# Tommaso Ciampa
**Tommaso Ciampa** is the ring name of an American professional wrestler, a Boston, Massachusetts native listed by WWE at 5'11" and 208 lbs, best known for his run in WWE's NXT brand as one half of the tag team #DIY with [Johnny Gargano](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-gargano) and as a one-time NXT Champion who performed under the nickname The Blackheart.[1](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ciampa) His signature moves are the Fairytale Ending, Willow's Bell, and Project Ciampa, and his career highlights include the [NXT Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/nxt-championship), the [NXT Tag Team Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/nxt-tag-team-championship), and the WWE Tag Team Championship.[1](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ciampa)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Hometown | Boston, Mass.[1](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ciampa) |
| Ring name origin | "Tommaso Ciampa" is his godmother's last name, adopted after years of working under other personas[2](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2019/12/tommaso-ciampa-on-how-his-wife-helped-him-present-himself-663941/) |
| Tag team | #DIY with Johnny Gargano, formed in the inaugural Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic after both arrived in NXT without contracts[1](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ciampa) |
| Championships | NXT Champion; NXT Tag Team Champion; WWE Tag Team Champion; AEW TNT Champion[1](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ciampa) • [3](https://www.vice.com/en/article/tommaso-ciampa-has-done-it-all-now-hes-ready-to-take-over-aew/) |
| Defining rivalry | A years-long feud with former partner Johnny Gargano, including an unsanctioned match at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans voted the best match of 2018 by Pro Wrestling Dot Net readers[4](https://prowrestling.net/site/2019/01/29/dot-net-awards-2018-best-match/) |
| Major injuries | Ruptured ACL (2017), anterior cervical fusion neck surgery (2019), and a hip injury (2022–2023) that each interrupted career peaks[5](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/wrestlers/tommaso-ciampa) |
| Later career | Left WWE when his contract expired in early 2026 and debuted in AEW, where he won the TNT Championship[3](https://www.vice.com/en/article/tommaso-ciampa-has-done-it-all-now-hes-ready-to-take-over-aew/) |
## Early career and the independents
Ciampa began wrestling on the independent circuit in 2005 and spent a decade in smaller promotions before joining WWE full time.[6](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/article/diy-exclusive-interview) • [2](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2019/12/tommaso-ciampa-on-how-his-wife-helped-him-present-himself-663941/) In 2007 he signed a WWE contract to train and compete in the company's former developmental territory, [Ohio Valley Wrestling](https://www.edgepedia.org/ohio-valley-wrestling), but the contract was gone in less than a year.[6](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/article/diy-exclusive-interview)
**Ring of Honor.** Ciampa then spent four years in [Ring of Honor](https://www.edgepedia.org/ring-of-honor), the promotion with which he is most closely identified from his independent years.[7](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2019/12/tommaso-ciampa-recalls-roh-telling-him-how-little-he-was-663594/) • [8](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2885612-exclusive-tommaso-ciampa-ready-to-write-the-final-chapter-with-johnny-gargano) He has said he offered to sign a five- or ten-year deal if Ring of Honor showed it would invest in him, and that the company instead told him how little he was worth.[7](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2019/12/tommaso-ciampa-recalls-roh-telling-him-how-little-he-was-663594/) When his contract expired he left voluntarily, because he was making more money on the independent scene.[8](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2885612-exclusive-tommaso-ciampa-ready-to-write-the-final-chapter-with-johnny-gargano)
Two influences reshaped his presentation in this period. His wife, [Jessie Ward](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessie-ward), a former Tough Enough contestant who later produced for WWE and Impact, pushed him to stop trying only to make opponents look good and to present himself as a star, including through social media.[2](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2019/12/tommaso-ciampa-on-how-his-wife-helped-him-present-himself-663941/) After leaving Ring of Honor he began using "Psycho Killer" by [Talking Heads](https://www.edgepedia.org/talking-heads) as his entrance music, a persona he credits with his breakout: "in one year it just took off."[2](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2019/12/tommaso-ciampa-on-how-his-wife-helped-him-present-himself-663941/)
His final independent match came for PROGRESS Wrestling in London against [Cruiserweight Classic](https://www.edgepedia.org/cruiserweight-classic) semifinalist [Zack Sabre Jr.](https://www.edgepedia.org/zack-sabre-jr), at a sold-out [Brixton Academy](https://www.edgepedia.org/brixton-academy) crowd of 2,400.[9](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/article/tommaso-ciampa-interview-progress-wrestling)
## #DIY and NXT
Ciampa arrived in NXT without a contract; all he was promised was a chance to prove himself.[1](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ciampa) He and Johnny Gargano, both established independent names, were introduced by NXT General Manager William Regal as a duo entering the inaugural [Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic](https://www.edgepedia.org/dusty-rhodes-tag-team-classic), and the team later known as #DIY soon earned full-time spots on the NXT roster.[1](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ciampa) • [10](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/johnny-gargano-tommaso-ciampa-exclusive-interview-nxt) The two had first crossed paths years earlier, when Ciampa picked Gargano up at a bus station before a Dragon Gate USA show in Massachusetts, and grew closer during a week-long WWE tryout in 2015 in which company officials placed them in the same hotel room.[6](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/article/diy-exclusive-interview)
