Stunning News: Tommaso Ciampa Planning To Exit WWE When Contract Expires
Grab your tissues, wrestling fans, because it looks like another nail is being hammered into the coffin of the “Black and Gold” era. If the rumor mill is to be believed, we are witnessing the final days of Tommaso Ciampa in a WWE ring. And honestly? It stings a little more than I expected it to.
The Stunning Report About Ciampa
According to a fresh report, Ciampa is finishing up his current run with the company and, here is the kicker, is not expected to put pen to paper on a renewal. He’s reportedly riding out the clock until his deal is up. This isn’t a release; this appears to be a choice.
We haven’t seen the former NXT Champion on our screens since the December 19, 2025, episode of SmackDown. You might remember that night—DIY (Ciampa and Johnny Gargano) took a loss to Ilja Dragunov and Carmelo Hayes. Since then, Gargano has been doing his thing on TV alongside Candice LeRae, while Ciampa has been pulling a disappearing act. Now, we know why.
The End of The Blackheart’s Era
Let’s be real for a second. Tommaso Ciampa wasn’t just another guy on the roster; for a long stretch of time, he was NXT. His run alongside—and against—Johnny Gargano defined a generation of wrestling.
We all remember that moment at NXT TakeOver: Chicago. The betrayal that broke a thousand hearts. Ciampa evolved from a beloved underdog into the most hated villain in the industry.
He held “Goldie” (the NXT Championship) for 238 days in 2018, a reign that was tragically cut short by a neck injury that required serious surgery. Most people would have hung up the boots right then and there. But Tommaso Ciampa came back. He fought through the pain, reinvented himself, and proved he could hang with the new generation.
Hearing that he is walking away on his own terms feels like the official closing of a chapter. We’ve seen Triple H’s “kids” slowly dwindle or get repackaged, but Ciampa felt like the last true survivor of that gritty, underground aesthetic.
Where Does He Go From Here?
The million-dollar question now is: What’s next? The report states it is unclear if Tommaso Ciampa is looking to jump ship to another promotion or if he is looking to step away from the ring entirely.
If he decides to keep wrestling, the obvious speculation points to the usual suspects. Could we see him mix it up in AEW? There are certainly some dream matches waiting for him there. A reunion with old rivals or new bouts against guys like MJF or Swerve Strickland would feed families. Or maybe he takes a tour of Japan, bringing that stiff, hard-hitting style to a NJPW ring where it would fit like a glove.
However, we have to address the elephant in the room: his health. Ciampa’s neck history is practically a horror story. There is a very real possibility that this contract expiration is a quiet retirement. If that is the case, he’s earned every second of rest he gets.
A Legacy That Can’t Be Erased
It’s easy to be cynical about modern wrestling contracts. Guys come and go, jumping between companies for the biggest paycheck. But Tommaso Ciampa felt different. He once famously said he’d rather retire than go to the main roster (obviously, plans changed), which showed just how deeply he cared about the product he was building in Orlando.
If this is truly goodbye, Tommaso Ciampa leaves behind a legacy of storytelling that few can touch. He proved that you don’t need to be 6’5″ to be a monster. You just need a killer instinct and a beard that looks like it was carved out of granite.
