Tommaso Ciampa has reflected on his WWE career. He revealed that several dream matches never became a reality despite spending nearly a decade with the company.
The AEW star recently admitted that many of the names he hoped to face remained unchecked on his personal list before he left WWE.
Now settled into AEW, Ciampa revealed his determination to make up for those missed opportunities. He wants to share the ring with wrestling’s biggest names.
Tommaso Ciampa says WWE never gave him matches with top stars
Speaking to James Stewart on Stick to Wrestling Podcast, Ciampa explained that one of his first conversations with AEW President Tony Khan centered on accomplishing the goals he felt slipped away during his WWE run.
“My biggest goal, and I said it to Tony early on, is that I just want to check off the checklist.”
Ciampa said he spent the last 10 years chasing marquee matchups. However, he rarely crossed paths with WWE’s top stars on television.
“I worked with AJ Styles on a couple of live events, once on television. Never worked with Sami Zayn outside of live events. Never did stuff with Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, or Roman Reigns. The list goes on with people that I never crossed paths with on TV.”
He described those unrealized bouts as “missed opportunities,” adding that competing against elite talent is how performers continue to improve.
The former WWE star made his AEW debut in January 2026. He immediately captured the TNT Championship from Mark Briscoe in his first match with the promotion. He is now preparing for a No Holds Barred showdown against Chris Jericho at AEW Redemption.
Ciampa has also spoken openly about why he chose to leave WWE. In an interview with Sports Illustrated, he said AEW was the place he wanted to be in the current era of professional wrestling, while also praising Tony Khan for embracing his vision for the “Psycho Killer” character after those ideas never fully came together in WWE.
Whether Ciampa eventually gets to tick every remaining name off his checklist remains to be seen. For now, he’s focused on writing a new chapter in AEW — one match at a time. After all, every great career deserves a strong finishing sequence before the final bell.
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