWE Main Event.
Ciampa was a two-time NXT Champion and one-time NXT Tag Team Champion during his time on the brand.
In a behind-the-scenes video from Stand & Deliver, Ciampa said NXT was his wrestling dream come true:
Three NXT wrestlers were called up to the WWE main roster on last Friday’s episode of SmackDown. Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser (formerly known as Marcel Barthel), and Raquel Rodriguez (Raquel Gonzalez) all joined SmackDown.
Triple H appeared at this afternoon’s NXT Stand and Deliver event, embracing Tommaso Ciampa following his match.
After Tony D’Angelo defeated Ciampa and made his exit, Ciampa got back up on his feet, with people chanting “thank you Ciampa”. As he was walking up the rampway, Triple H’s music hit as he came out and hugged Ciampa. Triple H raised Ciampa’s hand then made his exit as Ciampa posed for the crowd before leaving.
Today marked the first time since his health issues that Triple H appeared on camera at a NXT event. In August of last year, it was announced that Triple H had suffered a cardiac event due to a genetic issue. In an interview with Stephen A. Smith this week, Triple H announced that he was retiring from in-ring wrestling, noting that he now had a defibrillator in his chest.
Ciampa in recent weeks has been wrestling on the main roster, appearing on both Raw and Main Event. He competed in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal that took place on SmackDown on Friday that was won by Madcap Moss.
This week’s WWE Main Event was taped at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, before Monday’s Raw.
Veer Mahaan defeated Gary Heck (3:25)
This was another squash for Mahaan against enhancement talent, but it was a more dominant performance than in previous weeks.
Mahaan’s opponent this week was Heck who seemed to be pretty much fresh out of the box. He is reportedly WWE trainer Larry Heck’s younger brother. That’s some pretty niche trivia right there.
Apart from an unnecessary bear hug, Mahaan could have had this one wrapped up inside a couple of minutes. And, logically, that’s what they should be doing with him. Each week these squashes get slightly shorter, but Mahaan never just plows through the guy.
Heck got in some clubbing forearms in the last minute, but this was very much Mahaan by numbers. He nailed Heck with a running splash to the corner before hitting the Million Dollar Arm and finishing him with the DDT.
Mahaan is now undefeated in twelve straight and getting slightly better, but still no closer to debuting on the main roster.
Tommaso Ciampa defeated T-Bar (5:58)
Ciampa went 3-0 against T-Bar in a match that we really don’t need to be seeing again anytime soon.
Ciampa seems to be nomadic these days as he bounces between NXT, sporadic Raw appearances, and working Main Event. This was his fourth outing on the show and he remains a popular face with the crowd.
When he and T-Bar go at it, it looks pretty stiff, but this was probably the weakest of the three bouts they have had together on this show.
In all three matches, it’s been left with Ciampa getting his hand raised but never felt very definitive or conclusive. The same was true here.
The match was balanced and then went down to near falls. T-Bar landed the Eyes Wide Shut, but Ciampa kicked out. Ciampa went for the Fairy Tale Ending, but couldn’t maneuver T-Bar into it. So, in the end, it was a reversal into a high knee that got it done for Ciampa as he rolled T-Bar up for the win.
The crowd got behind this a little, which was nice. T-Bar looked on disgruntled after the loss while Ciampa waved him bye-bye and blew him a kiss.
Final Thoughts:
Main Event continues to be just a show with little to write home about. What should be the most interesting storyline — when Mahaan will make his main roster debut — has gone on for so long now that it’s just farcical.
In the main event of last night’s Roadblock edition of NXT, Dolph Ziggler won the NXT Championship by defeating Bron Breakker and Tommaso Ciampa in a triple threat match. Breakker lost the title without being pinned.
Breakker speared Ziggler and gave him a powerslam near the end of the match, but Robert Roode pulled the referee out of the ring. Breakker then went outside of the ring to attack Roode. When Breakker came back in, Ciampa capitalized by hitting Willow’s Bell and the Fairytale Ending on him. Ziggler pushed Ciampa out of the way and went for the pin himself, but Breakker kicked out.
