Two TakeOver losses in a row almost seems unheard of for Tommaso Ciampa, but here we are.
We’re so used to Ciampa being a top guy, but since he has returned something has been…off.
The man who was once so dominant in the NXT Men’s Division, is now at a crossroads.
After returning from neck surgery, he failed to defeat his former tag team partner, Johnny Gargano. In fact that feud acted as a launching pad for “The Gargano Way”, while Ciampa got pushed to the side.
Then, of course, just this past Sunday, Ciampa basically got squashed by Karrion Kross. The Psycho Killer has fallen way off track from recapturing Goldie. Sunday left a lot of questions surrounding Ciampa.
Where does Ciampa go from here? What’s next? How does he bounce back?
Let’s go with the obvious match up, Karrion Kross. We can’t pretend that Ciampa is going to let go of what happened at In Your House. Ciampa is too proud to let that match be it, he would have to redeem himself.
It may not be something fans would necessarily want to see, but it is something needed for Ciampa’s character. He has to at least try to defeat Kross, otherwise it will eat him up inside.
After he is able to move on from Kross, why does Ciampa need to feud or a have a match with just NXT Superstars?
If you have paid attention at all to Ciampa’s Twitter, you’ve seen interactions with Randy Orton. In the past, Ciampa had said he would not want to get moved to the main roster.
But in the world of COVID-19 and to face Randy Orton, why the hell not?
Of course the tweets between the two could be the start of something, if Vince and creative let it happen. Orton and Ciampa are rather similar to each other and could be an interesting next step for Tommaso. If he does head to the main roster, Orton would be a perfect feud for him.
Randy has been with the company for so long, Ciampa is bound to learn a few things about the main roster from him. Then, picture it, Ciampa beats the 13 time World Champion, making a huge statement to the rest of the main roster.
Heading to the main roster would open up possibilites of feuding with AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, Edge, and Seth Rollins. A match with any of those men would be an amazing opportunity for Ciampa. Ciampa calls himself the Greatest Sports Entertainer of all time and it would be good to see him prove that against some of the best in the company today.
If Ciampa decides to stay in NXT, he could go after the North American Championship. While it isn’t Goldie, it is a title Ciampa has yet to hold in NXT.
If Keith Lee is still holding the championship, it would be an uphill battle for the Psycho Killer, but an achievable goal. Lee versus Ciampa would be a nice break from seeing Johnny Gargano in the title hunt and could help Ciampa gain some confidence back.
Two other people Ciampa could face here soon: Timothy Thatcher or Finn Balor. When Ciampa first came back after injury, it seemed he was going to have a nice little feud with Finn Balor. With both men wanting to prove they were THE guy in NXT, but I believe we never really got the full extent of what that could be.
Balor and Ciampa both helped bring NXT to new heights when they held the NXT Championship. Now, with them both in NXT at the same time we could find out who the better man is. It is at least an option for Ciampa to take.
Timothy Thatcher may be the out of the blue choice, but think about it! Thatcher just dominated Matt Riddle in a cage match, sending him to Smackdown. He has all the options to be the next big thing in NXT, so why not take out one of the most dominant NXT Champions in recent history to cement that?
A Thatcher versus Ciampa match would be a hard hitting and entertaining one. It also may be something fans wouldn’t have expected.
There’s a lot of possibilites as to what could be next for Tommaso Ciampa.
Whether he stays in NXT or makes the jump to the main roster, he will be able to make anything work. Based on what we have seen from him the last two TakeOvers, Ciampa is in an uphill battle to be the man he once was. I believe he will get there, and be better than ever soon.
Whatever is next for Ciampa, I know it will be entertaining and enjoyable to watch.
If you liked this article, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to follow all of our content that goes out daily.
You can find the author of this article on Twitter @paigeyb88. Thanks for reading!