Tonight on AEW Dynamite, Mark Briscoe defended the AEW TNT Championship against The Don Callis Family's El Clon, successfully retaining the title and deciding that he is over and done with that faction.
After the win, Briscoe grabbed a microphone and spoke a bit on the open challenge concept for his title, saying that he has a stipulation now that The Don Callis Family isn't allowed to take part in it anymore, as he's tired of them. But he still invited someone else to step up and take the challenge.
The lights went out and a new entrance theme started to play, ultimately revealing the debut of Tommaso Ciampa, making his first appearance for All Elite Wrestling.
The now former WWE Superstar announced on January 21st that his contract with World Wrestling Entertainment was going to expire and he was not going to extend it, opting to leave the company and releasing a statement on Instagram, thanking the men and women he's worked with over the years and all the fans and family for their love and support, ending it by saying he would be available for all appearances, signings, photo ops, seminars, movies, Tv appearances, fitness collaborations, sponsorships, and so forth - for the first time in 10 years.
Well, it didn't take long for Tony Khan to call up, clearly, as just a week later, The Psycho Killer is not only on screen, but booked for a title opportunity!
That match will go down on this Saturday's episode of AEW Collision, taking place January 31st out of the Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
It has not yet been clarified if Ciampa is officially signed with AEW, or if he is working on a per-appearance deal. Jim Ross recently spoke on his Grilling JR podcast with Conrad Thompson about how he hopes AEW would sign Ciampa, calling him a good hand and saying he's someone that you shouldn't pass on because he's a good worker with name recognition, but whether The Blackheart officially signs or if he does some touring before locking down onto the roster remains to be seen.
Update: Before the end of the show, Tony Khan tweeted out that Ciampa is officially All Elite and has signed with the company:
What do you think about Tommaso Ciampa in AEW? Does he have a shot at winning the TNT Championship? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!