Ciampa sent Ziggler out of the ring and then took out Breakker with a knee strike. But Ziggler got back into the ring, superkicked Ciampa, and pinned him to win the title.
Ziggler is now NXT Champion heading into Stand & Deliver during WrestleMania weekend.
On the road to Stand & Deliver, a special episode of NXT takes place tonight.
A triple threat NXT Championship match will headline NXT Roadblock tonight. Bron Breakker defends his title against Dolph Ziggler and Tommaso Ciampa in a triple threat match.
With help from Robert Roode, Ziggler defeated Ciampa two weeks ago to become the number one contender to Breakker’s title. But Ciampa was added into the championship picture after he pinned Ziggler in a tag team match last week. Breakker & Ciampa defeated Ziggler & Roode.
Breakker & Ciampa vs. Ziggler & Roode also took place on last night’s Raw, with Breakker & Ciampa again getting the win.
A Tag Team title match is also set for tonight’s show. Imperium’s Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner will put their NXT Tag Team titles on the line against The Creed Brothers (Julius & Brutus Creed).
The Creed Brothers earned tonight’s title shot by winning the 2022 men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
Plus, LA Knight takes on Grayson Waller in a Last Man Standing match. Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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The show opens with a video package set to music hyping the Roadblock triple threat main event.
A semifinals match in the Dusty Classic kicks off the show.
Wendy Choo & Dakota Kai defeat Cora Jade & Raquel Gonzalez to advance into the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic final
Kai pins Gonzalez to win the match. TKai & Choo now advance to the tournament final. Toxic Attraction attacks Gonzalez during the match to injury her, in turn costing Gonzalez & Jade the match.
The Toxic Attraction tio watch the bout from couch on a stage, before two of them end up interfering later on.
Probably the least amount of comedy involving Choo than any of her character’s matches so far. It was also probably Choo’s best match since adopting the sleepy character.
Some gaga early on when Choo went to sleep after a drop down, but it was a trick. Choo sprang to her feet to grab a headlock. Gonzalez easily countered into an airplane spin, and then quite literally dropped Choo on the mat.
Kai is able to tag in. She and Choo with a double team. They work over Jade, and they keep her from tagging not. Armadillo roll with both tied up in a small package.
The fight spills outside, leading to Gonzalez squaring off with Kai. Before they could rekindle their rivalry, a sneak attack on Gonzalez. Gigi Dolan and Jacy Jayne run down to ringside. Dolan with a Tony Harding on Gonzalez, striking her in the knee with a foreign object.
Gonzalez is down selling her knee as the show cuts to a commercial break. Medical staff in storyline clear Gonzalez to wrestle during the break. Meanwhile, Jade make a comeback as the show returns.
Outnumbered, Jade is soon cut off. Gonzalez eventually pulls herself to the apron in her corner. Hot tag to a hobbled Gonzalez. She still cleans house.
Kai manages to counter Gonzalez, until she began to apparently hear voices or something. The announcers call it as she in conflicted, facing her former friend. Hesitation by Kai allows Gonzalez to attempt her finisher, but Gonzalez buckles as her injured knee gives out.
Kai with a face wash. Choo leaps backwards off the top rope for a super Vader splash. Kai follows up with a double stomp off the top, and Kai covers Gonzalez for a three count.
Tommaso Ciampa cuts a great promo during a pre-taped segment.
Commentators Vic Joseph and Wade Barrett plug tickets going on sale for Stand & Deliver in Dallas.
The Creed Brothers were attacked in the parking lot by unknown assailants.
Fallon Henley defeats Tiffany Stratton
Henley pins Stratton after outside interference by Sarray. Stratton is struck from behind by a knee from Sarray. That leads to Henley hitting a running knee strike, and she covers Stratton for an upset pinfall.
