Tommaso Ciampa believes the current era of NXT is similar to the first.
Tommaso Ciampa would make his NXT debut during the golden age of NXT, as he would debut alongside Johnny Gargano as a tag team. The pair would become DIY, and would go on to have an incredible run not only as a team, but heated rivals in a blood feud. The rivalry is one of the most iconic of the NXT black and gold era, and has left Ciampa and Gargano feeling an immense love for the brand.
Now, the brand has began to carry some heavy traction not only in quality, but in the ratings. The show is set to go head to head with AEW Dynamite: Title Tuesday tonight, and the show has been loaded to do so.
Speaking to WWE After The Bell, Ciampa commented on the current state of NXT, saying that it is very similar to the first.
“I actually stopped by the Performance Center (last week) and the vibe there, and the energy, it’s exactly what it used to be. It had a tough stint, it had a tough time with 2.0, the adjustments, the color scheme changes, the vibe was different for a while. It’s hungry again, it’s competitive again, it’s a team effort again. It was a really cool thing to see. I kept saying that to everybody down there. All the producers, coaches, Shawn [Shawn Michaels], Matt [Matt Bloom], everybody. That crowd was as electric as anything I’ve ever seen for a taping. It was the first time watching where I was like, ‘this is a Black and Gold feel.’ All these new talents and acts have now stepped past that point of being new and they are developed and they have a character and backstory and can connect. It was cool to see. It’s cool to see Carmelo Hayes be a full package and cool to see Trick Williams break out like crazy over the last few months. Ilja Dragunov is next level. He is full package, ready to go. Toss that guy up tomorrow and he’s ready to deliver. It was an awesome show, awesome environment,”
“This era, to me, is very similar to the first. We got to watch Sasha [Sasha Banks aka Mercedes Mone] and Bayley and so many others develop and then we got to be part of their greatness when they went from a little bit on the greener side, trying to figure out who they were, and then ‘Whoa, that Brooklyn match.’ Within our generation, when we came in, Cesaro [aka Claudio Castagnoli], Sami Zayn, KO [Kevin Owens], us [Ciampa and Johnny Gargano], ERA [Undisputed ERA], we kind of defined ourselves a bit more on the independent scene, so when we got to NXT, you weren’t seeing a finished product, but you were seeing guys and girls who knew who they were. This new era, we got to watch Bron Breakker and Carmelo [Carmelo Hayes] develop. I love that and think it’s fascinating to watch any talent go through the process. The process is so beautiful. Promo process, character process, in-ring work process, we’re watching that process and all of a sudden you see them on a big stage, packed crowd, full of energy. You know light bulbs are going off. They are hungry,”
Tommaso Ciampa
Ciampa worked NXT between 2015 and 2022, and would head to the main roster where he has remained on the Monday Night RAW roster.
Ciampa recently reunited with Gargano on last week’s Monday Night RAW.
H/T to Fightful for transcription
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