Tommaso Ciampa Turned Down WWE Offer Before AEW Debut

Before surprising the wrestling world with his AEW debut, Tommaso Ciampa was deep in negotiations with WWE—and he’s now confirmed that the company did try to keep him.

In a new interview with SHAK Wrestling on January 30, 2026, Ciampa revealed that WWE made a serious effort to re-sign him, offering a new deal in the final months of his contract. But after much consideration, he turned it down and chose to start fresh with AEW. When asked directly if WWE put an offer on the table, Ciampa didn’t hesitate:

“Yeah. Yeah, they did,” he said. “We talked about it a few times over the last two to three months.”

He made it clear this wasn’t a decision based on dissatisfaction or bitterness—it was a personal move, rooted in what felt right for the next phase of his life and career: “I just needed to do what I felt was right for me and my wife.” Even after walking away from nearly a decade in WWE, Ciampa had nothing but gratitude for the platform the company gave him. He also acknowledged that his time in WWE helped shape him as both a performer and a person:

“I don’t have a single bad word to say about WWE. They gave me an incredible opportunity and an incredible platform. Over the last ten years, I learned a lot and evolved a lot. Now it’s time for me to take everything I’ve learned and really apply it.”

The update comes just days after Ciampa debuted on the January 28 episode of AEW Dynamite, where he answered Mark Briscoe’s open challenge for the TNT Title. That same night, AEW President Tony Khan made it official by tweeting the “Tommaso Ciampa is All Elite” graphic.

With his first AEW match set for this Saturday on Collision, and a new chapter unfolding, Ciampa is proving he left WWE on his own terms—and with unfinished business to pursue.

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