Framed like a showcase match, Henley did not even get an entrance. She at least has theme music that played after she won the match. Briggs & Jensen carry Henley on their shoulders to celebrate the victory.
Settle in for a long series of talking segments.
Chase University skit features Andre Chase cursing at a student, and throwing a basketball at him. The student dared to ask about Bodhi Hayward’s blackened eye. This sent Chase into a rage.
NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes and Trick Williams are featured in a skit from a barber shop. Not Brutus’ barber shop, and no broken windows. Just some character development for Hayes and Williams ahead of the multi-person ladder match for Hayes’ championship at Stand & Deliver.
Nikkita Lyons guests on Lashing Out with Lash Legend
Legend begins the sit-down interview by asking a snarky question about Lyon’s parents. In storyline her father was a musician, and her mother was a groupie.
Legends insults Lyon’s mom with a question about her being everyone’s groupie. Lyons shrugs off the question, saying her mom taught her not to be judgmental.
The conversation gets heated from there. Legends insults Lyons some more, and Legend stands up to berate Lyons. Legends accuses Lyons of having butt implants. Lyons gets out of her seat to say she is all natural.
Lyons says the only thing all natural about Legend is that she is full of s***, which was bleeped out. The pre-taped segments ends with Lyons and Legend arguing in each other’s face.
NXT Tag Team Champions Imperium in a backstage interview with McKenzie Mitchell discuss The Creeds getting attacked. MSK interrupt to challenge Imperium for a title match, offering to take the place of the Creed Brothers.
Briggs & Jensens bicker with Legado del Fantasma. That concludes the talking segments for now. Back to the wrestling matches, and up next is a gimmick match to settle a grudge.
Grayson Waller defeats LA Knight in a last man standing match
Waller wins after a flying elbow drop through the announce desk in a highspot for the highlight reel.
Knight attacks Waller during Waller’s entrance. The match begins with Knight pummeling Waller. Knight pulls out plunder from underneath the ring. The fight continues on the floor, where Waller is sent crashing into the ring steps.
From there they settled into a match inside the ring. Weapons did not factor much into the match until later. Waller cuts off Knight, regaining his heat. The crowd played their role really well, cheering Knight like a superstar babyface.
Knight begins to make a comeback when Waller whacks him with a metal trash can. The show cuts to a split-screen commercial break. Waller uses a a trash can lid to punish Knight during the break. Waller also sets up a table at ringside.
The fight spills onto other parts of the soundstage. They brawl and crawl their way atop a scaffold. Knight knocks Waller off the scaffold, and Waller falls out of sight.
Sanga appears basically out of nowhere, and he carries Waller back to ringside. Knight whacks Sanga in the back with a chair. Sanga no-sells and rages like a pissed off grizzly bear. Sanga gives Knight a chokelsam on the apron.
Knight conveniently finds a pair of handcuffs, and he cuffs Sanga to a ring post. Knight then fires up for a comeback. Waller blocks Knight’s finisher with a thumb to the eye. Knight counters Waller, and he throws Waller from the ring through a table on the floor.
Weapons really become a factor, as Knight blasts Waller and Sanga with chair shots. Knight clears off the announce desk. Waller pulls out a Stevie Ray slapjack, and hits Knight with it. Knight is laid out on the announce booth.
Waller leaps high into stratosphere off the top rope, and he lands a flying elbow that buries Knight through the desk. Double down with both trying to get to their feet. Sanga with an assist as Waller uses Sanga to pull himself to his feet.
Waller is up for the ten count, while Knight cannot get to his feet in time. Waller is declared the winner.
NXT Champion Bron Breakker cuts a promo in a pre-taped segment that hypes the main event on tonight’s show.
Tony D’Angelo with a promo during a vignette declares himself the new don of NXT, and he is promising something big for Stand & Deliver.
NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose is laying on the couch ready to watch the next match. Her attendants are now Edris Enofe and Malik Blade, after those two apparently attacked the other two attendants.
