Tony Khan comments on AEW’s decision to sign Tommaso Ciampa
As seen during the January 31st 2026 edition of AEW Collision, Mark Briscoe lost the TNT Championship to Tommaso Ciampa in Ciampa’s first AEW match. While speaking to Josh Martinez, AEW President Tony Khan commented on AEW’s decision to sign Ciampa…
“I think that AEW is where the best wrestle, and Tommaso Ciampa is a fantastic wrestler. Our fans like to see the very best wrestling against the very best. And so, Tommaso Ciampa is somebody that can come into AEW immediately. Now, he’s the TNT Champion. It reflects very well on AEW and our media partners to have such a fantastic wrestler with his credentials coming into the AEW company.
Also, he has a great history in Ring of Honor. So even though he had never been in AEW, he’s a big part of the history of the Ring of Honor promotion. And as the owner of ROH, having one of the legends coming back—somebody that has great accomplishments and has been a champion in ROH, now a champion in AEW as well—he’s going on that impressive list of people that have held both the ROH TV Championship and the TNT Championship.
And I think that as a TNT Champion, or in any role in AEW, the most important thing when we bring somebody in like a Tommaso Ciampa is: are you a wrestler? Are you a great wrestler? Is there a place for you here where you can really add to the AEW roster and set up great matches for the future? And Tommaso Ciampa fits that really to a tee, literally. I think he will be a great addition for us, and now I’m very excited that he’s the TNT Champion in AEW.”