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Tommaso Ciampa has become one of the greatest heels on WWE TV in the present era after turning on his long-time friend Johnny Gargano back in 2017. Ciampa and Gargano are former NXT Tag Team Champions, but when The Black Heart realized that Gargano could easily replace him when he suffered a knee injury he decided to take matters into his own hands.
Ciampa became the most hated man in WWE and over the past two years he has been able to use this villainous persona to push his career forward, to the point where he is now on the main roster alongside Gargano and incredibly the duo are back on the same page.
It's been an interesting few years for Ciampa in WWE and here are some of the biggest things that the WWE Universe need to know about the current NXT Champion.
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#5 Ciampa has been in WWE before
There are a number of current WWE superstars who had cameos in the company before they were signed to lucrative deals and Tommaso Ciampa is another name on this list. The former NXT star made his debut for WWE more than a decade ago when he appeared as Thomas Whitney, ESQ a lawyer for Mohammed Hassan in his feud with The Undertaker.
He later wrestled on Velocity under the ring name Demarso Whitney where he was defeated by Jamie Noble before he teamed with Kofi Kingston on an episode of Heat against the team of Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch.
Ciampa went on to sign a developmental contract with WWE in 2007 and wrestled as Tommaso, but after just six months in Ohio Valley Wrestling's developmental division, the company decided to release him from his contract and he then decided to return to the Independent Circuit.
#4 Ciampa wrestled for WWE and TNA at the same time
There was once a saying that wrestlers who had appeared on TNA TV would never make it to WWE because there was some kind of heat between the two companies, obviously, this has since changed since there are many stars like Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Bobby Roode, and EC3 are all carving out quite the career for themselves in WWE.
It appears that there are many more names on that list since Tommaso Ciampa also wrestled for TNA on numerous occasions. Ciampa returned to WWE back in 2015 and signed a deal that allowed him to still appear for Independent promotions alongside his appearances for the WWE, which included working for TNA.
Ciampa wrestled twice for the company in 2016 whilst also working for WWE, but was then signed to a much more demanding contract and went on to become one of NXT's biggest stars.
#3 Ciampa's wife was a Tough Enough contestant
Tough Enough made its return to WWE a few years ago as a WWE network exclusive show but there was once a time when Tough Enough was one of the most popular shows that the company produced.
Back in 2002, Jessie Ward was part of the second season of Tough Enough alongside 12 other wannabe wrestlers including Jackie Gayda, Matt Morgan and Kenny Layne. It was as part of the show that Jessie was diagnosed with a heart condition and was then forced to leave the company, but she credits the company as saving her life otherwise the condition might have gone undetected.
Jessie and Tommaso met after being introduced by mutual friend Samoa Joe, the couple then married back in 2013, Ward is now working as a television producer.
#2 That Cruiserweight Classic match with Johnny Gargano
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa rose to fame in NXT as part of #DIY but have since torn the NXT world apart with one of the greatest feuds in the history of the developmental brand.
Before Ciampa and Gargano were seen as contenders for the NXT Tag Team Championships, both men competed in the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic where Gargano came out on top in what was an absolutely sensational match.
This is thought to have been the reason why WWE decided to book the two stars in a feud against each other down the line since they were able to light up the Cruiserweight Classic as part of a match with no context.
Any fans who are yet to see the match can enjoy it over and over at the link below.
#1 Trained By WWE Hall of Famer
Tommaso Ciampa may have only just made it up to WWE's main roster, but he is already considered a veteran of the business since he made his debut more than 14 years ago. The current NXT Champion was trained by WWE Hall of Famer Killer Kowalski and made his debut just three years before his untimely passing in 2008.
Kowalski's wrestling school in Malden, Massachusetts has become known for the pedigree that it has produced since the likes of Triple H, Chyna, Eddie Edwards, Kofi Kingston, Damien Sandow, Fandango, Perry Saturn, and Tommaso Ciampa are all known to have been students of the school.
Kowalski's training allowed Ciampa to find his feet in Massachusetts before be went on to wrestle for the likes of Chaotic Wrestling and Top Rope Promotions throughout his early years in the business.