Io Shirai & Kay Lee Ray defeat Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter to advance into the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic final
Shirai pins Catanzaro to win the match. Shirai & KLR advance to face Choo & Kai in the tournament final. Wild and fast paced match with a ton of action.
Lots of action early often in this bout. Catanzaro & Carter got to shine just before the show cut to a commercial break.
Crazy tower of down spot where Catanzaro executes a doomsday poison rana with KLR on the shoulders of Carter. The soundstage is buzzing after that spot. Shirai jumps in to break up the pinfall.
The tide soon turns. KLR with a Gory Bomb on Catanzaro, and Shirai follows up with a moonsault press. Shirai then covers Catanzaro for a pinfall.
Mandy Rose was applauding the win when she is attacked by Cora Jade. They have a brief pull-apart brawl.
Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta bicker in a backstage skit. They argue over Duke Hudson, who is dating Pirotta. Hartwell is so mad she challenges Pirotta to match next week. Pirotta accepts the challenges, and then she passionately makes out with Hudson after Hartwell storms off.
Tiffany Stratton in a backstage interview with McKenzie Mitchell threatens Sarray. Stratton and Sarray meet in a match next Tuesday on NXT.
Imperium (Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner) vs. MSK (Nash Carter & Wes Lee) for the NXT Tag Team Championship went to a no contest
The match is thrown out when The Creed Brothers run in to attack both teams.
Hard hitting strikes and great wrestling in this bout. Imperium look like ring veterans, and MSK remain an exciting and fiery duo.
When Imperium seemingly had an advantage at times, MSK would explode with offense that shifts the momentum.
The crowd at one point began to chant for the Creeds. Foreshadowing by the crowd as The Creed Brothers soon ran in to attack everyone in the match.
Julius & Brutus Creed are out there suplexing people like Taz in ’96. Some of the suplexes were even scary. The Creeds proceed to wreck shop and stand tall like Stone Cold in ’99.
Joe Gacy and Harland interrupt Draco Anthony while he is working out. Gacy is again offering Anthony to join them. Xyon Quinn barges in to tell Anthony to live his own life. This skit seems to set a tag match in the near future.
A-Kid announces in a great vignette that he is coming to NXT 2.0, and he debuts on the show next Tuesday.
Jacket Time in a skit after the A-Kid vignette reveals that Kushida is set to face A-Kid in the debut match next week.
Dolph Ziggler defeats Tommaso Ciampa and Bron Breakker in a triple threat match to win the NXT Championship
Ziggler pins Ciampa after interference from Robert Roode. Ziggler wins the title in a great match. Breakker is protected by not having to take the fall.
The outcome seemingly leads to Breakker looking to regain the title at Stand & Deliver in a singles match against Ziggler.
Ziggler rolls outside at the start of the match, leaving Breakker and Ciampa to fight each other.
As his big push continues, Breakker looks like a superstar. Helping in that are two ring veterans like Ziggler and Ciampa. They are so smooth in the ring.
Breakker displays his strength with a double suplex where he lifts Ziggler and Ciampa. The inexperience of Breakker plays into the story of the match as he is crotches and tossed outside.
Meanwhile, Ziggler and Ciampa put on clinic that highlights the WWE style. Great stuff from them, leading to Ciampa getting to shine after a dive to the outside.
Triple down with all three on the mat selling as the show cuts to a split-screen commercial break. Ziggler is reigning down punches on Ciampa as the show returns from the break.
Ziggler is dispatched by a suplex from Breakker, leaving Breakker to square with Ciampa. Breakker pulls down the strap before he locks in the Steiner Recliner.
Spoofing a spot from the famous three way dance at The Night the Line Was Crossed in ECW, Ziggler jumps in to apply a sleeper on Breakker while Breakker is still applying the Recliner on Ciampa.
They all three trade strikes. Breakker is knocked off the apron. Ziggler executes a Famouser and a Zig-Zag on Cimapa. Ciampa kicks out for a close near fall. Moments later, Ciampa fires up to get a near fall on Ziggler.
