5 Things you didn't know about Tommaso Ciampa

#1. He battles depression

Tommaso Ciampa

After being released from his OVW contract, Tommaso Ciampa's mental health took a turn for the worse. He wasn't feeling well physically and despite never being a drinker or into drugs, began taking pills. His depression became more intense and his loved ones noticed a change in character.

One night, Tommaso Ciampa decided that he would take his own life,

"My attempt at suicide was reversing the exhaust in the car....the worst part of it to me is that my sister had an ex-boyfriend, who years after they broke up committed suicide, and that is how he did it. I knew it was possible from that."

Ciampa's memories of those times are still faint, but at some point he drove his car to a mall parking lot at approximately 3AM. Luckily, a mall security guard, who was off shift, alerted the police. By the time police arrived, Ciampa was "virtually passed out." Police forced the door of his vehicle open and saved his life. After his suicide attempt, Ciampa ended up at a clinic, where he received the help he needed.

He eventually moved to Missouri to train with WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race. There he found a caring mentor. According to Ciampa,

"Harley Race was a great mentor to me. He just took me under his wing quite a bit. Harley's not the 'I love you' type, but he cared and showed that he cared. My dad is awesome, so it's not like it was a father figure that I was missing. I guess it was just a person in the business who I respected - he's the first one who showed faith in me. I needed that so much at that point in my life and that helped."

To this day, Ciampa leaves his DMs open and receives more than twenty messages a week from fans who battle depression. Ciampa still battles depression, but believes he can offer hope to those who struggle, "I think that it helps when you have someone who can relate, or who can listen and not pass judgment."

(Transcription Credit: Michael McClead, Sportskeeda)

Readers may watch Lilian Garcia's interview with Tommaso Ciampa in its entirety below: