Tommaso Ciampa has officially arrived in All Elite Wrestling, and he’s wasting no time reintroducing the darker side of his persona.
The former NXT Champion made his AEW debut on the January 28 edition of Dynamite, confronting Mark Briscoe and immediately reviving his infamous “Psycho Killer” character. In a new interview with Sports Illustrated’s Rich Ucchino, Ciampa opened up about his decision to join AEW and why this chapter finally allows him to unleash the version of himself fans first saw years ago on the independent scene.
For much of his WWE run, Ciampa became synonymous with his dominant 2018 NXT era—particularly his career-defining rivalry with Johnny Gargano. However, Ciampa revealed that the character work he truly wanted to explore was often left on the cutting-room floor.
“For a very long time, I’ve wanted to bring my vision of the Psycho Killer to a very large market and see if it would be as special as I thought it would be,” Ciampa said. “When I left Ring of Honor and was on the independents, Psycho Killer was really starting to take off for me. Then I signed with NXT and WWE, and I had to put it on the shelf. There were a lot of times I asked, ‘Hey, can we try this?’ and for one reason or another, it just wasn’t something I could do.”
Now firmly under the AEW umbrella, Ciampa credited Tony Khan and the company’s creative culture for fully embracing his long-term vision. According to Ciampa, the collaboration has already extended beyond television into branding, presentation, and future storytelling.
“For Tony and the whole crew to collaborate the way they did, see the vision, and just let me create—it means everything,” Ciampa explained. “I’m already thinking six to twelve months ahead on the evolution of Psycho Killer. I trademarked Psycho Killer and Psycho King. We’re thinking steps ahead. I’ve got merchandise designs ready, gear ready—shoutout to Mandy, because she crushed the gear.”
Ciampa also addressed the long-running narrative that his best work is behind him, firmly rejecting the idea that his 2018 run represented his peak.
“For a long time, I had to hear that 2018 was prime Ciampa. I’m 100 times better now than I was then,” he said. “Physically better, mentally sharper, storytelling and psychology on a completely different level. I just need the opportunity. What people are about to see is going to blow their minds. It’s going to shock the world—because I finally get to find out if I’m as good as I think I am. And I think I’m really freaking good at this.”
Ciampa is already lined up to challenge Mark Briscoe for the TNT Championship on AEW Collision, a high-stakes opportunity that could establish him as a major force in the company almost immediately.
With full creative freedom and a familiar—but evolved—persona back in play, the Psycho Killer era in AEW is officially underway.
