Tommaso Ciampa is set to make his AEW in-ring debut this Saturday on Collision, challenging Mark Briscoe for the TNT Championship. The matchup is steeped in history, dating back to their shared time in Ring of Honor over a decade ago. In a recent interview with SHAK Wrestling, Ciampa spoke glowingly about Briscoe’s solo run, admitting that watching his success from the sidelines “genuinely touched my heart.”
Ciampa expressed deep respect for his opponent, stating, “I couldn’t pick a better first opponent in my wildest dreams, because he is the most likeable babyface, arguably in all of professional wrestling. He’s impossible not to like. I like him so much that I had to give him a kiss.” He noted the bittersweet nature of their reunion, recalling that his final ROH match was against Briscoe in Texas—the same location as his AEW debut. “This is a new Mark Briscoe and this is a new Tommaso Ciampa… and there’s no ROH Title this time. It’s a TNT Title,” he added.
AEW Collision Lineup (1/31):
- TNT Championship: Mark Briscoe (c) vs. Tommaso Ciampa
- AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship: Babes of Wrath (c) vs. Sisters of Sin
- CRU (Lio Rush & Action Andretti) vs. The Rascalz
- Darby Allin vs. Clark Connors