Tommaso Ciampa made a massive impact upon his arrival in All Elite Wrestling, immediately capturing championship gold. However, new details have emerged revealing that the former NXT Champion’s debut was actually pushed back from its original target date due to unforeseen logistical issues.
Inclement Weather Forces Schedule Adjustments for AEW Collision
Ciampa officially made his in-ring debut on the January 31st episode of AEW Collision, where he successfully defeated Mark Briscoe to win the TNT Championship. Prior to that, he made a surprise appearance on the January 24 episode of AEW Dynamite. According to a recent report from Fightful Select, the initial plan was for Ciampa to make his full debut and secure the title victory over Briscoe on the January 24th episode of Collision.
The delay was caused by severe inclement weather, which forced AEW production officials to completely overhaul the week’s schedule. The necessary changes resulted in the Collision tapings being moved to immediately follow that week’s live Dynamite broadcast, prompting creative to push Ciampa’s title victory back by a week to accommodate the compressed timeline.
The timeline surrounding his departure from WWE also provides interesting context. The veteran performer was officially moved to the WWE roster alumni page on January 28. In reality, this occurred several days after he had already signed a contract with AEW, as he had planned to join the Jacksonville-based promotion immediately following his WWE exit. AEW officials managed to keep Ciampa very well hidden backstage ahead of his initial January 28 television appearance to preserve the surprise. Following his delayed but impactful debut, Ciampa enjoyed a brief reign as TNT Champion before dropping the title to Kyle Fletcher at the AEW Grand Slam Australia event.
