The transition from “WWE NXT” to the main roster programming of “Raw” or “SmackDown” has been rough for some wrestlers, such as Tommaso Ciampa. However, he believes that is all changing under the leadership of WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
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“I think we’ll see a little less of that just because there’s a lot more communication between the two brands now,” Tommaso Ciampa said on “The Battleground Podcast.” “I don’t think that when Trick Williams comes up to Raw or SmackDown, he’s not gonna be repackaged. They’re gonna have to educate the crowd on who he is but he’s gonna give you the same Trick Williams you’ve been getting.”
Ciampa said it was difficult in the older days of having a persona that didn’t “exist” within the bounds of the WWE Universe, often meaning talent like him had to start from scratch after years of success.
“Even speaking first person, when I came up and I was paired with The Miz, I love The Miz. I love Mike [Mizanin] as a person, I love his character, I think he’s fantastic as wrestler and performer but in no shape or form does Tommaso Ciampa and The Miz work as a unit…That’s where it becomes hard to be the real you,” Ciampa said. “I think we’re going to see a lot less of that.”
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During Ciampa’s promotion to “Raw,” the shots were still being called by Vince McMahon, and the transition to Levesque as WWE’s lead creative officer means that someone with much more understanding of “NXT” is in place on the main roster. “NXT” is now run by Levesque’s close confidant Shawn Michaels, furthering the increased communication between the two sections of WWE.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “The Battleground Podcast” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.