Add as a preferred source on Google Tommaso Ciampa had no doubts about choosing AEW as the next chapter of his career. Ahead of Redemption, the “Psycho Killer” said the company has put together the best roster ever assembled in pro-wrestling history.
During the Countdown to AEW Redemption, Ciampa tied the level of that roster to his goal of reaching the AEW World Championship.
“Yeah, listen, if you’re not in this game for the world title, I don’t know why you’re bothering. But I’ve been around this long enough to know that it’s a ladder, right? You just gotta climb it, and the roster currently in AEW is better than any roster that’s ever been assembled in professional wrestling. So to come here and to look at people like Will Ospreay and Kenny Omega, look at people like Cope and Christian and Jericho, look at people like Mox and Speedball Mike Bailey and The Jet, Kyle Fletcher, and the list just goes on and on and on. There was no doubt in my mind that this is the place to go to not only test myself, but to prove to myself that I’m just as damn good as I think I am.”
The comments also echo the reason Ciampa has given for leaving WWE. He recently said he spent his final years on the main roster wanting to face a group of top opponents he never got to meet on TV. He named Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns as those missed opportunities.
Ciampa turned down a renewal offer from WWE and let his contract expire before debuting in AEW on January 28. Three days later, Ciampa beat Mark Briscoe in his first match to win the TNT Championship. In April, he also challenged Darby Allin for the AEW World Championship, but came up short.
Now his next test comes against Chris Jericho in a No Holds Barred Match at Redemption this Sunday, July 26, at the Bell Centre in Montreal.