WWE NXT: Evaluating Tommaso Ciampa’s Reign After TakeOver Phoenix

via wwe.com

A Reign in Retrospect

195 days later, Tommaso Ciampa has four title defenses to his name, as well as some rivalries and a renewed alliance. It started off hot thanks to a memorable title win and a subsequent title defense that was just as memorable.

However, Ciampa’s heat for himself and “Goldie” noticeably cooled down as soon as his feud with Johnny Gargano ended. Then again, that was to be expected. Ciampa had the perfect foil on his hands with the ideal babyface who he shared years of backstory with. Any challenger who stepped up to the plate afterwards was going to feel like a step down. With that in mind, NXT’s booking hasn’t been too kind to the champion either and at times made him look like a supporting character in a fairy tale where he should be the main star.

Granted, with all of its flaws in mind, there is one special thing about Ciampa’s reign that helps elevate it higher than previous reigns.

There’s one thing about Ciampa’s reign we haven’t addressed yet that distinguishes it from any other reign before him. There is something about the way Ciampa’s been booked that makes him feel like a looming presence over matches he’s not even a part of. This is especially the case in Johnny Gargano’s matches, where we see several callbacks to their feud. It’s evident that his dances with the devil had a huge impact on Johnny TakeOver and it shows in nearly all of his in-ring performances.

In that regard at least, it’s a different title reign than we’re accustomed to seeing in comparison to not only other NXT Championship reigns, but title reigns in WWE altogether. We have to give credit to NXT booking and Ciampa’s performances for bringing something new to the table that separates the Massachusetts native from 13 previous champions.

Overall, Tommaso Ciampa has had a very good reign. He may have not have carried the brand as a flag bearer like Neville did before him and he may not have had as many unique challengers as, say, a Bobby Roode, Ciampa has delivered a fresh and unique NXT Title reign. Nonetheless, the reign has not been perfect, but it has been better and longer than most NXT Championship reigns out there. It’s not the best WWE NXT Championship reign, but it’s up there.

Hopefully, when it’s all said and done and his reign comes to an end, we can look back at Tommaso Ciampa’s championship run as something thrilling and worthwhile.