#DIY captured the NXT Tag Team Championship at [NXT TakeOver](https://www.edgepedia.org/nxt-takeover): Toronto, ending a heated rivalry with the champions The Revival.[6](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/article/diy-exclusive-interview) After numerous failed bids to recapture the titles, Ciampa's paranoia and jealousy unraveled the partnership, and he turned on Gargano.[1](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ciampa) The turn was interrupted by injury: Ciampa suffered a ruptured ACL in May 2017 and was out of action into January 2018.[5](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/wrestlers/tommaso-ciampa)
## The Gargano feud and the NXT Championship
On his return, Ciampa attacked Gargano, his former partner, with a crutch at [NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia](https://www.edgepedia.org/nxt-takeover-philadelphia) on January 27, 2018, after Andrade "Cien" Almas had defeated Gargano to keep the NXT Championship.[11](https://as.com/us/us/2018/02/22/masdeporte/1519275675_214533.html) • [14](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/nxt-takeover-philadelphia-2018-01-27/article/nxt-takeover-philadelphia-results) The betrayal launched a deeply personal series of TakeOver matches between the former best friends.[1](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ciampa) At NXT TakeOver: New Orleans in April 2018, the two met in an unsanctioned match; Pro Wrestling Dot Net readers voted it the best match of 2018 with 21 percent of the vote, ahead of [Kenny Omega](https://www.edgepedia.org/kenny-omega) versus [Kazuchika Okada](https://www.edgepedia.org/kazuchika-okada) at NJPW Dominion.[4](https://prowrestling.net/site/2019/01/29/dot-net-awards-2018-best-match/)
**NXT Champion.** In July 2018 Ciampa defeated Aleister Black to win the NXT Championship, which he called "Goldie."[1](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ciampa) • [12](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/2018-07-25/article/tommaso-ciampa-def-aleister-black-nxt-championship) WWE's profile describes him under this run as a standard-bearer for NXT and one of the most influential NXT Champions, a period in which NXT became, in the company's words, WWE's "A-show."[1](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ciampa)
The reign ended through injury rather than defeat. Ciampa required neck surgery, an anterior cervical fusion, in early 2019 and relinquished the title before he could defend it at TakeOver: New York on WrestleMania weekend.[13](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/article/tommaso-ciampa-opens-up-about-injury) • [5](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/wrestlers/tommaso-ciampa) He was sidelined from March to October 2019.[5](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/wrestlers/tommaso-ciampa)
## Main roster and the #DIY reunion
Ciampa moved to the main roster in April 2022 and aligned with The Miz, but a hip injury suffered that September kept him out for nine months.[1](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ciampa) • [5](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/wrestlers/tommaso-ciampa) He returned on the June 19, 2023 episode of Raw by attacking The Miz during an Open Challenge, ending the partnership, and then reformed #DIY with Gargano.[1](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ciampa) The reunited team defeated A-Town Down Under to become WWE Tag Team Champions on the SmackDown before Money in the Bank.[1](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ciampa)
## References
1. [Tommaso Ciampa | WWE Superstar profile](https://www.wwe.com/superstars/ciampa)
2. [Tommaso Ciampa On How His Wife Helped Him Present Himself As A Star, Wrestling Inc.](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2019/12/tommaso-ciampa-on-how-his-wife-helped-him-present-himself-663941/)
3. [Tommaso Ciampa Has Been Around the World. Now He's Ready To Take Over AEW, VICE](https://www.vice.com/en/article/tommaso-ciampa-has-done-it-all-now-hes-ready-to-take-over-aew/)
4. [Dot Net Awards: 2018 Best Match, Pro Wrestling Dot Net](https://prowrestling.net/site/2019/01/29/dot-net-awards-2018-best-match/)
5. [Tommaso Ciampa: Profile, Career Stats, Titles & Gimmicks, Pro Wrestlers Database](https://www.thesmackdownhotel.com/wrestlers/tommaso-ciampa)
6. [#DIY on their long road to the NXT Tag Team Titles, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/article/diy-exclusive-interview)
7. [Tommaso Ciampa Recalls ROH Telling Him How Little He Was Worth, Wrestling Inc.](https://www.wrestlinginc.com/news/2019/12/tommaso-ciampa-recalls-roh-telling-him-how-little-he-was-663594/)
8. [Exclusive: Tommaso Ciampa Ready to Write the Final Chapter with Johnny Gargano, Bleacher Report](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2885612-exclusive-tommaso-ciampa-ready-to-write-the-final-chapter-with-johnny-gargano)
9. [Exclusive: Tommaso Ciampa on his final independent match for PROGRESS Wrestling, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/article/tommaso-ciampa-interview-progress-wrestling)
10. [Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa on receiving the opportunity of a lifetime in NXT, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/johnny-gargano-tommaso-ciampa-exclusive-interview-nxt)
11. [Johnny Gargano se despide de NXT con amarga derrota ante Andrade Cien Almas, AS](https://as.com/us/us/2018/02/22/masdeporte/1519275675_214533.html)
12. [Tommaso Ciampa def. Aleister Black to win the NXT Championship, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/2018-07-25/article/tommaso-ciampa-def-aleister-black-nxt-championship)
13. [Tommaso Ciampa opens up about his neck injury in emotional new video, WWE.com](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/article/tommaso-ciampa-opens-up-about-injury)
14. [NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia results](https://www.wwe.com/shows/wwenxt/nxt-takeover-philadelphia-2018-01-27/article/nxt-takeover-philadelphia-results)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Individual sports and outdoor recreation › Combat sports and professional wrestling › Professional wrestlers and stables › American wrestlers › Modern era wrestlers › NXT wrestlers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license