Ciampa went for a Fairy Tale Ending on Ziggler, but Breakker blocks it by rushing in to hit Ciampa witha spear. Breakker blocks an attempted Zig-Zag, and he runs through Ziggler with a spear.
Breakker gives Ziggler his finisher (gorilla press into a press slam), and Breakker covers him. Robert Roode runs down to pull the referee out of the ring, breaking the count. Breakker’s legs were under the bottom rope anyways, but the ref had ignored that.
Breakker being distracted allows for Ciampa to deliver a Willow’s Bell on the champ. Fairy Tale Ending by Ciampa and he goes for a cover. Ziggler shoves Ciampa aside and tried to steal a pin. Breakker nonetheless kicks out for a great false finish.
Ciampa throws Ziggler outside the ring, and Ciampa pulls down a knee pad. Ciampa goes for the running knee on the champ, but Roode pulls Breakker out of the ring.
Ciampa then turns around and walks into a superkick from Ziggler. A three count later and Ziggler wins the match, becoming the new NXT Champion.
A new development in the NXT Championship picture took place last night.
Dolph Ziggler, the number one contender to Bron Breakker’s NXT Championship, was pinned by Tommaso Ciampa during a tag team match on last night’s NXT. With that, it was later announced that both Ziggler and Ciampa will get the next shot at Breakker’s title. Breakker will defend against Ziggler and Ciampa in a triple threat match on a special “Roadblock” edition of NXT next Tuesday.
As Ziggler was on Breakker’s shoulders, Ciampa hit a bulldog from the top rope near the end of last night’s match. Roode broke up the pin, but Ciampa ended up hitting the Fairytale Ending on Ziggler to get the victory.
Roadblock will also feature Imperium vs. The Creed Brothers for the NXT Tag Team titles, along with a Last Man Standing match between LA Knight and Grayson Waller.
Carmelo Hayes put his NXT North American Championship on the line in last night’s main event, retaining against Pete Dunne. Hayes announced after the match that he’ll defend his title in a ladder match at NXT Stand & Deliver during WrestleMania weekend this April.
Plus, Raquel Gonzalez & Cora Jade and Wendy Choo & Dakota Kai advanced in the 2022 women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Those two teams will meet in the semifinals of the tournament.
Three big matches have been scheduled for NXT Roadblock next Tuesday.
Bron Breakker will defend the NXT Championship in a triple threat match against Dolph Ziggler and Tommaso Ciampa. The match had originally been a singles bout between Breakker and Ziggler. Ciampa was added to the match after he pinned Ziggler tonight when he and Breakker defeated The Dirty Dawgz in a tag match.
The NXT Tag Team Championships will also be on the line next week. Imperium’s Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner will defend against the winners of the 2022 Men’s Dusty Rhodes Classic, The Creed Brothers.
The rivalry between LA Knight and Grayson Waller will continue at NXT Roadblock as well. Knight challenged Waller to a Last Man Standing match on tonight’s episode and the match was later made official.
The lineup for NXT Roadblock next week is as follows:
NXT Champion Bron Breakker will defend against Dolph Ziggler and Tommaso Ciampa in a triple threat match.
NXT Tag Team Champions Imperium will defend against The Creed Brothers
LA Knight vs. Grayson Waller in a Last Man Standing match
The NXT Champion and his next challenger will face off in tag team action to kick off tonight’s NXT.
In the opening match of tonight’s show, Bron Breakker will team with Tommaso Ciampa against Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode. With Roode’s help, Ziggler defeated Ciampa last week to become the number one contender to Breakker’s NXT Championship.
The NXT North American Championship will be on the line in tonight’s main event. Carmelo Hayes puts his title on the line against Pete Dunne.
Gunther will be in action as he faces Solo Sikoa tonight, Andre Chase battles Von Wagner, and Draco Anthony takes on Harland.
