Tommaso Ciampa: WWE NXT Will Be Discussed As The A-Show Again Within Six Months
"People thought NXT was dead, like we were attending a funeral. That’s already changed.”
With NXT’s evolution into NXT 2.0, many fans and critics alike declared that WWE’s black and gold brand was dead with it refocussing its energy into being more of a true developmental territory. However, NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa doesn’t see it that way.
“I’m embracing the change,” Ciampa said to Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso “It reminds me so much of the NXT that I fell in love with before even arriving to the company. It’s exciting watching people develop right in front of your eyes. And here I am, NXT champion of this new, very colorful, loud, in-your-face NXT 2.0. I’m staring at an extremely exciting opportunity. There are guys like Bron Breakker and Von Wagner. There’s Kyle O’Reilly and Pete Dunne. There is also a draft coming up in a few weeks. Survivor Series is right around the corner. I look at Roman Reigns, I look at Big E, and I think, ‘I might be sharing the ring with these guys.’ That range of competitors is incredible, and I get to be the face of this rebranding.
“I made a real case in 2018 for NXT to be the A-show. That’s SmackDown right now. But I look at the roster we have in NXT, so give us three months, give us six months, and we’re going to be back in that discussion. I want to make the NXT title the most prestigious title in all of sports entertainment, and I am very confident I can do that.”
Far from calling NXT dead, Ciampa is focusing on the renewed energy in the locker-room and how NXT performers old and new alike can combine to put on a great show:
"People thought NXT was dead, like we were attending a funeral. That’s already changed, and the entire atmosphere and energy has already shifted. People know what it’s like when Tommaso Ciampa holds the NXT title. It’s going to be different than before, but that energy is back. So for anyone worried about NXT 2.0, remember that the locker hasn’t changed. Neither has our passion. This is a responsibility for us to represent NXT and pro wrestling to the absolute best. We’re going to have young, hungry people, and veterans of the craft like Kyle, Pete, Roderick Strong and Kushida - and we’re all here to prove we are the very best.”
