Tommaso Ciampa is living his WrestleDream in AEW

Tommaso Ciampa is living the dream. Since arriving in AEW in January of 2026, the former WWE and NXT star has been having phenomenal matches and traveling the world with his family. His dream year culminates in Ciampa’s “own backyard,” as he takes on a very familiar face from his time in NXT: Andrade El Idolo, for the AEW National Championship at WrestleDream. Ciampa teamed up with Samoa Joe to face Will Ospreay and Andrade on AEW Dynamite, Wednesday — and I had the opportunity to sit down and talk to him about the upcoming match, his history in wrestling, and what the switch to AEW has meant to him. One thing that sticks with you in talking to Tommaso Ciampa is the complete understanding he has of the wrestling business, and his current place in it. Profoundly complimentary of other wrestlers, Ciampa speaks candidly about how glad he is to have come up in a different era. “If I came up in today’s era with such heavy social media influence, I don’t know if I’d even know how to navigate it,” Ciampa says. “I’m very lucky I came up during a time where you just went to class, put in the work, and put in the reps to get where you needed to go. If it relied on social media presence alone, I don’t think I would have done very well.” There aren’t many active wrestlers who can say they had the opportunity to train with titans like Killer Kowalski and Harley Race, but Ciampa did just that coming up in the New England indies, working for promotions like Chaotic Wrestling and Top Rope Promotions, where he cut his teeth in the business. “Killer would always invite us out to lunch after class and chat with us for as long as we wanted to answer questions. He was a huge influence on my style and approach. ‘Make the people believe’ was his main quote that he would repeat, so I’ve taken that to heart.” It’s what’s come to differentiate this era of Ciampa’s “Psycho Killer” persona, and he sees his WrestleDream fight against Andrade being very different to the standout matches the two faced off in while in NXT. “Right now we’re seeing the very best Andrade we’ve ever seen,” Ciampa says, pointing out that not only is his opponent having phenomenal matches, but has been making a mammoth impact with his new persona, and “How you know?” catchphrase, which has quickly become one of the most popular in AEW. “I was in a three-way with him in Mexico at Arena Mexico, him and Komander, and the response when his music hit was just insane.” There’s no question that Andrade enters this weekend as the fan-favorite, something Ciampa knows — but he believes the biggest pressure on both wrestlers comes from within. “It’s a fun mesh of two guys who are just hungry, have chips on their shoulders, and have a lot to prove to themselves — probably even more so than to others. But our paths have kind of been parallel at times, and right now it’s a fun place for them to intertwine.” Those crossing paths are something that’s impossible to overlook when reflecting on Tommaso Ciampa joining AEW. He has extensive experience with people all across his career in the indies and Ring of Honor, now finding himself back in a promotion alongside them. Ciampa was part of a stable in ROH with Prince Nana, he had notable feuds with Hangman Adam Page and Roderick Strong, and credits Samoa Joe for introducing him to his wife. Now he shares a locker room with all these familiar faces, albeit at a different time in his career. “You share the road with someone, or cars, hotels, or locker rooms for three months, six months, or a few years, and then you separate and go your own ways to different territories or promotions. Then you come back, and it’s just like an old high school friend,” Ciampa says. “I remember the first time Mark Briscoe and I saw each other again — you just give each other a big hug, and you’re right back where you were, catching up on families and getting right back into the same chatter. It’s been the smoothest transition possible.” The biggest factor in that transition was making sure it was a good fit with his family, especially his eight-year-old daughter Willow, who has been featured on AEW cheering on her dad. Joining the promotion has not just meant getting in the ring again with old friends, but opening new opportunities. “The amount of times we’ve traveled together: London, Scotland, Montreal. My hope is to get them out to Mexico next time, or even France, ‘cause it was so cool out there too. We’ve been doing a lot of trips. Willow and my wife came to Chicago and she had her big on-screen moment with Okada. There’s so many things that have happened in the last 10 months that wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t make the move when we did. Looking back at it all, it’s incredible to think of the experiences that we’re all gaining, specifically Willow, because a lot of what I do nowadays is pretty much all for her. It’s just been a total blessing.” The one place in the world that Ciampa doesn’t have extensive experience with is Japan, and outside of a WWE house show he’s yet to face some of the best talent there. When asked about the burgeoning AEW invasion of NJPW there was one name that sprung to mind when I asked who he’d like to wrestle down there. “Shingo [Takagi] always jumps out at me as someone I’ve always wanted to share a ring with,” he says. “I don’t know that my body or personal life at this point bodes well for a full-on tour or G1 Tournament, but doing a show here or there, or three shows, I’d be 100% open to that.” A mixture of gratitude and reflection are the driving forces in Ciampa’s life, which as always leads me to ask wrestlers my favorite question about their personal Mt. Rushmore of pro wrestling, not the best performers in their eyes — but the four people who have shaped them the most. “Number one would be Ivar (aka Handsome Johnny), because we came up together in Chaotic Wrestling (now New England Pro Wrestling Academy). Nobody has had more impact or influence on me as a wrestler given the sheer hours we spent in rings and cars together. Second is Todd “Fat Pants” Sinclair, the ROH senior official. We came up in the same school, and he had more impact on my wrestling psychology than anybody, probably to this day. Third is Shawn Michaels for the impact he had on me during my time in NXT, doing scout sessions with him and learning from genuinely one of the greatest to ever do it. He taught me things no one else could because no one else performed at his level. And fourth is Johnny Gargano. We spent 10 or 11 years together. When we first got to NXT, he was in his wheelhouse as an underdog babyface, while I was furthest from mine. I leaned heavily on him to trust that he could pull the wagon long enough for us to get our footing so I could step into the heel role. If he hadn’t carried the load early on and gotten ‘Johnny Wrestling’ over, I don’t know that any of this would have happened for either of us.” Ciampa’s 21-year wrestling career enters a new chapter at WrestleDream on Saturday, where he’ll attempt to capture his first taste of AEW gold against Andrade El Idolo. Regardless of what happens, Tommaso Ciampa is comfortable, secure, and loving his life in pro wrestling. That matters more than belts. AEW WrestleDream airs live at 8 p.m. ET on PPV. It can be streamed through HBO Max, Prime Video, or YouTube in the United States, with the preshow beginning at 7 p.m. ET free on YouTube.

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