Plus, the first round of the 2022 women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will conclude tonight. Raquel Gonzalez & Cora Jade are facing Yulisa Leon & Valentina Feroz, while Wendy Choo & Dakota Kai are set to take on Indi Hartwell & Persia Pirotta. The winning teams will advance to face each other in the semifinals.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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The show opens with the entrance of Bron Breakker and Tommaso Ciampa as a tag team. They enter to Breakker’s theme song, and Ciampa is wearing a singlet to match Breakker’s gear.
Ciampa is basically playing a Steiner, although the Steiner name is of course never mentioned. He and Bron would soon even bark together.
Robert Roode enters as his “Glorious” theme rings out, and then out comes Dolph Ziggler. The entrances soon came to a screeching halt.
Breakker and Ciampa jump the heels during the heel’s entrance. The fight is on, and the guys in singlets ran wild. They then barked like Rick Steiner, and the crowd joined in unison. The match then officially begins.
NXT Champion Bron Breakker & Tommaso Ciampa defeat Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode
Ciampa pins Ziggler to win a really good tag match. It was great fun while it lasted.
The babyfaces were kicking butt until the heels cause a distraction. Roode distracts Breakker, and Ziggler is able to deliver a Zig Zag. Breakker kicks out at two, but he begins to get worked over soon thereafter.
The veteran heels cut the ring in half, keeping Breakker from making a tag. Breakker eventually tags out to Ciampa, who comes in like a house of fire. Down come the singlet straps. He means business.
Ciampa is cut off just before the show cuts to a commercial break. The heels with the advantage as the show returns from the break, but the tide quickly shifts.
Ziggler is catapulted out of the ring by Ciampa. Ciampa crawls to make a tag. Just as he about to tag out, Roode pulls Breakker off the ring apron. Roode then sends Breakker over the barricade into the first row of fans.
Ciampa is unable to tag, and he is alone in the ring against two heels. Double teams moves, but Ciampa still has fight in him. He kicks out.
Roode begins playing to the crowd. He pays for it when Ciampa hits a jumping knee strike out of nowhere. Ziggler is able to tag in, but he unable to keep Ciampa from tagging his fresh partner.
Hot tag to Breakker, and he explodes into a ring. Overhead suplexes toss the heels around like cord wood. Breakker spears Ziggler plum near out of his boots.
They tease a Steiner Brothers finish. Ciampa leaps off the top rope with a flying bulldog on Ziggler, who was being held in an electric chair by Breakkers. Ciampa covers Zigglers, but Roode breaks up the pin at the last second. Great save.
Ziggler almost catches Ciampa with a roll-up. Ciampa delivers a Fairy Tale Ending on Ziggler, and Ciampa covers Ziggler for a clean pinfall. That was a really fun match to watch.
LA Knight is backstage on his way to cut a promo, but first he cuts a promo to tease the upcoming promo. ‘
Gunther in a vignette threatens Solo Sikoa ahead of their match later tonight.
Last man standing match set for next week
LA Knight is in the ring for a monologue. He is really trying to get over his “yeeeah” catchphrase. For what it is worth, that is working with the crowd there on the soundstage.
Knight begins to run down the recent history between him and Grayson Waller. Knight is soon interrupted when Waller interrupts him. Waller, flanked by Sanga, insults Knight from a perch overlooking the ring.
They trade barbs. Knight challenges Waller to a last man standing match. Waller accepts the challenge, and Waller agrees to face Knight in a last man standing match next Tuesday on NXT.
Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta were in a locker room getting ready for their match. Pirotta is texting with Duke Hudson, and Hartwell wants to know is she is focused on their match. Pirotta says she is of course focused, but she runs back to her locker to get her phone. She had to text Hudson one more time. They then head to the ring for a tournament match.
Dakota Kai & Wendy Choo defeat Indi Hartwell & Persia Pirotta to advance in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
Kai pins Pirotta to win the match. Kai & Choo now advance out of the first round into the semifinals.
The tease of dissension continues between Hartwell & Pirotta. A split seems near.
