Tommaso Ciampa Loses First Name, Turns Heel On WWE Raw

Tommaso Ciampa returned to Monday Night Raw on this week's episode from Knoxville, Tennessee and like many other talents, the two-time NXT Champion lost his first name on the main roster. 

The Blackheart appeared on the show following the returning Mustafa Ali's win over The Miz and Ciampa levelled Ali on the stage as he made his way to the back, turning heel in the process.

WWE broadcasters made sure to only refer to Ciampa by his surname too and Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful confirmed Ciampa's name has officially been shortened. 

The former NXT Champion is just the latest WWE talent to undergo a name change following a Vince McMahon memo and Austin Theory, Zack Gibson, and James Drake have all had their names shortened in recent weeks. Raquel Gonzalez, Marcel Barthel, and Kacy Catanzaro have also had their in-ring name's altered. 

Ciampa made regular appearances on Raw in February and March but Monday was his first time on the show since he departed NXT at Stand & Deliver over WrestleMania Weekend.