Tommaso Ciampa Signs with AEW After Dynamite Debut

It’s official: Tommaso Ciampa is All Elite.

After making his surprise AEW debut on the January 28, 2026 episode of Dynamite, Ciampa’s status with the company was confirmed later in the night by AEW President Tony Khan, who tweeted out the now-iconic “All Elite” graphic.

“He arrived on #AEWDynamite tonight to answer Mark Briscoe’s TNT Title Open Challenge for #AEWCollision this Saturday, and now it’s official: Tommaso Ciampa is ALL ELITE!”
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan)

Ciampa confronted AEW TNT Champion Mark Briscoe live on Dynamite, responding to Briscoe’s open challenge with a dramatic, lights-out entrance set to his new theme song “My Shadow Knows” by Mikey Rukus and Just Joe Syracuse. The two will collide this Saturday on Collision, marking Ciampa’s first official AEW match and first in-ring appearance since leaving WWE.

The confirmation ends weeks of speculation following Ciampa’s quiet exit from WWE. On January 21, he revealed that his contract was expiring and that he would be moving on. Just days later, WWE moved him to the alumni section of its roster page on January 27.

Ciampa had been with WWE since 2015, where he became one of the defining faces of NXT. His run included reigns as NXT Champion, NXT Tag Team Champion, and WWE Tag Team Champion. Prior to WWE, he was a regular in Ring of Honor, where he built his reputation as a violent and unrelenting in-ring competitor.

In the days following his WWE exit, Ciampa reintroduced the “Psycho Killer” persona, filing trademarks for both “Psycho Killer” and “Psycho King.” He also dropped brand-new merch and launched a booking campaign, signaling he was entering a new chapter with full force.

With his AEW contract now official and a TNT Title match set for Saturday, Tommaso Ciampa is wasting no time making an impact—and AEW clearly has big plans for him.

Tommaso Ciampa’s AEW arrival wasn’t just a debut—it was a declaration. From free agent to “All Elite” in under a week, the Psycho Killer has officially found his next home, and his eyes are already locked on championship gold.