Much like the skit before it, the match itself involves comedy. Lots of gaga, but the tone somewhat shifts after Choo is cut off.
Hot tag because WWE only has one style of tag matches. Kai proceeds to clean house after the hot tag. Pirotta cuts her off, and she gets a near fall. Choo jumps in to make a save.
Pirotta is isolated by tandem offense. Choo with a Vader bomb off the top rope on Pirotta. Kai follows up by leaping off the top with a double foot stomp on Pirotta. Kai then pins Pirotta.
USA Network cuts to a commercial break right in the middle of Vic Joseph on commentary throwing to something.
A video package highlights the feud between Imperium and The Creed Brothers. The up-and-comers next Tuesday challenge Imperium for the NXT Tag Team Championship.
Besides the title match, made official for next week on NXT is a last man standing match with LA Knight against Grayson Waller.
Lash Legend defeats Amari Miller
Legend pins Miller after some sort of fireman’s carry slam. It did not look good. This match had no business being on live television. It does no one any favors. Miller was reportedly stretchered out of the ring after the match.
Legend is clearly getting a push, and she was put over strong in this match.
Miller and Legend split as teammates last week after losing a tournament match. A bad skit aired before the match, which showed their breakup from last week.
Solo Sikoa cut a good promo ahead of his match that is up next. But first, another bad skit.
Briggs & Jensen get into a brief argument backstage with Elektra Lopez. Briggs & Jensen were made to look like redneck goofs. Cringe.
Gunther defeats Solo Sikoa
Gunther pins Sikoa clean in their grudge match.
Gunther is not only adapting into a new name, he has a newer style in the ring that fits more with WWE television programming. Not that is is bad, it just is not WALTER.
Gunther works over Sikoa. They did trade some hard chops throughout the match. Sikoa makes a comeback, and Sikoa leaps off the apron into a flying body press on the floor. Sikoa missed a Superfly splash into the ring, and it cost him the match.
Gunther locks in a sleeper, and he transitions into delivering two powerbombs. Gunther goes on to cover Sikoa for a pinfall.
McKenzie Mitchell was interviewing Dolph Ziggler when Tommaso Ciampa storms in to argue with Ziggler. NXT Champion Bron Breakker enters the scene, and he says he could kick both of their asses. This seems to set up a triple threat title match. The match is soon made official for next Tuesday on NXT, making next week a loaded line-up so far.
More backstage drama as Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta are upset over their tournament loss. Duke Hudson consoles Pirotta, and things get a bit awkward for Hartwell.
Harland (with Joe Gacy) defeats Draco Anthony
Harland pins Anthony in a glorified squash match. Anthony put up a fight, but Harland is a monster. The character remains mostly one dimensional.
Gacy smiles at Harland after the match, as if to give him permission. So Harland hugs Anthony. Making amends I guess.
NXT North American Champion Carmelo Anthony & Trick Williams cut a good promo ahead of the title match later on tonight.
Raquel Gonzalez & Cora Jade vs. Yulisa Leon & Valentina Feroz in Dusty Classic first round match
Gonzalez & Jade win to advance in the tournament. Gonzalez & Jade now move on to the semifinals. Short tag match, but it was fun to watch.
Leon & Feroz got to shine with some big dives to the outside. They isolate Jade, keeping from making a tag. That leads to a hot tag, because like as noted previously, WWE basically has one style of tag match.
Gonzalez cleans house after a hot tag. Gonzalez delivers her signature one arm powerbomb. Gonzalez slams Jade on Leon, and Jade scores a pinfall.
Gonzalez & Jade advance to the semifinals where they meet Dakota Kai & Wendy Choo. The other semifinal match has Io Shirai & Kay Lee Ray against Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter. The winners of those matches meet in the tournament final.
Tiffany Stratton assaults Sarray backstage. Lame skit, but it seems to set up a match between Stratton and Sarray.
Tony D’Angelo in a pre-taped promo says he will became a “made man” at Stand & Deliver. His opponent will “sleep with the fishes.”
