WWE: Ciampa finally looks like he belongs on RAW

Ciampa finally looked like he belonged on WWE RAW.

In this past episode of Monday Night RAW, Ciampa went against Bobby Lashley for the United States Championship. In the midst of great change and even some chaos on RAW, Ciampa was looking for his first singles championship since coming on the WWE main roster.

During the match, it became clear that Ciampa has finally done the most important thing, despite coming up short of the United States title. He looked comfortable on RAW, which is the first time after some trial runs in the past that his transition from NXT has been smooth.

Ciampa’s not so easy transition in WWE.

There have been many wrestlers who closely identify with the legendary black and gold NXT brand, and Ciampa was one who carried it in every way. It got to a point that there was doubt that he would ever appear on RAW or Smackdown for the rest of his career.

Those doubts became stronger as Ciampa made appearances on RAW and Smackdown during the NXT invasion. During that time, he was the holder of the NXT championship, but he didn’t gel with the atmosphere.

He’s not the first superstar to have this problem, but he’s certainly one of the most popular in NXT history. It has led to some superstars having their fair share of problems creatively. Ciampa kept a certain attitude that he was still all about NXT and it showed in his overall presentation.

With the changes in NXT, there was no question there was only one place that Ciampa could go and that’s up. Even though he was vocal about staying on the NXT show, it just didn’t seem possible anymore.

The skepticism furthered with his alliance with The Miz upon his call-up to RAW. The Miz is a fantastic wrestler but certain alliances work and others tend to not work out so well. This is true especially since Ciampa has a very short list of people he trusts with Gargano being on that exclusive list. Oddly enough, it seemed to work since Ciampa is embracing what has made him great and using it in a new way. He wasn’t trying to be the Ciampa of NXT or the main champion version of himself. He is presenting himself as a guy who is capable of anything no matter who he is against.

The competition was very stiff and it seemed like Ciampa was on the road to winning his first singles title gold on the main roster. There was zero hesitation, doubt, or intimidation from Ciampa and he has embraced his role on the main roster.

He is hungry and he clearly has all intentions of moving up the ladder again. He was on top for so long in NXT that people expected him to have the belt. This is a new challenge and a way for Ciampa to challenge himself in WWE and dig into something never seen before.

That spells excitement moving forward as Ciampa continues his journey on RAW. This is a new era for the former NXT champion and there is no telling what will happen from here on out. The man is hungry and embracing the hunger he has always had within him and putting it on full display.

There is no telling what is next for Ciampa on RAW as he continues his alliance with The Miz. One thing is for sure, no one is safe on the roster and no one is an exception to a relentless Ciampa. Stay tuned on WWE RAW to see what Ciampa has in store next as he continues his run.