After 11 years, most of which were spent with DIY, Tommaso Ciampa is ready to DIH (do it himself) as the 40-year-old wrestler announced today his time with WWE has come to an end.
Tommaso Ciampa Pens Instagram Post Announcing His WWE Departure
“In the very near future, my contract with the WWE will officially come to an end,” Ciampa began his message on X. He went on to thank everyone in the back, including the ring crew, seamstresses, catering, travel, medical, creative, and more, while offering a “very special thank you to all the men and women who I’ve shared a ring and locker room with…nothing but love and respect.”
Tommaso Ciampa also thanked the fans who have supported his career and offered special shout out to his “black and gold family” who would “forever hold an incredibly special place” in his heart. Finally, he thanked his wife and daughter, his “forever ‘why’.”
“I spent the first decade of my career traveling the world on the independent scene. I spent the second decade of my career traveling the world with WWE,” Ciampa noted, while adding he has “one decade remaining” and he’s excited to see where it takes him. “I’m an incredibly lucky person, one of the few who has spent his entire adult life living out his childhood dream…and while that dream continues to evolve, I will continue to chase it.”
Tommaso Ciampa finished by noting for the first time in over a decade, he’s available to take bookings – everything from appearances/signings to seminars, movies, collaborations, sponsorships, and more.
Looking Back on a Decade-Long Run
Tommaso Ciampa first debuted in WWE as Thomas Whitney, Esq., in 2005, attorney to Muhammad Hassan and victim of the Undertaker. In February 2007, he signed a contract with WWE’s developmental OVW but it was short-lived as he was released just six months later. That sent Ciampa back to the indies, specifically Ring of Honor, where he thrived, becoming the ROH World Television Champion and taking part in some major storylines.
The Rise and Fall of DIY
Credit: WWE
In 2015, 10 years after his debut, Tommaso Ciampa was back in WWE, this time alongside fellow indie vet, Johnny Gargano. The two, who later became known as DIY, competed in the inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament. Ciampa wrestled sporadically in NXT for the next few months until it was announced in April 2016 (seven months after the classic) that he had signed with NXT. Ciampa started with a non-exclusive contract, but after taking part in the Cruiserweight Classic, was quickly elevated to an exclusive deal, where he could no longer take outside bookings. Gargano had also been signed to NXT, and together, the two engaged in some of the brand’s best tag team matches ever, including when they won their first tag titles against the Revival in a two-out-of-three falls match at TakeOver: Toronto in November of that year.
DIY would struggle to regain their titles, ultimately leading to Ciampa betraying Gargano in a shocking turn, brutally attacking his former tag team partner and putting him through a table. The angle was in part designed to write Ciampa off TV after he tore his ACL during a ladder match. Despite being off TV, however, Ciampa was never off of Gargano’s mind. Ciampa promised to return as the most dangerous man in NXT, and as Gargano was at the peak of his singles rise, he did just that.
The Birth of the Blackheart
Credit: WWE
On January 27, 2018 at TakeOver: Philadelphia, the Blackheart was born as Ciampa attacked Gargano before later costing him a title match in February, the stipulation of which led to Gargano leaving NXT. Ciampa made his in-ring return at TakeOver: New Orleans, bringing the energy of the Blackheart with him. He entered to no music, no graphics, no lights, just the sound of boos raining down. It was an incredibly impactful entrance that accompanied his heel run. Ciampa and Gargano enjoyed a deeply personal blood feud during which Ciampa won the NXT Championship in July and successfully defended it against Gargano in NXT’s first-ever last man standing match.
Tommaso Ciampa never lost the title, as a few months later, he debuted on Raw alongside Gargano to take on their old foes, the Revival. An injury led to him vacating the belt and delaying his main roster run properly, of which he was reported to have faced off with Gargano once more, along with an NXT finale at TakeOver: New York in 2019. Ciampa returned to NXT in October, remaining there through 2022. He enjoyed both face and heel runs in addition to winning a second NXT Championship to culminate his time on the black and gold brand.
Main Roster Bound and the Return to Championship Gold
Photo Credit: WWE
From 2022-26, Tommaso Ciampa spent time on Raw and SmackDown, first as a singles star and later, realigned with Gargano. DIY’s main roster run began in 2023 when Gargano saved Ciampa from a post-match beatdown at the hands of Imperium. The pair battled for the tag team titles for much of the year on Raw, unsuccessfully. However, everything changed in 2024 when both were drafted to SmackDown.
In May, the duo got the better of A-Town Down Under to win their first main roster tag team championship. Their reign was short, but the duo, despite the appearance of some bubbling tension, managed to regain the belts from the Motor City Machine Guns a few months later. It would turn out that the tension was a ruse, as both Gargano and Ciampa turned heel, united as ever. DIY held the titles for over three months before dropping them to the Street Profits in March. In April, they received a rematch in a critically acclaimed TLC match, but failed to unthrone the champs.
That was kind of the beginning of the end for Tommaso Ciampa, who would only wrestle 13 additional matches in nine months in WWE. His last match came on December 19, where he and Gargano lost to the team of Carmelo Hayes and Ilja Dragunov.
What’s Next for Tommaso Ciampa?
In his 20-year-plus career, Tommaso Ciampa has shown great versatility. He’s been a fan-favorite babyface and despised heel. He’s gotten over as a singles wrestler and a tag team star. He’s shown promise as the top guy and has been a reliable hand when he’s been placed in lower card situations.
One could argue Ciampa’s main roster run was a bit stunted with some wasted potential. He and Gargano did win two tag team titles, however, one more than they did in NXT. But nothing Ciampa did on the main roster lived up to the hype he left behind in NXT. When Ciampa left the black and gold brand that he helped rise to prominence, he did so in the midst of a fantastic run. He accomplished the main goal of a heel turn that so few do, as he went from the most hated man on the roster to someone fans were rooting for in the end.
Tommaso Ciampa will have no shortage of options for what’s next. He could take some time away to take non-wrestling bookings, or he could wrestle sporadically on the indies, returning to former stomping grounds. Of course, an AEW run is on the horizon and seems to be the most likely landing spot for Ciampa with an ROH return part of the deal. But that won’t be his only option. Ciampa should field offers from all of the TV promotions – MLW, TNA, NJPW, NWA, etc. It’s up to him to find the best fit and decide where his final chapter will be written.
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – WWE – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on Tommaso Ciampa, and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.
You can check out WWE programming on Netflix (Raw, WWE archives, WWE Unreal, and other specials), USA Network (SmackDown), The CW (NXT), ESPN (WWE PLEs), Tubi (WWE Evolve), A&E (WWE Superstar Sunday – Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments) and Peacock (Saturday Night’s Main Event). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on YouTube.