Von Wagner (with Robert Stone) defeats Andre Chase (with Bodhi Hayward)
Wagner pins Chase. Most lame finish on the show by far. Wagner sort of looked strong in winning, but who did he really beat? Especially considering Chase is made to look like such a geek.
Chase seems to be the babyface in this match, but his character is very annoying. His character is also pretty dumb for a university professor.
Hayward is arguing at ringside with Robert Stone. Chase is seemingly winning the match when he leaves the ring to put himself in the middle of the argument. A scuffle soon develops, where Hayward is struck in the eye by Wagner.
Hayward sells big, and Chase is concerned with his student. Hayward tells him to finish the match. Chase slides back into the ring, and he is mowed down and pinned by Wagner.
Nikkita Lyons challenges Lash Legend to what is basically a face-to-face talking segment.
Announced for next Tuesday, which is being billed as “NXT Roadblock”:
NXT Champion Bron Breakker defends his title in a triple threat match against Dolph Ziggler and Bron Breakker
NXT Tag Team Champions Imperium defend against challengers The Creed Brothers
Last Man Standing: LA Knight vs. Grayson Waller
NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes (with Trick Williams) defeats Pete Dunne to retain his title
Hayes pins Dunne to retain. Great bout that could have been even better if given a little more time.
They trade strikes and lariats in the opening minutes. Hayes takes a awkward-looking X-plex. The match was just beginning to really heat up when the show cut to a split-screen commercial break.
Back-and-forth action continues after the commercial break, but the match also intensifies.
Hulking himself up, Dunne lights a fire within. He explodes with strikes. Hayes goes for a springboard, but Dunne knocks him out of the air for a near fall.
Dunne applies on ankle lock, which signals the beginning of the end. They go into a series of counters. Dunne executes The Bitter End, yet Hayes manages to roll away to avoid a pinning attempt.
Dunne goes for a triangle, and it backfires. Maneuvered into the ropes (which of course should have been a rope break), Dunne is slingshotted into the ropes.
Hayes launches into La Mistica, yet Dunne is able to use joint locks to break Hayes’ grip.
They fight with both perched on the turnbuckles. Trick Williams interferes, and Dunne snaps Williams’ fingers. Dunne shoved off the ropes, and his is hit by a guillotine legdrop by Hayes. Three count later, and Hayes retains the title.
Hayes after the match announces he will defend his title in a ladder match at Stand & Deliver in Dallas.
The new music replaced Ciampa’s old “No One Will Survive” theme. In an Instagram post addressing the change, Ciampa said he likes the new music and its message of “Fight To Survive.” Ciampa wrote that he’d much rather spread that message than “No One Will Survive.”
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Personally, I like the new music. More importantly, I love the message: ‘fight to survive’. It resonates with me on a deeper level. We all face our own struggles in life, obstacles we must overcome, we all have our own ‘fight’ …whether that’s a battle with mental health, cancer, a physical disability, self doubt, or anything else… we must always choose to ‘fight to survive’.
Over the past few years, I’ve become far more active with charities and non profits like Give Kids the World Village. The pandemic has swept the nation. And to be quite honest, with the current state of things, I’d much rather spread a message like ‘fight to survive’ than ‘no one will survive’. I sure as heck would rather teach my daughter that lesson.
I’ve been in this business for 17 years now. My platform has never been bigger than it is right now. My moment is now, literally and metaphorically. And everyday, I choose to ‘fight to survive’.
Ciampa has made three appearances on Raw during his recent feud against Dolph Ziggler. He defeated Roode on last night’s show but was then attacked by Ziggler and Roode after the match.
A tag team match with Bron Breakker & Ciampa facing Ziggler & Roode will kick off tonight’s episode of NXT. Last week, Ziggler defeated Ciampa to become the number one contender to Breakker’s NXT Championship.
Ciampa has also wrestled on three episodes of WWE Main Event over the last several weeks.
